Gay civil partners ‘less likely to split up than straight married couples’
FRIDAY, September 23, 2011 (Pink News)

Civil partners are less likely to divorce than straight married people, new figures suggest.

Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that after five years, 5.5 per cent of marriages had ended in divorce and 2.5 per cent of civil partnerships had been dissolved.

The ONS report says: “Early figures suggest that marriages are more likely to end in divorce than civil partnerships are to end in dissolution.”

Since they were legalised in 2005, 42,778 civil partnerships have taken place – four times the number initially expected.

The British government is now considering how marriage can be opened up to gay couples, although the idea is expected to face strong opposition from faith groups.

The data also looked at attitudes to homosexuality.

Opposition to gay relationships peaked around 1987, when approximately 75 per cent of people said it was “always or mostly wrong”.

In 2003, the number of people who believed that it was “rarely wrong or not at all wrong” overtook the number opposed.

The latest figures, from 2008, found that just under 50 per cent said homosexuality was “rarely wrong or not at all wrong”, while 38 per cent said it was “always or mostly wrong”.

There were significant differences in opinion based on age and gender. Women and younger people were substantially more likely to back gay marriage, civil partnerships and adoption by gay couples.

Twenty-five per cent of women aged 18-29 disapproved or strongly disapproved of gay adoption, compared to 46 per cent of men the same age.

The majority of men and women over the age of 70 disapproved or strongly disapproved of the idea.

The report did not provide data on general views around gay marriage, although data showed that fewer than half of respondents thought gay marriage should be legalised across Europe.

The authors said: “People living in European countries which have recently legalised same-sex partnerships are likely to have more positive attitudes to homosexual marriage than those in countries where there is no such law.”

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Obama To United Nations: 'We Must Stand Up For The Rights Of Gays & Lesbians'
THURSDAY, September 22, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

President Barack Obama declared on Wednesday that the world's nations must stand up for the rights of gay people.

Obama made his comments in an address before world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“[T]o make sure our societies reach their potential, we must allow our citizens to reach theirs,” Obama said. “No country can afford the cancer of corruption. Together, we must harness the power of open societies and open economies. That is why we have partnered with countries from across the globe to launch a new partnership on Open Government that helps ensure accountability and empower their citizens. No country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere. And no country can realize its potential if half its population cannot reach theirs. This week, the United States signed a new Declaration on Women’s Participation. Next year, we should each announce the steps we are taking to break down economic and political barriers that stand in the way of women and girls. That is what our commitment to human progress demands.”

Obama did not specifically mention which rights he was alluding to, but gay activists have urged the president to endorse gay marriage ahead of next year's general election. The president's remarks come a day after the military officially ended “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the policy that banned gay and bisexual troops from serving openly.

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Northern Ireland health minister refuses to lift gay blood ban
THURSDAY, September 22, 2011 (Pink News)

Edwin Poots, Northern Ireland’s health minister, has refused to lift the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood.

He has said that the current policy “should not be altered” because of safety concerns around HIV transmission.

Earlier this month, UK health ministers announced that the rules would be relaxed in England, Wales and Scotland on November 7th – allowing gay and bisexual men to donate if they refrain from sex for 12 months.

The decision followed a review by the government’s Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO).

However, Mr Poots said Northern Ireland would not follow suit.

Writing to a UUP MLA, he said: “The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) has confirmed that the risk of HIV infection would, although by a small margin, increase as a result of a relaxation in the present lifetime deferral.”

UUP health spokesman John McCallister told the Belfast Telegraph: “We cannot turn willing blood donors away because of out-dated and irrational prejudice.”

Gay rights group The Rainbow Project, which pressed Mr Poots for a decision on the matter, accused him of homophobia.

Project director John O’Doherty said: “If the minister truly wanted to minimise the risk in blood management he should be listening to the experts and ensuring that assessments are carried out on the basis of risk not sexual orientation.

“There is a serious need for more blood donors and a lifetime ban for any section of our community that is not based on actual scientific evidence is discriminatory.

“Since the decision has not been taken on the basis of scientific evidence I must call into question the minister’s motivation on this issue which appears to be homophobia, not healthcare.”

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Mumbai police fine 150 gay men after breaking up party
TUESDAY, September 20, 2011 (Pink News)

The party, held in a residential complex in Jogeshwari, was raided at around 2am after a tip-off.

A number of celebrities were present. One, Bobby Darling, said he was paid by the organisers to attend. He said he was unaware the party was organised without permission and was not fined.

An office from Oshiwara police station told Express India: “When we entered the premises we saw drunk men dancing without clothes and also engaging in indecent acts,.”

D K Rupwate, a senior police inspector, added: “We rounded up about 150 guests, who were tested positive of consuming alcohol. We have fined the men Rs 1,200 each and left them after noting down their addresses, contact details and verifying their identities.”

Filmmaker Onir, who directed gay-themed film I Am, told the Hindustan Times: “It’s a joke that gay people dancing are called immodest, while heterosexual couples at parties is fine.

“The cops have every right to stop a party if it exceeds the noise level, but to harass people because of their sexuality is a shame.”

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President Obama's Statement on End of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
TUESDAY, September 20, 2011 (Advocate)

The White House on Tuesday issued the following statement from President Barack Obama on the end of "don't ask, don't tell." Official repeal of the 1993 policy went into effect at 12:01 a.m. this morning.

"Today, the discriminatory law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is finally and formally repealed. As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love. As of today, our armed forces will no longer lose the extraordinary skills and combat experience of so many gay and lesbian service members. And today, as Commander in Chief, I want those who were discharged under this law to know that your country deeply values your service.

"I was proud to sign the Repeal Act into law last December because I knew that it would enhance our national security, increase our military readiness, and bring us closer to the principles of equality and fairness that define us as Americans. Today’s achievement is a tribute to all the patriots who fought and marched for change; to Members of Congress, from both parties, who voted for repeal; to our civilian and military leaders who ensured a smooth transition; and to the professionalism of our men and women in uniform who showed that they were ready to move forward together, as one team, to meet the missions we ask of them.

"For more than two centuries, we have worked to extend America’s promise to all our citizens. Our armed forces have been both a mirror and a catalyst of that progress, and our troops, including gays and lesbians, have given their lives to defend the freedoms and liberties that we cherish as Americans. Today, every American can be proud that we have taken another great step toward keeping our military the finest in the world and toward fulfilling our nation’s founding ideals."

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Scientists have found a way to prevent HIV from damaging the immune system and say their discovery may offer a new approach to developing a vaccine against AIDS
MONDAY, September 19, 2011 (Reuters)

Researchers from the United States and Europe working in laboratories on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) found it is unable to damage the immune system if cholesterol is removed from the virus's membrane.

"It's like an army that has lost its weapons but still has flags, so another army can recognize it and attack it," said Adriano Boasso of Imperial College London, who led the study.

The team now plans to investigate how to use this way of inactivating the virus and possibly develop it into a vaccine.

Usually when a person becomes infected with HIV, the body's innate immune response puts up an immediate defense. But some researchers believe HIV causes the innate immune system to overreact. This weakens the immune system's next line of defense, known as the adaptive immune response.

For this study -- published on Monday in the journal Blood -- Boasso's team removed cholesterol from the membrane around the virus and found that this stopped HIV from triggering the innate immune response. This in turn led to a stronger adaptive response, orchestrated by a type of immune cells called T cells.

AIDS kills around 1.8 million people a year worldwide. An estimated 2.6 million people caught HIV in 2009, and 33.3 million people are living with the virus.

Major producers of current HIV drugs include Gilead Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline.

Scientists from companies, non-profits and governments around the world have been trying for many years to make a vaccine against HIV but have so far had only limited success.

A 2009 study in Thailand involving 16,000 volunteers showed for the first time that a vaccine could prevent HIV infection in a small number of people, but since the efficacy was only around 30 percent researchers were forced back to the drawing board.

An American team working on an experimental HIV vaccine said in May that it helped monkeys with a form of the AIDS virus control the infection for more than a year, suggesting it may lead to a vaccine for people.

HIV is spread in many ways -- during sex, on needles shared by drug users, in breast milk and in blood -- so there is no single easy way to prevent infection. The virus also mutates quickly and can hide from the immune system, and attacks the very cells sent to battle it.

