Michael Kearns - The Truth is Bad Enough

On Father's Day Sunday June 17th POZ I AM radio will be speaking with Michael Kearns a HIV+ Father. Michael Kearns is an American actor, Author, director, teacher, producer, and activist. Long before coming out of the closet was considered a career move in the entertainment industry, Kearns was the first Hollywood actor on record to come out in the mid-seventies, amidst a shocking amount of homophobia. He subsequently made television history 1991 announcing on Entertainment Tonight that he was HIV positive.

In 1992, as an openly HIV+ actor, Kearns starred in a segment of ABC's  Life Goes On in which he played a character who had the HIV virus. He also played Cleve Jones in the HBO adaptation of Randy Shilts' And the Band Played On, appeared in A Mother's Prayer, It's My Party and had a recurring role on Beverly Hills, 90210. Other television and film credits include Cheers, Murder, She Wrote, The Waltons, L.A. Tool & Die, Knots Landing, General Hospital, Days of our Lives, and Brian De Palma's Body Double.

In 1995, Kearns began proceedings that resulted in his adoption in 1997 of a child. He presently lives in Los Angeles with his daughter who turned seventeen in August 2011. Kearns will be sharing about his new book  “The Truth is Bad Enough: What Became of the Happy Hustler” (now available on Amazon) and what it is like to be an HIV+ Father. Visit Micheal's website for more information

Listen to the interview - Click here 

Kevin Maloney - Rise Up to HIV

This Sunday June 3rd ay 9pm EST - Robert Breining & Jeromy Dunn will be speaking with Kevin Maloney the founder of Rise up to HIV on POZ I AM Radio. In March 2010, Kevin learned he had contracted HIV, and one month later with follow up labs was told he has also contracted Hepatitis C. Kevin was not an intravenous drug user. The hepatitis C piggy backed onto the HIV virus. Kevin was seroconverting at the time he found out of his HIV diagnosis, and fortunately caught his hepatitis C early too. That diagnosis was his rock bottom.

He had been dealing with an addiction, and these diagnoses gave him reason to pause and reflect on his life. He set in motion a series of action plans to combat his HIV, his addiction, and his Hepatitis C. With treatment, Kevin cured hepatitis C. During the past 2 years he was laid off from his job in NYC, and his mother is currently connected to a respirator, it’s been 7 months now. He’s taken a job in Washington, DC where he has been the past 4 months working for a non-profit that advocates for people living with HIV/AIDS. It’s been a whirlwind of 2 years, but in hindsight he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Kevin will also be talking about the @HashTagHIV Campaign. Seven HIV/AIDS Activists have come together to assemble a team of faces and voices who will encourage the global community to Tweet heavily  using the hash tags, #HIV and #AIDS during the International AIDS Conference (IAC) You can learn more about the campaign here.

Listen to the interview - Click Here

Ryan Wilcox - Ice Skater and Long Term AIDS Survivor

This Sunday May 24th at 9pm EST the POZ I AM Radio hosts will be speaking with long term HIV/AIDS survivor & Ice Skater Ryan Wilcox. Ryan Wilcox is a 50-year-old Denverite, who was born in Greeley and raised on a dairy farm in Ca on City. In 1979, he contracted HIV/AIDS before there even was the diagnosis of AIDS. Doctors initially diagnosed him with Cyclo Mega Virus (which was essentially an umbrella term to describe many viruses the doctors could not at the time identify).

In 1981 his illness became GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency) and finally in 1984 he received the official prognosis of AIDS. Ryan has been living with AIDS for almost 31 one years, being one of the first to experience the struggles and stigmas that come with the disease. After losing his partner of many in years in 1989 due to AIDS, Ryan started a slow decline into depression and failing health.By 2006, Ryan was walking with a cane and his weight had fallen to 97 pounds. It was in 2006 that Ryan had first heard of the Gay Games, when he was invited by friends to participate and "flag" for the opening ceremonies in Chicago. Due to his health, he was not able to attend..

