A large city landlord that is the target of multiple lawsuits for an alleged pattern of intimidating and harassing tenants has partnered with a gay fundraiser in a charity program for the homeless that some call a cynical attempt to redeem the company s reputation. Benefit magazine publisher Tim Gaskin initiated the p
The pharmaceutical industry is spending more money than ever on research, but most of it is going to me too drugs, variations of what is currently available, rather than to new approaches to treating diseases. The General Accountability Office reached that conclusion in a report, New Drug Development. It analyzed data
AIDS Emergency Fund volunteer Chuck Cech serves up holiday dinner to Salvador Sanchez at the agency s 19th annual Christmas Eve dinner for people living with AIDS Sunday, December 24 in the Green Room at the War Memorial Building. About 200 volunteers helped with the event, which was attended by 1,300 PWAs and their fr
A San Diego judge earlier this month upheld California s medical marijuana law, rejecting a challenge by three counties contending that the state law puts them in conflict with federal policy. Medical cannabis patients everywhere can breathe easier, said Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access, a
The Grinch visited Laguna Honda Hospital s HIV/AIDS Ward O4 early Friday, December 15, when a sign was posted outside the ward restricting visitation rights to family and authorized visitors only. John Kanaley, executive administrator of Laguna Honda Hospital, told the Bay Area Reporter Tuesday, December 19 that visita
Santa brought early Christmas presents to numerous LGBT nonprofits that will help community centers, people living with HIV/AIDS, seniors, and others as the Horizons Foundation announced its latest round of grant recipients. Patricia Kevena Fili, executive director of the Lighthouse Community Center in Hayward and deve
Men who are circumcised have about half the risk of acquiring HIV infection through vaginal intercourse as do men who are uncircumcised. That finding during interim analysis prompted the National Institutes of Health to stop two trials under way in Uganda and Kenya prior to their completion. The announceme
February 12, 1934 - December 4, 2006 Billi Goldberg died in San Francisco of cancer on Monday, December 4, 2006 at the age of 73. Born William Stanley Goldberg to parents Isadore and Mary Goldberg, in Oakland, California on Feb. 12, 1934, Billi touched, moved and inspired people locally and globally. Billi was an outsp
Like a student cramming for an exam the next day, the 109th Congress nearly pulled an all-nighter in a marathon of activity to wrap up the legislative session on December 9. The spasm of activity included reauthorization of both the Ryan White CARE Act and of the National Institutes of Health, confirmation of a new dir
Under a proposed rule change set to take effect early next year, the federal government wants to rein in the amount of time people living with HIV or AIDS can receive housing subsidies through the Ryan White CARE Act. The proposal calls for a cumulative lifetime cap of 24 months that a person can receive short-term and
Academy of Friends, the nonprofit that has been raising money for HIV/AIDS service organizations around the Bay Area for over two decades through its popular Oscar-night gala, has a new executive director. Kathleen Meyer, who has served the organization as interim executive director for the last seven months, officiall
The logjam over reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act broke at the 11th hour and 59th minute of the current session of Congress. The compromise came late Tuesday, December 5, with the Senate passing it Wednesday morning as a consent motion with no objections. The bill was sent to the House for similar action prior
Students from the Community Day School read some of the names inscribed in the Circle of Friends of people who have died from AIDS at the National AIDS Memorial Grove s World AIDS Day event. About 100 people gathered Friday, December 1 - World AIDS Day - at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park to rememb
San Franciscans marked World AIDS Day Friday, December 1 at numerous events; hearing AIDS agency leaders, politicians, and health officials weigh in on the 25th year of the epidemic. Yet one voice was not heard - Mayor Gavin Newsom s adviser on HIV and AIDS policy. Nor is it expected that a San Francisco AIDS czar wil
About a quarter of the estimated 1.1 million to 1.2 million Americans infected with HIV don t know it. Recently modified testing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when they are aggressively implemented next year, will dramatically increase both the number of people who know their status an
In a surprising and underreported move, the Bush administration has announced that it will issue an executive order allowing people who are HIV-positive to enter the U.S. on short-term visas without seeking a special waiver. That word came on World AIDS Day, December 1. The order has yet to appear on the White House We
