A $125 a plate black tie dinner to raise money for an AIDS organization founded by gay Republican activist Abner Mason is expected to become one of the main events for gay Republicans in the nation s capital on Jan. 20, when President Bush is inaugurated into his second term in office. The dinner is scheduled to take p
-- Md. comptroller delivers meals to people with AIDS BALTIMORE (AP) - Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer spent his Christmas Eve delivering meals to homebound HIV-positive people, a conciliatory move after his earlier comments about AIDS provoked anger. In October, Schaefer called people with AIDS a danger,
Marriage wasn t the only gay story making headlines in 2004. From New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey s announcement that he is gay to the down-low phenomenon, it was a big year in gay news. Presidential candidates debate gay issues Gay issues, most notably marriage, played a role throughout the 2004 presidential campaign.
Withstanding the artillery of brainpower, billions of dollars and 17 years worth of medicines dedicated to its defeat, HIV has been a moving target for the last two decades. It evades eradication by mutating into different forms, confusing entire classes of HIV drugs and rendering them useless, resuming its rapid repro
Vatican sets up AIDS foundation, still opposes use of condoms VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican established a foundation last week to fund Catholic organizations assisting AIDS patients, urging people to contribute even if they object to the church s opposition to the use of condoms to fight the spread of the disease. Po
The Whitman-Walker Clinic announced this week that it will no longer provide long-term rental housing assistance to low-income clients and has begun a search for a service provider to take over the program. Clinic officials concluded that they do not have the money to front checks for some 300 such clients and are disc
Official concern over bisexual men with HIV infecting women in Cambodia PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodia s HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns must overcome social taboos and highlight the dangers of unprotected sex between men to prevent the virus from spreading, a reproductive health development group said last week. An
A 36-foot panel that alphabetically lists more than 2,000 names of all the official AIDS-related deaths in Washington between 1983 and 2004, is on display at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Northwest D.C., until Dec. 31. There also are 300 paintings, photographs, sculpture pieces, handmade jewelry and po
A Republican gay activist who strongly backed President Bush s reelection this year and remains vehemently opposed to marriage equality for same-sex couples, abruptly left the president s commission on AIDS last week. Joseph Grogan, executive director of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, confirmed that Don
-- Rutgers researchers claim new AIDS drugs destroy HIV PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Researchers at Rutgers University have developed a trio of drugs they believe can destroy HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to a published report. The drugs, called DAPYs, mimic the virus by changing shape, which enables them to in
President Bush s choice of Michael Leavitt as secretary of Health & Human Services raised eyebrows among gay rights organizations and HIV/AIDS activists concerned about the former Utah governor s history with Medicaid reform. Bush nominated Leavitt, 53, this week to the top post of Health & Human Services, whic
The Whitman-Walker Clinic s board of directors announced on Wednesday the abrupt departure of Cornelius Baker, the clinic s executive director who has been with the D.C.-based health service for five years. Roberta Geidner-Antoniotti, the clinic s managing director of operations, will serve as interim executive directo
The Line of Beauty, a Booker Prize winner, looks at gay life in Thatcher-era England but falls prey to repetitious description. THE LINE OF BEAUTY, the 438-page new novel set in England in the 80s by the highly regarded gay English writer Alan Hollinghurst, has all the makings of a literary treat: gorgeous writing, be
The truth about black sexuality in general is even more undercover than black men who have sex with men on the down low due to recent media misinformation, charges gay rights activist Keith Boykin in his upcoming book, Beyond the Down Low: Sex and Denial in Black America. Set for release in February 2005, Boykin s book
While rates of HIV/AIDS diagnoses remained steady in 2000-2003, significant racial and ethnic disparities continue to persist, as do increasing rates among gay men, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said last week. In an analysis of data from 32 states released on World AIDS Day, the CDC recorded a 5 per
Federally funded abstinence-only education programs are teaching students false and misleading information as scientific fact, including scrambling public health data to state that 50 percent of gay male teens have HIV and that HIV can be spread through sweat and tears, according to a recent congressional report. The r
Gay librettist and lyricist Dick Scanlan made good on a death-bed promise to bring Thoroughly Modern Millie to Broadway. LIKE SO MANY Broadway success stories, Thoroughly Modern Millie was long in the making. Its journey from daydream to big box-office realization was arduous, and at times doubtful. Luckily, there was
L.A. broadcasters object to syphilis ads featuring Phil the Sore character LOS ANGELES (AP) - County health officials are having trouble finding a TV station willing to air a public service announcement about syphilis that employs a lumpy, red cartoon character named Phil the Sore. Los Angeles-area broadcasters said th
-- Religious leaders in India urged to educate followers on AIDS NEW DELHI (AP) - Religious leaders in India are being urged to educate their followers on the dangers of HIV/AIDS to reduce the stigma attached to the deadly virus. In India s tradition-bound society, religious leaders wield enormous influence in shaping
The World Health Organization s process for approving generic HIV drugs for use in developing countries is under intense criticism from a gay member of President Bush s AIDS advisory panel, after 18 already-approved drugs were removed from the WHO pre-qualified list since May due to inadequate bioequivalence data. Abne
ATLANTA - Patricia Hawkins remembers attending the funeral of 10 friends who died from complications related to AIDS in the span of 14 days during the early years of the epidemic. She remembers the disbelief and horror she and many other lesbians and gay men experienced as they witnessed seemingly healthy young gay men
San Francisco researchers to unveil HIV vaccine trials SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Researchers at the San Francisco Department of Public Health planned to unveil three new clinical trials this week, and scientists say the developments could help prevent HIV. Researchers will test a new HIV vaccine and test a Herpes drug that
FOR THE PAST six years, Evan Sisley has suffered from depression during the holiday season because he says his church does not accept him as a gay man. He believes this year will be different. I beat my depression by realizing that this is who I am, Sisley says, and accepting it. The 18-year-old aspiring photographer t
IF YOU RE A CLUB-savvy lesbian and lifelong Washingtonian, chances are the names of local nightspots that sometimes cater to women sound familiar. The list includes: Nation, Phase One, Delta Elite and, of course, Women in the Life. But when Saturday night rolls around, more than a few women in D.C., who would like the
Barry election clears way for breakup of Council health committee For the second time in his long career in D.C. politics, former District Mayor Marion Barry has helped local gay and AIDS activists achieve a legislative objective by defeating an incumbent D.C. Councilmember who blocked that objective. Barry s defeat of
-- Friends say Rogers was loving, caring person who had his demons ATLANTA - Barry J.T. Rogers, known as Johnny Rahm in scores of gay pornographic films, committed suicide in Atlanta on Nov. 7. He was 39. Rogers hung himself with a wire on the fence line of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, according to the Atlanta Police
Prior to last year, about one-third of publicly funded HIV tests in the U.S. were a waste of time and money. Of the people who tested, about 32 percent never came back to get their test results, so the effectiveness of testing at public health sites was impaired, said Bernard Branson, associate director for laboratory
-- Report outlines ways to combat stress of anti-gay politics AMHERST, Mass. - Campaigns against gays can cause feelings of isolation, stress and sadness for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people and their heterosexual allies, but several steps can combat such negative emotions, according to the Institute for
An installment of ABC s newsmagazine 20/20 scheduled to air Nov. 26 contains allegations that Matthew Shepard was acquainted with at least one of his attackers before the night of his murder, that he used crystal methamphetamine and that he was HIV-positive. The hour-long feature also claims that Aaron McKinney, who is
An upcoming special on CNN about HIV/AIDS shines by focusing on stories about people many of us don t know, and what s really new. GATEKEEPERS, IT SEEMS, are always trying to define the new face of AIDS. But after more than 20 years of battling the epidemic, finding new and interesting angles to shed light on this topi
-- Children of gay parents do well with stable upbringing: studies Research into same-sex parenting is largely new, but several groups already conclude that children fare well in families headed by two lesbians or two gay men, the Times Picayune of Louisiana reported. Organizations focusing on the topic include the Ame
-- New reggae stars denounce others anti-gay lyrics LONDON - Artists banned from this year s Urban Music Awards are under fire for their anti-gay lyrics from a new generation of reggae stars, the Evening Standard reported. Savannah, a dance-hall act that won best reggae artist, told the newspaper, We re keeping it clea
Lou Chibbaro Jr. can be reached at lchibbaro@washblade.com.
