Though I am better, I must still confront the idea that what has happened is never really gone forever, even though I wish I could scrub that memory away forever. I wish there was a way to get rid of those punches and the feel of asphalt against my bleeding knees.

The dearth of proud, openly positive gay people online in most cities is a lost opportunity for all of us. More open disclosure can lead toward better, more informed, and safer sex. It would also go far toward removing some of the shame we have toward the disease.

Fear was releasing from my body as my mother's story echoed on the airwaves from the Pacific to the Sierra foothills. But when it came to my story -- my story, not my mother's -- the silence of my childhood was still deeply embedded in my body.

San Francisco Pride 2012 had its wasted revelry, long Porta-Potty lines, and enough boys and girls to fill Civic Center a couple of times over -- all things we've come to expect and love from the celebration. What was different was the amount of radical activism coinciding with the festivities.

Lately I have really been deconstructing my views on sexuality to get to the bottom of why women are treated unfairly. I've invited back the gorgeous sex educator Carlin Ross to help me break down my issues.