A hub for up and coming death defying escapes & a learning space for all: to build hope, inspire, captivate and engage our nation in a call-to-action to shift HIV perception, reduce infections among our youth and guide those who are out of care to get back-in!

www.danielbauer.us

It's been some time since I have posted; I wanted to share with you why as well as what you can now expect from me and my posts moving forward. 

Over the last year and a half as I have been re-introducing myself to the world (since my fall in 2002 when I was diagnosed with HIV), I had some most amazing moments getting my hands and heart involved in some amazing projects and calls-to-action; as I started on this adventure of new life my goal was to discover where my true calling would best fall into place in the fight against the wars on HIV that our nation is continually facing. 

I tried the activism thing. . . a bit too radical for me. I tried the social media thing, and found I am too ADD to sit in front of a computer for hours at a time, and besides there are some awesome social media projects out there, so rather than recreate another wheel, its best if I support what's already in motion and do my part to spread those messages. And lastly, while I am an advocate for the rights of those living with HIV/AIDS, I have learned through much feedback and through personal reflections that where I believe I fit, and have found my true calling is to simply remain dedicated to presenting motivational speaking, training and educational programs to youth and HIV service professionals while balancing my dream to be positioned (once again) as one of the most talented escape artists since the Houdini era.

I have now presented/performed to more than 10,000 people (youth, service professionals, general public) over this last year speaking on topics that change the perception of those living with HIV/AIDS; delivering heart-pounding and life-saving messages to youth in an effort to inspire youth to make healthier choices; I have been featured as a plenary speaker at national conferences presenting on topics such as outreach strategy, and the importance of communities including the voices and faces of those living with HIV to inspire change. And as many of you know my show Beyond Belief, which has been a huge hit, toured nationally and is now in the planning to return to New York City later this spring. With all this said, I write this not to just 'float-my-own-boat'; yet more to share with you my commitment to inspiring communities to engage in more education efforts especially at the High School level. Students respond to 'real-talk' about sex and other "out of the classroom and when parents aren't looking" behaviors when they are given the chance to engage on an equal playing field with a speaker bold enough to speak to them at their level. This creates change! I have seen it!

With all this said, moving forward, I will be posting bi-monthly; providing updates on experiences I have had as I continue to speak. What works. . . what doesn't. My hope is that this information will be shared and read by educators, parents, HIV service professionals, the media and anyone else who has an interest in deepening the learning experience among our youth about the risks of contracting HIV and other STI's. Additionally, another one of my core missions will be to reach out to the media whom I believe is the solution to reversing the war on HIV Stigma in our nation. It was the media who frantically educated us about HIV based on FEAR. Since they are responsible for shaping the fear of HIV they will (and do) have the power to reverse the stigma. I will keep you updated with my efforts.

So welcome to my blog once again, a refreshed space providing tools and educational strategies that may provide useful to inspire change, engage HIV service professionals and empower youth to make healthier choices in life.

Thank you for following my blog!

With life, 
Daniel

TEST-CHALLENGE: Shirtless by the fire. . . and sex it is!!!

It has been a while since I have done a YouTube video and thought to myself, 'What the heck I'll get shirtless by the fire and talk to you about roasting chests and nuts on (or is it chestnuts  by?) the fire. . ."!

So really this is a 2 part message. . . please watch the YoutTube video below. . . and just below that, I was honored to be interviewed on Put It Together Radio, where host Daniel Garza goes in deep about my message!!

MESSAGE 1. . .

MESSAGE 2  . . . (you might want to pour a beverage for this one! It's a really cool interview and I encourage you to listen to the whole thing. . .)

   click here to listen

 

I am Daniel and I am LivingPozitively! Thank you for following my blog!

09.27.12 - National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

As a very out and proud gay man and 10 year warrior living with HIV/AIDS, I stand tall in an effort to bring a greater awareness to this year's National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on September 27, 2012.

This morning I was searching the internet to see how this year's awareness day is shaping up; and to find elements of hope that would not only inspire me but also lend a voice to a call to action. In my search, I came across the following powerful statement by Frank J. Oldham Jr., President and CEO of the National Association of People with AIDS. I believe he sums up what I is a very necessary call to action as a gay man - a call to action I feel I must embrace and put into motion. In his words, I share this with you:

"We have a responsibility. To the quarter-million brothers and lovers we have buried. To the allies who have supported our fight for treatment access and civil rights. To ourselves.

We have a responsibility – to know our own status. Every gay man who is active with multiple partners (or thinks his partner may be) needs to get tested every three months.

We have a responsibility – to know how to protect ourselves and others. We’re excited about the potential of treatment-as-prevention and PrEP, but we all still need to keep our condoms handy.

