AIDS at 30: Eric Rofes and Positively Thriving

by Alex Garner, via LGBT POV

“I’ll do it only if I can be funny.”

That was my response when Eric Rofes told me he was creating a play about HIV called, The Infection Monologues. This project was Eric’s first foray into writing for the stage, and true to form, he approached it with trademark determination.

Eric was an incredible force in the queer community and a booming voice in the gay men’s health movement. He was an expert on how gay men found ways to survive the epidemic, make sense of the new post-protease world and find ways to thrive culturally, politically and sexually. Eric saw this piece as a way to break new ground on conventional thinking about things like stigma, risk-taking and unprotected sex.

Read the rest.

Presentation - Above the Navel - Keeping it Gay, Sexy and Healthy

Gay Men's Health Leadership Academy Begins Today

The next Gay Men's Health Leadership Academy is just getting underway today (March 21-24, 2008) in the lovely gay haven of Guerneville, CA, otherwise known as the Russian River.

32 gay men and allies will be visiting the Wildwood Retreat Center to participate in the lively and invigorating atmosphere of the GMHLA.

Once again, the academy will be blogging participants' experiences at their sassy blog . You can also follow Chris Bartlett's tweats as he twitters his experiences from the academy at this twitter link.


The Leadership Academy was founded by Eric Rofes and Chris Bartlett, and provides twice-yearly academies that explore the following areas:

1. Ways of expanding gay men's health work beyond HIV and STI prevention to health and wellness writ-large.

2. Challenging views of gay men that are based in deficits, and insisting on an assets-based model of our health.

3. Transforming models of gay men's health based on pathology to ones based upon wellness.

If you are interested in attending the next academy, contact Bartlett at bartlett.cd@gmail.com .

A video tribute to Eric Rofes - key organizer of the gay men's and LGBTI health movements

Eric Rofes was a longtime educator and activist who worked on a wide range of progressive social and political justice issues. More information about his life and contributions can be found at ericrofes.com.

He was one of the key organizers of the gay men's and LGBTI health movements in the United States and abroad, and was widely regarded as one of the most inspirational writers and thinkers in these movements. Eric died unexpectedly on June 26, 2006.

His colleagues in the LGBTI health movements organized a tribute to acknowledge his significant leadership and role on March 15, 2007 at the 3rd LGBTI Health Summit in Philadelphia, PA.

Click here for the Google video.

Gay Bodies, Gay Selves: Understanding the Gay Men's Health Movement - by Eric Rofes

This article, originally published in the wonderful gay men's journal White Crane, is by one of the chief leaders of the gay men's health movement Eric Rofes (who sadly, and suddenly passed away last June), it's fantastic and a MUST READ for any and all who care one iota about gay men's health. It really lays out the asset-focused history and tenets of the gay men's health movement. offering both a road map and directions. When so much of what we tell ourselves, and what we hear from outside our communities, is that we - gay men - are sick and pathological, this offers something very different, truly visionary. I hope you will take a few moments to read this...

Jim

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Gay Bodies, Gay Selves: Understanding the Gay Men's Health Movement
Eric Rofes

Gay Men are healthy, happy, and life affirming. We're creative, strong, and resilient; more than almost any other male population, we think outside the box, take responsibility for our actions, and care for our selves and others. We know how to get what we want and we know how to create lives that are satisfying and fulfilling. Click here for the rest... This article is also linked on the LifeLube.org site under Body Bizness, fyi.