David Holtgrave focuses on HIV prevention at Johns Hopkins University. He lamented that an estimated 40,000 new infections continue to occur each year; but that is a significant improvement from the estimated 160,000 infections that occurred each year during the mid-1980s. What would the epidemic be like if the current
Dr. Mike Alcalay died Saturday, November 18, from a rare and aggressive leukemia, after surviving AIDS for more than 20 years. He was 65. Born in October 1941 into a working class Jewish family in Los Angeles, Dr. Alcalay won full scholarships to the University of California Berkeley and UCLA medical school. He served
For the first time LGBT patients will have a tool to determine the level of queer friendly healthcare in hospitals. Together, the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association are developing the first-ever Healthcare Equality Index of the largest hospitals in the United States . Many sectors
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) gets an HIV test on World AIDS Day, Friday, December 1, at the AIDS Project of the East Bay. Lee took the test in an effort to bring attention to the importance of regular testing in African American and other minority communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ear
San Francisco Archbishop Riordan High School student Anthony Ragbotra dumps pennies collected from the school during activities on Every Penny Counts Day, Wednesday, November 29, as fellow student Mark Estigoy waits his turn. Bay Area students raised more than $28,000 for the project, which is run by the AIDS Emergency
San Francisco s STD chief Dr. Jeffrey Klausner caused a heated debate last year when he sounded alarm bells over gay men s use of Viagra, arguing that illegal use of the erectile dysfunction drug was leading to HIV infections. He went so far as to petition the Food and Drug Administration to classify erectile dysfuncti
Tenderloin Health received a $2 million five-year demonstration grant to provide critically needed dental care to its clients with HIV/AIDS. The grant is part of the Oral Health Initiative Awards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We are really delighted to be getting it because we are working in a
When Medicare Part D, the stand-alone private drug plan, went into effect earlier this year, many people experienced problems. Now, with more changes in store, such as a shortened enrollment period that started on November 15 and ends on December 31, providers are bracing for more problems with the program. Medicare is
This year, AIDS turned 25. In June 1981, the first published reports of the disease appeared, which was the beginning of a worldwide epidemic. According to www.AIDS.org, 21.8 million people worldwide have died of the disease since 1981. There are currently about 40 million people living with the disease, 26 million of
Bay Area Young Positives earlier this month received a $2,500 grant from the eBay Foundation to support its innovative HIV prevention and education live-chat program. In April, BAY Positives, as the organization is widely known, became the first-ever HIV youth agency in the U.S. to use a live-chat feature on its Web si
Two former U.S. surgeons general – Drs. David Satcher and Joycelyn Elders – met Thursday, November 2 with human sexuality experts in San Francisco to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the groundbreaking Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior and to discuss further implementing the ca
There was laughter and tears as more than 100 friends, family members, and colleagues of AIDS activist Jeff Getty paid tribute to him at a memorial service Saturday, November 11 at the LGBT Community Center in San Francisco. At right, Mr. Getty s longtime partner, Kenneth Klueh visits with Mary Foley and Arianna Comyns
To a welcome reception on Monday, November 6, the San Francisco Department of Public Health released its long-anticipated Disclosure campaign. Featuring psychedelic photographic images by photographer Duane Cramer and emphasizing HIV status disclosure as a means of prevention, the DPH bus stop and billboard effort is a
San Francisco AIDS service providers and health officials will meet today (Thursday, November 30) with Health Director Dr. Mitch Katz to discuss plans on how to overhaul the city s system of care for people living with HIV or AIDS. Officials have long argued the system, known as the San Francisco Model, is antiquated a
Federally supported abstinence educational materials must contain medically accurate information about condoms, the General Accountability Office said in letter issued October 18. Social conservatives had pushed a provision in the 2000 Public Services Act that requires that educational materials contain medically accur
Jeff Getty, a pioneering AIDS treatment activist in the 1980s and 1990s, died last Monday, October 9, in Joshua Tree, California, of heart failure following cancer chemotherapy and after a long struggle with AIDS. He was 49. Mr. Getty was perhaps best known for receiving the first-ever baboon bone marrow stem cell tran