After learning about the Gay Games, Ryan was inspired to change his life. He wanted to participate in the 2010 Gay Games. He then returned to his childhood passion and sport of figure skating, which his grandmother had him involved in as a child in Colorado Springs. Ryan enrolled in a "Learn To Skate" program at Big Bear Ice Arena in Denver and also began taking private lessons. Slowly his strength and articulation came back to him. 

At the time, He didn't know how he would get there (Germany) but that was his dream,. That is how Ryan's dream started but it has transformed into something else entirely. Ryan's dream is far from over as he is now in the process of trying to raise money to send himself and his skating coach to Germany in August. Being on disability for so many years has prevented Ryan from being able to work a normal job because he would lose his health care benefits.

Listen to the interview - Click Here

Jamar Rogers - After his Elimination

Photo Credit - NBC The Voice

Tomorrow Friday May 4th at 12pm EST the POZ I AM Radio show hosts Robert Breining and Jack Mackenroth will be speaking with Jamar Rogers about his time as a contestant on The Voice.

This past Tuesday brought the end of the road for four contestants on The Voice, none more shocking to us than our friend Jamar Rogers. With only eight singers left in the competition heading into the elimination Tuesday , Jamar faced teammate Juliet Simms in a battle to represent Team Cee Lo in the finals. Cee Lo gave 60 points to Juliet Simms and 40 ponts to Jamar Rogers.When combined with America's vote, the final result of 121-79 in favor of Juliet. So our friend Jamar may not of won the title of the The Voice but he definitely won the hearts of America.

We also want to encourage all of Jamar's Family (his fans) to call into the live show at 347-215-9442 and share their feelings about Jamar's journey. You can also tweet us @POZIAM with your questions for Jamar. We may ask your question on air.

Listen to the LIVE broadcast  - click here 

Listen to our first interview with Jamar after disclosing his HIV status on The Voice here 

or read the transcripts of that interview here.

Jay Campbell - Project LOL (Live Out Loud)

This Sunday April 22nd at 9pm EST I will be speaking with Jay Campbell. On August 9th, 2011 Jay Campbell and a good friend (and regular sex partner) got tested for HIV. He had a heard that a previous partner of his had tested positive and was always delaying getting tested, fearing the inevitable. He and his friend were deemed HIV preliminary positive.

It was the guilt of probably infecting others, an AIDS diagnosis, his mother's death, and severe clinical depression that eventually thickened his skin. When his first lab revealed a CD4 count of 26 his survival instinct took charge and he knew he'd do as he promised his mother upon initial diagnosis. His mother was the first person he told, and she made him promise her that he would do what he had to do to live a good life and to "not let anyone feel like anything less than you[he] are[is]."

He stayed true to his promise and takes his meds everyday before going to work at Project LOL (Living Out Loud) in Jersey City. The project is a CDC funded drop-in center where young MSM can go to connect with eachother, get confidentially tested for HIV for free, get free condoms/lube, and participate is group interventions/one-on-one counseling sessions. Justin's work with a community he relates to brings him true joy everyday. He loves helping others like him "find their comfort zone".


Find more videos like this on POZ I AM

Listen to the interview 

Healthy Living Summit Recap with Robert & Jeromy

This Thursday April 19th at 9pm EST Robert Breining and Jeromy Dunn will be hosting the Healthy Living Summit Recap Show on POZ I AM Radio.The past week from April 10th -13th Robert and Jeromy presented at NAPWA's National Healthy Living Summit in Dallas Texas. The Summit promotes healthy living for people living with HIV. The new National Healthy Living Expo continued the work of NAPWA’s popular Staying Alive national conferences in a new environment of not just surviving with HIV but living productive and fulfilling lives. The conference consisted of a Mens,Womens and Youth Institute and tons of break out sessions on relationships, Hep C co-infections,HIV Criminalization, HIV in the rural south and social media. If you attended  or presented at the Healthy Living Summit, we want you to share your experience please call 347-215-9442 during the live show. 