With an influx of more conservative Republicans in the House and Senate, gay civil rights legislation will have little or no chance of passage in Congress over the next two years while anti-gay bills or amendments may be harder to defeat, gay activists and Capitol Hill observers said. The 109th Congress, which is set t
-- Study: Body shavers six times more likely to contract infection ATLANTA - Commonly mistaken by patients and doctors as a spider bite, a strain of staph continues to puzzle health experts who aren t sure how prevalent the drug-resistant bacterial skin disease is, or exactly what contributes to its spread. There s sti
Jason Hendrix is looking forward to a weekend where he gets to sleep in his own bed. After being named International Mr. Leather in Chicago in June, he has spent nearly every weekend traveling, judging leather competitions and representing the title. As Mr. D.C. Eagle 2004, the title that allowed him to compete in IML,
The Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League s 7th Annual Fall Brunch fund-raiser on Nov. 14 is expected to be the largest of the organization s annual fund-raisers to date. The director there said the event marks the culmination of a dramatic increase in SMYAL s efforts to raise money. We re doing well, Bruce Weiss, SM
-- Gay-owned card store Pulp celebrates 2nd anniversary with super art exhibit The day after Election Day, a steady stream of regulars drifted into Pulp on 14th Street, NW, not necessarily to buy a card or gift (although one woman bought a framed print featuring a cup of cappuccino because it reminded her of Europe, a
Survey: Unsafe sex common among people with HIV LOS ANGELES - A new study found that almost a fourth of HIV-positive patients surveyed had unprotected sex over a three-month period, HealthDay News reported. Other studies also have shown that many gay men with the virus continue to have unsafe sex, and such behavior has
As Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania prepares to chair the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, the Human Rights Campaign is standing by its decision to endorse Specter s Democratic challenger in last week s election. Specter, who won a fourth term by defeating Congressman Joseph Hoeffel, is a co-sponsor of
At 6:30a.m., most of us are just dragging ourselves into the shower or, if we re lucky, still slumbering peacefully in bed. By then, though, artist Chet Holcomb has brushed his teeth, guzzled his morning coffee and hit the pavement - literally. Several times a week, come rain or shine, he jogs up to six miles around Du
IN CASE WE needed a reminder, civil rights movements are rarely won at the ballot box. Election Day 2004 was certainly proof of that. Consider this week s election toll: President Bush was re-elected on the strength of a gay marriage ballot initiative in Ohio and a remarkable turnout among cultural conservatives nation
ATLANTA - Gay and bisexual men are at particular risk for a rare sexually transmitted disease now spreading in Europe and possibly headed for the United States , officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said last week, Reuters reported. Doctors and clinics around the nation should prepare to d
Gay candidates were elected to 14 Advisory Neighborhood Commission seats in races throughout the city on Tuesday while two candidates who were rated lower than their opponents by a local gay group won election to the D.C. Board of Education. The ANC and school board races provided the only serious competition in a gene
Thousands attend funeral set for anti-gay former D.C. archbishop WASHINGTON (AP) - Cardinal James A. Hickey, former archbishop of Washington, who led the Roman Catholic Church in the nation s capital for two decades and was known for anti-gay stances, died Oct. 24; thousands attended funeral services held on Saturday.
The Republican campaign strategy of using gay marriage to help energize social conservatives appeared to pay off Tuesday, as the GOP expanded its majorities in both houses of Congress. Several newly elected GOP senators are virulently hostile to gay rights. In South Carolina, Republican Jim DeMint, who said in a campai
-- Food & Friends dedicates new building U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) was among the guests to attend an Oct. 30 dedication ceremony for a new building for Food & Friends, the charitable group that delivers meals and groceries to homebound people with HIV and other illnesses. The new, state-of-the-art facilit
Screenwriter Ron Nyswaner s memoir about addiction to crystal meth fails to offer new insights on an all-too-common problem. DRUG ADDICTS, DRUG dealers and hustlers constitute the dramatis personae of Ron Nyswaner s memoir, Blue Days, Black Nights. The latest in a long line of recovery memoirs ( Prozac Nation, Heroin f
-- T-cell count, viral loads are key to who gets vaccine With a limited supply of flu vaccines this year and potential complications that can result from the vaccination, Whitman-Walker Clinic officials said that while all are a priority, only some HIV-positive patients will be able to receive a vaccine for influenza t
-- Gay member of Bush s AIDS panel opposes same-sex marriage A new DVD being distributed by a group of black, gay Republicans supportive of President Bush s re-election suggests that gays are misguided and argues against same-sex marriage rights. Don Sneed, co-founder of the Dallas-based Abe Lincoln Black Republican Ca
-- Adult ordinance won t prevent revelers from baring it all in Key West In August, the Key West City Commission passed an ordinance that limits the number of adult businesses on the island and spells out that public sex is strictly off limits. Many gay business owners and residents watched the contentious debate waril
Gay activists are evaluating the positions of candidates for the D.C. Board of Education on issues such as same-sex dating among students and the right of students to form gay clubs in schools in an election next week where few, if any, surprises are expected for the big name candidates at the top of the ticket. In a c
In Team America: World Police, its creators use adolescent potty humor to address a serious subject: saving the world. WARNING: IF YOU don t believe that there can be any humor in the following items, then stop reading now, and by no means should you see Team America. The items in question are: Fra
D.C. gay film festival gets new executive director The board of directors of One in Ten, the organization that sponsors the Reel Affirmations film festival and other gay events in the District, has appointed Daniel S. Meloy as its new executive director. According to a news release from OIT Board President Dierck Casse
Most gay political activists, like their straight counterparts, will likely be riveted to television sets on election night watching the returns in a presidential race expected to have a major impact on gay rights issues. But a small cadre of gay election strategists and fund-raisers with the D.C.-based Gay & Lesbi
One million gays voted for Bush four years ago, and if his support for a marriage amendment hasn t cost him that support, then his cynical politics should. OST GAY AMERICANS decided their vote for president months before the Democratic Party had even selected a nominee. The choice was made for them on Feb. 24, 2004, wh
-- Life of politically progressive activist contains shades of gray ONE OF THE most blatantly abusive legacies of the Cuban Revolution of 1959 was the labor camp system, which was established in the 1960s to rehabilitate people who were considered counter-revolutionary, and which ended up being used to incarcerate many
ATLANTA - Former Surgeon General David Satcher twice apologized last week for what he said was the marginalization of gay people, particularly those who are African American, by the U.S. healthcare system. The comments from Satcher, the nation s chief health administrator from 1998 to 2002, came after a pair of gay act
On Saturday, thousands of people are expected to gather in downtown Washington for a fund-raiser that has become an annual tradition for the last two decades: the 18th Annual AIDS Walk Washington. The event is designed to raise money for Whitman-Walker Clinic, the largest AIDS service organization in the region. Three
The legal department at Whitman-Walker Clinic questioned the decision of a Frederick, Md. infectious-disease specialist who says he will no longer treat HIV-positive and AIDS patients because of the exposure to lawsuits and high malpractice insurance premiums. With the closure of his infectious-disease practice, Dr. Pa
When PayPal, the giant Internet payment processing service, announced last year it would no longer do business with clients that sell pornographic products or services, gay-owned Internet businesses assumed the firm was aiming its new policy at the graphic sex trade. But at least three gay-owned companies that conduct
-- AIDS activists protest at Bush campaign headquarters Twenty-one AIDS activists were arrested on Monday at the Bush-Cheney campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., after they chained and cuffed themselves inside and outside the facility, protesting the Bush administration s domestic and global AIDS policies. Accordin
New strategy inspires hope in HIV prevention for women CLEVELAND - A new experimental, topical drug produced by an international team of scientists offers new hope in battling the virus that causes AIDS, the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper reported last week. Led by Case Western Reserve University, a team of researche
The number of senators and House members receiving a top rating of 100 percent on gay and AIDS issues - including many gay-friendly Democrats - dropped nearly 50 percent in the Human Rights Campaign s latest Congressional Scorecard. HRC, the nation s largest gay political group, rates each member of Congress on gay and
The board of directors of the national gay group Log Cabin Republicans is renewing the group s contract for Executive director Patrick Guerriero for at least two more years after praising his leadership skills and dismissing critics who claim he has been too adversarial toward President Bush. We have full confidence in
AIDS, SARS, cancer and many other life threatening diseases can be cured by a once-a-year dose of crocodile proteins - all for a measly $49. Don t believe it? Check your e-mail inbox. You might find a message from a company called BiologicalMiracle.com offering a product called the Antidote, which is the all-inclusive
THERE ARE MORE reasons for excitement than disappointment Oct. 14-23, during Reel Affirmations 14, Washington s annual international gay and lesbian film festival. Among the most enjoyable films, based on unofficial ratings by a team of writers who spent the past few weeks watching most of what will be screened, are:
Nobel laureate defends claim that HIV was created as weapon NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenyan ecologist Wangari Maathai, just after winning a Nobel Peace Prize, defended a recent suggestion that HIV was made in a laboratory as a plot against Africans, according to Reuters and Agence France Presse.