Though some community members continue to debate whether methamphetamine use is widespread in the gay community, researchers say available data indicates that meth use still is highly associated with HIV risk, and that those who do use the drug have a greater chance of engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors. It s a cha
It has been eight years since the Bay Area Reporter s now-historic front-page headline No Obits and news story detailing that for the first time since the AIDS epidemic began the paper had no death notices in its August 13, 1998 issue. Since the introduction of antiretroviral treatments in 1996, AIDS is no longer seen
Holds placed on the Ryan White CARE Act by the Democratic senators from New York and New Jersey have prevented the Senate from voting on reauthorization of that legislation. Its future is uncertain. California s two Democratic senators - Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer - withdrew their holds when they were assured t
Academy of Friends, producers of the annual Oscar-night gala that benefits area HIV/AIDS organizations, has announced its beneficiaries for next year s event, which is expected to raise $500,000. Board chair Alan Keith noted that 15 agencies have been selected as beneficiaries, two more than were selected this year.
Objections from a handful of Democratic senators stalled reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act when the latest version of the legislation was brought to the floor for immediate action, late in the day Tuesday, September 26. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Commi
Reaction by local health officials and activists has been mostly positive to an announcement last week by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calling for routine HIV testing for all Americans ages 13 to 64. Mark Cloutier, executive director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, welcomed the new CDC g
Testing for HIV will become part of routine medical care for all patients ages 13 to 64 according to new recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thursday, September 21. The changes have been under discussion for more than three years. They apply only to health care settings (including p
Jeff Sheehy tendered his resignation as Mayor Gavin Newsom s HIV and AIDS policy adviser last week. His leaving the AIDS czar post is effective immediately. Last Friday, September 22, Sheehy sent the mayor an e-mail informing him he would be stepping down from the unpaid, volunteer post he has held since April 2004. In
If the runway fashions at the Macy s Passport show are any indication, the trendy looks this season include low-slung suspenders; jackets with emblems, fur, and big buttons; colorful accents in shades of dark orange; and urban takes on old classics, from hybrid newsboy-ball caps to argyle-diamond sweatshirts. Last week
Congress and AIDS advocates are scrambling to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act and have it signed into law by President Bush by September 30. Failure to do so will result in appropriations for fiscal year 2008 being allocated under the 2000 reauthorization formula and mandated requirements. That includes use of name
Two men living with HIV/AIDS who claimed they were discriminated against when evicted via the Ellis Act have had their case closed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing following a lengthy investigation. The ruling was the third against the pair, who also had filed suit in San Francisco Superior C
Medical marijuana can help people with hepatitis C stay on treatment longer, leading to better outcomes, according to a study published in the October 2006 issue of the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. The standard treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV), a combination of interferon plus ribavirin tak
Content developed by queer youth from San Francisco s Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center raised red flags for organizers of the annual Teen Night at Macy s Passport show, an HIV prevention education event and fashion show held this week at Fort Mason Center. Now, LYRIC is claiming that LGBTQQ youth have b
A policy by an advisory panel on HIV research made up of community members not to allow the public into its meetings has prompted a complaint with the city s sunshine task force. The health department s HIV Research Section Community Advisory Board last week posted the time and location of its latest meeting (Tuesday,
Congresswoman Barbara Lee announced Saturday, September 16 new legislation she is proposing that would allow condoms to be distributed in prisons in an effort to prevent sexually transmitted infections. Lee s (D-Oakland) proposal came during a morning forum that she hosted at Oakland s Merritt College called Getting Re
The average Medicare reimbursement per patient, per year for treating a person with HIV is $359. That covers physicians, nurses, rent, utilities, social workers - you name it. How are we [providers] supposed to survive? Dr. Michael Saag asked that question at a national forum for HIV care providers meeting in Washingto
