Rick Guasco came across a website last year called, A Day in the Life of Africa, an AIDS-awareness campaign sponsored by the camera manufacturer Olympus.
He immediately thought, What about AIDS in America?
"HIV is considered 'manageable' these days, but it's still a serious problem," said Guasco, 47, who lives in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. "I wanted to do something that would raise awareness without scaring people. HIV has become an everyday fact of life. How you choose to live with that fact is up to you. A photo project seemed like the perfect way to convey that message and give people the opportunity to express themselves. The more I thought about it, I realized this project would also help de-stigmatize HIV."
And so was born A Day with HIV in America, which made its debut in 2010, and is set for round two on Sept. 21.
"Having people take pictures on the same day is a way of creating a sense of solidarity among everyone who takes part, whether they are positive or negative," said Guasco, who works for Test Positive Aware Network ( TPAN ) and is spearheading the project. "I chose Sept. 21 because it's near the autumnal equinox and the start of fall. It signals a time of change.
"I came up with this idea less than two months before it was to occur last year, so TPAN had no budget for it. Promoting A Day with HIV in America was done using social media—namely, Facebook and Twitter—and word of mouth. A friend who is a film editor in Los Angeles also put together a promotional video that was posted to YouTube. As [ last ] Sept. 21 approached, we started getting the attention of a few gay bloggers and ultimately more than 100 people sent in pictures.
"It was amazing, the diversity of people who took part," he said. Gay photographer Tom Bianchi submitted a photo, as did Chuck Panozzo, co-founder of the band Styx, who is positive. Many other people from all over the country and from all walks of life also participated, Guasco said.
Many of the 2010 photos were featured in the November/December issue of Positively Aware—and the plan is the same for this year. Photos also will be posted online, at www.adaywithhivinamerica.com
A selection of 2011 photos also will be on display at the Positively Aware booth at the U.S. Conference on AIDS, set for Nov. 10-13 in Chicago.
Guasco said everyone who e-mails a picture to TPAN, taken by either a digital camera or a smartphone, and includes a caption and a consent form, will have their picture posted on the A Day with HIV in America website.
"It's important to include everyone [ negative and positive people alike ] in A Day with HIV in America because tearing down the barriers that divide us—straight, gay, white, minority, positive, negative—is essential to ending the stigma of HIV," Guasco said. "Most of the people who submitted photos for A Day with HIV in America last year disclosed their status. However, there was one guy who took a picture of himself riding a bus in midtown Manhattan who refrained from revealing his own. He wanted to make the point that you can't tell someone's HIV status just by looking at them. And if you think about it, whether you're positive or negative, we all live [ with ] HIV."
Including Guasco, who is a journalism graduate from Columbia College. Guasco, who is openly gay, has been HIV-positive since at least 1992, when he was diagnosed with Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare form of skin cancer which at the time was listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an, 'end-stage AIDS-defining illness.'
"When I got my HIV test result, the extent of my counseling was that I was given three publications, all of which were produced by TPAN—Positively Aware, the HIV Services Directory, and a TPAN membership newsletter," Guasco said. "I learned where to get the treatment that saved my life and how to take care of myself. It was then that I realized that information was the key to survival with HIV."
Guasco is the art director of Positively Aware, the HIV treatment magazine published by TPAN. Although he has been at the magazine since February 2010, Guasco first worked at the publication from 1995-'97 before leaving to briefly serve as art director of The Advocate in Los Angeles. In the intervening years, while working for other gay publications, he maintained ties to TPAN, designing the agency's annual HIV Services Directory until 2010.
"Having worked as a writer and a designer, I understood the importance of presenting information in a way that readers would find useful. That's what led me to become art director of Positively Aware. I wanted to present this useful, potentially life-saving information in an approachable manner. That's why I re-designed the magazine each time I became art director."
For this year's project, Chicago photographer John Gress shot a promotional video, featuring a mix of people—gay, straight, positive and negative—each talking about what it means to live with HIV.
Richard Cordova, who also works at TPAN and is HIV-positive, participated in the promotional video shoot, "and talks candidly about his life and the issues that led him to become HIV-positive," Guasco said. " [ Cordova ] has turned his life around in the face of HIV. You can't help but be impressed by his honesty and enthusiasm for life."
Chicagoan Aaron DeWinter, who also is HIV-positive, is featured in the video as well. "Aaron's always been a vibrant, determined personality," Guasco said. "You can sense that he doesn't step down from a challenge, and his inner strength comes across in the video."
Also in the video is Evany Turk, an African-American woman from the South Side who is HIV-positive. "She took part in last year's A Day with HIV in America along with her two sons, so I'm thrilled she offered to appear in the video," Guasco said. "Evany recounts how her children have been a constant source of love and assurance since she disclosed her status to them."
Photos from the 2010 project can still be viewed at www.adaywithhivinamerica.com
"Looking at last year's photos, one thing you might not realize right away is the number of pictures of serodiscordant couples, in which one person is HIV-positive and the other is negative," Guasco said. "There are pictures of gay couples as well as heterosexual couples. You can't tell which is the positive or negative person. When you look at their pictures, all you can see is the love between two people.
"In the early days of the AIDS epidemic, the face of AIDS was arguably that of a gaunt, gay man. Today, there is no one, single 'face of AIDS.' If you go to the website and look at last year's photos, you'll see that this project has cut across every line—gay, straight; white, Black, Hispanic; young, old; individuals, couples, families; positive and negative. HIV has affected the lives of so many people. And they have should inspire all of us in how to live—regardless of our status."
Guasco proudly says the project has seemingly taken on a life of its own.
"I'm encouraged that TPAN and Positively Aware have decided to make it an annual event," he said. "Beyond the website, I'd love to stage a public exhibition of the photos. Eventually, it would be nice to publish a book of some of the most compelling and inspiring images. Whatever form it takes, I want A Day with HIV in America to de-stigmatize HIV.
"The biggest surprise [ with this project ] has been the story behind each photo. These images capture a moment in time, but they say so much about the lives of these people. There's a picture of a mother who is HIV-positive, playing with her daughter who is negative. You can sense the joy captured in that image. Another picture is of a young guy in bed as he is about to start the day; his caption simply reads, 'I still wake up with a smile.' You can't help but smile back at his picture. These snapshots convey a sense of hope, determination, dignity, openness, and optimism that, candidly, go beyond what I had expected."
About 20 Chicagoans participated in the project last year, from the Far South Side to Boystown, to an HIV-positive man who posed with his daughter while they were grocery shopping.
"Everyone is invited to take a photo on Sept. 21 and e-mail it, but we'll need your permission to use your picture," Guasco said. "To take part in A Day with HIV in America, go to www.ADaywithHIVinAmerica.com and then click on the 'Submitting your photo' link to download a PDF of the consent form.
"We need the permission of everyone who appears in a photo."
The signed consent form can be faxed, e-mailed or returned via U.S. Postal Service. Photos should be emailed to: artdirector@tpan.com .
Photos should be taken on Sept. 21; the deadline for submission is Sept. 26.
Include your name and a caption, giving the time of day you took the picture, Guasco said.
"Although you don't have to disclose your status, mention why you decided to take part in A Day with HIV in America," he said.