Why shouldn t the taxpayers know the names of the infected? William Donald Schaefer, the Maryland comptroller and former governor, has come under fire for saying those living with AIDS brought it on themselves and suggesting that the public should know the names of people infected with HIV. The controversy began when
The partisan gay groups really ought to switch names. Log Cabin Republicans have acted like Stonewall rioters, and Stonewall Dems are living in Uncle Tom s Cabin. IF LOG CABIN Republicans are the moral equivalent of Jewish Nazis, what does that make the Stonewall Democrats? For years, gay Republicans have taken it on t
ON JUNE 5, 1981, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention s Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report featured a seemingly innocuous blurb about a rare form of pneumonia that had affected five gay men in the Los Angeles area. In the period October 1980-May 1981, five young men, all active homosexuals, were t
As Whitman-Walker Clinic officials prepare for the 18th annual D.C. AIDS Walk later this month, attendance and results from previous years show a drop in the number of participants and money raised to benefit the clinic. Roughly 6,000 walkers participated in the 2003 event and the clinic netted $575,000 from that event
Pope again stresses abstinence to fight the spread of AIDS VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II last week reiterated the church s teaching that abstinence is the best way to stop the sexual spread of AIDS and praised drug manufacturers who are keeping down the prices of medicines for AIDS sufferers. The Catholic Churc
In an otherwise contentious and even bitter debate, two questions Tuesday about gay marriage elicited no disagreement between the vice presidential candidates, and even a modicum of personal warmth. Moderator Gwen Ifill of PBS asked Vice President Dick Cheney to square the Bush administration s support of a federal con
A group of black, gay Republicans opposed to gay marriage and supportive of President Bush s re-election last week blasted the Log Cabin Republicans decision not to endorse the president because of his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment. Don Sneed, co-founder of the Dallas-based Abe Lincoln Black Republican Cau
Space station crew to conduct AIDS vaccine experiments STAR CITY, Russia (AP) - The next crew for the international space station said last week it will conduct experiments to research new AIDS vaccines and plant growth and work on new space vehicles that will help future missions to the moon and Mars. Russian cosmonau
It sometimes looks as if guys with HIV get to quit their jobs and go to the gym. What you don t see is the exhaustion, ailments and fear. HIV IS NO BIG DEAL any more. You ve noticed that guy at the gym every day. He takes long lunches, relaxes at the coffee shop every afternoon, and then tools over to the mall to fill
AFTER PERFORMING COMEDY for more than 20 years, lesbian comedian Karen Williams is perfectly at home on the stand-up stage. Now, she s ready to venture outside this comfort zone. I m very comfortable doing stand-up, so not getting laughs at every line is a very different rhythm, she says. But, it s a good experience fo
Conservatives outraged by Schwarzenegger s pro-gay moves SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation requiring health insurance policies to offer equal coverage to partners of gay and lesbian workers, conservatives took note. Then Schwarzenegger approved legislation allowing hypodermic needl
Gay D.C. Councilmember David Catania this week announced he has dropped his Republican Party affiliation to become an independent, saying the GOP s indifference, intolerance and injustice became too unbearable for him to ignore. Catania s announcement came eight months after he withdrew his support for President Bush b
New Orleans annual Halloween benefit and street party expected to draw thousands to the French Quarter for fun and fund-raising for HIV/AIDS. START MAKING PLANS NOW if you re thinking of following other people from across the country to the third largest gay attraction in New Orleans each year. The Big Easy has long be
D.C. Councilmember Carol Schwartz (R-At-Large) reiterated her opposition to gay marriage for District residents at a re-election campaign fund-raiser this week, arguing that support for same-sex marriage would trigger a nasty congressional backlash and likely jeopardize existing pro-gay initiatives in D.C., such as the
Six new HIV drugs were approved this year alone that reduce side effects. So why aren t patients getting them? NEXT YEAR MARKS the 10-year anniversary of anti-retroviral therapy (called HAART) for HIV. Great strides have been made since those early days of HIV treatment, when suppressing HIV came at a price that includ
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - After taking HIV drugs for years, John was showing the classic signs of AIDS atrophy - sunken cheeks caused by loss of fatty tissues in the face. It made me look older, and it was making me depressed, said John, a patient of Apex South Beach clinic in Miami Beach, who did not want his real name
A Senate committee voted Sept. 16 against increasing funds next year for both the Ryan White AIDS CARE Act and HIV prevention programs run by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, despite calls for steep funding increases for the two programs by public health advocates. Citing spending limits proposed
WASHINGTON (AP) - A watchdog group has criticized an Ohio congressman for what it says is an attempt to cut off debate on health studies in a federal spending bill. Several lawmakers last year sought to block funding for sex-related studies being funded through the National Institutes of Health. Republican Congressman
The AIDS-themed miniseries Angels in America took home a historic haul at the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards this week, including the award for outstanding miniseries. With 11 total wins, Angels bested the nine trophies Roots won in 1977 and tied 1976 s Eleanor and Franklin as the most-honored program in one season.
