It Gets Better: The Song

As a support of the Dan Savage-led "It Gets Better" Project, it was great to see my composer friend (and future Tony Nominee) Jay Kuo assemble a lot of Broadway's young talent to capture this message in song. Check it out!

Mondo Guerra: Interview

By Jeff Walsh

On last week's Project Runway, one of the best designers this season, Mondo Guerra, created his own fabric for the challenge. The pink fabric with the plus-sign design became high-waisted pants that won him his third challenge in a row. When he was asked about the inspiration for the print, he clammed up and just said it was very personal to him. Nina Garcia, one of the judges, said she wished she knew the story that inspired the fabric.

In that moment, Guerra's life changed. The 32-year-old designer made the decision to share what he had kept a secret for the past 10 years, one that his own family didn't even know. He is HIV-positive.

When Guerra said this, the designer had his fellow contestants crying, and as he finished speaking, you could literally see the weight coming off of his shoulders, and a designer we already adored became that much more human, vulnerable, and less troubled.

HIV is sort of this thing that we hear about, but it rarely is made real to us. I know people that have it, but it's like knowing someone with high blood pressure. They take some pills, and their life seems fine. But it is always important to remind ourselves that this is an important issue in our community, and one that should be taken seriously.

The youngest designer this season, Andy South (who we'll probably interview in Oasis before the season ends) is the same age now as Guerra was when he was became infected, so it really hit home for him. South was kind enough to share his thoughts with us on Guerra revealing his HIV status.

Whether you like Project Runway, fashion, or not, Guerra's story is still reinforcing a lesson that we all need to hear: that whatever private issue is burdening you in life is probably not worth the effort of keeping it a secret.

Here's what Mondo and I said this morning:

Andy South shares his thoughts on Mondo

After seeing this past week's episode of Project Runway, where Mondo Guerra revealed he is HIV+ during the runway show, I knew I wanted to get him in Oasis (you can read my interview with Mondo here). I think HIV/AIDS is an important issue to bring up with LGBT youth whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Andy South is also gay and the youngest contestant on the show this season, which is why I already planned to feature him in Oasis as the season progressed. Because Andy is closest in age to the members of our site, I asked him to share his thoughts on Mondo revealing his HIV status on Project Runway last week. This is what he wrote:

"Mondo and I are 10 years apart in age, and knowing he has been living with HIV for that amount of time made me really think about where I am in my life. Mondo was infected when he was my age and it really opened my eyes to how unpredictable life is.

Latest journal entries.

Boygasm's picture

Gosh

Little well known that its been a year and a half since my father had a stroke. Untill today he had this nasty chest cold and went to the hospital. Bronconist, not unusual to me since I had it as a kid. But the xray shows otherwise, he also has some abcess on his lung. They are sending it to a speicalist.

I remember writing oasismag about my fathers anarysm and had small partual of his brain removed and how it was a biggest scare for all of us. A year and a half later hes still smoking and they found unknown abonomonly in his chest. How dumb is that? Part of me dont feel sorry, and I feel wicked for it. Hes my father. *Sigh* Men never changes.

narconut's picture

maturbation, baby!

yeah, today i was lighting a cigarette with a match in my car and somehow i thought that fire doesn't burn. So two fingers on my left hand have little burns on them. This means i can maturbate only with my right hand. Life's a bitch.

blindlove's picture

Errr........

So boobs suck. Well, not everyone's, just my boobs. So recently I have been thinking about a breast reduction, because life would be much easier with smaller boobs. I probably wont get one, because I pride myself in loving myself for who I am, and I want to learn to love my breasts in all their bigness. If they were so big that they caused me serious health problems then I would be much more likley to go through with it, but the're not.

adbak's picture

Fabulous Weekend

I had the most fabulous weekend. I went to a Margaret Cho show, and oh-my-fuckin-gosh, it was hilarious. She's so...amazing...and admirable. They way she delivers her material is so fresh. In short, Margaret Cho is my hero. She was also an outspoken gay rights supporter, which didnd't really matter to the audience since she had such a huge queer following. It was liberating.

Well, it's getting warm, about 34�F (stupid Fahrenheit, we (the U.S.) should adopt Celsius as our temperature scale of choice). Which means some of the snow is melting. Yay! We got hella lot of snow this year. In February alone we got a record 21.7 inches (yet another scale to replace). Yeah, I know, it may not be a lot to you Northeasterners, but it's still a lot to us. All in all, this has been the 3rd snowiest winter in recorded Indiana history and we have yet to have one single snow day. Bah! I'm sick of it. But, depending on Tuesday's temperature, we are either going to get snow or rain. I'm voting for rain because I simply adore rain, although I wouldn't mind the snow if and only if it came bundled with a SnowDay�. Rain...mmmm, rain....

metrored's picture

I think I can I think I can...

I'm writing this blog on one of the Unix systems in my school's CS lab. My homework is runnig in the background like the little engine that could. I think it can I think it can.

I'm kind of in poetry thought mode. I didn't really have much of a weekend and what I had was not the great so today, Monday, I want my weekend to start. Unfortunatly for the same reason that I had no weekendl, I'll be trudging through this week spouting I think I can I think I can, like the little engine I am, moving from assignment to assignment befor I go on break.

dazed and confused's picture

Not bad for a Monday...

Today has been suprisingly not bad, considering it's a Monday. I just finished doing my Japanese homework; it was much less painful than it usually is. Of course, it was nice not having to trek across campus in the 6 degree weather to go to the language lab to do it...but that's besides the point.

Last Friday I received the necklaces I'd ordered online...One's a hemp necklace w/rainbow colored beads weaved in, and the other one has the female-female symbol on it. I've been wearing the second one all day, and I find myself wondering if people actually notice.

sneezing gurl's picture

Needy

of a massage. Wringing, kneading, squeezing, lifting. Yummy. I can feel the stretches in my muscles and how it's stimulating my muscle tone. Increasing my circulation and slowly relaxing my nervous system. Removing all the stress and tension. My eyelids are getting heavier and heavier, and then BHAM....the touch is gone. Massages are the best, NOT SEX (well i would'nt know but eh), NOT CHOCOLATE, NOT HOT CHICKS/CUTE GUYS, BUT JUST MASSAGES! Of course a lil sex, some chocolate, and a hottie helping can never run short in the list of things...Boys and girls let your opinions, thoughts, feelings, pourrr....


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