COVER STORY Continued from page S13
17. Bill Mead
Photo by Norman Dillon
Ginger Sexton
16. Briceson Ducharme
/ Ginger Sexton
From stuffing envelopes and working with the food bank to volunteering for Project Angel Heart and even creating benefit fundraisers like The Apocalyptic Ball, Briceson Ducharme – better known by his drag name, Ginger Sexton – knows the importance of awareness funding for HIV/AIDS. For the past two years, the famous Ginger Sexton’s Apocolypic Ball has raised close to $30,000 for CAP. This year will be the third event, which has changed Ducharme’s life, he said. HIV/AIDS is a personal struggle: Ducharme was diagnosed with HIV eight years ago. The changes he’s seen on the issue have been tremendous. “I can now let the world know that I am positive,” Ducharme said, “and yes, it may scare some people still, but most others are curious and so I can educate people from my knowledge and from my living with, and not dying from the disease.” For Ducharme, after losing a close friend to AIDS, the work he continues to do is to help change perceptions. “No matter who you are, it can and will affect you,” Ducharme said. “But you can also have a positive effect on those around you. And I have shown people that you can live with HIV and still make a positive change in the world doing so. We live, breathe, cry, laugh, run and dance as well as the next but it just happens that we get to put a symbol next to our names, and that symbol is a positive one,” he said. ]
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AUGUST 1, 2012 | SPECIAL EDITION
18. Sean Wolfe
While the importance of community in Denver’s LGBT popuIn 1997, Bill Mead’s partner Ron died of AIDS. lation may be lost on some, Sean Wolfe knows first hand the Ron found out he was infected in 1985, Mead said, and weight this little word has on the prevention and education of “started suffering the consequences in about 1990,” showing HIV/AIDS. Working for the Denver ELEMENT, Wolfe believes the first symptoms of the infection that would take his life. that a strong sense of community is one of the best ways to That’s when Mead got involved in the Southern Colorado hurtle the dehumanizing stigma attached to HIV/AIDS; a hope AIDS Project where Ron had already begun to volunteer. that he has pursued for years through various Mead, now 61 and a financial consultant, is the youth outreach programs in the Denver area. president of the Colorado Aids Project’s board. Wolfe’s passion for HIV/AIDS education Mead has since had another partner who started after he lost more than 100 friends and was HIV-positive, but “I’ve remained negative life partners to the disease while living in San the whole time,” Mead said – which goes to show Francisco in the ’80s. After a move to Colorado, how HIV can be prevented with the right precauhe started volunteering for the Colorado AIDS tions. Even while Mead stayed negative, though, Project, working on their speakers bureau the disease has still changed him for good. talking with young adults about the disease. “When Ron got sick I always thought we’d be His purpose was to de-stigmatize the disease here;” finally arriving to a time when HIV is more through familiarity; a goal that he believed of a manageable illness – “I treat challenges as a was accomplished not only through his talks battle and was gonna win, by God,” he said. “But but also accurate media coverage. people never heard of some of these things (Ron) Wolfe’s main mission with the ELEMENT had” when it came to painful and debilitating is to revive the interest HIV/AIDS received medical conditions while he suffered with AIDS. in the ’90s – “Because young people haven’t “One night he had a fever of 107. We had to experienced the loss, they see it as an ‘other ice him,” Mead said. “He hated the ice, because it persons’ disease,” he said. “But it is their issue, gave him chills. Going through that, I had to tell because it affects their community.” people who my partner was, and that I was gay.” Fueled by the memory of his partner of In conservative Colorado Springs, that was a 13 years that passed away from the disease, challenge for Mead, who is also the Senior Vice Wolfe continues his work: “I know that he President at Wells Fargo Advisors. At the same would want me to keeping working – we need time, community education on HIV has been an Sean Wolfe to keep that fight out there.” ] uphill battle. “It’s ironic that even in our own (LGBT) community, getting people to get tested is so hard – people were thinking that for getting tested their names were gonna get posted on TV or something,” Mead said. But they’ve won a lot of important allies since then. Mead has been working on setting up a needle exchange One of the top issues program through SCAP – as a tool to lower HIV infection rates surrounding HIV/ among intravenous drug users by providing clean needles to AIDS today is access discourage sharing – a program that’s been shown to be effecto healthcare, said tive against the spread of HIV and made possible by 2010 state Dan Reirden, medical law introduced by Denver Sen. Pat Steadman. “We talked to director of the youth law enforcement, District Attorneys and the Health DepartHIV program at the ment saying here’s what we’re looking at doing by putting in Children’s Hospital a needle exchange program,” Mead said. of Colorado. “Many “The police departments were surprisingly open-minded,” individuals who are Mead said. “They’re concerned about their officers’ safety HIV-infected are also getting stuck by needles” on the job. members of communiDan Reirden There are ongoing obstacles – despite increased awareties who are underinness of HIV/AIDS, the rate of new infections among young sured or uninsured. In a time when people are looking to cut people is actually now on the rise, funding for programs, it can be difficult to get medical care.” Mead said. “So it’s nice to see when It’s still possible for an HIV-positive person who wants we do have young people involved.” care to be denied access, Reirden said. While there is no For World AIDS Day, Mead said, a waiting list in Colorado – and the uninsured can still get free young speaker will discuss his own treatment at Denver Health or the Children’s Hospital – many recent infection with HIV. states still have HIV patients denied treatment. “One of the “You’ve got 19-20-year-olds challenges we have is getting people access to medications speaking about being infected – that’s sooner, so their immune system isn’t depleted by the time powerful stuff,” Mead said. they get on them,” Reirden said. “Things have changed proAnd that kind of message will foundly; 20 years ago people didn’t have the multitude of be vital: 20 years on, despite all therapies allowing them to have full lives, which they now do advances, HIV is still real and still – so long as they have access to medical care.” spreading. Reirden took special interest in HIV/AIDS since before he “It hasn’t gone away,” Mead said. went to medical school, but began working with patients there “We’re increasing numbers now. It’s in the ’90s. The Children’s Hospital’s youth HIV program deals gonna be our kids and our grand with care, prevention, community outreach and education. kids, if we don’t increase support “[I get to give youth] care and change their lives to allow Bill Mead and awareness.” ] them to live with a chronic illness, and thrive as adults.” ]
19. Dan Reirden