"HIV is very sneaky," Boasso said in a statement. "It evades the host's defenses by triggering overblown responses that damage the immune system. It's like revving your car in first gear for too long -- eventually the engine blows out.

He said this may be why developing a vaccine has proven so tricky. "Most vaccines prime the adaptive response to recognize the invader, but it's hard for this to work if the virus triggers other mechanisms that weaken the adaptive response."

HIV takes its membrane from the cell that it infects, the researchers explained in their study. This membrane contains cholesterol, which helps keep it fluid and enables it to interact with particular types of cell.

Normally, a subset of immune cells called plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) recognize HIV quickly and react by producing signaling molecules called interferons. These signals activate various processes which are initially helpful, but which damage the immune system if switched on for too long.

Working with scientists Johns Hopkins University, the University of Milan and Innsbruck University, Boasso's team found that if cholesterol is removed from HIV's envelope, it can no longer activate pDCs. As a result, T cells, which orchestrate the adaptive response, can fight the virus more effectively.

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'Positively Aware's' A Day With HIV In America Wants Your Photo
FRIDAY, September 9, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

The editors of the HIV/AIDS glossy Positively Aware are turning to their readers to produce a snapshot of what it's like be HIV-positive in America.

The magazine is asking readers to take a photograph on Wednesday, September 21 for consideration in its second annual A Day With HIV In America photo layout to appear online, in its November/December issue and at the U.S. Conference on AIDS, which takes place November 10-13 in Chicago. (A promotional video for the photo contest is embedded in the right panel of this page.)

“We're asking all Americans affected by HIV to share with all of us an image of their life with HIV,” Positively Aware Editor Jeff Berry said. “Their vantage points captured over a single day will create a rich photographic tapestry of hope, strength and support that will help tear away the stigma of living with HIV in America today.”

Photos must be submitted at ADayWithHIVInAmerica.com no later than Monday, September 26 for consideration.

Positively Aware is published bi-monthly by the Chicago-based non-profit group Test Positive Aware Network.

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Gay men who use a condom should not face delays giving blood
FRIDAY, September 9, 2011 (The Guardian)

UK - The government has announced that it is scrapping the blanket, lifetime ban on blood donations from men who've had oral or anal sex with other men. Bravo! At last, after nearly three decades, health officials have realised that they got it wrong. The panic over HIV led them to maintain an irrational, unscientific policy which discriminated against gay and bisexual men based on prejudiced, stereotypical assumptions. It also deprived the NHS and patients of much needed blood donations, regularly contributing to a shortfall in the blood supply.

The new policy stipulates that gay and bisexual men will be banned – not for life – but for 12 months from their last oral or anal sexual encounter with another man. Although the new policy is a big improvement on the existing lifetime exclusion, a 12-month ban is still excessive and unjustified. Most gay and bisexual men do not have HIV and will never have HIV. If they always have safe sex with a condom, have only one partner and test HIV negative, their blood is safe to donate. They can and should be allowed to help save lives by becoming donors. Sadly, the 12-month ban will apply even if the blood of gay and bisexual men is safe – even if they always use a condom and even if they test HIV-negative. Protecting the blood supply is the number one priority. Patients come first. But ensuring blood safety does not require such a lengthy time span during which all gay and bisexual men are barred from donating blood.

The blood service could have opted for a much shorter exclusion period. It should focus on excluding donors who have engaged in risky sexual behaviour, those who are HIV-positive and donors whose HIV status cannot be accurately determined because of the delay between the potential date of infection and the period when the HIV virus and HIV antibodies manifest and become detectable in an infected person's blood. Reducing the exclusion period for blood donations from gay and bisexual men should go hand-in-hand with a "safe blood" education campaign targeted at the gay community, to ensure no one donates blood if they are at risk of HIV and other blood-borne infections due to unsafe sexual behaviour. We also need a major drive to vaccinate gay and bisexual men against Hepatitis A and B, to prevent these infections getting into the blood supply.

In addition, the questionnaire that would-be blood donors have to answer should be made more detailed for men who've had sex with men, in order to more accurately identify the degree of risk, if any, that their blood may pose. A few additional questions would improve donor awareness of risk factors and more accurately exclude those whose blood may not be safe.

Overall, there is a strong case for only excluding men who have had risky sex without a condom. Regrettably, the blood service's new policy makes no distinction between sex with a condom and sex without one. Any oral or anal sex between men in the previous 12 months – even with protection – will be grounds for continuing to refuse a donor under the new rules. This is unjustified. If a condom is used correctly, it is very effective against the transmission and contraction of HIV. Men who use condoms every time without breakages – and who test HIV negative – should not be barred from donating blood.

With these provisos and safeguards, a shorter exclusion period would be reasonable and not endanger the blood supply. The blood donated would be safe. Patients needing transfusions would be the winners.

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Poll: North Carolina residents oppose gay marriage ban
THURSDAY, September 8, 2011 (Pink News)

A small poll of voters in the US state of North Carolina says that most would vote against a proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Republican lawmakers announced last week that they will push for a voter referendum on the issue in 2012.

The state already bars gay marriage but the moves would prevent courts from overturning the status quo.

Although the Public Policy Polling survey found that 61 per cent oppose gay marriage, just 30 per cent said they would vote for a ban.

Fifty-five per cent said they would vote against a ban and 15 per cent were unsure.

Of the 580 people surveyed, 25 per cent said gay people should be allowed to marry and 29 per cent backed civil unions.

Republicans in the state, who now control both chambers of the legislature, believe there is plenty of support for the move.

On Monday, they will debate whether to present the amendment to voters next year.

While a House version of the bill would allow other forms of legal recognition for gay couples, such as civil unions, the Senate version seeks to ban all recognition of same-sex partners.

Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, commented: “It’s pretty simple: North Carolinians don’t support gay marriage but they also don’t think this constitutional amendment is necessary

“And they also think this particular proposal goes too far by targeting civil unions, which many voters in the state support.”

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Gay sex shouldn't be illegal, says Ghana's Minister for Justice
WEDNESDAY, September 7, 2011 (PinkPaper)

In a surprising public statement, Ghana's Minister for Justice - Martin Amidu – has said that gay sex should not be criminalised.

The attorney general for the west African nation, who is also a National Democratic Congress party member, made the comment at a press event in Accra, last week.

"It is illegal to invade the privacy of two rightful-thinking adults to obtain evidence for prosecution purpose," he said.

Such public support for homosexuality there is rare and, according to AllAfrica.com, Amidu has "courted the wrath of anti-gay sections of the Ghanaian public" for voicing his opinion.

But equality activists have praised him for his honesty.

Despite this, Amidu added that he could not see homosexuality becoming full legal in Ghana in the near future.

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California Supreme Court To Hear Prop 8 Case Tuesday
TUESDAY, September 6, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

The California Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear arguments in the latest legal skirmish in the fight against Proposition 8, California's voter-approved gay marriage ban.

At the morning hearing, Protect Marriage, the coalition of socially conservative groups which put Proposition 8 on the 2008 ballot, will argue that it should be allowed to defend the amendment in court.

Protect Marriage last year stepped in to appeal a federal judge's ruling declaring the law unconstitutional after state officials refused to defend the law in court.

At issue is whether the group has the legal right to represent the people of California in the lawsuit.

If the high court decides proponents do not have the legal standing to intervene, then the federal court's order would likely become law, and the marriages of gay couples in California would resume. Such a resolution would have limited effect outside the state.

“I don't think it is open-and-shut either way,” Vikram Amar, a constitutional law professor at the University of California at Davis, told the Los Angeles Times. “If sponsors of initiatives don't have standing, then you have the possibility that elected officials like governors and attorneys general can essentially undo an initiative by refusing to defend it.”

The justices have 90 days to decide on the issue of standing after the scheduled hearing.

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Washington's Ed Murray Says Public Ready For Gay Marriage
FRIDAY, September 2, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

Openly gay Washington State Senator Ed Murray says the public is ready to embrace gay marriage.

Murray is openly talking with media outlets about introducing a marriage equality bill in Washington State.

In an interview last week with National Public Radio (NPR), Murray said recent passage of such a law in New York had renewed momentum in Washington.