The local branch of Planned Parenthood began this week offering health care geared toward lesbian and bisexual women, regardless of whether they need family planning services. We wanted to do more than just provide health services to lesbians - we wanted to provide outreach, said Jatrice Martel Gaiter, president and ch
While gay and lesbian athletes are achieving higher profiles than in the past, the locker room is still one of the last gay frontiers. THE SUCCESS OF Amelie Mauresmo, an out lesbian who recently was ranked the world s No. 1 female tennis player, has been a tremendous inspiration for gay and lesbian athletes - and gay-s
There s no shortage of local dance performances this fall-with the exception of limited ballet options and the Dance Theatre of Harlem s cancellation of its upcoming season. But fans of avant-garde, modern and international dance should not be disappointed. THERE IS SOMETHING for everyone in Washington s world of dance
ATLANTA - With John Kerry in the White House, spending on HIV/AIDS would double domestically and globally, and science, not ideology would determine how to fight the deadly disease, Vanessa Kerry said at a recent AIDS conference in Atlanta. A Kerry administration would also stop flat-funding the Ryan White Comprehensiv
The D.C. City Council s longstanding reputation as a gay-supportive body is expected to remain intact following the defeat this week of three prominent Council incumbents and the Ward 8 election of former Mayor Marion Barry, according to gay activists familiar with city politics. The changes brought about by Tuesday s
The waiting is the hardest part, as they say. But for those who travel to the second annual Gay & Lesbian Night at Paramount s Kings Dominion amusement park on Saturday, Sept. 18, there probably won t be much waiting at all. At least not for the rides. We don t have any lines, which was very popular with the crowd
Maryland hospital s mistakes lead to scrutiny of medical labs BALTIMORE (AP) - The system for monitoring medical labs nationwide is falling under more scrutiny after flawed testing for HIV and other diseases affected thousands of people at two Maryland labs. Inspectors have found severe problems in lab testing at Maryl
A gay former member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS has accused the Bush administration of conducting clandestine purges of gays on the AIDS panel, saying the action is symbolic of the president s record on gay appointments. Gay Republican activist James Driscoll, who Bush appointed in 2002 to the AIDS
What a difference a few decades have made in the reaction to two lesbian athletes who both reached No. 1 in women s tennis. TWO THINGS I never thought I d see in my lifetime: an out-gay man as governor. And a out-and-proud lesbian ranked as the No. 1 athlete in her sport. Yet, here we are in 2004 and both events have c
When Rebecca Maestri and 11 other gay Republicans met with candidate George W. Bush in Texas during the 2000 presidential race, she was initially skeptical about the motivation behind the meeting. Maestri said she thought the Bush campaign, felt compelled to do this to attract moderate voters and that the meeting with
On the heels of the Republican National Convention, a gay rights group has named President Bush as the most anti-gay president in modern history, drawing political attention to its cause but raising questions about the statement s accuracy. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force cited Bush s across-the-board opposit
THIRTY-FIVE YEARS ago, a small group of committed activists gathered in an apartment, located in the basement of activist Frank Kameny s home, to produce what would become the first edition of the Washington Blade. It consisted of 500 copies of a one-page newsletter hand-cranked on a mimeograph machine. When those 15 o
With pro-gay councilmembers Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Adrian Fenty (D-Ward 4) running unopposed in the city s Sept. 14 Democratic primary, activists are looking toward the hotly contested races in Ward 7 and 8, where the gay vote has been difficult to measure. Councilmember Kevin Chavous (D-Ward 7), whom gay activists
If we can agree to disagree on marriage, then the president could make some small gestures to win back gay voters. MARY CHENEY S ABSENCE from her family s appearance on stage at the Republican National Convention sent an unmistakable signal that gays are unwelcome. With another cliffhanger election likely, George Bush
Prince Harry films television documentary about AIDS LONDON (AP) - A television documentary will show Prince Harry following in his mother s footsteps by working with people affected by AIDS, a royal spokesperson said Saturday. The Forgotten Kingdom: Prince Harry In Lesotho was filmed during the 19-year-old prince s ei
The Republican Party, meeting this week in New York City, approved a platform that is much more expansive in opposing legal recognition of gay couples than in original drafts submitted by subcommittees and in the GOP platform four years ago. One day after Vice President Dick Cheney split with President Bush on whether
Gay activists dispute claim that Viagra may boost HIV risk SAN FRANCISCO - City health officials last week petitioned federal regulators to warn consumers that use of anti-impotence drugs like Viagra may increase the risk of sexually transmitted disease and HIV, Reuters reported, but some gay activists expressed doubts
NEW YORK - AIDS activists disrupted the carefully scripted Republican National Convention on Wednesday, as about 10 protesters blew whistles and chanted Bush kills! and Bush lies! interrupting remarks by White House chief of staff Andrew Card. Card stopped speaking as police removed the protesters. At least one delegat
Incumbent D.C. Councilmember Harold Brazil (D-At-Large), who has been in office for 14 years, is facing one of his toughest re-election efforts in the city s Sept. 14 primary, and Brazil is turning to gay voters for support. But activists familiar with the at-large Council race say the gay vote is likely to split this
Calif. assemblyman calls for condom use in porn films WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) - A state assemblyman has sent a letter to the adult entertainment industry asking it to adopt safe-sex measures or face the possibility of a state law that would push performers to use condoms. Assemblyman Paul Koretz, chair of the Labor
Seven out of 27 candidates running for the D.C. Council in the city s Sept. 14 primary expressed support for legalizing same-sex marriage, but nearly all agreed with gay marriage opponents that pushing for such a hot-button issue now would be counterproductive, according to the candidates responses to a gay rights ques
LIKE MANY African Americans, June Bly and Phil Donovan used to view black gay men as one-dimensional caricatures. To be considered gay, a man had to have limp-wrists and possess an effeminate voice and manner. They were men working in church choirs and as hairdressers. But through a media deluge - recent articles in Eb
For years, health organizations have aimed safer sex messages at gay men in bathhouses and bars. Handing out fliers, hanging posters and even offering testing for sexually transmitted diseases, these organizations have taken what could be seen as a practice detrimental to their attempts to stem the spread of STDs and u
The entire six-member staff of the finance division at the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration was dismissed last week as District Mayor Anthony Williams continues to make whatever changes are needed in the Department of Health and its affiliated agencies, including HAA, according to Williams press secretary, Tony Bullock.
ATLANTA - Some AIDS activists and civil libertarians are urging the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to reverse course with proposed changes to its guidelines for HIV education materials. The proposals include calls for material on Web sites of AIDS agencies receiving funds from the CDC to be reviewed by lo
FDA approves substance to fatten HIV-thinned faces WASHINGTON (AP) - A substance long used to make dissolvable stitches now can help plump up faces left sunken and gaunt by the AIDS virus, the Food & Drug Administration has ruled. The FDA s approval of Sculptra, an injectable filler, marks the first treatment spe
The Human Rights Campaign announced its endorsement of Democratic Congressman Joseph Hoeffel over Republican Sen. Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Senate race, despite Specter s support for many gay rights initiatives. The Log Cabin Republicans, a gay GOP political group, endorsed Specter, noting that the four-term se
A federally funded study aimed at tracking the spread of AIDS among minority populations in D.C., including African Americans and gays, came to an abrupt halt last month after the city s HIV/AIDS Administration fell months behind in paying a private personnel firm retained by HAA to recruit researchers to conduct the s
Gay men who would never do hardcore drugs like crack or heroin don t think twice about doing killer crank. A.J., A 36-YEAR-OLD HIV-positive patient of mine, was in good health thanks to antiretroviral therapy and a diet and exercise plan we developed together. Then, he missed an appointment. Then another, and another.
In the 70s and 80s, the Best of Washington Social Club was one of D.C. s premier black gay social organizations. At a time when many of its members were being denied access to white gay clubs, organizers say the Best of Washington was holding parties of its own - all-night affairs that were attended by hundreds of the
FDA approves new single-drug combination HIV medications WASHINGTON - The Food & Drug Administration approved two AIDS drugs designed to simplify treatments, according to a Reuters report. The new drugs combine two medicines into one tablet, making it easier to follow treatment regimens, according to Reuters. The
D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams named Lydia Watts, whom Chicago AIDS activists describe as a no-nonsense taskmaster and self-proclaimed born-again Christian, as the new head of the city s HIV/AIDS Administration on Wednesday. Williams also announced he has nominated Detroit physician and former U.S. Veterans Administration
Doug Houghton had just returned to his Miami Beach home last week after a long day of work when he received the news: the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to rehear a challenge to Florida s ban on adoptions by gay men and lesbians. Well, of course we were disappointed with the decision, but this has
Speaking at a Baptist church in Philadelphia last month, President Bush pledged more than $17 billion in the domestic crusade against AIDS - an increase of 27 percent from 2001. But AIDS activists say that election year promise obscures his past policies, especially in dealing with the effect of the epidemic on gay me
A former AIDS policy adviser for Rev. Jesse Jackson s Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago has been selected by D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams s office as the lead candidate to become head of the District s trouble-plagued AIDS office, sources familiar with the selection process said. Lydia Watts, an expert in prison health
Criticism of President Bush s AIDS policies and a call for cheaper HIV drugs in developing countries dominated the headlines from the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. But the conference, held July 12 -16, also yielded new findings about the behavioral patterns of gay men, often referred to in scientific s
William Bill Robinson, Jr., the co-founder and chief executive officer of the local HIV/AIDS organization Positive Influence Inc., died July 6, at his home in Hagerstown, Md., from AIDS-related complications, according to his sister-in-law, Janet Howard. He was 42. Robinson was born Nov. 6, 1961, in Williamsport, N.J.