If you are on twitter we ask that you use the hashtags for the show and conference 

 #PIARadio - #HealthyLivingSummit

 Listen to the Healthy Living Recap show live or archived

Write a Letter to HIV with Justin B Terry Smith

This Sunday April 15th our friend Justin B Terry Smith will be introducing the "Write A Letter to HIV Campaign" to the POZ I AM Radio audience. Many of us that are infected with HIV often do not address HIV. I've decided that we need to whether you are HIV negative or positive; this letter is meant to encourage and empower.

If you're infected or affected by HIV, I'm asking that you write a letter and then videotape yourself reading the letter aloud. If you don't want to video tape yourself you can send in a picture of yourself or something that represents you. It helps sometimes to get your feelings out, whether you've been recently diagnosed or have been living with HIV for a long period of time.

Justin is asking everyone -- including his fellow bloggers and others that don't have a blog -- to join me in this campaign, You can view my letter to HIV by clicking here for an example of what I'm talking about. Like I stated above if you don't want to make a video you don't have to; a simple letter will suffice. You can also send a picture of yourself. Entries will be posted in a series on thewww.body.com which will later on be put on my website www.justinbsmith.com.

Send your letters and video embedded code/links to mylettertohiv@gmail.com.

PLEASE JOIN Justin IN EMPOWERING YOURSELVES IN THIS FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS!

Listen to the interview with Justin B Terry Smith - Click Here 

Monique Moree - Living Inside My Skin of Silence

On Easter Sunday April 8th at 9pm EST, I will have the pleasure of speaking with Monique Howell-Moree. Monique was born in Oklahoma City, Ok. in April 1981. She is a 1999 graduate of Summerville High School and after graduation; Monique enlisted in the United States Army. As a member of the U.S. military, Monique worked as an Administrative Clerk assisting fellow soldiers to ensure that their personnel were maintained accurately and were always up to date. She completed four years of military service and during these four years, she traveled all over the world. During the cycle of her life, Monique has many experiences that have made a dramatic impact on her life today. During a low point in her life, Monique faced an experience that forever changed her life. This experience was in finding out that she was HIV positive. As a result, Monique had to learn how to gain the strength from God necessary for her to walk out of the valley and climb back to the mountaintop. She relied on God to take the pain away, and she began to work in the church that her father Bishop Howell founded, Solid Rock Outreach Ministry. Monique's story is told in "HIV is NOT a Crime" - A Film by Sean Strub, Edit by Leo Herrera/HomoChic

Monique is a new author, with her first book titles "Living Inside My Skin of Silence", which was released late in August 2010. This book is a leadership and self-reflection testimony. Her story is moving beyond her local community, and is now reaching out to the nation. Monique also host her own radio show "The Monique LIVE Show". Monique is also the Founder and CEO of Monique’s Hope for Cure Outreach Services" in Holly Hill, SC where her organization provides assistance to include food, clothing, counseling services, referral services, HIV/AIDS & STD testing, as well as providing outreach health education and promotion services to individuals to help stop the pandemic of HIV/AIDS.

Listen to the interview - Click Here

Greg Louganis - Olympic Gold Medalist wants to Dance with the Stars

This Sunday February 5th at 9pm EST Robert will be speaking with Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Louganis. Openly gay and HIV-positive Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis wants to show off his moves on ABC’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ next season. Louganis fans have created a Facebook campaign asking ABC to extend an invitation to Louganis, and the campaign is getting some attention with over 1,800 people supporting it. Show your support.

Greg is a five time World Champion and holds 47 National Championship titles. At the Pan Am Games, he earned six Gold Medals, and in 1985, he was awarded the Sullivan Award as the “Nation’s most outstanding amateur athlete.”However, what most people remember about Greg is that he went on to win Olympic Gold at the 1988 Games despite striking the back of his head on the springboard during the preliminaries. He attempted a reverse 2½ somersault pike in the ninth round of the prelims, and he hit his head on the board and fell into the water. Thirty-five minutes later, after receiving stitches to his scalp wound, he resumed diving. The following day, he hit all 11 dives and easily won the Olympic Gold Medal. After he tested positive for HIV in 1988,he recounted his story in a best-selling book Breaking the Surface. The book spent five weeks at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. His story was also documented in the 1996 Showtime movie Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story with Mario Lopez playing the lead and Louganis narrating.