Murray and Representative Jamie Pedersen, who is also openly gay, have previously sponsored bills shoring up the state's domestic partnership law.

The latest expansion approved in 2009 gives gay and lesbian couples all the rights and responsibilities of marriage.
He now tells Spokane-based My Fox 28 that the public is ready for full marriage.

“I think the public is now with us. And that's why I think we should move it in the Legislature. And that's why we waited. That's why we did domestic partnership first; the public wasn't with us yet. I think they are there now.”

“I think we've changed hearts and minds,” Murray added. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)

The issue is likely to complicate the state's gubernatorial election. Democratic Governor Chris Gregoire singed the original 2006 domestic partnership law and its three expansions.

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New Numbers, and Geography, for Gay Couples
FRIDAY, August 26, 2011 (New York Times)

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — So much for San Francisco.

The list of top cities for same-sex couples as a portion of the population does not include that traditional gay mecca, according to new census data. In fact, the city, which ranked third in 1990 and 11th in 2000, plummeted to No. 28 in 2010. And West Hollywood, once No. 1, has dropped out of the top five.

The Census Bureau data, finalized this week and analyzed by Gary Gates, a demographer at the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, gives the clearest picture to date of same-sex couples in America. In absolute numbers, they jumped by half in the past decade, to 901,997.

Most surprising is how far same-sex couples have dispersed, moving from traditional enclaves and safe havens into farther-flung areas of the country.

Consider, for example, the upstarts on the list: Pleasant Ridge, Mich., a suburb of Detroit; New Hope, Pa.; and this beach town in southern Delaware. All three have been popular destinations for gay people locally but had never ranked in the top 10.

The No. 1-ranked town is Provincetown, Mass., at the tip of Cape Cod.

The reordering reflects a growing influence of baby boomers, who became adults in the 1960s and 1970s, when the social stigma was starting to ease, and are more willing than previous generations to stand up and be counted, Mr. Gates said.

Now that generation, arguably the first in history with such a large contingent that is out, is beginning to retire, and its life transition is showing up in the data, with older cities as the new popular choices.

“As the baby boomer generation ages into retirement,” Mr. Gates said, “we see its impact really strongly in the geography.”

The pattern was in evidence in Rehoboth Beach, a family resort town of 1,300, which was fourth on the list of same-sex couples per capita and did not figure in the top 10 rankings in 1990 or 2000.

To continue reading this article, click here.

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Fiji lifts travel ban for people living with HIV
FRIDAY, August 26, 2011 (UNAIDS)

GENEVA, 26 August 2011—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) applauds a decision by the Government of Fiji to lift its restrictions on entry, stay or residence based on HIV status. With this reform—officially announced today by the President of Fiji at an AIDS conference in South Korea—Fiji joins a growing list of countries that are aligning national HIV legislation with international public health standards.

“This is a clear breakthrough in our efforts to secure the global freedom of movement for people living with HIV,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “Restrictions that limit movement based on HIV-positive status only are discriminatory and violate human rights,” he added.

In Fiji, as elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region, increased action on AIDS is showing results and the AIDS epidemic is stabilizing. However, new HIV infections still outpace the number of people starting treatment, and stigma and discrimination pose serious obstacles to progress.

After the removal of Fiji’s restrictions, UNAIDS counts 47 countries, territories, and areas that continue to impose some form of restriction on the entry, stay and residence of people living with HIV based on their HIV status. At least, 128 countries have no such restrictions.

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Grant helped anti-gay marriage effort
FRIDAY, August 26, 2011 (AP)

IOWA CITY (AP) — Federal grant money awarded to a social conservative group to provide marriage counseling also helped pay some of its operational expenses while it was leading an anti-gay marriage campaign, according to grant documents obtained by the Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.

The $2.2 million received by the Iowa Family Policy Center between 2006 and 2010 helped hundreds of Iowans receive education and counseling, according to the documents. But it also paid for part of the salaries of five employees, rent, telephone, Internet and other expenses while the group was fighting legalized gay marriage in Iowa.

A University of Iowa researcher who was a consultant on the grant also told AP the group declined to provide same-sex couples education and counseling with the money.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials approved the grant budget, and there's no indication the costs run afoul of federal guidelines. Still, critics said the grant was potentially troubling because it was involved in a high-profile effort to respond to the Iowa Supreme Court's 2009 ruling legalizing gay marriage at the time, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa is investigating. A public backlash led Iowa voters to oust three justices last year.

The Iowa Family Policy Center and its political and advocacy arms, all housed in the same office as its marriage program, were outspoken on the issue. The center first called for blocking the ruling from taking effect and then called on lawmakers to amend Iowa's constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

The candidate the group supported in the Republican race for governor last year, Bob Vander Plaats, vowed to sign an executive order overturning the ruling and criticized Terry Branstad for not being strong enough on the issue. After Vander Plaats lost to Branstad in the primary, he became the face of the push to oust the justices and worked with the group to organize the campaign.

The group, now known as the Family Leader and a force in this year's Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa, turned down the fifth year of the grant, worth $550,000. Liberals and conservatives alike had questioned the grant, but group leaders say they decided voluntarily to be financed by donations.

The Family Leader has received national attention recently for asking Republican candidates to sign a pledge to be faithful to their spouses and denounce same-sex marriage rights and pornography.

To continue reading this article, click here.

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Unprotected sex eight times more common in serious relationships than casual ones, US gay youth study finds
FRIDAY, August 26, 2011 (Aidsmap)

The strongest single predictor of not using condoms in anal sex in a group of young US gay men was that the relationship was regarded as ‘serious’, a study has found. Unprotected sex was eight times more likely in serious relationships than in casual encounters.

This study, conducted conducted by Northwestern University in Illinois, USA (Mustanski) reinforces previous findings that over two-thirds of HIV transmissions between US gay men happen between primary sex partners and only a third between casual partners (Sullivan).

In this study, the researchers comment, “there was almost no unprotected sex occurring in relationships classified as casual”. This suggests that HIV prevention strategies amongst US gay men may need to focus more on HIV risk and safer-sex negotiation within couples than on individual risk-taking decisions.

The study

The current study included 122 young men (aged 16-20) who had sex with men (MSM). Two-thirds classed themselves as gay and nearly a quarter bisexual while the remaining 11% used other categories (queer, questioning etc.) They were a subset of Project Q2, a longstanding longitudinal study of gay youth that has already uncovered high levels of mental ill-health and suicidal behaviour.

The group was recruited by means of ‘snowball sampling’ whereby a number of participants were initially identified by outreach and then encouraged to recruit others (and given $10 for each recruit). Participants were not recruited according to whether they had risky sex or not.

The researchers conducted three surveys of sexual partnerships, risk behaviour and other factors during the previous six months. These occurred at the start of the study and then six and twelve months later. Participants were paid $40 for each interview, and the retention rate was about 90%. Data was available for 117 participants who between them reported a total of 416 sexual partners (3.5 each on average).

The participants’ mean age was 18.5 years and 23% were under 18.

Half of the group described themselves as African-American, just under one in five as white, one in eight as Hispanic and one in nine as multiracial. Six per cent (seven individuals) reported knowing they had HIV; 81% had ever tested for it and 60% said they had taken a test in the last six months.

Only two participants reported knowingly having had sex with an HIV positive partner – this was so uncommon that whether status knowledge influenced safer-sex decisions could not be established.

Findings

Half (49%) of participants reported being in a serious relationship at the time of asking, defined as having “someone you feel committed to above all others”, and 80% reported having had at least one over the study period. Twelve per cent had had a female partner (serious or otherwise) during this time.

To continue reading this article, click here.

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HIV30 group replaces vandalized commemorative Capitol Hill art project
THURSDAY, August 25, 2011

(Seattle, WA) Representatives from HIV30: Take Action Seattle gathered with Sound Transit's Barbara Luecke at the Broadway Red Wall on Tuesday morning to remove the damaged banner that had been installed, and then vandalized, in June, and replace it with a new version. The printing for the new banner was generously donated by local print company BGI Proforma Solutions.

