New forum Moderator

[Jim Allen]

Hi All,

As you know, we have been looking for volunteers, and Leatherman has kindly volunteered to step up and help us.

The extra help will be greatly appreciated. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Leatherman in his new forum role

Jim

[Jim Allen]

I would have said congratulation, but I won't, considering it is unpaid and the number of questions you will have to answer about fingers and things in various bodily orifices   

[leatherman]

Thanks for letting me help out.
You've done a great job here Jim and I felt you could use some help.


After my 2nd partner passed away, I felt indebted to two groups of people - those hospice volunteers who helped me as much as they could and the members here who not only supported me emotionally, but  who literally helped me pay for my partner's cremation. I knew then and there I needed to do something to give back (but I sure didn't want to sit by another deathbed) so I ended up doing health fairs, college HIV education events, peer support and working with the Ryan White programs in both North and South Carolina. However, sometime after the Covid lockdowns, I backed off on my Ryan White and clinic volunteer work. While I had somehow turned into an old white man LOL, I needed to step aside to let younger black MSM and women of color step up to help reach those groups suffering the most disparity in the American health care system.

But that left me antsy to get back to doing something. Following along in the AII? forum and hanging out in our vid chats, I decided I'd like to give you a hand, and do my part helping this site when the people here had helped me so much.

Now, no fights anyone or any crazy treatment scams or I'll slap you with a ban. ROFLMAO

[leatherman]

the number of questions you will have to answer about fingers and things in various bodily orifices 

it wouldn't be so bad if the stories were written up like the smutty books I read; but I've seen that forum

[Loa111]

Welcome Mikie Leatherman & thank you very much for volunteering your time to help Jim with mod work.

Both of you have giving me excellent help & support over the years & still do, so thank you very much Jim & Mikie, I am most grateful.

Also I love Leatherman's positive outlook on life being poz & him surviving near death twice. He really inspires me to live my poz life to the max & not take being poz so seriously.

[Grasshopper]

Leatherman, Goodluck and best wishes

[numbersguy82]

I wanted to post something witty about the inmates now running the asylum… BUT… it is actually so gracious that you both give your free time to inform and support perfect strangers simply needing a lifeline! You two are wonderful human beings. Thank you!

[leatherman]

He really inspires me to live my poz life to the max & not take being poz so seriously.

you know though, worse than the twice I was hospitalized was losing two long term partners to AIDS. The house fire, 3 burglaries, and 14 car accidents (none my fault) were no walk in the park either. But all those things put life into prospective for me and I created my own golden rule that gets me through my life:

Any day I'm NOT in a hospital, no matter how terrible the day, is still a great day.

Keeping that in mind, I just can't care too much about popping a couple pills a day, dealing with the aches/pains of being 61 and living my 39th yr with HIV, because I'm not in a hospital today and it's going to be a great day for me!

Well maybe it's only a GOOD day - it's still too cold to get in my pool  Why is it so cold here in SC with June just around the corner?!?!

[leatherman]

Thanks Everyone!

I wanted to post something witty about the inmates now running the asylum

someone's itching for Leatherman to spank them with a 28-day ban. ROFLMAO 

strangers simply needing a lifeline!

That's the thing I learned the most doing peer support at my local clinic. Sex ed sucks in a lot of places (well, most places TBH) and people just need to have the risks and risk management explained. Others just need to know that this diagnosis IS manageable now and is NOT the end of the world like it was decades ago. This site has done that in spades for 24 years now.

As COVID settled in, and as demographics have changed (the groups hardest hit by HIV in America now are black MSM, women of color, and trans), I moved away from my Ryan White work. I really enjoyed that work but as an old white man now there are younger people than me who need to step in to help their communities because I'm just not the right representative for them. But I've enjoyed all my volunteer work and still wanted to do something. Jim's been a great Mod for a long time now; but everyone deserves some help. I couldn't be happier to step up here and help this site that's been so helpful to me for decades.