WHEN ORGANIZERS OF the 6th Annual White Attire Affair sit down for dinner Saturday, July 17, they will use napkins that encourage them to, Be tested! Be treated! Be healthy! Be safe! Live! And as gay men and women socialize, wearing white attire that the event s organizers say symbolizes the purity of life and living h
An effort to close Los Angeles bathhouses blames the clubs for all the unsafe sex, and that s not fair or right. NEW ATTEMPTS TO shut down or over-regulate Los Angeles s bathhouses are highly discriminatory, encroach on personal freedom and will do little to slow the spread of HIV. A recent study of L.A. s bathhouses f
U.S. cuts back on officials attending international AIDS event BANGKOK - Controversy kicked off a global AIDS conference this week with a dispute over whether abstaining from sex or using condoms is more effective in preventing the disease, according to media reports. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said at the 15th
Gay men choosing to abstain from sex until they are in a lifelong, committed relationship are unlikely to find reassuring messages in most abstinence-only education curricula, experts claim. William Smith, director of public policy for the Sexuality Information & Education Council of the United States , said h
It s 10:30 p.m. and time for the police to break up the group of 75 kids - most of them gay or transgendered, of color, and many without homes - that has gathered on a corner outside of Union Station for its regular Friday night street social. Minutes earlier, Deante Hayes, dressed to impress in baggy jeans, black swea
Most of the nation s gay civil rights leaders applauded Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry s decision this week to pick North Carolina Sen. John Edwards as his running mate, saying Edwards has a strong record of support on gay and AIDS-related issues. Edwards, 51, a trial lawyer and first-term senator from a
HHS cuts gay studies from International AIDS Conference Seven studies about men who have sex with men were removed by Bush administration officials from a list of abstracts to be presented at the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand , July 11-16. The presentations were among 40 papers canceled by the
Beginning this weekend, you can help one local charity by bidding on items such as a leather jock strap in a unique new eBay fund-raiser. Brother, Help Thyself, a local non-profit group that raises and distributes money to other non-profits, is holding an online auction June 11-18. During that week, the organization wi
NEW YORK - Call them fairy princesses. Call them friends of friends of Dorothy. Just don t call them fag hags. Or so says Robecca Glover, a spokesperson for a growing group of fag hags, er, straight women in support of homos. Aptly named SWISH, the group of mostly (though not entirely) straight women has been stumping
The director of a D.C. AIDS service organization fears he will be forced to scale back HIV prevention efforts following federal funding cuts to groups that offer programs aimed at those who are not already infected with the disease. Adam Tenner, executive director of Metro Teen AIDS, has already reduced his staff by th
The newly appointed interim director of the D.C. Department of Health told employees at the city s HIV/AIDS Administration last week that he is planning a shakeup in HAA s upper and middle level staff before he hires a permanent administrator to head the AIDS agency, according to sources familiar with HAA. Herbert Till
AIDS protesters demand more action from Bush NEW YORK (AP) - AIDS activists rallied in the United States and South Africa last week, demanding that President Bush do more to treat and prevent the disease. Help is not getting to those who need it most, and it is essentially being used to fund Big Pharma, said Aaron Boy
Retired gay MLB player Billy Bean to hit the court in Rehoboth this summer for tennis tournament to benefit AIDS charity. THE GAY AND LESBIAN TENNIS Association (GLTA) has added a new stop on the tour but, unfortunately, it means facing traffic headaches along Route 1, one of the most popular ways to get to Rehoboth Be
Gay poet Randall Mann s first book, Complaint In the Garden, is a beautiful collection for poetry fans as well as for those just discovering its lure. IT WOULD BE a shame if in 100 years historians look to Queer As Folk and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy to determine what gay life was like at the beginning of the 21st
Gays refused to acknowledge the political fallout from fierce congressional opposition to President Clinton s proposal to lift the ban on gays in the military and were overly critical of his decision to embrace the controversial Don t Ask, Don t Tell policy, Clinton argues in his newly released memoir, My Life. In th
After months of declining to be interviewed on the subject, D.C. Council member Carol Schwartz (R-At-Large) on June 13 responded to a reporter s request to explain why she doesn t support same-sex marriage while backing virtually all other gay rights efforts. I have nothing further to say on the matter, she said, while
IN A RECENT night in San Francisco, John Killacky, a 51-year-old writer and video artist, attended an AIDS benefit with his partner, Larry. During the reception, Killacky, who became a paraplegic eight years ago after doctors removed a benign tumor from his spinal cord, says he felt invisible. People leaned over me in
President Bush delivered a major speech Wednesday on his administration s domestic and global AIDS policies, but was criticized by some for not specifically addressing the epidemic s impact on gays in his remarks. In remarks delivered at the Greater Exodus Baptist Church of Philadelphia, the president pledged more than
The Whitman-Walker Clinic came close to shutting down its medical treatment program for hundreds of people with HIV and AIDS this week before the city s AIDS office agreed to reimburse the clinic for part of a $1.6 million grant to provide medical and social services to low income people with HIV. Whitman-Walker Execut
Overcoming recent funding constraints and an unceremonious departure of its founder, the Names Project plans to bring a portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt back to Washington, D.C., this weekend for its first appearance in nearly a decade. The display of 8,000 new panels from the enormous coverlet, which now comprises 4
What began as an assignment to cover a memorial ceremony for Ronald Reagan at the Illinois Capitol turned personal when a television reporter disagreed with sentiments expressed by a gay activist and confronted him. Media reports that followed the June 11 encounter between the reporter and activist described a screamin
To the filmmakers credit, Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt is just as poignant today on the newly released DVD as it was when it was first released in 1989. Narrated by actor Dustin Hoffman, the documentary traces the first decade of the AIDS epidemic in the United States , while simultaneously telling the storie
LOVE Weekend washes over Rehoboth Beach during Independence Day weekend, marking the 10th anniversary of the popular fund-raiser. THERE WILL BE fireworks in Delaware s gay hotspot, Rehoboth Beach this Independence Day weekend to celebrate an important anniversary. But the 228th anniversary of the American colonies decl
Despite new oral tests and rapid results, HIV testing is still a horrible experience full of fear and shame. As well it should be. OLD-TIME HIV testers like me tell war stories about the bad old days. Back then getting a test meant scheduling an appointment weeks in advance, driving to some musty facility far away, get
Jason Hendrix has been a busy man recently. Last weekend he was in New York City, helping to celebrate the city s annual Leather Pride Night. This weekend, he will be in San Francisco for that city s annual Pride parade and festival. And in a few weeks, he will be traveling to Omaha, Neb., for the annual International
The greatest president of my lifetime deserves a little bit more respect from gay activists, even on the AIDS issue. THE SEMINAL POINT of Ronald Reagan s presidency for me was the Challenger disaster. I was in seventh grade then, when I heard that the Challenger had blown up. It was the first time in my life that I fel
Reagan will go down as responsible for more deaths than Hitler and Stalin. AIDS inaction is his permanent shame. PLATO WROTE A famous dialogue called the Ion, in which Socrates tricks an actor into discovering that his real talent lies in being a great leader. The point is that actors are malleable to their roles and c
Mother Nature cooperated beautifully last weekend as thousands of people came together in D.C. to celebrate the annual Capital Pride Parade and Festival. It was Spectacular, said Chip Lewis, communications chair for Capital Pride, the annual weeklong series of events produced by the Whitman-Walker Clinic. Lewis said Ca
Steven, I know for a fact you would be alive today if the Reagan administration had mounted a response to the AIDS epidemic. DEAR STEVEN, I so much wish you were here today to tell me what to do. You would know if it s right to comment on the death of former President Ronald Reagan, or if I should just let pass the end
Aetna withdrawing lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories over AIDS drug HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Aetna is dropping its lawsuit accusing Abbott Laboratories Inc. of seeking a monopoly on AIDS drugs by raising the price of its popular drug Norvir by 400 percent. The Hartford-based health insurer, which
When Don Michaels began working for the Washington Blade in 1977, it was as a volunteer freelance writer. Later that same year, he became the newspaper s first paid employee, when he was hired as a part-time assistant to answer phones and sort mail. The Pittsburgh native also dabbled in the Blade s advertising departme
As the nation mourned the death of President Ronald Reagan, gay and AIDS activists this week renewed debate over whether the 40th president could have saved countless lives of gay and non-gay Americans had he responded differently to the AIDS epidemic. U.S. AIDS cases/deaths by year Below is a breakdown of the new AIDS
Four days after the 40th president of the United States , Ronald Wilson Reagan, traveled by carriage for the last time down Constitution Avenue during his funerary procession, Capital Pride will converge on the symbolic street as part of its 29th annual celebration. Reagan s death from Alzheimer s on June 5 set in moti
MIAMI - A national gay Latino organization s decision to present an award to Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) has stirred a debate about what role a politician s stand on abortion should play in winning endorsements from gay and lesbian advocacy groups. Last fall, the board of LLEGO, the National Latino Lesbian, Gay,
ATLANTA - Fellowship 2000 - a consortium of clergy and churches that reaches out to groups traditionally marginalized by mainstream Christianity - will emphasize a pro-gay message of the radically inclusive love of Jesus Christ during its upcoming five-day conference beginning June 16 in Atlanta. More than 500 people f
Fans of Michael Thomas Ford probably weren t expecting the gay author s next release to be a coffee table-style photo book full of naked gay men simulating sex. But in Ultimate Gay Sex, that s exactly the turn Ford takes in the multi-faceted road of his successful writing career. Ford is best known for the intelligent
WITH A PRESIDENTIAL election looming and equal marriage rights for gay couples on just about everyone s agenda, there s nothing like celebrating Capital Pride in Washington, D.C., from June 6-13. I think the [Capital Pride] committee has discussed at great length that 2004 is going to be a pivotal political year, says
Two-thirds of the $49 million the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recently allocated to community-based organizations to fight the spread of HIV will fund programs targeting those already infected, a sea change in the way the federal health agency battles the virus. The CDC announced the funding awards on
Activists laud Clinton s AIDS fund-raising efforts LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Three years after leaving office, Bill Clinton is starting to show AIDS activists the leadership they wanted to see during his presidency. While some of Clinton s work is criticized as Hollywood showboating, AIDS advocates say his fund-raising
U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has named an attorney in charge of one of President Bush s faith-based initiative programs as the new executive director of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Joseph Grogan, an official with the Compassion Capital Fund, began work at his new job at t
As part of President Bush s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief in developing countries, the U.S. government has agreed to buy new AIDS-fighting drugs that significantly reduce the number of pills patients must take daily - but only after those drugs are approved by the Food & Drug Administration. Fixed-dose combination
ARLINGTON, Va. - The wine flowed freely and the guests mingled affably at a recent reception sponsored by gay Arlington politician Jay Fisette, but the arrival of the evening s prominent guests prompted an awkward moment at the Equality Virginia fund-raiser. It was a moment both Congressman Jim Moran and his opponent,
A Brazilian prison and a Christian high school are the settings for new films that deal with gay issues in markedly different ways. A GOOD MOVIE that should have been great, Hector Babenco s Carandiru shows how different prison life can be in Brazil. It s based on the memoirs of Drauzio Varella, a doctor who helped fig
Local gay and lesbian swimmers are raising funds for small, struggling HIV/AIDS organizations on Maryland s Eastern Shore. THE D.C. AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) is finalizing plans to again host Swim for Life, an open-water event June 19 on the Chester River of Maryland s Eastern Shore to raise money for small AIDS service org
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Accustomed to neglect from much of the medical establishment, lesbians are assigning themselves the task of assessing the distinctive array of health problems gay women face. Even without a specific crisis as grave as the AIDS epidemic, the diagnosis is sobering: Compared to heterosexual women, les
All people want to see their lives reflected in the arts, say three local playwrights whose work reveals black gay life past and present. THREE LOCAL GAY playwrights are joining forces Sunday, during Black Pride weekend, to present 3Sum: New Works In the Life for Stage and Screen, an unflinching look at the black gay a
Otis Buddy Sutson has dedicated much of his adult life - the last 30 years, in fact - to helping black gay and lesbians in Washington. And in three decades, he says he s noticed a dramatic change. It s grown tremendously, with the increased visibility we ve received, Sutson says. We re much more vocal as well. We re mo
Abner Mason, a gay Republican member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, may have violated government ethics rules or practices by using his position on the advisory panel to promote the interests of U.S. pharmaceutical companies, an AIDS activist has charged. Genevieve Clavreul, who describes herself as
One hundred AIDS protesters were arrested in front of the U.S. Capitol on May 20 for blocking traffic as part of a demonstration that called on Congress, President Bush and Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry to do more to fight AIDS. Those arrested were part of a contingent of nearly 1,000 people who marched
The Food & Drug Administration suggested last week that sperm and tissue banks reject donations from gay men, in what was billed as an effort to prevent the transmission of communicable diseases. The new, non-binding guidelines establishing eligibility criteria for anonymous sperm and tissue donors state that men w
Leader of major California AIDS foundation to resign SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The executive director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation plans to step down after 15 years on the job, a tenure during which she helped build the organization into one of the country s most important AIDS charities. Pat Christen said last week
The 16th annual Lambda Literary Awards will be announced on June 3 in Chicago, and 5 local authors are among the nominees whose gay-related fiction and non-fiction is being considered. THE TRADITION OF honoring talented gay writers began locally 16 years ago when Deacon Maccubbin, the owner of Lambda Rising bookstore i
WITH ELLEN DeGeneres winning the best talk show honor on May 21 at the Daytime Emmy Awards in New York, and millions of viewers regularly tuning in to NBC s Will and Grace, Bravo s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and Showtime s The L Word and Queer as Folk, gays and lesbians are no longer invisible on television. T
BOSTON - As gay couples received marriage licenses on Monday, both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, appearing at separate events in Topeka, Kan., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education. Both sought to avoid offering any major public commentary
President Bush named Carol J. Thompson, a former White House aide, as director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy on May 12, ending speculation that he would leave the so-called AIDS czar post vacant until after the election. Thompson has served as acting director of the White House AIDS office since Aug
Dozens of AIDS activists, including the heads of prominent AIDS organizations, have vowed to take part in a peaceful, civil disobedience action leading to their arrest on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on May 20 to demonstrate their disillusionment at the nation s response to the AIDS epidemic. We feel both the admini
Democrats: CDC officials undercounting HIV cases WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional Democrats said the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention undercounts HIV cases nationwide by refusing to accept data from California and other states that don t record patients names. Fifteen lawmakers including California Senators
President Bush s AIDS plan says get tested and get treated, but the money isn t there for many to get HIV meds. Last year the Bush administration launched two breakthrough AIDS initiatives: a $15 billion five-year global program to prevent millions of new infections and bring antiviral treatment to two million AIDS suf
Like many owners of growing businesses, Michael Lucas employs a staff of professionals and a roster of freelancers. He makes an extremely profitable product that he distributes and he invests his profits. But this is not your typical business owner, because Michael Lucas is a gay adult film star, director and producer.