"We’re always looking to give back to the community when we can," said BGI Proforma Solutions representative Ernie Lehman. "Reprinting the banner as a gift to Capitol Hill Community is an excellent way to show our appreciation for all the Seattle area has done for us. Given the circumstances of the original banner defacing, we couldn’t do this any other way."

Phase one of the HIV30 public art project, 30 Years: A Retrospective, has received no small amount of attention in its short time on display on Capitol Hill. Despite attempts to vandalize it, and controversy about the appropriateness of some included imagery, the message of the banner remains a strong one.

"It remains an important project," said Gay City Health Project Executive Director Fred Swanson. "All of the discussions generated by the banner underscore the need to continue educating the community about the issues faced by people living with HIV."

The members of the HIV30 group are ready to move forward with the project, including the upcoming unveiling of its next phase in September. They plan to unveil phase two of the project, 30 Years / 30 Stories, on Saturday, Sep 24, in conjunction with the Seattle AIDS walk. 30 Years / 30 Stories will feature 30 stories written by community members who have been impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic that have been interpreted by 30 local artists.

"The project is intended to be a commemoration of the last 3 decades of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a celebration of how far we've come in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and a call for people to continue to take action in that fight. I think that will be apparent with the next few phases of the project," said Swanson.

"Sound Transit is glad the Red Wall is a good venue for displaying information and art that is relevant to the community, and we support the message that the HIV30 group is promoting," said Luecke.

For more information on HIV30: Take Action Seattle, please visit them online at hiv-30.org.

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Uganda Cabinet Drops MP David Bahati's Anti-Gay Bill
MONDAY, August 22, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

The administration of Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has rejected MP David Bahati's anti-gay bill, Uganda's Daily Monitor reported on Monday.

Bahati's controversial bill would increase the penalties for being gay in a nation where it is already a crime. The measure, first introduced in 2009, proposed putting repeat offenders to death under certain circumstances. It also would have criminalized discussion of homosexuality and penalized a person who knowingly rents to a gay or lesbian person.

Lawmakers closed their legislative session in May without voting on the measure, but a defiant Bahati insisted he would re-introduce his bill in February.

According to the Daily Monitor, on the advice of Adolf Mwesige, the ruling party lawyer, Uganda's Cabinet decided to drop the measure during a meeting on Wednesday.

“We agreed that government should search the law archives and get some of the laws, enforce them rather than having another new piece of legislation,” an unnamed source was quoted as saying. “He [Mwesige] said the bill is overtaken by events and that donors and other sections of the public were not comfortable.”

Bahati told the paper that the administration should stop “playing hide-and-seek games,” and reiterated previous claims that children remain at risk.
“The future of this country's children will be determined by the people's representatives in Parliament,” Bahati said.

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High levels of PrEP efficacy demanded by gay men before they consider it a replacement for condoms
WEDNESDAY, August 10, 2011 (Aidsmap)

PrEP would need to provide near perfect levels of protection against infection with HIV in order for the majority of gay men to see it as a replacement for condoms for receptive anal sex, results of a US study published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes suggest.

However, men who have difficulty talking about safer sex were significantly more likely to report a willingness to stop using condoms if efficacy was only around 50% - a level similar to that seen in the recent iPrEX study.

The study involved HIV-negative gay and other men who have sex with men who reported the use of drugs or alcohol during recent unprotected anal sex with a HIV-positive man or man of unknown HIV status.

“Behavioral counseling and other interventions will be especially important to supplement PrEP use and to counterbalance any potential increases in risky behaviors that could result in more HIV transmission due to higher risk behaviors in the setting of PrEP,” comment the investigators.

There is considerable excitement about the use of antiretroviral therapy in prevention. Very few HIV transmissions originate in patients who are taking virologically suppressive treatment. In addition, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – the treatment of HIV-negative individuals with anti-HIV drugs – has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of infection with HIV.

Results of the iPrEX study into the safety and effectiveness of PrEP in gay and other men who have sex with men showed that, overall, it reduced infections by 43%. Much higher levels of efficacy were seen in men with good adherence to their treatment.

Discussions are underway about how best to incorporate PrEP into wider HIV prevention campaigns. Some researchers believe that its use should be restricted to individuals who have a very high risk of infection with HIV – for example gay men who have unprotected anal sex when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Investigators from the US therefore conducted a study involving 645 gay and other men who have sex with men who feel into this category.

They were recruited between 2004 and 2008 in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco - cities with large gay populations and high rates of new HIV infections.

The men were asked about their use of PrEP and what levels of efficacy would be needed for them to stop using condoms for insertive or receptive anal sex.

Participants were aged between 18 and 67 years, with the majority aunder 35. They were racially diverse and well educated. The vast majority of men identified as gay.

Use of PrEP was reported by 15 men. They had used a variety of regimens, but none reported taking Truvada (tenofovir/FTC), the drug investigated in the iPrEX study. Moreover, none of the individuals reported taking therapy for more than a week.

For the full article, click here.

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Chile President Sebastian Pinera Introduces Gay Unions Bill
WEDNESDAY, August 10, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

Chile President Sebastian Pinera on Tuesday introduced a bill to legalize civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, the AP reported.

Pinera's bill would allow gay and straight couples who have lived together for more than one year to enter a legal contract called the Life Partner Agreement (Acuerdo de Vida en Pareja).

The president signed his bill to the cheers of gay rights activists and sent it along to Congress for their approval. But angry leaders of his center-right coalition refused to attend the signing ceremony.

Pinera, who is fulfilling a campaign promise to back a civil unions bill, told daily El Mercurio last month that his bill seeks to “protect and safeguard” the civil rights of couples living outside of marriage and “safeguard the dignity of those couples, whether of opposite sex or even the same sex.”

The move comes more than a week after roughly 1,000 people took to the streets of Santiago to protest the proposed legislation. Opponents argue the union will undermine marriage or be used as a stepping stone to legalize marriage between two persons of the same sex.

Last year, neighboring Argentina legalized gay marriage. Gay and lesbian couples can also marry in the city-state of Mexico City and their marriages are recognized throughout Mexico. Uruguay is also considering a gay marriage law.

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New HIV infections up 50 percent in gay black men
WEDNESDAY, August 3, 2011 (MSNBC)

CHICAGO — The number of Americans newly infected with HIV remained stable between 2006 and 2009, but infections rose nearly 50 percent among young black gay and bisexual men, U.S. experts said on Wednesday.

New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal progress since the peak of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s. But the sharp increases in infection rates among young black men who have sex with men show there is much more work to do, they said.

"We're very concerned about these increases among young gay men," Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, said in a telephone interview.

"We can't allow the health to a new generation to be lost to what is essentially a completely preventable disease."

According to the estimates, published in the journal PLoS ONE, there were 48,600 new HIV infections in the United States in 2006, 56,000 in 2007, 47,800 in 2008 and 48,100 in 2009. Over the four-year period, that amounts to an average of 50,000 cases per year.

But communities of color, and especially blacks, were disproportionately affected.

While blacks represent 14 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for 44 percent of new HIV infections in 2009. HIV infection rates among blacks were nearly eight times higher than rates in whites, according to the study.

Hispanics, who represent about 16 percent of the population, accounted for 20 percent of new HIV infections in 2009 -- a rate that was nearly three times as high as that of whites.

For the full article, click here.

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Super Majority Of New Jersey Voters Support Gay Unions
WEDNESDAY, August 3, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

A super majority of New Jersey voters support gay unions, a new poll has found.

The Public Policy Polling survey found a whopping 81 percent of New Jersey voters support marriage or civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, and more respondents support marriage equality than do not.

Forty-seven percent of those contacted said they believe gay marriage should be legal, while forty-two percent disagreed. Eleven percent said they did not know.

Four-hundred-eighty voters were surveyed, and the poll has a margin of error of 4.5 percent.

New Jersey is among the five states that recognize gay couples with civil unions. Hawaii, Illinois, Delaware and, most recently, Rhode Island have also legalized civil unions. But only New Jersey was forced to act by a court order.

The inequality of civil unions is more than name deep, activists argue. Private companies often won't recognize a civil union for the purpose of benefits as equal to marriage. And while married gay couples continue to work toward federal recognition, a win would most likely not include civil unions.

