Veteran's Day

In the last week, Gwenn and I sent out about 800 postcards to colleges and universities, informing them about our safe sexiness.

It's something we've been doing since the beginning of our campus speaking career back in 2000. The hope is that the schools like it enough to check out the website, or write for more information and, of course, eventually have us on campus to speak to students.

Here's the one we just sent for the Spring 2009 semester.

As it stands, we have extra postcards around from previous mailings, which makes for confusing Christmas card mailings to friends and family. "Merry Christmas, Aunt Sally!", written beside the harrowing fact that half of all new HIV infections occur in people under the age of 25. No, we don't really do that, but I'm thinking that this is a good year to unload outdated postcards.

I enjoy designing the layout for these postcards, and it just dawned on me that a lot of schools received the postcard (pictured here) on Veteran's Day. Which is oddly appropriate, since that's a picture of my dearly departed grandfather, Pop, who fought in World War II, as did my other dearly departed grandfather.

Each generation seems to have their own wars, in the literal sense, such as the Iraq War, and in the figurative sense. I know myself well enough to understand that I would suck in combat- I have a weak stomach and am only comfortable at the sight of blood if it's my own or if it's in a slasher flick. (Had a lot of experience there, on both accounts.)

But still, the battle to acknowledge sexual health, to be open about how Gwenn and I can successfully have a healthy relationship with HIV involved, is not something I take lightly. My jokes are my bullets, my lover is my calvary and, I hope, my dearly departed grandfathers are saluting me on the other side.

Positively Yours,
Shawn