A New York actor working in Children of Eden as part of an ensemble is planning a special fund-raiser at Mimi s American Bistro this month to benefit Food & Friends. BEAMING, GAY ACTOR David Gilleo says, I don t know why, but Washington has welcomed me with open arms. That he is young, good-looking, gainfully emplo
The impact of AIDS among gay men has been chronicled in great detail, but few books address how African Americans are coping. THE ALARMING STATISTICS about HIV/AIDS among African Americans periodically make headlines but behind the numbers are actual people with courageous stories about the epidemic s impact on their l
When the New York Times fired freelance reporter Jay Blotcher over his past affiliation with AIDS group ACT UP, he says he felt wronged since he saw no conflict of interest with the work he did more than a decade ago and his non-AIDS related work for the Times. But last month when the National Lesbian & Gay Journal
Battle against HIV hampered by homophobia among UK Africans LONDON - In a speech last week, Trevor Phillips, head of the Commission for Racial Equality, said homophobia among British Africans blocks potential progress in fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS, Gay.com UK reported. According to Phillips, stigma and denial
HONG KONG - It might have sounded like Homosexuality 101 to American ears, but as Rager Shen told his story, his listeners were in awe. I came out to my mother recently, the 21-year-old from Shanghai said plaintively to an audience of about 40 other Chinese tongzhi, or homosexuals. I always wanted to tell her that I am
ATLANTA - The federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention last week warned that drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea that disproportionately affect gay and bisexual men are making their way eastward. The data presented today show that drug resistant gonorrhea is a rapidly emerging health concern, particularly f
A STALWART OF the New York stage for 40 years, Terrence McNally, who has been described as America s most important gay playwright since Tennessee Williams, rarely neglects to address the gay experience in his work. The AIDS epidemic and homophobia figure largely in four of his plays: Lisbon Traviata (1985, and revised
Gay men and lesbians in Massachusetts would be hard pressed to find a more tireless advocate for gay rights than Arline Isaacson, co-chair of the Massachusetts Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus. Emerging this year as one of the leading voices opposing a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in Massachuset
A FEW YEARS ago, I received a very disturbing phone call from a colleague. I had just become executive director of the National Black Lesbian & Gay Leadership Forum, and this colleague had heard that the Forum was planning to apply for a federal HIV/AIDS contract. He called to express his concern. I want you to kno
Gay couples overwhelm Boston clinic with premarital tests BOSTON - Now that Massachusetts clinics can provide premarital health screenings to same-sex couples, Boston s Fenway Community Health has been swamped with requests for the service, the Boston Globe reported. Gay marriage becomes legal in the state on May 17 af
A U.S. Veterans Administration Hospital in Iowa agreed this week to evaluate whether a 57-year-old Vietnam War veteran who is HIV-positive is medically suitable for a liver transplant, raising the prospect that the nation s V.A. hospitals might reverse their longstanding denial of organ transplants to people with HIV.
Pornographic film studios producing adult videos for gay men were recognized as models for safe sex practices earlier this month as California s multi-billion dollar straight adult film industry voluntarily suspended operations after two performers tested HIV positive. Unlike the gay studios, nearly all of the straight
Hey, Woody! I don t know if you ve been following the controversy here in Los Angeles, but I m sure if it s happening here it s coming to a bathhouse near you soon. Basically, county health officials are considering closing gay bathhouses or forcing them to do things like offering condoms, information on safe sex and t
New law allows Wis. teachers to force student HIV tests MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Gov. Jim Doyle signed first-of-its-kind legislation last week that requires students to get tested for HIV if teachers think they were exposed to contaminated blood. Privacy advocates say the law infringes on students medical privacy and could
Lesbian health, transgender leadership and HIV/AIDS issues will be at the forefront of discussions in Washington this week when Hispanics nationwide gather here for an annual gala and summits sponsored by the National Latino/a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Organization (LLEGÓ). For us, this weekend is critic
Abbott Labs decision to raise by 500 percent the price of the AIDS drug Norvir underscores why the U.S. government must allow cheaper drugs to be imported into this country. THE FEDERAL government should stop the special trade protectionism it has for pharmaceutical companies, and allow the legal import of cheaper, gen
J.L. KING IS POISED to become a literary darling among straight black female readers, much like gay author E. Lynn Harris did when he began writing novels in which some of the main characters are men who secretly have sex with men as well as women. But unlike Harris, who has been warmly embraced by women who enjoy his
ATLANTA - The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention announced $21 million in grants last week to 27 HIV prevention organizations around the nation, including gay Latino and African-American groups, as part of its Advancing HIV Prevention Initiative. The funding targets communities of color to combat the spread o
CHANCES ARE WHEN you re stealing glances at some guy s deep eyes or knotty biceps, you re not asking yourself, Is this guy going to give me HIV? But there s a whole scientific profession, known as epidemiology, which asks questions like this every day, trying to determine how epidemics spread or recede. David Holtgrave
Nearly all of the roughly $9.4 million in additional funding for city AIDS programs is coming from the federal government, according to D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams proposed fiscal year 2005 budget. In budget documents released on March 29, Williams called for increasing funds for the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration from $
Grant benefits Nevada AIDS drug program CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - A $6.4 million grant to continue the state s AIDS Drug Assistance Program has been received by the Nevada Health Division. The grant will allow the state to provide drug treatment to people infected with HIV/AIDS who meet eligibility criteria. The program
MIAMI - With no major breakthroughs to report in either drug research or vaccine trials, much of the 16th annual National HIV/AIDS Update Conference focused on prevention and early detection efforts. A major highlight of the conference, held last week and presented by the American Foundation for AIDS Research, was disc
Mo. survey: Gays healthy, but engage in unhealthy habits KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A survey of more than 1,000 gay men, lesbians and bisexuals found a population that is generally healthy practicing unhealthy habits such as smoking, unprotected sex and missed medical tests. The survey was conducted by the Kansas City Hea
BALTIMORE - State health officials have ordered a Baltimore hospital to take immediate action to fix faulty laboratory equipment and other shortcomings that have caused about 2,000 patients to receive questionable HIV and hepatitis C test results. Officials in a state report said if Maryland General Hospital does not t
President Bush has dropped the ball in the battle against AIDS, and gay marriage is banned in Boston. Too many of our advocates are MIA in those fights. Remember the days when AIDS activists engaged in colorful street protests that dramatized the government s indifference to the deadly epidemic? Those poignant demonstr
Government OKs 20-minute oral HIV test WASHINGTON (AP) - On-the-spot testing for the AIDS virus is getting easier: The government has approved the first oral HIV test that gives results in 20 minutes. Shares of the test s manufacturer surged 19 percent on the day of the news. Until now, rapid HIV testing required prick
BALTIMORE - Leonardo R. Ortega, executive director of the Health Education Resource Organization, is under fire following allegations that he misused HERO funds to pay for a personal trainer and thousands of dollars in personal bonuses, with one former board member calling for his resignation. Mark Jason McLaurin, a fo
The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS this week called on President Bush to exercise bold leadership in raising domestic HIV prevention awareness, and suggested that he consider adopting Uganda s highly successful HIV prevention methods in the United States . But the 34-member council voted March 30 to table a
Two recent studies published by researchers at Georgetown University point to a dangerous new weapon used by some gay male batterers on the domestic abuse battleground: HIV. In examining battering as a factor associated with HIV-risk behaviors, the studies state that 13 percent of gay men seeking services for domestic
Ore. student legislators protest blood drive rules that prohibit gays MONMOUTH, Ore. (AP) - Two student legislators at Western Oregon University last week launched a drive to ban Red Cross blood drives on campus, claiming the donor screening process discriminates against gays. The two students are particularly upset ab
Maryland patients may have been given wrong HIV results BALTIMORE (AP) - More than 400 patients at Maryland General Hospital might have received incorrect HIV and hepatitis test results during a 14-month period ending in August 2003, state officials said. Some patients might have been told they were HIV-negative when i