Members of Out4Immigration joined thousands of others during a Labor Day march of solidarity urging a change in the nation s policy that denies same-sex binational couples the same rights heterosexuals receive with marriage. Under federal law, my partner and I are legal strangers, said Mickey Lim, vice president of Out
The downtown nightclub Crash was filled to the brim with community artists, entertainers, politicos, and elected officials on Tuesday, September 5 as San Francisco s Transgender Law Center celebrated its fourth birthday. Spotted in attendance were Supervisors Chris Daly and Bevan Dufty; Assessor Phil Ting; Public Defen
A special event has been scheduled for Saturday, September 9, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the National AIDS Memorial Grove. The Mad Hatter s Tea Party complete with a Queen s Croquet match featuring local celebrities such as columnist Leah Garchik and KRON-TV movie critic Jan Wahl is slated to take place fro
New Zealand s highest ranking out gay politician is lending support to efforts in San Francisco to decriminalize prostitution. Tim Barnett, the first out LGBT candidate to be elected to New Zealand s Parliament, and named senior government whip last November, helped his country decriminalize prostitution in 2003. At th
Project Open Hand, which provides meals and groceries to people living with HIV/AIDS, seniors, and those who are homebound and critically ill, is holding a volunteer recruitment party tonight (Thursday, August 31) at Mighty, 119 Utah Street in San Francisco. The event takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. and will include live
The XVI International AIDS Conference, held last week in Toronto, distinguished itself from past meetings by its strong emphasis on new methods to prevent HIV infection. Even as the Bush administration came under criticism for its ABC prevention policy that promotes abstinence and being faithful over the use of condoms
The XVI International AIDS Conference, taking place this week in Toronto, is the largest such gathering ever, bringing together more than 25,000 researchers, policymakers, media representatives, and people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. This year s theme, Time to Deliver, puts an emphasis on ensuring that recent
The U.S. House of Representatives has adjourned until after Labor Day with reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act still in limbo; the Senate adjourned for its summer recess at the end of last week. The five-year authorization of the bill that provides most federal funding for AIDS in the U.S. technically expired la
Meth, crystal, Tina - regardless the name, folks have long known that use of the street drug creates a kind of euphoria that can lead to increased risky behavior and contribute to the spread of HIV infection. Now, researchers have shown a second way that meth increases the risk of infection and can speed up the pace of
Two recent extensive national and state studies have affirmed what Learning Immune Function Enhancement program administrators felt anecdotally: the program works. The studies showed positive outcomes in all areas, especially in medication adherence, psychological functioning, and reduced substance abuse, said Jeffrey
The Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center has announced an open house set for Wednesday, August 9, from 2 to 6 p.m. to mark an expansion of services and the opening of its new East Bay location. The need for high quality, culturally competent HIV services for APIs in the East Bay continues to increase. We are ex
The latest numbers for diagnosed AIDS cases in San Francisco show a decline for the first half of 2006, though health department officials emphasized that reporting delays by hospitals, doctors, and clinics likely mean the figures will increase in future reports. According to the Department of Public Health s Quarterly
Officials at Tenderloin Health - the agency created at the start of this month when the Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center and Continuum HIV Day Services officially merged - say the transition is continuing uninterrupted despite a heart attack suffered July 11 by Executive Director Tracy Brown. Colm Hegarty, development a
The San Francisco Giants hosted the 13th annual Until There s A Cure Day Sunday, July 23 at AT&T Park. Pre-game festivities included an appearance by members of the San Francisco Gay Men s Chorus and volunteers forming a large red ribbon in the outfield. The Giants Community Fund distributed grants totaling $80,000
The quest for a single-pill, once-a-day treatment for HIV became a reality when the Food and Drug Administration approved Atripla on July 12. It combines the already approved drugs efavirenz ( Sustiva ), tenofovir (
The Stop AIDS Project s Positive Force program has announced it will re-launch its popular Club Life dance parties, beginning Thursday, July 27. Club Life is for the HIV-positive community and their friends and admirers, and seeks to create a safe, fun, and nurturing environment in which to meet other positive and poz-
Sunny skies welcomed the 25,000 people who turned out for the 20th annual AIDS Walk through Golden Gate Park on Sunday, July 16, and raised more than $3 million. It is a good day for a good cause, said Meredith McClay, 38, of Oakland, who, with her two young daughters in tow, signed up the day of the event. Hopefully,
