Of the most well-respected and trusted voices in the LGBT community, Dr. Betty Berzon died on January 24, 2006, at age 78. During her career as a psychotherapist specializing in work with lesbians and gay men, she wrote several books, including "The Intimacy Dance," "Positively Gay" and "Permanent Partners." Her memoir "Surviving Madness: A Therapist's Own Story" won a Lambda Literary Award in 2003. In her column "Ask a Therapist," Dr. Berzon shared with our members her gift for helping gay people come to terms with their true selves and with each other. She will be missed.

Q Dear Dr. Berzon,

I have been reading letters from the past several weeks and am impressed with the advice you've given to several people, so I decided to take a chance and write in about my issue.

I am living in a small city where the gay community is even smaller. I'm recovering from alcoholism, having almost four years sober. In June, I tested HIV-positive, and I'm struggling like hell.

I was pursuing a Master's, working in my chosen field, and, aside from an overzealous sex life, I seemed to be getting my life on track. Slowly, but it was happening.