The Oscar-nominated documentary "How to Survive a Plague" is coming to Halifax for a one-night screening, thanks to Carbon Arc Cinema.

The film tells the story of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), an activist group based out of New York that looked to change public policy and perceptions around HIV and AIDS. The Hollywood Reporter recently posted that ABC is looking to create a miniseries based on the documentary. Check out Xtra's Tony Correia's review of the film. 

The screening will take place on Friday, March 15 at the Museum of Natural History, 1747 Summer St. You can grab your tickets at the door or online at Carbon Arc's website.

This is a day where I remember.

Silence=Death, Keith Haring, 1989.

I've written before about what it was like growing up during the AIDS crisis.

I don't think of those men often. Perhaps I should. The least I could do is think about them today, and what they taught me.

They taught me to talk. To learn. To think.

In recent months, I've made a point of reading up about HIV/AIDS. From reading personal blogs to research on HIV prevention to dialogues around everything from bareback pornography and more. There are stories that need to be heard, understood and shared. As a journalist, I think it's important to help do this.

In a recent op-ed written by Michael Burtch, the author points out many of the issues still felt by people who are poz:

 

 

 

In the 1980s, people infected with HIV were dropping like flies. In retaliation for the lack of help and action from government, ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) came into being. ACT UP was a powerful force in the world of HIV and AIDS. It was a reaction to the lack of compassion and care for people affected -- directly or indirectly -- by HIV and AIDS. 

Popping up on the internet today is a trailer for a documentary entitled How to Survive a Plague, a film that details the story of ACT UP and TAG (Team Action Group), two organizations that worked to help those affected.  

It's almost 30 years now since AIDS became a predominant theme in the lives of gay men. Harm-reduction initiatives and policies have been put into place, and drugs have been and continue to be created. But those things are in vain if we don't remember how and why they have come to fruition.

How do you survive a plague? You remember it.

Visual AIDS, a New York-based artist collective that works to educate people about HIV and AIDS, recently asked photographers to collaborate on a collection of trading cards called Play Smart. Each card is packaged along with a condom, lube, a sticker and information on HIV and AIDS based on harm-reduction models.

Amos Mac, the publisher of Original Plumbing, a magazine about and for FTM trans men, is one of the photographers for the series. "I believe that art is a vector for understanding, which is why I so admire and respect the work of Visual AIDS," says Mac on the website. "It is my hope that these images will help spark some crucial discussions about sex, gender, safety and fun." Amos was interviewed for Xtra in February of this year.

Another artist is Christopher Schulz, he of Pinups and SETH fame (links NSFW). One of his models is Graham Kolbeins, who has been featured in Xtra as well as on this blog. Schulz wrote on the site that "I've admired Visual AIDS for quite some time and was thrilled to be invited to contribute to the brilliant PLAY SMART project. It is an honor to be able to help spread such an important message of HIV prevention and AIDS awareness alongside such talented artists."

 

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Finally, it is the weekend -- time for your weekly office dance party. This week it's thanks to Azealia Banks and DJ Cosmo (who used to hail from Halifax) and a recent mixtape. It features Banks's "212" and Zebra Katz's "Ima Read," two of my fave tracks right now.

 

I was a kid when the AIDS crisis began and a teenager when it exploded into mainstream media. It had "left" the greater metropolises and moved closer to home.  

When I was 15, I met a queer woman who was in her 30s.  She wore a jean jacket with a black triangle and told me about ACT-UP, the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power. I was mesmerized.

ACT-UP polarized, enraged, moved, excited and helped people from all over. Good or bad, it is arguably one of the most prominent social activism movements to happen within the queer community since Stonewall.

After years of work, Jim Hubbard and Sarah Schulman have produced a visual document that tells the story of ACT-UP, in a film called "United in Anger: A History of ACT-UP."

You can check out the trailer here: