Bay Windows - National News, May 27, 1999
Scott A. Giordano, Bay Windows staff

Without trying to diminish the importance of fighting HIV/AIDS in the gay men's community, the conference will aim to broaden gay men's interest beyond that issue.

For years, the only health issue I felt concerned with and connected to was HIV/AIDS; there were prevention campaigns directed at me ù a gay man. Where would I get information pertinent to other health issues I faced as a gay man?" asked Mark Beyer, the 28-year-old men's prevention coordinator at the Boulder County AIDS Project, which agreed to sponsor the event.

It's understandable [that other gay men's health needs] often have been overlooked as result of the emphasis placed on HIV/AIDS issues,] and may have been appropriate, but we are energized to begin to put energies into gay men's health, broadly defined, and embed our HIV work in a broader context," added conference spokesman Kirk Read.

Among the issues to be addressed at the conference are health promotion for gay men of color, substance use and abuse, issues facing older gay men such as prostate cancer, heart disease and lung cancer; politics and health issues emerging from gay circuit parties, changes in gay cultures resulting from the Internet, the politics and health issues emerging from barebacking, a new generation of HIV prevention for gay men, rural gay men's health needs, tensions between gay generations, and various mental health issues.

The summit will include speakers, panels, workshops and organizing meetings around those and other issues, and it is being billed as a humble, grassroots organizing effort," with no corporate sponsors nor large organizations leading the effort.

After years of participating in conferences controlled by gay and AIDS organizations, we wanted to get back to the grassroots process of being free from the constraints of institutional cultures and control," Read said.

Attendance will be limited to 250 people. So far, Read said there are 40 registered participants.

My hope is that this gathering will bring together health care and community leaders to share what we have learned from successes, to better describe and prioritize the remaining challenges and to forge a common understanding that will inform a new era of constructive activism that will enhance our communities," said Ken Mayer, professor of medicine and community health at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

The summit also will try to remove negative stereotypes associated with gay men, and particularly those that blame gay men for their own health problems. Alan Born, president of the Electric Dreams Foundation in New Haven, Conn., believes that gay men must develop strategies to counteract what he calls the fear and blame placed on gay male circuit parties and the larger gay male culture.

I think that a lot is at stake now for gay men," Born said. We need the best minds, honest and open dialogue, and lots of energy and imagination to reinvent the whole idea of health. The Boulder Summit is a line in the sand. No one is going to do it for us."

Another major topic will be the emerging role of cyberspace in the gay men's community and the health implications that has for gay men.

Many of us have been intrigued about how cyberspace is profoundly altering gay male identities and communities and social practices," Read said. Changes we've discussed already have to do with shifts of certain gay male populations away from bars and into cyberspace, linkages among rural men, and sexual fantasies and cyberspace. But those are only the tip of the iceberg. I believe we are undergoing a massive cultural transformation at the moment."

Read said many sessions will be focused on gay men under age 30 to bring focus to their self-identities, relationship issues, HIV/AIDS issues, health promotion, substance use and encourage more activism among these men.

Among the mental health issues to be addressed will be domestic violence, suicide and depression, sexual abuse and sexual addiction.

Boulder is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and is less than 30 miles northwest of Denver. It offers a range of range of recreational and cultural opportunities and is home of the University of Colorado. The sun is very intense at this time of year, so attendees should dress accordingly.

The Regal Harvest House is acting as the host hotel for the event, with a limited number of rooms reserved specifically for those attending the summit. To make a hotel reservation, call (303) 443-3850 and mention the Gay Men's Health Summit. For those who can't afford to stay at the hotel, send e-mail to summit@bcap.org for information on other options.

(For more information on the Summit, visit the Boulder County AIDS Project web site at http://www.bcap.org or contact Mark Beyer at 303-444-6121.)
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