Last year, New Jersey lawmakers rejected a bill that would have legalized gay marriage in the state. Proponents say they are working on building a bipartisan veto-proof majority in the Legislature to head off a threatened veto from Governor Chris Christie before making a second attempt, and have filed a new legal challenge, as well.

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HIV ‘epidemics’ emerging in gay men in North Africa and the Middle East
WEDNESDAY, August 3, 2011 (Pink News)

New research suggests that HIV epidemics are emerging in North Africa and the Middle East among men who have sex with men (MSM).

According to researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Pakistan and Tunisia are seeing high rates of infection in gay and bisexual men.

Across the region, homosexuality is illegal or frowned upon in most countries.

The researchers said it was a common belief that little or no data is held on MSM HIV transmissions in North Africa and the Middle East. However, they discovered some reliable and previously unpublished sources.

Researcher Ghina Mumtaz told Reuters: “It’s like the black hole in the global HIV map – and this has triggered many controversies and debates around the status of the epidemic.”

She added: “Men who have sex with men are still a highly hidden population in the region and there is stigma around this behaviour, but some countries have been able to find creative ways of dealing with the problem and at the same time avoiding the social, cultural and political sensitivities.”

The research, published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) Medicine journal, urged countries to do more to address MSM infections.

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Gay Marriage Support Picks Up Steam
THURSDAY, July 28, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

According to a new report released on Wednesday, support for gay marriage increased at an accelerated rate over the past 2 years.

The survey, which was commissioned by the gay marriage group Freedom to Marry, concluded that between 2009 and 2011 the average support for legalizing gay marriage grew at a rate of roughly 5 percent per year, while between 1996 and 2009 the rate averaged 1 percent.

“That's actually a 500 percent increase in the rate of change,” pollster Joel Benenson of Benenson Strategy Group is quoted as saying at a press conference by U.S. News & Report. “We rarely see that kind of upward spike in support around an issue.”

Benenson, who worked for President Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and Dr. Jan van Lohuizen of Voter Consumer Research, who worked for former President George W. Bush's campaign, used polling data from five national polls, including Gallup, PRRI, CNN/ORC, ABC News/Washington Post, and Pew Research Center, to reach their conclusions.

A large majority (68%) of young people below the age of 30 support marriage equality, according to the study.

“Because of demographic shifts, we will see a steady march from a majority to a supermajority” of support for gay marriage, Benenson said.

“Even where anti-gay ballot measures succeed at the time, the net result is that people are prompted into these conversations,”

Freedom to Marry President Evan Wolfson said. “The more people talk about this, the more they move into support of the freedom to marry.”

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US to look again at gay blood donation ban
WEDNESDAY, July 27, 2011 (Pink News)

The US Department of Health and Human Services is to look again at the lifetime blood donation ban for men who have had gay sex.

The department said yesterday that the current policy is “sub-optimal” and announced it has instructed advisors to study whether the strict rules can be relaxed.

A statement said: “If the data indicate that a change is possible while protecting the blood supply, we will consider a change to the policy.”

Currently any man who has had sex with another man since 1977 is permanently barred from donating blood. The policy began after fears that allowing gay and bisexual men to donate blood could raise the risk of HIV and hepatitis for blood transfusion patients.

Although all blood is tested before use, there is a small risk that new HIV infections may not be picked up. Gay rights groups and the Red Cross say that donor screening should be based on risky behaviour, rather than a blanket ban based of sexual orientation.

The HHS is to consider risk factors in current donors, how blood can be accidentally released without safety clearance, whether potential donors would comply with new rules and whether new screening criteria would assure blood safety.

The department added: “It is anticipated that the described studies will yield data for reevaluation of the current deferral policy and potentially establish safety of blood collection from a subset of men who have sex with men or other currently deferred donors.”

Senator John Kerry has been pushing for a change to the policy.

He said: “We’ve been working on this a long time in a serious way and I’m glad Secretary [Kathleen] Sebelius responded with concrete steps to finally remove this policy from the books

“HHS is doing their due diligence and we plan to stay focused on the end game – a safe blood supply and an end to this discriminatory ban.”

The UK has a similar ban, which is under review.

SaBTO, the advisory committee on the safety of blood, tissues, and organs, is expected to report its findings at some point this year.

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Colombian Court Effectively Legalizes Gay Marriage
WEDNESDAY, July 27, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

Colombia's Constitutional Court on Tuesday mandated the legal recognition of gay couples.

A majority of the 9-judge panel agreed that gay and lesbian couples have the right to form a family and gave Congress two years to legislate on gay unions, Bogota-based El Tiempo reported.

“If by the 20th of July, 2013 Congress has not acted, gay couples can go to a notary and with the same solemnity of a heterosexual marriage enter a union similar to one between a heterosexual couple,” said Judge Juan Carlos Henao, the court's president.

Whether the ruling means full marriage for gay couples remains to be seen.

“The name of the institution, be it civil marriage or otherwise, will be up to Congress,” the court said.

The nation's Roman Catholic bishops last week urged the court to uphold Colombia's current law that restricts marriage to heterosexual couples.

Last year, Argentina became the first Latin American country to approve marriage equality. Gay and lesbian couples can also marry in the city-state of Mexico City. Mexico's highest court has ruled that all states must recognize the marriages of gay couples originating from Mexico City.

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Report: 1 in 3 Gay Employees Closeted at Work
TUESDAY, July 26, 2011 (The Advocate)

An alarming percentage of gay individuals face employment harassment and often decide not to disclose their sexual orientation in the workplace, according to a summary of recent social science data by the Williams Institute.

In a review of studies including the 2008 General Social Survey, a national probability survey, the Williams Institute reported Monday that 38% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees who are out at work reported being harassed because of their sexual orientation. More than one-third of respondents said they were not out to any colleagues at work.

Surveys focused specifically on transgender workers in recent years have found even greater employment discrimination: a 2011 study, for example, found that 78% of trans employees had reported at least one form of harassment on the job, with nearly half experiencing discrimination in hiring, promotion, and retention.

Via the Williams Institute's Monday release:
Among LGB respondents to the [General Social Survey], 42% had experienced employment discrimination at some point in their lives, and 27% had experienced employment discrimination just during the five-year period prior to the survey. …

“This new data shows that it’s still risky to come out about being LGBT in the workplace,” study co-author and Williams legal fellow Christy Mallory said. “Therefore, it’s not surprising that the GSS data also show that one-third of LGB employees are not open about their sexual orientation to anyone in the workplace.” …

Not only does research document the pervasiveness of sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, but also the negative impacts of discrimination on LGBT people. Because of discrimination, and fear of discrimination, many LGBT employees hide their identities, are paid less and have fewer employment opportunities than non-LGBT employees.

The full report is available here.

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Record 659 Couples Marry In New York City As Gay Marriage Becomes Legal
MONDAY, July 25, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

A record 659 couples married in New York City on Sunday, as New York became the sixth – and most populous – state to legalize gay marriage.

The Sunday nuptials shattered the city's old record set in 2003 of 621 marriages in a single day on Valentine's Day.

Celebrations began at midnight in several cities with mayors officiating over weddings at the earliest possible moment.

With a rainbow-lit Niagara Falls as a backdrop, gay activists Kitty Lambert, 54, and Cheryle Rudd, 53, married surrounded by roughly 100 close friends and family. The women, who together have 5 children and 12 grandchildren, have been together for more than a decade.

Other cities, including Albany and Long Island, also hosted midnight weddings.

In New York City, marriage bureaus in all five boroughs were open for a full day, from 8:30AM to 4:30PM.

“Today was a historic day in our city, and we couldn't be prouder that on the first day that everyone in New York City could have their love affirmed in the eyes of the law, we were able to serve everyone,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. “I want to thank all of the city workers and volunteers who made this success possible.”

Bloomberg, a long-time supporter of marriage equality, also presided over the wedding of two City Hall staffers – Jonathan Mintz, the commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs and John Feinblatt, the mayor's top policy adviser – at a ceremony on the footsteps of Gracie Mansion. The couple is raising two daughters.

“Two people who loved each other dearly came together and pledged their lives to each other,” he said. “I'm glad I asked to be a part of it.”

Lines began to form outside marriage bureaus at dawn, The Wall Street Journal reported.

