Washington Blade - October 6, 2006

LOS ANGELES (AP) - One of Southern California's most influential gay institutions has launched a controversial ad campaign that describes HIV as a "gay disease." The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's departure from 20 years of countering the idea of AIDS as a gay plague is designed to reach gay men who have grown complacent about the illness. The message "HIV is a gay disease" and the tag line "Own It. End It." will appear on billboards and in magazines. The amount of attention from AIDS awareness groups paid to minority women and others has left gay men - who still represent most of those infected in the U.S. and Western Europe - feeling a false sense of security, proponents of the campaign said.

Smokers may be more vulnerable to HIV

ATLANTA - Smokers may be at higher risk of contracting HIV infection than nonsmokers, new research finds, according to a report by HealthDay News. The new study was published online in the journal "Sexually Transmitted Infections." Cigarette smoking has already been linked to an increased risk of infection in general, including sexually transmitted infections. In this most recent study, researchers identified six studies that investigated the association between smoking and becoming HIV positive. Five of the studies found smokers were at increased risk of contracting HIV, according to the study. The increased risk ranged from 60 percent higher in smokers to a more than tripling of the risk. The researchers looked at another 10 studies that assessed the association between smoking and the progression to AIDS. Nine of these studies concluded that smokers were not at increased risk, according to the results.

Schwarzenegger signs historic 'gay panic' legislation

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law on Sept. 28 a bill that limits the use of the so-called "gay panic" defense. The legislation, inspired by the murder of transgender teen Gwen Araujo, is the first law of its kind in the nation. "Gay panic" defenses typically arise in cases in which the victim's sexual orientation played a role in the crime. Defendants argue that they did not intentionally kill the victim and that their rage was triggered after learning that the victim was gay or transgender - meaning they should be punished for a lesser offense, such as manslaughter, reported the San Jose Mercury News. Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View) wrote the bill that states that it is against public policy for a defendant to play upon the bias of the jury, or for a jury to allow bias against the victim to enter into its decision, according to the Mercury News. The bill revises the current California jury instruction regarding bias, explaining that verdicts cannot be based on bias against the victim, defendant or witnesses, according to the newspaper report. The bill takes effect Jan. 1 and asks the state Office of Emergency Services to incorporate training on the "gay panic" strategy into its training for prosecutors, as long as funds are available.

Wisconsin may defeat anti-gay marriage vote

MILWAUKEE (AP) - When it comes to statewide votes on gay marriage, the score so far is 20-0 in favor of keeping it a one-man, one-woman institution. If there's a chance to break the streak on Nov. 7, it might be in Wisconsin, where activists believe that support from unions, college students and church leaders - coupled with hoped-for conservative apathy - could enable them to finally overcome the string of losses. Eight states will vote on ban-gay-marriage amendments in November, following 20 that previously approved such measures. Passage is considered certain in Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee, but gay rights strategists believe their side is at least competitive in Arizona, Colorado, Virginia and Wisconsin. Supporters of banning gay marriage remain confident of victory, but optimism also is high in the ranks of Fair Wisconsin, a coalition fighting the proposed amendment since it surfaced in the Legislature in 2004.

Gay rights attorney wins Seattle primary

SEATTLE - Jamie Pedersen, an attorney active in gay rights causes, defeated Jim Street in Seattle's 43rd District Democratic primary race held Sept. 19, the Seattle Times reported. Street conceded Sept. 25 after Pederson's lead widened to 252 votes in the House race. Fewer than 200 votes separated Pedersen and Street on Sept. 20, the day after the primary, according to the Seattle Times. Pederson tapped his connections at his law firm, Preston Gates, as well as in national gay rights organizations to help raise about $170,000 - more than any other candidate, according to the newspaper. The money allowed Pederson to pay a Maryland-based political firm to telephone several thousand voters in the closing weeks of the campaign.

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