This all started December 1, 2006 at Phoenix's World AIDS Day event.

Chris Daley was visiting the event and saw that while there were lots of prevention groups and service groups and even a testing location, there was really no place for someone who was HIV+ or worried that they might be HIV+ to just sit and talk with someone. Everyone seemed to be "celebrating" World AIDS Day -- how bad it is, how wonderful that services are available, that various groups are "fighting AIDS", here are some free condoms, don't do something stupid -- but there was no where where you could just sit and talk with someone.

Out of that, Chris proposed that one of the groups he attends sponsor such a booth at the upcoming Phoenix Pride celebration. While the group itself decided not to do it (it didn't fit their charter), many within the group joined together to sponsor and staff the first Ask The Poz Guys booth at Phoenix Pride In April, 2007.

The response to the booth was great. We talked with over 40 people about all things HIV, from newly diagnosed (like the day before) to people helping others with HIV to nurses to long term survivors to HIV- people looking for alternatives for staying negative.

Why are we doing this?

Because as long as we "stay in the closet", things will never get better. Back in the '80s and early '90s, people could see the ravages of HIV on their friends and in the obituary sections of their local gay newspapers. People were "good" because the alternatives we're pretty ugly. Then, all of a sudden, it seemed like all went away. New HIV meds were out and people stopped dying. So the crisis was over and we could all start partying again like it was the '70s.

But while HIV was no longer 100% terminal, it was still devastating, both to those who were infected, to their friends and family, and to the community at large (who do you think is paying for all those HIV meds?). At support groups, we still see people who've been infected for 6 months, 1 year, just-found-out.

HIV has not gone away. It's become an equal opportunity infection, with women now accounting for 1 in 3 new HIV cases in the U.S. -- it's 50-50 in the rest of the world -- and young people being infected like it was the early 80's.

We do it do encourage people to play safe. HIV is still out there. We do it so people who are infected or affected by HIV have a place to talk and get information. We do it to put a face on the continuing pandemic.