“I got a text about 6:45 saying there was about two-dozen couples already in line,” said 39-year-old Greg Schooler, who married his partner of 11 years on Sunday. “We knew to get here early. Especially with the sun, you don't want to be standing outside all day.”

Happy couples held up blue marriage certificates and waved to the crowd of supporters – and in some cases protesters – and soon-to-be brides and grooms as they emerged from marriage bureaus.

City clerk's offices will remain open until 6:30PM – two additional hours – for the remainder of the week.

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DADT Repeal Could Be Certified Friday
FRIDAY, July 22, 2011 (The Advocate)

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen are prepared to recommend repeal certification of “don’t ask, don’t tell” as early as Friday, Defense officials confirmed with The Advocate.

"This afternoon, the president will meet with the secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs to review the certification of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell," according to a White House spokesman.

Both the Wall Street Journal and NBC News first reported on Thursday that Mullen and Panetta, who was sworn in as Defense Secretary three weeks ago following the retirement of Secretary Robert Gates, will report to the president that lifting the ban on openly gay service members is consistent with standards of military readiness and unit cohesion.

President Obama said in a June LGBT Pride Month reception at the White House that DADT repeal certification was coming in “weeks, not months.” After the President certifies repeal, a 60-day-waiting period will follow before the policy is finally dropped, meaning that DADT would no longer be enforced by late September. A recent order from the ninth circuit court of appeals already bars the military from further discharges and investigations under the policy.

“This Pentagon certification received by the White House this afternoon is welcomed by gay and lesbian service members who have had to serve their country in silence for far too long. The troops and their commanders are ready,” Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis said Thursday.

“Our nation’s top military leaders have testified that commanders see no significant challenges ahead. The official certification to Congress that the armed forces are prepared for the end of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ should go to Capitol Hill tomorrow with the President’s signature,” Sarvis said.

Advocate.com will have updates on DADT repeal certification.

UPDATE Pentagon certifies military readiness for DADT repeal

(CNN) President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen certified Friday that the U.S. military is prepared to accept openly gay and lesbian service members, and that doing so will not harm military readiness, according to the White House.

Under a bill passed last year that set up a process for repealing the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy, all three men needed to sign a certification that confirms the military's ability to accept the integration of openly gay and lesbian troops.

A 60-day waiting period will now begin before the repeal is fully implemented.

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Gay men’s PrEP study final results: near 90% efficacy in men who took drug, but adherence even lower than thought
FRIDAY, July 22, 2011 (Aidsmap)

A completed series of investigations into the iPrEx study of tenofovir/FTC(Truvada) at pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has found that the drug was 87% efficacious in preventing HIV infection amongst those who had detectable drug levels, though only 42% efficacious overall.

An expanded number of drug-level tests show that only 44% of those who did not become infected with HIV had drug detectable in their blood and/or cells, suggesting that overall adherence in the study was even lower than thought. This suggests that adherence will be the factor that may limit the effectiveness of this strategy in curbing HIV in many populations, and that it may need to be offered only to people highly motivated to take it.

Efficacy

The iPrEx study reported its initial findings in November 2010. It found at this point that the overall efficacy of the drug in preventing HIV was 44%, in other words that nine HIV infections our of 20 that would otherwise have happened were prevented.

Updated findings, presented in Rome by the trial’s lead investigator Robert Grant, show that the finally-calculated overall efficacy was 42%. There were 131 HIV infections during the study, 83 in the placebo arm of the 2499-member trial and 48 in the Truvada arm. The 95% confidence interval was 18% to 60%, meaning that the ‘true’ efficacy, allowing for chance, had a 95% chance of lying within these figures. The probability that the finding was a chance one was 0.002, meaning there was only a one in 500 chance that the efficacy observed was purely due to chance.

Efficacy was notably higher in some groups than others. It was 83% in circumcised men and 36% in uncircumcised men. There were relatively few circumcised men in the study, so this could have been a random finding, but this mysterious interaction between circumcision and other prevention methods, which has also been seen in the STEP vaccine trial, needs further investigation.

Efficacy was 52% in those with secondary education or above and only 14% in those with only primary education. It was also, rather discouragingly, only 28% in men aged younger than 25. It is not news that young people find adherence a problem, but given that PrEP might have its highest potential effectiveness if given to young people at their peak of HIV risk, more studies are needed to see if it is feasible as a prevention measure in youth. It was also completely ineffective (efficacy minus 3%) in the small number (1% of the study population) of transgendered people taking it.

None of these differences are statistically significant, but one significant difference was that PrEP was 52% efficacious in men who reported unprotected anal intercourse as the passive partner, and worse than ineffective in men who did not report it. This may indicate that adherence was highest in those who knew they were at highest risk.

For the full article, click here.

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Ghana minister orders arrest of all gays in Western Region
THURSDAY, July 21, 2011 (Pink News)

A minister in Ghana has reportedly ordered the arrest of all gays and lesbians in the country’s Western Region.

Paul Evans Aidoo, the minister for the region, has directed the Bureau of National Investigations and other agencies to find gay people and bring them before the courts.

He has also called on landlords and tenants to inform on those they believe to be gay.

According to Ghanaian news reports, he said: “All efforts are being made to get rid of these people in the society.”

Mr Aidoo also said that he did not believe estimates of 8,000 gays and lesbians living in the West Region.

According to Joy News, he said: “I don’t believe it; nobody believes it. We do not see them.”

In Ghana, homosexuality is still considered a moral aberration, or even a myth.

The Constitution guarantees the protection of human rights regardless of “race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed or gender”, but does not mention sexuality.

In practice, few people in Ghana have been convicted of homosexual acts.

Homophobic violence, however, remains a real problem, and gay Ghanaians are generally forced to hide their sexuality behind closed doors.

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Obama Endorses DOMA Repeal Bill
TUESDAY, July 19, 2011 (The Advocate)

When asked by The Advocate last month if she believed that President Barack Obama should support marriage equality prior to the 2012 reelection, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who in March introduced legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, replied, “I believe that support of the president would be very welcomed. I hope he endorses my bill to repeal DOMA.”

On that front, the senior senator from California got her wish today when White House officials announced the president would do so, one day prior to the first Senate hearing on legislative attempts to repeal the 1996 law that deprives same-sex married couples the same federal rights as their heterosexual counterparts.

“The president has long called for a legislative repeal of the so-called ‘Defense of Marriage Act,’ which continues to have a real impact on the lives of real people — our families, friends and neighbors,” White House spokesman Shin Inouye said in a Tuesday statement.

“[Obama] is proud to support the Respect for Marriage Act, introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Jerrold Nadler, which would take DOMA off the books once and for all. This legislation would uphold the principle that the federal government should not deny gay and lesbian couples the same rights and legal protections as straight couples,” Inouye said.

Feinstein’s bill and the companion House bill reintroduced by Nadler are unlikely to become law in the current session, as Feinstein indicated to reporters at a Tuesday press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

For the full article, click here.

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Rudy Giuliani Advises GOP To Stay Out Of Gay Marriage
TUESDAY, July 19, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has advised the Republican Party to stay out of gay marriage.

During a Sunday appearance on CNN's State of the Union, Giuliani told Candy Crowley that the GOP should stay out of people's bedrooms.

The 67-year-old Giuliani said he supports civil unions, not marriage, for gay and lesbian couples, but added that he didn't see any harm from New York's recently approved gay marriage law, which takes effect on July 24.

“I think that the Republican Party would be well advised to get the heck out of people's bedrooms and let these things get decided by states. And the reality is that this is something that New York decided by a democratic vote. I think it's wrong, but there are other things I think are wrong that get decided by [a] democratic vote.”

“You can live with it,” Crowley suggested. “You don't see any harm that's going to come to New York?”

“No,” he answered, “I don't see harm. Although I think it would be better for stability of families and everything else if we kept marriage between a man and a woman. I see more harm, however, by dwelling so much on the subject of gays and lesbians and whether it's right or wrong in politics.”

“I don't know what the heck the Republican Party wants to do getting involved in people's sexual lives and personal lives so much for. Stay out of it and I think we would be a much more successful political party,” Giuliani added.

