Tag: HIV-prevention

civil rights, get involved, is it just me?, listen up!, mixed media, politics, public health, show the love, that is so gay, tragic, venting, well?, wtf?!

reflecting on a few news items

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First up, something wonderful, because the last things are very, very disappointing. A couple of times, I have written previously about how I was really proud of athletes in the Olympics, specifically Michael Phelps, but there was one guy that I am beaming over even more. Matthew Mitcham is an Australian diver that took the gold in his event; even though it was highly favored to go to the Chinese (as all 7 other medals in diving did). One small thing… he’s gay! He was actually the only out gay male athlete to win a medal at the Olympics, and it was not only an upset victory, but he took home gold! After his medal ceremony, he ran up to the stands to embrace his mother and his partner. It’s great that the gay community can embrace another positive role model; an Olympic champion! Woo hoo! Make sure to check out the video of his performance and his medal ceremony, which apparently caused some controversy, because it wasn’t broadcast in full, and which is posted below:


Inspirational, to say the least!

Next, this harrowing revelation that HIV infection rates continue to not only soar, but that they are soaring at an even higher rate in New York City. We are more than 25 years into this disease; when are people going to take testing, safe sex, and prevention more seriously? I know that it is hard to do, but it is clear that people are ignoring something, because the increase in HIV rates cannot be described by “mistake” alone… get tested, and be safe people! YOUR LIFE depends on it!

This makes me feel so ill, that I want to violently puke. Seriously. Such a raping of human rights is disgusting, and should not be tolerated; especially in a country that we are currently occupying!!! What are we doing America? If we really want to make things better for the people of Iraq (which is continually touted as our mission), why not ALL Iraqi people?? Do the gay ones just not matter to us? It disgusts me that gay people are being treated so horribly, and being hunted in Iraq. Why can’t we offer them asylum? Why can’t we offer them protection? What are we even doing to help them? We have GOT to do something; these are freaking human beings, and they clearly have been put into a worse situation because of our actions. I can’t believe that things like this are allowed to happen; it really, REALLY lowers my faith in humanity. I will never understand how people can, a) be so cruel to their own people, and b) why we can’t do something to stop it if we are already there, ESPECIALLY since the situation they are in is a direct result of our military actions in Iraq? It’s not just gay people either, but they are actively being hunted… and it’s wrong! It just makes me shake my head, and hope that those gay people facing this “hunt” are lucky enough to get out with their lives intact. I will never ever understand religious fanaticism; it always seems to do way more harm than good.

Finally, a great piece of graffiti. Damn, sometimes, you just have to reflect, and feel good about the things that are going right in life; things could be worse.

is it just me?, listen up!, near and dear, public health, tragic, venting

one step forward, two huge steps back

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Remember when I freaked out because someone thought that spreading the good news about circumcision in Africa was a good idea? Yeah, well, apparently, my fears were correctly placed, as New York City has decided to go forward with suggesting circumcision to reduce the spread of AIDS.

Now, I know that this isn’t as bad as saying, “hey! Have as much unprotected sex as you want now! You’re cut and therefore less likely to get AIDS!”, but it might as well be; because it is crystal clear, that there are so many men out there that already think with their dicks, and any excuse to take accountability out of the picture is an excuse they are willing to accept. I for one am seriously upset with the people that decided a research study conducted half a world away where the HIV incidence is extremely high, and where condoms are not readily available, and where this is used as a “last ditch” alternative, should be used and applied to the HIV situation in NYC. Additionally, something not widely talked about, is that the strain of HIV in Africa is different; meaning this may have NO effect in preventing transmission here. This is EXACTLY why I was so pissed at the article that was written, and this is a sad and extreme example of the right people taking the wrong information out of context and disseminating it as a viable alternative to prevention.

This really bugs me, because I was so happy to see NYC take such a grand step forward with the NYC condom campaign, and show how a city can be truly accountable for public health, and offer true prevention; but now, I am horrified to see these gigantic leaps backward. Can anyone tell me why people are so willing to bury their heads in the sand on issues like this? Seriously, HIV is a terminal illness, and isn’t something to fuck around with; especially when you are fucking around with other people’s lives.

