In celebration of their mission to the gay and lesbian community, The First and Franklin Street Presbyterian Church is hosting a section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. The 54-ton, handmade tapestry honoring more than 90,000 individuals lost to AIDS will be exhibited in Reid Memorial Chapel. The Quilt began with a single 3 x 6 foot panel created in San Francisco in 1987. Today, it is composed of more than 47,000 individual 3 x 6 foot panels, each one commemorating the life of someone who has died of AIDS.

Ronald, 23, is an African-American gay man from Baltimore. When he walks outside of his east Baltimore apartment building every day, he comes face to face with discrimination, rejection, and stigma. While he says these are tough "elements to his life," the toughest one yet is coming face to face with the reality that HIV adversely affects his community, his friends, and himself.

Hearts & Ears, a wellness and recovery center for the LGBT community in Baltimore, closed its doors on Pennsylvania Avenue in February and will reopen in May at a new Mt. Vernon location. The organization has been serving LGBT mental health consumers since Paula Lafferty founded it in 1998. Tony Wright, executive director of On Our Own of Baltimore, has been acting as temporary executive director for Hearts & Ears since December.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) have developed the top ten health issues lesbian and bisexual women, gay and bisexual men, and transgender people need to discuss with their providers. Among those issues is a high occurrence of and concern about breast cancer.

During Pride, we see dazzling displays of color from all parts of the rainbow. From pink and rose to lavender and violet and all shades in between, colors are regarded as a healthy expression of gay pride.

Summer road trips usually mean getting the car serviced to ensure a smooth ride. But when were you last serviced? June is Men’s Health Month and this would be a great time to get yourself checked.

Cancer, arthritis, heart disease. These are just a few chronic issues that you (or a loved one) may face at some point. Each illness brings with it unique challenges and treatments, but they are all long-term illnesses that may not be cured. Still, there are many methods you can use to help cope with chronic illness.

Happy New Year!
How are you doing so far? Still recovering from the holidays?
Focused on resolutions? How are you breathing?

January seems like a great to address a question that I was recently asked.