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Seattle timeline commemorates 30 years of HIV and AIDS
FRIDAY, July 15, 2011 (KING5)

SEATTLE -- A 20-foot timeline detailing the history of HIV and AIDS now hangs along Broadway Avenue in Capitol Hill to commemorate 30 years since the disease surfaced.

Gay City Health Project and other organizations teamed up to create the timeline, which features local and national events. The timeline hangs from a red wall along Broadway near Denny Way. Two more installments will be added to the wall later this year.

"It's pretty exciting that we were able to put this together," said Fred Swanson with Gay City Health Project. "I hope it helps remind people that HIV is still here."

The timeline shows the first newspaper headline announcing that AIDS had arrived in King County in 1982.

"There was a lot of fear," said Tony Radovich, who remembers life on Capitol Hill at the time. "It was a very profound period of time. It was very sad, very heavy. ... At one point there was a huge vacuum. A lot of people were gone."

There are many ups and downs as the timeline progresses. Celebrities like Arthur Ashe and Ryan White passed away. By 1991, 1 million Americans had been infected by HIV.

Nicole Price was diagnosed with HIV in 2000.

"I never thought it could happen to me," she said. "That was scary for me because I didn't know. I thought I was going to die."

But thanks to medications, she has now been living with HIV for 11 years.

Chris Gabriel has been living with HIV for eight years.

"[The timeline] really helps me to relate to what's happened during that time period and all of these amazing people who have come and gone before me," Gabriel said.

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Two major studies show that HIV drugs prevent infection
WEDNESDAY, July 13, 2011 (Aidsmap)

Two large studies of pre-exposure prophylaxis – use of antiretroviral drugs by uninfected people to prevent HIV infection – have shown that taking tenofovir or tenofovir plus emtricitabine (Truvada) can cut the risk of HIV infection through sexual transmission by between 62% and 73% in male-female couples. Results from both the Partners study and the TDF2 study were released today.

“This study demonstrates that antiretrovirals are a highly potent and fundamental cornerstone for HIV prevention and should become an integral part of global efforts for HIV prevention,” said Dr Connie Celum, Professor of Global Health and Medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle.

The results, released this morning ahead of the International AIDS Society conference in Rome next week, follow positive results from the IPrEX study of Truvada PrEP in men who have sex with men released in November 2010.

Fuller results from the studies will be presented next week.

The Partners study took place in Kenya and Uganda. It recruited 4,758 male-female couples in which one partner was HIV-positive. The uninfected partners were randomised to receive either tenofovir, tenofovir plus emtricitabine (Truvada) or a placebo. The medication was taken daily, and all participants received counselling on safer sex, both individually and as a couple, and received free condoms and monitoring and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

The study was halted more than 18 months early after an interim review of the data found a highly significant effect of PrEP.

The risk of infection was reduced by 62% in those who received tenofovir alone (95% confidence interval 34% - 78%, p=0.0003), and by 73% in those who received Truvada (95% CI 49% - 85%; p<0.0001). The difference in protection was not signficantly different between the two PrEP regimens, nor was there any significant difference in protection between men and women.

Seventy-eight infections were recorded: 18 in the tenofovir group, 13 in the Truvada group, and 47 in the placebo group.

Adherence was very high; more than 97% of doses dispensed were taken, and 95% of participants stayed in the study.

The investigators say that rates of serious adverse events were similar across the three study arms.

“This is an extremely exciting finding for the field of HIV prevention. Now, more than ever, the priority for HIV prevention research must be on how to deliver successful prevention strategies, like PrEP, to populations in greatest need,” said Dr. Jared Baeten, co-chair of the study and a UW associate professor of global health and medicine.

The Partners study was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In the TDF2 study, conducted in Botswana, 1,219 men and women were enrolled and randomised to receive either Truvada or placebo. Truvada reduced the risk of infection by 63%.

The results of the two studies stand in contrast to the decision to halt the FEM PrEP trial, after researchers concluded that the study would not be able to show that Truvada PrEP was effective in preventing HIV infection in women in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania, even if it went on to its planned conclusion.

In that study adherence was lower, although the precise levels of adherence have still to be presented. The FEM PrEP study also found a higher rate of pregnancies in the Truvada recipients, a result that was not replicated in the Partners study.

The IPrEX study showed that use of Truvada reduced the risk of HIV infection by 44%, but reduced the risk of infection among men who took it more than 90% of the time by 73%.

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Senate To Consider DOMA Repeal Bill Next Week
WEDNESDAY, July 13, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

Next week, a U.S. Senate committee will hold a first-ever hearing on repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that bars federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, announced the upcoming hearing in a statement.
“[I]n the coming weeks, the Committee will hold the first congressional hearing on proposals to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.”

According to gay weekly The Washington Blade, the hearing will take place on Thursday, July 20 at 10AM in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. A witness list is forthcoming.

The Respect for Marriage Act, introduced in the Senate by California Senator Dianne Feinstein, has attracted 25 co-sponsors since its March debut, including Leahy.

Also onboard are a majority of the Democratic members on the Judiciary Committee.

The bill was first proposed in 2009 by New York Representative Jerrold Nadler.

Sean Eldridge, senior advisor for Freedom to Marry, said with a gay marriage law taking effect in New York this month the hearing's timing is perfect.

“Until DOMA's enactment, the federal government had always honored marriages celebrated in the states,” he said. “It's time for Congress to end this gay exception and allow legally married same-sex couples access to the tools and security available to all other couples to build a life together and protect their families.”

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Chile President Sebastian Pinera Ready To Introduce Gay Unions Bill
TUESDAY, July 12, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

Chile President Sebastian Pinera is expected next week to introduce a bill that would legalize civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, the Santiago-based La Tercera reported.

Pinera's bill would allow gay and straight couples who have lived together for more than one year to enter a legal contract called the Non-Marital Cohabitation Agreement.

The conservative lawmaker told daily El Mercurio that his measure seeks to “protect and safeguard” the civil rights of couples living outside of marriage and “safeguard the dignity of those couples, whether of opposite sex or even the same sex.”

Last month, Chile's largest gay rights group MOVILH demonstrated against Pinera's unkept campaign promise to back a civil unions bill.

The moves come 10 months after Senator Fulvio Rossi, the president of the Socialist Party, implied the Roman Catholic Church had strong-armed four senators to withdraw their support for his gay marriage bill. Rossi insisted the church's loud criticism would not deter him and that he would not withdraw his bill. However, the measure has gained little traction.

Last year, neighboring Argentina legalized gay marriage. Gay and lesbian couples can also marry in the city-state of Mexico City and their marriages are recognized throughout the country. Uruguay is also considering a gay marriage law.

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Scientists find first superbug strain of gonorrhea
TUESDAY, July 12, 2011 (Reuters)

(Reuters) - Scientists have found a "superbug" strain of gonorrhea in Japan that is resistant to all recommended antibiotics and say it could transform a once easily treatable infection into a global public health threat.

The new strain of the sexually transmitted disease -- called H041 -- cannot be killed by any currently recommended treatments for gonorrhea, leaving doctors with no other option than to try medicines so far untested against the disease.

Magnus Unemo of the Swedish Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, who discovered the strain with colleagues from Japan in samples from Kyoto, described it as both "alarming" and "predictable."

"Since antibiotics became the standard treatment for gonorrhea in the 1940s, this bacterium has shown a remarkable capacity to develop resistance mechanisms to all drugs introduced to control it," he said.

In a telephone interview Unemo, who will present details of the finding at a conference of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Disease Research (ISSTDR) in Quebec, Canada on Monday, said the fact that the strain had been found first in Japan also followed an alarming pattern.

"Japan has historically been the place for the first emergence and subsequent global spread of different types of resistance in gonorrhea," he said.

The team's analysis of the strain found it was extremely resistant to all cephalosporin-class antibiotics -- the last remaining drugs still effective in treating gonorrhea.

Gonorrhea is a bacterial sexually transmitted infection and if left untreated can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women.

It is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world and is most prevalent in south and southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of cases is estimated at around 700,000 a year.

British scientists said last year that there was a real risk of gonorrhea becoming a superbug -- a bacteria that has mutated and become resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics -- after increasing reports of gonorrhea drug resistance emerged in Hong Kong, China, Australia and other parts of Asia.