Greg has worn many hats, Actor, Dancer, Olympian, Diver, Dog Trainer, Speaker, AIDS Activist, Equality and Diversity Activist, and yes he would love to be on Dancing With The Stars in honor of his Mom’s memory, Frances Louganis, “My Mom would have loved to see me on that show” says Greg.

Listen to the live interview 

Sunday February 5th at 9pm EST - Click Here

Pastor Ingram - Preaching Positively in Philadelphia

This Sunday January 8th at 9pm EST , Robert and Jeromy will be speaking with Pastor Ingram on the POZ I AM Radio Show.. Raised in South Jamaica, New York, Reverend Ingram graduated from Francis Lewis High School and went on to serve 7 years of active duty in the Army. She would later move to the South Bronx, where she attended Transfiguration Lutheran Church with Pastor Heidi Neumark as her pastor, and mentor; empowering her to rise up out of herself and her life challenges, which seemed to her, at the time, as insurmountable.

 Reverend Ingram is a graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, with a Master of Divinity. She has been the pastor of St. Michael’s Lutheran Church on Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia Pa, for the past four years.

Robert & Pastor Ingram

Reverend Ingram has become a strong advocate for those living in the margins, as she once was. She is an activist in the HIV/AIDS arena: herself living openly and unabashedly with the HIV virus for over 22 years. Reverend Ingram can frequently be found speaking about HIV/AIDS, empowering others to live abundantly through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ: life without shame, confronting the stigma, and breaking through the silence; encouraging everyone: "to know your status, get tested, and be informed".

Listen to the interview LIVE or archived - Click here 

Bishop Joyce TurnerKeller - Where You At ?

This Sunday December 18th at 9pm EST, Robert and Jack will be speaking with Bishop Joyce Turner Keller on the POZ I AM Radio Show. 

Bishop Joyce has lofted the term “southern hospitality” to an entirely new level. She is not only the founder and CEO of Aspirations, a non-profit faith-based community service organization, but someone who is living with HIV/AIDS herself, and has dedicated herself to educating, supporting and inspiring others living with HIV/AIDS throughout the nation.

 In May 2006 she received proclamation from Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Louisiana for hosting the first Hepatitis Awareness Day, shortly after hosting the first National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in March of that year. Over the years, Bishop Joyce has incurred an extensive list of certifications, recognitions, and awards for her extensive work in community awareness and development in the HIV/AIDS arena. She is a certified HIV/AIDS – Hepatitis C Community Educator by the Louisiana State Office of Public Health and the Shreveport Office of Public Health through the Atlanta Center for Disease Control. Bishop Joyce  is also a board member for the ADAP Advocacy Association.

She has been an ordained minister for thirty five years, is matriculating in the field of Psychology at Southern University Baton Rouge, and is the proud grandmother of thirteen grandchildren.

Listen to the interview live or archived

Robert & Bishop Joyce at ADAP Summit in Washington D.C.

Daniel Bauer - Living Pozitively

On Sunday October 30th Robert & Jeromy will be speaking with Daniel Bauer. Daniel Bauer is the official successor to the legendary Harry Houdini, and was on the climb to becoming one of the world’s most successful magicians and escape artists since the Houdini era. He has appeared on NBC, FOX and WB networks; commanded stages across the globe at sold out venues and has appeared on the cover of many magazines and is most popularly described as "one of the most soul piercing performers of our time" by HX Magazine.

In 2002, while preparing for a second world tour, backed by a multi-million dollar brand, Daniel learned he was HIV positive from a required ‘insurance’ policy medical check. This news became the back-bone of the sponsoring company to pull out, claiming the show had now become a liability.

 Daniel presents his newest speaking program, BLUNT where he shares the intimate details of what happened to him back in 2002, the discrimination he faced and how life is today. Daniel will discuss the deep dark places he allowed himself to enter such as substance abuse, near fatal suicide attempt and more. Audiences / Listeners will have the opportunity to ask Daniel any questions about his life. Everything is on the table for discussion and he will be blunt (not crude) in his responses about what is really going on in society today. Audiences will be left with a message of hope and courage, he will break down the walls of stigma, and he will educate you on the facts vs. the myths about those living with HIV / AIDS.

