A new breed of plays and musicals this season is presenting gay characters in love stories, replacing the direct political messages of 1980s and ‘90s shows like “The Normal Heart” and “Angels in America” with more personal appeals for social progress.

These productions about gay life make little or no mention of H.I.V. or AIDS and keep direct activism at arm’s length, with militant crusading portrayed with ambivalence more than ardor. The politics of these shows — there are seven of them opening in New York in the next several weeks — are subtler, more nuanced: they place the everyday concerns of Americans in a gay context, thereby pressing the case that gay love and gay marriage, gay parenthood and gay adoption are no different from their straight variations.

While persecution remains a reality for most of these gay characters, just as it does in many movies and television shows featuring gay love stories, the widening acceptance of AIDS as a pandemic rather than a gay disease — and the broadening debate on gay marriage and gay soldiers — have led, and have to some extent freed, writers and producers to use a wider lens to explore a broader landscape.

read more @ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/theater/23gaytheater.html

A new breed of plays and musicals this season is presenting gay characters in love stories, replacing the direct political messages of 1980s and ‘90s shows like “The Normal Heart” and “Angels in America” with more personal appeals for social progress.
These productions about gay life make little or no mention of H.I.V. [...]

Don’t let Cupid’s arrows make your eyes water, with new guide to passionate safer sex from THT.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is publishing an online guide with top tips on how to use condoms and protect your sexual health without killing the romantic mood.

A recent study found 43% of men didn’t always use a condom when having sex with a new partner. Some argue that safer sex and romance just don’t mix, with worries that condoms are uncomfortable, ruin the sensation, or even interrupt those tried and tested seduction techniques.

THT’s new guide (www.tht.org.uk/romance) aims to challenge some of these old-fashioned attitudes, with easy-to-follow advice on how to protect yourself and your partner from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) without spoiling the intimacy. Tips for men include exploring the different sizes available to find the most comfortable fit, and investing some time in a ‘dress rehearsal’ to make sure you can tackle your tackle with total confidence, plus a special hands-free technique for getting your partner ready for action.

Terrence Higgins Trust’s spokeswoman Lisa Power said: “Our guide shows how, with just a little preparation, protecting yourself and your partner doesn’t have to be a passion killer. Yes, there was a time when condoms were like inner tubes, but now we’re in the 21st Century and the technology has changed considerably.”

“There are plenty of tricks you can use to keep the rhythm going without relying on the rhythm method. And remember, it doesn’t get much less romantic than an STI.”

The guide can be found online at www.tht.org.uk/romance

Don’t let Cupid’s arrows make your eyes water, with new guide to passionate safer sex from THT.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is publishing an online guide with top tips on how to use condoms and protect your sexual health without killing [...]

AIDS activist groups and HIV-positive people around the world had extra reason to cheer during their New Year’s celebrations last week. On January 1, South Korea dropped restrictions on travel to that country by people infected with the HIV virus, while the United States followed suit on January 4.

United States President Barack Obama had announced last October that the U.S. travel ban against people with HIV would be eliminated early in 2010. The controversial ban had been in place since 1987, and was the only medical condition specified in U.S. immigration law as grounds for inadmissibility to the country.

AIDS activists believe that thousands of travellers from Canada and other countries were denied entry into the U.S.A. during the past decade because of their HIV-positive status. Although many HIV-positive people continued to travel to the U.S. despite the ban – for business trips, family visits and vacations – they risked being stopped at the border and sent back home if U.S. Customs & Immigrations officials learned they were HIV-positive, or discovered HIV medication in their luggage. Although it took years of lobbying by activists and politicians – and the election of a new U.S. president – to finally get the travel ban rescinded, the repeal couldn’t have happened at a better time. With intensified border checks, airport security searches and carry-on baggage restrictions imposed in the wake of the attempted Christmas Day terrorist bombing of a U.S. airliner approaching Detroit, HIV-positive travellers would have had a tougher time keeping their meds and their health status secret when entering the United States.

Nevertheless, the New York Times notes that HIV-positive people still face restrictions on travel to at least 57 other countries, including China, Cuba, Egypt, North Korea, Israel, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Iraq and Russia. The United Nations is urging those countries to repeal their restrictions, also.

Sources: NewYorkTimes.com
cbc.ca

AIDS activist groups and HIV-positive people around the world had extra reason to cheer during their New Year’s celebrations last week. On January 1, South Korea dropped restrictions on travel to that country by people infected with the HIV virus, while the United States followed suit on January 4.
United States President Barack Obama had announced [...]