We have a responsibility – to be as open as we can be about being HIV-positive. Sometimes disclosure isn’t safe, and safety comes first – but our brothers need to know they know people just like them who are living with the virus. And any new partner needs to know our status before the clothes come off.

We have a responsibility – to demand access to healthcare for ourselves and for all Americans. It’s not just a human right, it’s common sense. It costs the public sector more to ignore epidemic than to deal with it, and we need our elected officials to know we know that.

We have a responsibility – to demand to be treated as “normal.” We are normal. We should insist on marriage because it’s our right, and because it forces our neighbors to reconsider the homophobia that gave the HIV epidemic its opportunity to explode in the gay community and move on from there.

We have a responsibility – to love. Last year on National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we gave a Positive Leadership Award, NAPWA's highest honor, to Alvin Collins and John Sullivan. Alvin had been one of the unlucky few who, despite the best modern treatment for HIV, don't do well. John stuck to Alvin through thick and thin – and Alvin stuck to John. Alvin died this Spring. We have a responsibility to honor that love.

We have a responsibility. We changed the world in the eighties, insisting on treatment and research when Washington didn’t want to hear us. Today we have the medical and behavioral prevention tools we need to make new HIV infections a thing of the past. We insisted then. We can do it again."

So on this day - I will embrace these words and calls to action above! I hope you too will join and follow me!

I am Daniel and I am living pozitively! Thank you for following my blog!

Sex is fun. . . Infection is not: Why I stand 100% with JustGetTested.com

The biggest mistake I made in my life (well I should say one of the biggest. . .) is that I auto-assumed my partner back in the day was negative when he told me in a drunken stupor romantic whisper he was.  . . accompanied by "I LOVE YOU. In fact I auto assumed I was negative too! Neither of us tested. . . both of us engaged in sex without protection.

Reality is if we had been tested, we both (or at least I) could have made a smarter decision about how we chose to have sex. I could have prevented becoming infected with HIV.

Every three months I get my blood tested to make sure I am doing what is necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle; to ensure that the antiretroviral medication prescribed is still working and to ensure that my diet is on target. While sometimes it is a lot to manage. . . knowing is key! Oh! And yes, I still have sex. . . and still get tested regularly for STD's and the such. . . and if you are having sex. . . you should just get tested too!

Now, with all this said, while I am on a firm mission to do my part to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma by living my life; reclaiming my dream and passion in life as Houdini's successor; I have found it also equally as important in my message to encourage and educate as many people as possible about the importance of just getting tested.

SEX IS FUN!!!! INFECTION IS NOT!!!! This is why I am officially announcing that I have teamed up with JustGetTested.com - as their new face for HIV Testing!

Now I want to make it clear - JustGetTested is more than just about HIV and STD testing. Those of you living with diabetes and those of you who need easy access to getting simple / complete overall health blood tests done. . . then JustGetTested.com is for you.

So without further due. . . please help me welcome the one company I stand 100% behind when it comes to getting tested. . . JustGetTested.com!! <applause>

JustGetTested™ was created to provide a way to get fast, reliable, confidential and affordable HIV and STD testing.

The philosophy behind JustGetTested is that more and more today, each of us needs to take our health into our own hands - to be aware of what's going on with our bodies and actively involved in making healthcare decisions.

"The healthcare system today isn't working for patients, but it's not working for doctors either," says JustGetTested Medical Director Edward Salko, DO. "By giving individuals direct access to important information, we're giving everyone a huge advantage. Empowering the individual is an important step in building trust within the healthcare world."

One of the goals of JustGetTested is to reach out to individuals who don't have access to affordable STD testing, feel excluded by the system, or for whatever reason are uncomfortable going to a doctor or clinic.

Treating each individual with respect and compassion, we want to remove the stigma from STD testing.  We can provide a way for those without medical insurance - as well as members of the LGBTQ community and anyone who practices a high-risk lifestyle (including performers in the adult film industry, sex workers and IV drug users) - to have some control over their healthcare decisions. We keep our overhead low and our costs competitive so that we can be sensitive to the needs of all our customers, including those with chronic conditions who need regular testing and monitoring. 

JustGetTested.com is a safe place to find out what you need to know when it comes to HIV and STDs.  Just order online, pay the lowest prices possible, then make a quick trip to a lab to have your blood drawn. You'll get your private results online. 

It's one simple way to take charge of your own healthcare.

Just Get Tested.  Because Sex is Fun… Infection Isn't.

ORDER YOUR TESTS TODAY! CLICK HERE!

I am Daniel and I am living pozitively!! Thank you for following my blog!