Visit Daniel's Website - www.livingpozitively.com

Listen to Daniel's interview LIVE or archived 

Betsy Yung - Shares her story

This Sunday October 22nd at 9pm EST - Robert and Jack will be speaking with Betsy Yung. After her divorce was final in 1996, Betsy Yung began a relationship with a man a few years younger than herself. In 2000 She discovered that he was exploring the trans-gendered community outside of the relationship. Ultimately, it caused their breakup. Shortly thereafter, Betsy began her most current relationship which came to an end shortly before her diagnosis.

On July 15 of last year Betsy was admitted to the hospital because she couldn't breathe. They didn't diagnose her until they had cut me open and scraped her lungs. When they discovered it was PCP, they tested her and she was given an AIDS diagnosis with 27 CD4 cells. She spent eight days on life support hovering near death. Hindsight being what it is, she realized that she had numerous warning signs over the previous few years... Shingles, thrush, UC and swollen glands. None of her doctors ever even suggested that she get tested. After all, She didn't fit the "at risk" demographic at all.

Betsy discloses freely to anyone who expresses any interest and have been surprised by how supportive people can be when you share yourself honestly with them. She also believes that disclosing is a great opportunity for teaching people that anyone can be at risk.

Tune in LIVE or listen to the archive 

Ken Howard - Self-Empowerment - Have the Life You Want

Ken Howard, MSW, LCSW, is the author of the self-help book, "Self-Empowerment: Have the Life You Want!: How to close the gap between how life is, and how you would like it to be, in important areas of life such as mental health, health, career, finances, family, community, and spirituality, based on his 18 years a licensed psychotherapist and life/business coach."

 He has over 19 years experience specializing in gay men and gay male couples. He is a 21-year survivor of HIV/AIDS and a 10-year survivor of cancer. He is a psychiatric social worker by training at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Social Work (MSW, '94) and a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA, BA, '87). He is the former Chair of the Los Angeles County HIV Mental Health Task Force, and wrote the mental health column for A&U (Art & Understanding, America's AIDS magazine) for two years. He served on the Board of Directors for the Lesbian and Gay Psychotherapy Association of Southern California (LAGPA) for four years. He has published many articles on gay men's mental health, HIV mental health, and is the author of the new self-help book for a general audience, "Self-Empowerment: Have the Life You Want!" (2011).

 He maintains a blog at GayTherapyLA.com, and a popular podcast, "Have the Life You Want with Ken Howard, LCSW", on iTunes, Podcast Alley, and Zune.com. He lives with his husband in West Hollywood, California; where they were part of the 18,000 same-sex couples allowed to marry before the advent of Proposition 8 in November, 2008.

Tune in LIVE Sunday Oct 16th at 9pm EST

Melissa Baker - HIV positive mother of 4

Have you ever wondered how to tell your child/children that you are HIV+ or living with HIV/AIDS ? or How an HIV positive woman can have an HIV negative child ?

Melissa Baker learned that she was HIV-positive in August 2007, three days before her 28th birthday. Her diagnosis was a surprise, since She had tested negative for HIV only the year before while in what she thought to be a monogamous relationship. Melissa quickly realized that life does not stop with HIV, and educated herself, her three now teen daughters, and the rest of her family and friends about the disease.

Thanks to early diagnosis, She is healthy today. She recently had a baby girl a year ago -her fourth daughter – who is HIV-negative. She works as a oncology receptionist. She has chosen to speak out about her HIV status in order to dispel stigma and encourage other women to protect themselves and get tested for HIV. Melissa has volunteered on a committee with her state health department and enjoys working with incarcerated women on another volunteer project to help empower and educate. She has been featured in HIV Positive! magazine and the Southern AIDS Living Quilt video project.

Listen to Melissa's Interview Live or as an archive - Click here