Experts say the best way to reduce the risk of even greater resistance developing -- beyond the urgent need to develop effective new drugs -- is to treat gonorrhea with combinations of two or more types of antibiotic at the same time.

This technique is used in the treatment of some other diseases like tuberculosis in an attempt to make it more difficult for the bacteria to learn how to conquer the drugs.

Unemo said however that experience from previous degrees of resistance acquired by gonorrhea suggested this new multi-drug resistant strain could spread around the world within decades.

"Based on the historical data ... resistance has emerged and spread internationally within 10 to 20 years," he said.

Asked whether a class of drugs called carbapenems -- known as the most powerful antibiotics yet devised -- might be a last ditch option for treating this new gonorrhea strain, Unemo said there would first need to be trials to assess their potential.

"Carbapenems have never been used for the treatment of gonorrhea so we cannot interpret the data in any reliable or quality-assured way at the moment," he said.

The World Health Organization estimates there are at least 340 million new cases of curable sexually transmitted infections -- including syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis -- every year among people aged 15 to 49.

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Capitol Hill community art installation to commemorate 30 years of HIV/AIDS
MONDAY, July 11, 2011

Seattle, WA (July 11, 2001) – It was thirty years ago last month that the Centers for Disease Control published an article reporting the first known cases of what is now called AIDS. As the HIV/AIDS epidemic begins its fourth decade, a collective of local HIV/AIDS service organizations are working together to acknowledge and commemorate the past thirty years through a new community effort, HIV30: Take Action Seattle.

The HIV30 group will also be displaying a collaborative art installation on the Sound Transit “Red Wall” along Broadway on Capitol Hill. Organizers are working together to create a three-part art installation that both reflects and commemorates our unique, individual and community experiences in regard to the epidemic that changed the landscape of the world.

The community is invited to join HIV30 at the Sound Transit “Red Wall” on Broadway for the unveiling of the first section of the HIV30 Red Wall project, 30 Years, A Retrospective, on Thursday, July 14 at 7pm. This section will depict a graphic timeline of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the impacts it has had both locally and nationally. The unveiling will feature an invocation and blessing from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and will include remarks from: Fred Swanson, Gay City Health Project; Robert Yoon, Seattle HIV Vaccine Trials Unit; and Jeffrey Hedgepeth, Pride Foundation. State Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle is also scheduled to appear.

The unveiling of the remaining two sections will take place over the next six months. The project will initially depict a graphic timeline of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The second section will showcase imagery representing people’s experiences with HIV/AIDS in Seattle, and will be installed in early Autumn. The third installation will highlight ways to stay involved and demonstrate continued commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, and will be installed in conjunction with the 2011 World AIDS Day in December.

To find out more information about the community art project or HIV30: Take Action Seattle, please visit HIV-30.org.

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Nepal Constitution Aims High
WEDNESDAY, July 6, 2011 (Advocate)

Following centuries of monarchy and a decade-long civil war that ended in 2006, Nepal has emerged as a democratic republic with one of the world’s most progressive stances on LGBT rights, which could be promulgated in a new constitution this year unless the government further delays its implementation.

Extended once last year, the constitution's deadline was put off by three months more in late May. Lawmakers disagree on broad questions of government structure, not the LGBT content—some of the most inclusive language of any nation.

“The LGBT issues are pretty well formulated in the draft, and there is no opposition, so we don’t need to worry about that,” says Sunil Pant, Nepal's first openly gay elected official and a member of the interim constituent assembly writing the document. “Our concern is about how long it will take to have the constitution.”

Pant, who is pushing for adoption of the constitution this year, says the draft proposes citizenship rights for “third gender” individuals, who identify as neither male nor female; bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; calls for government affirmative action in support of LGBT people; and proposes gender-neutral language on the rights to work, health, education, and marriage, the latter also being drafted in a separate law directed by a supreme court ruling.

Pant, founder of the LGBT rights network the Blue Diamond Society and the tourism company Pink Mountain Travels and Tours, attributes the success to a receptive private sector, lack of sensational media, and the Hindu religious tradition, which has deities that challenge binary gender norms. He also cites the movement’s organizational acumen, and he believes the pace and quality of change will allow Nepal to implement its constitution whenever it is finally adopted. Nepal's situation is likely to differ from that of South Africa, which has a notably progressive constitution but a disconnect between law and reality.

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Gay equality in Africa: Moving with courage
WEDNESDAY, July 6, 2011 (See Africa Differently)

"The good news from Africa is that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) communities are heroically challenging their governments to protect their human rights and dignity under the law.

The challenges to achieving gay equality in Africa have been well documented – especially in countries like

Uganda at the moment. But we shouldn’t allow this to overshadow the fight-back, the progress and the good news: All over the continent there is growing resistance to homophobia and transphobia.

The more inclusive constitution of South Africa, for example, is a beacon of hope for same-sex loving Africans. Did you know that South Africa became the second country in the world outside of Europe to legalise same-sex marriage in 2006? Showing that African countries can be world-leaders when it comes to legal equality for lesbian and gay people.

LGBTI Africans are fighting for equality. IDAHO, the International Day Against Homophobia, has become a significant event in many African countries: South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya to mention a few. It promotes public discussion on LGBTI issues and makes us visible. Kenya recently welcomed both a new Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice who stated their support for LGBTI rights before their appointment. We’re proud of the Kenyan LGBTI people for their continuous focus on their human rights.

Every month there are more LGBTI led human rights groups in Africa. The Pan Africa International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association challenges discriminatory policies, and with success: Five African nations (Rwanda, Central Africa, Sierra Leone, Seychelles and South Africa) signed the joint UN declaration on ending violence against LGBTI people this year. Two African nations (South Africa, Mauritius) went further, signing the first UN Resolution recognising LGBTI rights in June this year: a milestone in history.

In Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Malawi, LGBTI human rights groups are ever more visible. And across North Africa, campaigning groups are linking up with each other to question discrimination and inequalities based on tradition and religious interpretations.

"Africa may have some way to go, but it is moving. And with courage."

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As Few As Two States Would Absolutely Vote To Ban Gay Marriage, Civil Unions
TUESDAY, July 5, 2011 (On Top Magazine)

Twenty-nine states have constitutional amendments defining marriage as a heterosexual union, but voters in as few as two would absolutely approve one today, according to new analysis published in The New York Times on Tuesday.

Statistician Nate Silver's predictions on the percentage of the vote such a ballot initiative would receive is based on 34 nationwide ballot initiatives.

Silver works the numbers from several angles; looking at amendments that ban all forms of recognition and those that only seek to ban gay marriage, and applying different rates of increasing approval for gay and lesbian unions.

In one of the four models – an amendment that bans all forms of recognition coupled with an accelerated rate of acceptance for gay unions – only voters in two states, Alabama (61.3%) and Mississippi (65.7%), would definitely approve a ballot initiative in 2012. Such an initiative is also favored to win in another 13 states, including Utah (50.2%), Kansas (51.2%), West Virginia (51.7%), Texas (52.5%), North Dakota (52.7%), Kentucky (53%), North Carolina (53.5%), Georgia (53.6%), Oklahoma (56.1%), Arkansas (58.2%), South Carolina (58.7%), Tennessee (58.7%), Louisiana (58.8%).

That is, thirty-three states plus the District of Columbia would likely reject such a ballot initiative in 2012.

That number, however, plummets to 15 when a more modest linear rate of approval is applied and the amendment only bans gay marriage.

For the record, Silver writes that the accelerated model “most accurately reflects current sentiment about marriage.”

The two states where voters are likely to see such a question next year fare very differently.

A proposed amendment in Minnesota, which only seeks to ban gay marriage, would likely fail under the accelerated rate but likely pass under the linear rate. However, both models predict likely passage for an anticipated amendment in North Carolina, which is expected to bar all forms of recognition.

Silver concludes: “The future of same-sex marriage looks to be reasonably bright. Most of the states that were fertile ground for passing a constitutional ban on it did so long ago. Minnesota and North Carolina are potential exceptions, but the six states that have gender-neutral marriage laws on the books now are unlikely to see them reversed, while some of those that don't are in a position for gay rights advocates to go on offense.”

We would add that the outlook for a federal amendment banning gay marriage looks rather dim.

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