If HIV incidence is affected by this in any way, it will surely increase the prevalence of unsafe behaviors, and therefore put more people at risk for HIV infection. People are already tired of having to worry about protecting themselves in the “heat of the moment”, and now that there are officials telling them that having a cut cock is protective against the virus, they are going to capitalize on that thought and throw caution to the wind. I for one hope that this gets buried quickly, and I hope that someone who has a truly holistic and factual understanding of the study they are pulling this information from puts a stop to the whole thing. This is just as bad as saying there is a cure that might work about 40% of the time, because people are always willing to believe they are part of the cured; even though the odds are largely stacked against them.

This just makes me hang my head in sadness. Why oh why, in this day and age, can’t people be more responsible, especially when it will affect so many? Sigh. I can’t fucking believe this.

If you are sexually active man, especially in NYC with this nonsense spreading, listen up:

MEN, if you have a cut cock, or if you have an un-cut cock, PUT A FUCKING CONDOM ON YOUR DICK BEFORE YOU HAVE SEX!!! If you are a bottom, MAKE SURE HE WEARS A RUBBER! Don’t trust everything you hear, because it is YOUR LIFE at risk. Don’t bury your head in their sand, because AIDS is real, and you will greatly increase your chance of getting it by following this HORRIBLE advice. Please, PROTECT YOURSELVES! YOU are the only one that can protect yourself from infection; take action!

listen up!, venting

OMFG! I can’t believe this!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Hey, listen up, W.H.O., before you say things like,

Circumcision is the most potent intervention in HIV prevention that has been described.

CAN YOU PLEASE PUT THE INFORMATION YOU REPORT INTO CONTEXT BEFORE YOU REPORT THAT TO THE WORLD?????? The studies that were done on this issue were done in the regions of Africa where infection is the most rampant and there is currently little to no prevention that is working, so the findings from these studies ONLY APPLY in those areas!!!!!! Let me state that again, this study was done, and the findings that came from it, apply ONLY to areas where there is LITTLE OR NO other methods of HIV prevention available, and where HIV incidence is way higher than normal, and it should only be viewed as an applicable method of prevention in those areas!!! This should not be taken out of context and used in populations like the US, where it does not provide up to 60% prevention for HIV, and it is certainly NOT the most potent intervention!!! Again, it does not apply to anywhere but Africa! And should only apply as a last ditch effort when other prevention methods are not available, or are not working!!!!

This makes me want to scream, puke, pull my hair out, and scratch someones eyes out. Ignorance on a level like this is completely inexcusable, especially from an agency as powerful and knowledgeable as the W.H.O.. I can only hope, that the article where this is being reported (source) is the ONLY place that this insane level of misrepresentation is being told. If not, I certainly hope that people that hear this misinformation can be intelligent enough to realize that a cut cock is NOT enough to protect them from HIV; that is, unless they have NO OTHER method of prevention, AND happen to live in the areas of the world were prevalence is at its highest… See, that is the ONLY way that they could statistically come up with that 60% figure!!!! And I can almost guarantee that the people that will read that article, or hear that information ARE NOT the people that will benefit from this “protection”! I am so appalled and disgusted by this outrageous lack of proper reporting and utter absence contextualization that I could just burst.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE: Tell everyone you know that thinks this is true; USE CONDOMS!!! Circumcision certainly IS NOT the “most potent intervention in HIV prevention”!!!!! IT IS NOT TRUE!!! THIS ONLY APPLIES TO AFRICA (notice that ALL of the studies were done in Africa, but they totally downplay that by making such fanciful statements)!!!!

I really, really hope that by writing this post, that if I stop even ONE person from stupidly thinking, that circumcision gives them a 60% protection against HIV, that I have done more than I could hope for. Why educated and powerful people continually do things like this completely shocks me, as this is seriously the difference between life and death for many that will misinterpret this information, and thus, put their lives at risk for no reason at all.

I really hope that they realize what they have done in this misrepresentation of findings, and at least follow up in a manner that illustrates the severe lack of contextualization that is necessary when stating findings such as this; the public health ramifications can be disastrous. I am in complete and utter shock, and I just can’t even begin to express my level of rage right now.