Last week s California Supreme Court decision affirming a spouse s potential liability for HIV transmission and his duty to disclose his sexual history to his wife may also have a bearing on gay relationships and HIV testing, AIDS advocates said this week, but the narrow civil ruling - specific to a rare set of circums
While San Francisco city officials are looking at passing a budget that includes adding an extra $2.6 million for HIV/AIDS services, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last week signed a $131 billion state budget that fully funds the state s AIDS Drug Assistance Program – an increase of $38.5 million. Locally, several item
A former White House staffer with two decades worth of experience in science and public policy in HIV prevention will join the San Francisco AIDS Foundation this fall, the agency announced last month. The foundation said on June 29 it had hired Judy Auerbach, Ph.D., as its new deputy executive director for science and
On Sunday, July 16, several thousand walkers will gather in Sharon Meadow at Golden Gate Park to participate in this year s 20th annual AIDS Walk, marking the 25th anniversary of the first AIDS cases And it is not too late to sign up if you are a procrastinator. Sign-ups for those who show up the day of the walk will b
A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has ruled that the State Department must stand trial for failing to hire a qualified man as a foreign service officer simply because he is HIV-positive. The decision was handed down Tuesday, June 27, perhaps prophetically, National
The Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of Prezista (darunavir), on June 23, as part of combination therapy in treatment-experienced adults with HIV. The resistance profile to the protease inhibitor differs significantly from most other drugs in that class and so it is particularly useful for patients who ha
AOF accepting funding requests The Academy of Friends, producer of the annual Oscar gala that raises money for HIV/AIDS organizations, has announced that agencies may apply now for funding from next year s event. This year, AOF distributed $500,000 to numerous organizations throughout the Bay Area from its 2006 gala an
Well-known author and activist Eric Rofes died Monday, June 26, of an apparent heart attack in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he was spending a summer writing sabbatical. He was 51. Mr. Rofes, a resident of the Castro, was found late Monday evening in his Provincetown rental apartment after his partner, Crispin Hol
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors held a special hearing last week to discuss city plans to offset federal cuts to funding that helps provide housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. Officials said they hope the discussion is a beginning to an eventual comprehensive housing plan in San Francisco. Supervisors Tom A
Armed with statistics that show sections of Oakland with some of the highest HIV infection rates in the country, East Bay community health activists have joined forces to launch a new prevention campaign tailored to the African American community. I Am Worth It was unveiled last week at a community health fair. The soc
John Manzon-Santos, executive director of the Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, announced Friday, June 16 that he would be stepping down from that position he has held for the past 10 years. Manzon-Santos, 41, announced his resignation, effective September 15, in an open letter to the community addressed to
The AIDS Housing Alliance of San Francisco has announced that it is coordinating the people living with HIV/AIDS contingent that will help lead the LGBT Pride Parade on Sunday, June 25. Brian Basinger, director of the alliance, invited interested PWAs to march with the group at the front of the parade, behind the Pride
State lawmakers reconciling the Senate and Assembly budget proposals over the weekend allocated $10 million toward crystal meth prevention related activities in this year s budget. The money, given to the state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, is meant to target five different at risk groups, including men who
Some forms of cancer are caused by a virus that can be transmitted through sexually related activity. On June 8, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine to prevent vaginal, cervical, and anal cancer. The FDA approval is sex-specific, for females ages 9-26. Merck, the company that makes the vaccine,
New HIV cases may have dipped slightly in San Francisco this year but nearly 1,000 people are still expected to become HIV-positive. To further stem the tide of new infections, health officials have decided to put greater emphasis on getting people to talk about their HIV status with potential sex partners. The health
San Francisco officials rounded up two people living with AIDS to speak at the commemorative event marking 25 years of the epidemic last Thursday, June 1. Initially, no PWA had been listed on the final invitation that went out before the event, which took place at the Herbst Theatre. Bill Barnes, formerly the city s AI
The Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Monday gave its nod to an ordinance by Supervisor Fiona Ma that aims to reinstate written consent and counseling at city-funded HIV testing sites and restore faith in a public health system that in recent weeks has made some
A crowd estimated at well over 500 people participated in the AIDS Candlelight Vigil held Sunday, June 4, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the epidemic s beginning with a personal expression to honor the dead and support the living. Participants met at the corner of Castro and Market at sundown and listened to a b
Over the past 25 years of the AIDS epidemic, San Francisco built up a system of caring for AIDS patients and delivering HIV prevention strategies that served as a model for cities and governments the world over. San Francisco s model of care has been so successful that many people with HIV moved to the city to take adv
The AIDS crisis hit hard and fast in the 1980s, and the groups that sprang up in response operated mostly in emergency mode, delivering immediate life-and-death care to victims of the epidemic. Twenty-five years after the initial shock, and about a decade since new medications were found to have extended the lives of m
A quarter of a century ago, two dramatic developments began that would forever change the LGBT landscape in San Francisco and the world beyond. One was AIDS, which almost literally wiped out a generation of active people of all ages, shaped politics and perceptions regarding life and lifestyle, and for years to come su
Speaking at a news conference Thursday, May 18 at the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center to commemorate National API HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona called the virus the worst infectious disease to hit our world ... ever ... ever. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,
A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has struck down a legal provision requiring that contractors have a policy explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking in order to be eligible to receive grants for international family planning and HIV prevention activities. Judge Emmet G. Sullivan found the requirement to
Following last week s announcement from Dr. Jeffrey Klausner that San Francisco had dropped its counseling and written consent requirements for HIV testing, San Francisco Supervisor Fiona Ma introduced a draft ordinance to mandate informed written consent as well as pre-test counseling at city-funded HIV testing sites,
The recently installed executive director of the National Association of People With AIDS pointed out that more than a half million Americans, and over 250,000 gay men of all colors have died from AIDS since the beginning of this epidemic. The voices of people with AIDS must be heard. We must not allow our society, or
AIDS ain t over in San Francisco. That was the message Monday, May 15, on the steps of City Hall during a rally organized by the AIDS Housing Alliance. The rally was slated to commemorate the 25th anniversary of AIDS and to urge city officials to oppose proposed cuts in AIDS housing subsidies by the Bush administratio
Reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, which has moved at a glacial pace for about two years, is now moving at the speed of an avalanche. And some AIDS advocates who had pressed for action are wishing that things would slow down. The ice cracked on May 9 when staff members from the House and Senate, who have been
To the relief of Mayor Gavin Newsom and the city s AIDS service providers, San Francisco should not see an immediate drop of $7 million in AIDS funding when Congress reauthorizes the Ryan White CARE Act. Only months ago city leaders feared congressional Republicans would jettison a provision of the act referred to as
An appearance by movie star Jason Scott Lee, a free art show, and community awards presented to Cable Positive, PlanetOut and HIV activist Steve Lew will highlight the second annual National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day at AT&T Park this Friday, May 19. The Banyan Tree Project Awareness Art S
As the Bay Area Reporter went to press last Wednesday, May 10, AIDS activists protested outside pharmaceutical manufacturer Gilead Sciences annual shareholders meeting, demanding lower prices and improved access to the company s HIV drugs for developing countries. About a dozen activists took part in the vigil near the
A public hearing was held Thursday, May 4, at the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency to present plans on allocations of funding for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program for San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin counties. The meeting was an opportunity for individuals with HIV/AIDS to inform SFRA of any
AIDS patients with dementia and people with other psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer s disease, would be adversely impacted if voters approve a June ballot measure dealing with admission policies at the city s Laguna Honda Hospital, argue AIDS advocates and mental health professionals. Opponents of Proposit
