For Immediate Release
Sept. 16, 2009                                                              

LONGTIME HIV SURVIVOR AND ADVOCATE NAMED RECIPIENT OF WHITMAN-WALKER CLINIC’S 2009 COURAGE AWARD

Shawn Decker Recognized for Living Courageously with HIV/AIDS

WASHINGTON – Shawn Decker, who has lived with HIV for 2/3 of his life and become an advocate in the fight against HIV/AIDS, has been named recipient of the Clinic’s annual Courage Award, to be presented at AIDS Walk Washington, Whitman-Walker Clinic announced today.

A hemophiliac, Decker was infected with HIV at age 11 through the use of tainted blood products. As an adult, he and his wife Gwenn, who is HIV-negative, have reached millions of people through Decker’s website, book and speaking engagements with their story of how they live with HIV in their relationship.

“We are very pleased and honored to present the Courage Award to Shawn Decker,” said Donald Blanchon, executive director of Whitman-Walker Clinic. “He is a living example of someone who overcame tremendous stigma to live a happy and healthy life while dealing with his HIV. And his ability to talk about his status with a great deal of humor allows him to reach those who might not otherwise pay attention to his message. He is an inspiration not only to those living with HIV/AIDS but to anyone who faces tremendous challenges in their life.”

The Clinic presents the Courage Award annually at AIDS Walk Washington to a person living with HIV or AIDS who has shown remarkable courage and leadership in the fight against the disease. AIDS Walk Washington will take place Saturday, Oct. 3, starting at Freedom Plaza at 8:30 am.

After his infection, Decker was expelled from public school, although he was later readmitted. For 10 years, he kept his HIV status a secret.

In 1996, at age 20, a change of heart led to the creation of “My Pet Virus,” a web site devoted to his favorite pastimes and a sounding board for his feeling about living with HIV. He invented a word, "positoid," to properly represent people living with the virus, and his humorous and informative take on life with HIV caught the eye of “POZ” magazine, which invited him to be a regular columnist for the magazine. The next year, he was invited to the White House on World AIDS Day.

At age 23, he met a fellow HIV educator, Gwenn Barringer, who is HIV-negative. After they fell in love, friends encouraged them to speak together as a couple. Since 2000, they have spoken to more than 75,000 students on college campuses, traveling nationally to share how they keep Gwenn HIV-negative in their program, “A Boy, A Girl, A Virus & The Relationship That Happened Anyway.” In 2004, Shawn and Gwenn were married.

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