What is World AIDS Day, and how can teachers make a difference?

World AIDS Day was initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1988, and is recognised throughout the world as a key day to mobilise resources to combat HIV and AIDS, increase awareness of the disease and fight stigma and prejudice. It is an opportunity to remember and express solidarity with those living with and affected by HIV and AIDS.

Teachers have a key role to play in the global campaign to reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS. With no cure in sight, education, the ‘social vaccine’, is crucial to prevention and to combating HIV/AIDS.

AIDS has had a serious impact on the education sector worldwide. It is essential that teachers stand together to fight the disease, to protect our colleagues, our children and our future.

What action does EI propose?

Education International encourages its affiliates to spend “One Hour on AIDS” on Tuesday 1 December 2009. To this end, EI has designed a ‘One Hour on AIDS’ activity kit for teachers to help them raise awareness amongst their students about HIV and AIDS on World AIDS Day which includes:

1. “One hour on AIDS” lesson plan, to support participants to explore their knowledge and express their views on HIV and AIDS in the classroom and in union office
2. “Take the Lead on AIDS” poster which suggests ways that teachers and students can take action.

Why Only One Hour?

The idea is not to restrict teachers teaching about HIV/AIDS to only one hour per year, but to use the slogan as a guiding theme and the activity kit designed by EI as a starting point for further activities throughout the year. Teachers unions also show great creativity in organising events to mark World AIDS Day in schools which often reach out to the surrounding community.

Go to Education International website to download the ‘One Hour on AIDS toolkit’

To read more, go to www.worldaidscampaign.org

Photos from whatthehealthmag.wordpress.com

Education International: One hour on AIDS

by Denis Burke

On World AIDS Day 2009, Education International invites teachers and students around the world to spend “One Hour on AIDS”. Building on the success of last year, EI hopes that the lesson proposed in the ‘One hour on AIDS’ activity kit will be taught in thousands of schools [...]

Raleigh, NC — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that well over one million people in the United States are infected with HIV/AIDS. New research from North Carolina State University shows that many of those infected are minorities and do not have health insurance, and highlights the need for a national strategy to facilitate education and prevention efforts in minority and low-income populations.

The research, which analyzed 90,000 HIV patient hospital visits over the course of one year, found that few of the patients had health care through their employers, and that the majority of the patients were black. “The study highlights the lack of a federal strategic plan supported by appropriate policy to address the high number of uninsured and minority groups dealing with HIV,” says Dr. Fay Cobb Payton, associate professor of information systems at NC State and author of the paper. “The numbers show that we need a national strategy for how to address these problems.”

Specifically, the study showed that only 17 percent of patients had health care through their employer, while 18 percent of patients were on Medicare and 64 percent were on Medicaid. The study also found that a staggering 75 percent of the HIV patients were black.

“Much of the health care system is based on one’s ability to navigate treatment, service delivery, payment guidelines and policies – all of which require some degree of adequate financial and educational resources,” Payton says. “A lot of times, these HIV patients come from a socioeconomic background that makes it unlikely they will have those resources.”

“For example,” Payton says, “a strategic plan is needed to address the levels of HIV we are seeing in the black community in the U.S. – particularly given the alarming rates in cities with large black populations, such as Washington, D.C., and the growing number of cases in the rural South.

“There’s a lot of education out there, but we need to engage the community better. Any strategic plan would need to include policies on disseminating HIV education, testing and overcoming social and cultural stigmas associated with the disease.” Payton co-authored a paper earlier this year in the European Journal of Information Systems highlighting the need to tailor Web sites and other communication tools to specific audiences, such as the black community, in order to make these tools more effective at providing those communities with information on HIV.

“For years the focus has been primarily on finding a cure for HIV/AIDS,” Payton says, “but what do we do in the meantime? We need a strategic plan, and we need grassroots approaches to prevention and education.”

The paper, “Beyond the IT Magic Bullet: HIV Prevention Education and Public Policy,” is published in the November issue of the Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice.

Source: North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that well over one million people in the United States are infected with HIV/AIDS. New research from North Carolina State University shows that many of those infected are minorities and do not have health insurance, and highlights the need for a national strategy [...]

This year, the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project or CHAMP presented a forum at the Center in NY on Rethinking HIV Risk for Black Men Having Sex with Men. Speakers included Kenyon Farrow from CHAMP, Greg Millet from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Tokes Osubu from Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD), and Michael Angelo Robeson from People of Color in Crisis (POCC).