The Stop AIDS Project is taking the old adage stop and smell the flowers literally this spring with a floral-themed installation in the Castro to mark the 25th year of the AIDS epidemic. The agency teamed up with artists and local florists to create the floral display it installed this week to foster a renewed commitme
Occasionally, major benefits within our community collide in a frenzy of events packed so tightly together that even the most stouthearted are pressed to keep up. Such was the case last weekend with the annual fundraisers for Pets Are Wonderful Support, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the AIDS Emergency Fun
Lorenzo Taylor wants to be an American diplomat. The only thing standing in his way is HIV and the intransigence of the State Department; it is allegedly unwilling to make reasonable accommodations to let him serve his country. The latest chapter in his legal fight played out in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Distri
Tracy Brown, executive director of the Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center, assumed the same position Wednesday, May 3 with Continuum HIV Day Services as both organizations moved forward with a merger that has been in the works since last October. Legal papers to combine the two nonprofit agencies into a single nonprofit -
The trend of gay men choosing to have sex with men of the same HIV status is universally credited with helping to bring about falling rates of HIV infections in San Francisco. But the practice, known as serosorting, has yet to receive an official stamp of approval from the health department and most of the city s AIDS
It s hard to believe. The Golden Gate Men s Chorus West Coast premiere of James Adler s Memento Mori: An AIDS Requiem is only the fourth complete performance in 10 years of a powerful, 75-minute work that honors those who have died of AIDS. First premiered in Atlanta in 1996 by the Atlanta Gay Men s Chorus, and recorde
A coalition of California AIDS agencies is requesting $7.5 million from state lawmakers to address California s methamphetamine epidemic among gay men. So far, their proposal has yielded little support. A state Assembly budget subcommittee failed to act on the funding proposal at a hearing last week, and members of the
Advocates are calling for research spending of $350 million over the next decade to develop rectal microbicides to prevent HIV infection. The challenge came Monday, April 24 at the start of the Microbicides 2006 conference in Capetown, South Africa . Most transmission of HIV occurs during sex. A microbicide could be ap
The AIDS Drug Assistance Program was serving about 134,000 persons - roughly a quarter of all of those with HIV who were in care - in June 2005, according to the latest annual report from the Kaiser Family Foundation and National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors. The report was released March 30 at a fo
Travel back in time to the late 1970s and you d find an early political health movement, queer youth organizing, and grassroots community coalitions that would put modern corporate outreach to shame. Travel a short distance to Berkeley and you ll find that same spirit and some of the same key players still operating at
San Francisco health officials are not surprised to see the city predict a 10 percent drop in HIV infections over the last five years and report a 20 percent decline in HIV transmission rates among gay men. Numerous signs have been pointing to such a drop, they said. Chief among them: gay men are increasingly likely to
Two local men with debilitating health issues who were told to apply for special federal funds to help with housing say they are confused and stressed after their application was returned to sender. Marko Kellums, who has AIDS, said the problem started when his partner was given a paper by his social worker, Nakari Sma
Muscular versatile well-hung uncut. Sensual erotic hands-on hard work. Hot masculine experienced roleplay. As civilization s oldest form of currency, it s no wonder that sex has proven to be a recession-proof industry and that sex workers have been able to carve out a livelihood through the pages of the Bay Area Report
San Francisco expects to see a 10 percent drop in new HIV infections in 2006 compared to 2001, according to preliminary predictions from the health department. City health officials also are expecting a 20 percent decline in the rate of HIV transmission among gay and bisexual men. Five years ago, health officials estim
Over the past 10 years, the burden of living with HIV has eased considerably. What s made much of the difference is combination therapy , or having several choices of HIV medications that can be used together, to keep the virus at lower and safer levels in the body. I hope someday soon, we ll also have a medical breakt
The U.S. Department of State released its annual report on human rights abuses on March 8. It included expanded treatment of gays and lesbians in a handful of countries, a relatively new addition to the list of violations of human rights. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other department officials released the r
