LERON WELLINGTON
Staff Writer
Sex. Health. Humor. These are the words that husband and wife Shawn Decker and Gwenn Barringer use to describe their popular YouTube channel, “ShawnandGwenn.” Together, they travel the U.S. sharing their story and talking about the possibilities of having a healthy relationship with HIV.
Sponsored by S.T.EP.S., with the help of Pride Alliance and FredAssist, the duo came and spoke on April 10 about Shawn’s personal struggles of living with HIV and how the couple grew to giving talks and helping others for the event “A Boy, A Girl, A Virus.”
Decker contracted the virus in 1987 at the age of 11, from a blood transfusion which was needed for his health complications with hemophilia. Growing up, he responded to this news with denial, and it wasn’t until years after he graduated from high school that he started to speak to others about living with it.
To Decker, the thought of helping others, and himself, by spreading awareness with talks and writing personal articles never occurred to him, claiming “that thought never entered my mind.”
It was when Barringer was doing research for her master’s degree that they had a chance encounter. While looking to interview a person living with the virus, she was recommended to Decker. They began dating months later, and in 2000, the couple began to do talks together. It seemed like an obvious choice for the both of them.
“If you are in a healthy relationship, you feel more comfortable with sharing with your partner and keeping them safe,” said Decker. The couple disclosed about how they dealt with hardships together with open communication from the very beginning of their relationship.
Topics like protection, children, donating blood and relationships with extended family were all addressed by the couple with openness and a few chuckles. Throughout the talk, the couple often poked fun at themselves which, of course, made audiences more open to listening and being part of the discussion.
Barringer said, “Talking about HIV is obviously a difficult topic. Making people laugh brings down their walls. [Comedy] was always going to be a part of what we do.”
Brendan Gardner, a junior music education and music performance double major, is a member of S.T.E.P.S. who helped organize the event. He said, “I think my favorite part about Shawn and Gwenn was their ability to not only educate about a serious but to make light of their situation. Shawn and Gwenn are living proof that a diagnosis does not define your love and sex life.”