This year, the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project or CHAMP presented a forum at the Center in NY on Rethinking HIV Risk for Black Men Having Sex with Men. Speakers included Kenyon Farrow from CHAMP, Greg Millet from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Tokes Osubu from Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD), and Michael [...]

World AIDS Day 2009 – December 1, 2009

1. Take a Photo
   • Download a Facing AIDS sign (PDF 157 KB) and tell us why you are Facing AIDS.
   • Then take a photo of yourself wearing a red ribbon with your sign.
   • Upload it to our Flickr group and/or our Facebook fan page album .
2. Change your Social Network Profile Picture and Status. On December 1 change your social network profile picture to your Facing AIDS photo and your status to:

   “[Your Name] is Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day. To find an HIV test site, text your ZIP to “KNOWIT” (566948), or visit www.HIVtest.org. Join me and post this to your status today.”

3. Share
   • Ask your family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors to join the Campaign—here’s a flyer you can share. (PDF 8.5 MB)
   • Add a Facing AIDS web badge to your profile, blog or website.

World AIDS Day 2009 – December 1, 2009

Take a Photo

Download a Facing AIDS sign (PDF 157 KB) and tell us why you are Facing AIDS.
Then take a photo of yourself wearing a red ribbon with your sign.
Upload it to our Flickr group and/or our Facebook fan page album .

Change your Social Network Profile Picture and [...]

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message on World AIDS Day 2009 urges countries to protect people rather than punishing them.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (UN Photo/Evan Schneider)

New York, NY — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “The world is seeing signs of progress in reversing the AIDS epidemic in some countries. Investments in the AIDS response are producing results and saving lives.

At the same time, in global terms new infections are outpacing the gains achieved in putting people on treatment, and AIDS remains one of the leading causes of premature death globally.

On World AIDS Day this year, our challenge is clear: we must continue doing what works, but we must also do more, on an urgent basis, to uphold our commitment to reach universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010.

This goal can be achieved only if we shine the full light of human rights on HIV. That means countering any form of HIV-related stigma and discrimination. It means eliminating violence against women and girls. It means ensuring access to HIV information and services.

I urge all countries to remove punitive laws, policies and practices that hamper the AIDS response, including travel restrictions against people living with HIV.

Successful AIDS responses do not punish people; they protect them.

In many countries, legal frameworks institutionalize discrimination against groups most at risk. Yet discrimination against sex workers, drug users and men who have sex with men only fuels the epidemic and prevents cost-effective interventions.

We must ensure that AIDS responses are based on evidence, not ideology, and reach those most in need and most affected.

People living with HIV can be powerful role models in guiding us to better approaches to prevention, health and human dignity. We must recognize their contributions and promote their active participation in all aspects of the AIDS response.

On this World AIDS Day, let us uphold the human rights of all people living with HIV, people at risk of infection, and children and families affected by the epidemic. Let us, especially at this time of economic crisis, use the AIDS response to generate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. Most of all, let us act now.”

Source: UN

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message on World AIDS Day 2009 urges countries to protect people rather than punishing them.

New York, NY — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “The world is seeing signs of progress in reversing the AIDS epidemic in some countries. Investments in the AIDS response are producing results and saving lives.
At the same time, in [...]

City of Dali

BEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters Life!) – A Chinese city with one of the nation’s highest rates of AIDS has opened a government-funded gay bar in an outreach effort that has stirred debate over the use of taxpayers’ money.

The health department in Dali, a picturesque city on a lake in southwestern Yunnan province, funded the bar to reach out to China’s increasingly open gay community. Dali is one of the 10 cities in China most affected by AIDS.

Same-sex transmission accounts for about one-third of new HIV infections in China, the minister of health said this month.

“Some readers think that it’s a waste of taxpayer money, or an indirect endorsement of homosexual behaviour,” the Beijing News said in an opinion piece on Monday, citing letters to the editor after it ran an article on the bar over the weekend.

“They think if there were another way to reach out to the gay community, it wouldn’t be necessary to open a bar.”

Founder Zhang Jianbo hopes that the bar will be a public gathering place for gay men, especially from rural villages, who used to gather in a patch of woods near the historic town.

The bar offers sex education and free condoms, in addition to companionship, Zhang said in an interview with the newspaper. Read the rest of this entry »

BEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters Life!) – A Chinese city with one of the nation’s highest rates of AIDS has opened a government-funded gay bar in an outreach effort that has stirred debate over the use of taxpayers’ money.
The health department in Dali, a picturesque city on a lake in southwestern Yunnan province, funded the bar [...]