Brick walls
Michael Yoder says working in the HIV movment has him tired out – and that being empathetic has turned out to be the very thing that has made him fragile. "I used to care, but now I take a pill for...
View ArticleGreat Expectations
Michael Yoder says ”I've started to wonder whether or not I am a three dimensional being or a cardboard cut out.. . . Am I only a community worker, or am I Michael?” "These are but shadows of the...
View ArticleThe chicken and the egg
Michael Yoder says “I've been dealing with depression for the past nine years, and I've been thinking about the very circular nature of "negative" emotions.“ “There are wounds that never show on the...
View ArticleSafe Spaces?
No more hushed tones. Michael Yoder on creating spaces where poz folks= can talk freely - in public “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter...
View ArticleSide-lined by side effects
Michael Yoder changes meds and makes friends with Gravol.and says"I would love it if specialists had to take the meds themselves in order to experience the vast array of marvellously crappy physical...
View ArticleSidelined by side effects: the sequel
Getting it right: Michael Yoder continues his story of changing meds, side effects issues and finally reverting to his old meds "Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died." Erma Bombeck...
View ArticleOrlando: a catalyst for change
Michael Yoder says “small things - Pride flags being lowered, vigils held, mayors and politicians and celebrities speaking out across the planet, rainbow colours decorating monuments are of immense...
View ArticleThe Importance of Being Decadent
"... by treating ourselves as worthy of something special (every now and then), we can increase our self-esteem, because "we're worth it", says Michael Yoder "I can resist everything but temptation."...
View ArticleWounds
"Can we allow our "Self" to cry and laugh and create the safe places where our child can heal - or at least be less afraid?" asks Michael Yoder “Our wounds are often the openings into the best and...
View Article(Un)Happy Holidays
Michael Yoder on HIV and the holidays: "... the real purpose of Winter festivities is not to be happy, but to find belonging..." "Holidays in general breed unrealistic expectations. The minute you...
View ArticleDoubleplusgood in the land of alternative facts
Big Brother is watching... America does not end at its borders. Michael Yoder foresees carnage and offers some resistance tips. "And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I...
View ArticleLike the Mark of Cain, we carry stigma with us.
Michael Yoder: "... I wonder if, in some ways, we perpetuate stigma by trying to diminish it." "Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him" Genesis 4:15-16 I see a...
View ArticleThe Pool of Tears
Michael Yoder on the accumulated grief of successive losses: "I think that the weeping is good." "You ought to be ashamed of yourself," said Alice, "a great girl like you," (she might well say this),...
View ArticleRemembrance of things past
Michael Yoder: "I fear that if we don't record our past, in each community, we'll end up with a Hollywood version that misses the point..." "Remember, the storm is a great opportunity for the pine and...
View Article