The lifetime ban on gay men donating blood may be eased to a 12-month deferral if scientific evidence presented at a March 8 workshop in Bethesda, Maryland is turned into policy guidance by the Food and Drug Administration. All of the major players in the blood products industry now support that position. The
San Francisco would lose its hold harmless status under a bill introduced Tuesday by conservative U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (Oklahoma). Coburn introduced his bill reauthorizing the Ryan White CARE Act at a Capitol Hill news conference on February 28. AIDS organizations had a wide range of reactions, though most expressed
Anti-HIV therapy has been spectacularly successful at dramatically reducing disease progression and death from the HIV virus over the last decade. But the downside to therapy can be side effects, the selection of resistant virus, and the high cost, particularly in the developing world. So it is no surprise that as trea
In his latest project, now making its way around the gay film fest circuit, San Francisco filmmaker Todd Ahlberg explores the increasing use of crystal meth in the gay community by weaving together the reflections of a dozen diverse gay men from across the U.S. who are both current and past users of the drug. The men c
The clinic waiting rooms of St. Mary s Medical Center are busy, but not overcrowded. Patients speaking to staff are assertive and involved, but do not seem overly stressed or worried. People move through the space with determination, but without the scowling, harried look so often associated with financial and medical
While some people of faith debate theology or try to reconcile religion with sexuality, others have taken the initiative in a different direction altogether, insisting upon the idea that sex for pleasure is compatible with devout practice. The Washington D.C.-based Catholics for a Free Choice recently launched a series
The development of new drugs to treat HIV continues at a torrid pace, unmatched in any other area of disease. Ten drugs have been approved over the last decade and more are in the pipeline. That was apparent at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), the world s premier meeting on HIV scienc
For the first time in at least four years, HIV prevention funding should not take a hit when the health department presents its budget plan next month. Though the city is still facing a budget crunch, its finances are improving and the deficit has been whittled down to $35 million from a projected $80 million. In past
Kevin Fenton, MD, MPH, recently took over the reins as Director of the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. It was a quick promotion after leading the CDC s syphilis elimination program for only a year. He previously led HIV and STD epidemio
Despite having only some of its office furniture in place, the Southeast Partnership for Health opened on Black HIV Awareness Day (Tuesday, February 7), to call attention to the disease in the black community in San Francisco, particularly in the city s southeast quadrant. But whether anyone is listening remains a ques
In a cautionary tale illustrating how a landlord can exploit conflict between tenants, a Castro District law firm is attempting use a an ex-housemate s allegations and a nuisance charge to evict an HIV-positive man from the rent-controlled flat he has occupied for 23 years. Tenant Joe Yeary s detailed and chilling diar
While major corporations such as Google and Microsoft fight for a greater market share of one million web surfers in China , efforts to fight the spread of HIV infection and provide AIDS education and treatment are hobbled by government censorship accepted by companies doing business there. The estimates of HIV and
Housing group marks two years The AIDS Housing Alliance is celebrating its second anniversary with a benefit party Saturday, January 28 at 8 p.m. at Cafe Flore, 2298 Market Street (at Noe) in San Francisco. Hosted by Donna Sachet, the benefit will support the housing alliance s various programs, which include housing r
One-a-day pill for HIV nears The long sought goal of a single pill once a day to treat HIV is likely to be achieved later this year. The new pill does not have a name yet but it would combine those drugs now sold as Sustiva ( efavirenz ),
Will Carter, a longtime AIDS advocate and a former co-chair of the city s HIV Health Services Planning Council, died Tuesday, January 3 of complications from AIDS. He was 52. Mr. Carter died peacefully at the University of California, San Francisco hospital, surrounded by a very eclectic, diverse group of people, said
The connection between gay men s crystal use and HIV infection rates has taken center stage in recent years, with health officials attention and prevention dollars being funneled toward what many consider a new epidemic ravaging gay communities across the country. All the attention has been for good reason. Unlike othe
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