page_title: Steve Schalchlin
hierarchical_section_title: Steve Schalchlin
caption_attribution_description: English: Jim Brochu and Steve Schalchlin. Opening night of "The Big Voice: God or Merman." The story of how God and Ethel Merman affect the life of two men. Español: Actores en acción&quot;The Big Voice&quot;
context_page_description: Steve Schalchlin is an American songwriter, actor and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the first HIV/AIDS bloggers, beginning his in 1996 to keep family and friends updated on his failing health. When he responded well to a last-ditch effort in treatment by his doctor, he found out that his little "AIDS blog" had garnered a net following. A respected songwriter, Steve put his rebound into music that his partner, playwright Jim Brochu, turned into the critically acclaimed The Last Session.
  In 2001, the New York Times profiled Schalchlin's groundbreaking diary. The Times has also raved about Schalchlin and Brochu's musicals, The Last Session and The Big Voice: God or Merman?
  Schalchlin is cited in Shawn Decker's 2006 Book My Pet Virus as an important historical AIDS blogger and an inspiration for Decker's own AIDS blogging efforts.
  Schalchlin volunteers time as a Board member of GLBT support organizations, Families United Against Hate and Youth Guardian Services. He marched with Soulforce on the historic first march to Jerry Falwell's church. He was a featured performer at the PFLAG national conference and speaker at the March on Washington.
context_section_description: Steve Schalchlin (born October 4, 1953) is an American songwriter, actor and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the first HIV/AIDS bloggers, beginning his in 1996 to keep family and friends updated on his failing health. When he responded well to a last-ditch effort in treatment by his doctor, he found out that his little "AIDS blog" had garnered a net following. A respected songwriter, Steve put his rebound into music that his partner, playwright Jim Brochu, turned into the critically acclaimed The Last Session.
  In 2001, the New York Times profiled Schalchlin's groundbreaking diary. The Times has also raved about Schalchlin and Brochu's musicals,  The Last Session and The Big Voice: God or Merman?
  Schalchlin is cited in Shawn Decker's 2006 Book My Pet Virus as an important historical AIDS blogger and an inspiration for Decker's own AIDS blogging efforts.
  Schalchlin volunteers time as a Board member of GLBT support organizations, Families United Against Hate and Youth Guardian Services. He marched with Soulforce on the historic first march to Jerry Falwell's church. He was a featured performer at the PFLAG national conference and speaker at the March on Washington.
  George Michael allowed Schalchlin to play John Lennon's IMAGINE piano in the front yard of Gabi and Alec Clayton in memory of their son, Bill, who committed suicide after a gay bashing. Steve's personal video blogs of the event:
  Part 1 on YouTube;
  Part 2 on YouTube;
  Steve's song "My Thanksgiving Prayer" was selected to honor the 30th Anniversary of the Beirut barracks bombing, honoring the 241 Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers who served as Peacekeepers in Beirut, Lebanon 1982-1984, killed on October 23, 1983.
caption: Jim Brochu (L) and  Steve Schalchlin in The Big Voice
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA", "Image Make": "OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD", "Image Model": "C700UZ", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "v357-A79", "Image DateTime": "2002:09:15 02:06:15", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "256", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1394", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6564", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/15", "EXIF FNumber": "7/2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Creative", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "320", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0210", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2002:09:15 02:06:15", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2002:09:15 02:06:15", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "2", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "18/5", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "82/5", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1600", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1200", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "1270", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed"}