I was raised Roman Catholic. As a first-generation Cuban-American, my religious background is not particularly surprising. I was baptized and even confirmed, a sacrament that re-engaged me with the faith.
Growing up, I often thought about becoming a priest. Having struggled to accept myself as gay, my interest in the matter diminished significantly over the years as I realized what such a life would mean for me. I just couldn’t do it.
Today, many people from different spiritual traditions are choosing not only to become religious leaders, but also to follow a path of living their lives with pride. What a blessing this must be for such people.
Case in point: Bishop Stacey S. Latimer. Our cover subject has been a member of many Christian denominations throughout his life. Today he is a bishop of the Church of the Eternal Kingdom. His faith helped him cope with a diagnosis of HIV in 1987 and stage IV prostate cancer in 2019.
Stacey first appeared on the cover of POZ in 2007. At the time, he was an HIV-positive same-sex minister providing HIV counseling in the black church. We were curious and wanted to know more. When we heard about his current battle with cancer, we wanted to reconnect with him. Find out more here.
Like many long-term survivors, myself included, we face health challenges in addition to HIV as we age. In this special edition on aging with HIV, we talk to two other people who know a lot about the subject: Dr. Charles Garfield and Hassan James Gibbs.
As founder of the Shanti Project in San Francisco, Charles recently celebrated 50 years of service. The organization was founded as a volunteer support group for people with terminal illnesses. When the HIV epidemic began, the group expanded to help people dying from AIDS-related illnesses. Charles and his colleagues quickly became allies. Click here to learn more.
Hassan tested HIV positive in 1985. Back then, such a diagnosis often meant imminent death. He turned to drugs and alcohol to cope. When he saw friends and others around him dying, he became angry. In addition to becoming an HIV activist, he also became a mentor for HIV-positive people in 12-step programs. Find out more here.
As humans, we know we will die one day. We just don’t like to talk about it. For long-term survivors aging with HIV, however, mortality is once again front and center. Here is an essay by POZ writer Mark S. King that delves into this conundrum.
Women of all ages living with the virus need to take additional health considerations into account when managing their HIV. Here is a POZ Focus article on this topic.