Study finds homosexuality in sheep rooted in biology PORTLAND, Ore. -A male sheep s preference for other male sheep as sexual partners has origins in its biological makeup, according to a new study from the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, school scientists said in a news release. In a study p
In gay dance events and circuit parties, gay men and recreational drug use sometimes go hand-in-hand. And since its introduction in 1998, Viagra - and now its two rivals, Levitra and Cialis - has found a home among gay men looking to stay sexually potent for hours on end and party-goers looking to counteract the side-e
Washington is a city filled with activists on just about every corner. But during next week s annual Dining Out for Life event, even those who aren t professional lobbyists can make a difference in the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS by performing one small act: simply going out to dinner. On Thursday, March 11, m
Scientists: Monkeys have protein that prevents HIV infection PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Scientists say they ve discovered how some monkeys resist infection with the AIDS virus, a finding that might lead to a treatment that blocks HIV in people. Researchers found that once HIV enters monkey cells, it encounters a protein tha
Health officials use Web to notify of STD exposure ATLANTA (AP) - Fighting fire with fire, public health officials are using e-mail to try to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among people who meet through Internet chat rooms and Web sites. In a pilot program in Los Angeles County, health officials use e
New vaccine described as HIV breakthrough MELBOURNE, Australia - Health officials here are hailing a vaccine to prevent AIDS in HIV-positive patients as a major breakthrough, the Herald Sun of Melbourne reported. The first of its kind in the world, the injection shows promise from early results, according to the newspa
ATLANTA - Some 400 men in Atlanta and San Francisco are scheduled to take part in a $3.5 million study beginning later this year to measure the safety of a drug that might be used to prevent HIV infection until an AIDS vaccine is found. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is funding the study of the drug t
ONCE UPON A time, circuit parties shied away from using nightclubs as venues and instead transformed other spaces to distinguish their events from just another night at the club. Traditionally, the Cherry party, which has been held in D.C. each year since 1995, was at the Old Post Office Pavilion downtown. That changed
Caring for sisters Whitman-Walker Clinic s Lesbian Services Program is expanding a support program officials there designed to meet the health-care needs of lesbians in metropolitan Washington. The Sister Care program is designed to help lesbians who have long-term healthcare needs with everyday tasks like getting to a
The same courage he showed in Vietnam John Kerry has shown on issue after issue important to the gay rights movement. AS I LOOK at the field of candidates still campaigning for the Democratic nomination, I realize how far we have come as a community over the last couple of decades. Almost all of the candidates have mos
State prosecutors eye price hike on AIDS drug CHICAGO (AP) - Investigators in Illinois and New York are trying to determine if Abbott Laboratories broke the law when it increased the cost of a commonly used AIDS medicine. Attorney General Lisa Madigan s office says it is investigating whether the North Chicago-based dr
MOST OF THE inevitable end-of-the-year lists of bests and worst failed to mention an important fact about year 2003: More people than ever died of AIDS. There were two reasons for this disquieting news: Even though potent HIV drugs are now available, they often don t work due to difficulties in adhering to complicated
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Even though he s 2,500 miles away from his partner and their Washington, D.C., residence, Mark Seifert feels at home in the Arkansas capital of Little Rock, where Democratic presidential candidate and retired Gen. Wesley Clark has commandeered him to serve as his gay liaison. The pace may not be as
In a three-sentence press release, Cirque du Soleil has offered to re-integrate an HIV-positive gymnast after federal authorities determined that the Montreal-based circus engaged in discrimination when it fired the performer last March. The move came shortly after the Los Angeles office of the U.S. Equal Employment Op
When Evar Alfaro moved to the United States from El Salvador seven years ago, in search of a better life, he barely spoke a word of English. But his propensity for reaching out to others was not complicated by language barriers, so he began volunteering with an HIV/AIDS program offered at Whitman-Walker Clinic.
WASHINGTON - Condoms4Life campaign targets gay Catholics Gay Catholics are the target audience of a new global public education effort by Catholics For a Free Choice, the group said in a press release this week. The program attempts to counter what the organization calls Vatican misinformation on condoms, and also seek
One of the world s largest condom manufacturers announced early this month that it will discontinue using spermicide in the production of its condoms, following a series of reports warning that condoms coated with Nonoxynol-9 actually increase the risk of HIV transmission. Durex Consumer Products, the only one of the t
The director of the National Institutes of Health this month defended dozens of government-supported sex research projects dealing with sexual behavior and AIDS that came under fire from some conservative lawmakers and leaders in Washington, D.C. NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, who took the reins of the agency in May 2
ATLANTA - The founder of the 50-ton AIDS memorial quilt filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in San Francisco last week after the Atlanta-based company that owns the quilt eliminated his salaried spokesperson position on Dec. 31. Cleve Jones, who started the quilt in 1985, charges he was fired after disagreements with
The city s gay political groups are expected to oppose or ignore separate efforts announced on Jan. 20 to unseat D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams (D) and gay D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) through proposed voter recall elections, according to local gay leaders. A group called Save Our City filed papers with the D
RICHMOND, Va. - Even though Congress approved only 16 percent of the estimated $214 million increase needed to supplement state programs nationwide that provide drugs to low-income HIV/AIDS patients, officials in Virginia said they would not scale back that state s AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. The state s ability to
Gay activists were among the first to flock to Dean s vow to Take Back America, but as voting finally begins, smart gay support should go to a uniter not a divider. Every time the Democrats have a contested presidential primary, it gets harder for gay and lesbian voters to choose which candidate is most supportive of o
Poz men could be sent to prison for failing to disclose their HIV status before sex. Is this any way to regulate our relationships? HIV DISCLOSURE IS the silent volcano among gay men. Hardly anybody hears rumbling debates about the issue, but fiery emotions brew just below the surface. A reader s recent e-mail reflects
Gay activists in India to fight spread of AIDS CALCUTTA, India - India s secretive gay community is emerging to fight the fast spread of AIDS among gays and street children. At least 10 gay groups have formed a common platform called Manas - the Hindi word for thought - with the intention of stopping the spread of AIDS
Louise Hogarth s documentary, The Gift, which explores barebacking among gay men, suffers from sloppy, sensational reporting. MANY GAY MEN and lesbians know from anecdotal evidence or their own experiences that bareback sex (anal intercourse without condoms) is going on. This behavior is definitely dangerous, with some
Why do educated gay men rationalize away the risks of having unprotected sex? Why have I done the same thing myself? I AM CHATTING with a gay man online, and I am having what has become an increasingly common conversation. It s a conversation that, for me, is frustrating, infuriating, perplexing and, ultimately, sadden
Gay HIV patient allegedly treated like a dog in Toronto jail TORONTO - In jail awaiting a bail hearing in Ontario, a gay Toronto waiter who is HIV positive said he was denied his medication and treated like a dog, the Toronto Star reported. Andre Hooper, 38, told the newspaper he had to sleep on the floor of an overcro
Living with HIV since 1985, Atlanta resident Hugh Joiner developed a hazardous pattern with the drugs he took to fight the disease. Joiner would start a drug regimen and experience temporary improvement, but within 12 to 18 months he developed a resistance to the drug combination, rendering the medications useless.
Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark said in an interview last week that if elected president, he would push for the passage of a gay civil rights bill and would order military leaders to fix the Don t Ask, Don t Tell policy, which he called discriminatory. In a telephone interview last week from New Hampshir
Bolstered by liver transplant, HIV patient rebuilds his life CINCINNATI (AP) - After living 20 years with a combined HIV and hepatitis B infection, musician Terry LaBolt was weakening and at risk of dying. But the man who became a focal point for gay rights groups who lobbied on his behalf has been revived by a liver t
A new study tracking drug use among men who have sex with men (MSM) found that 66 percent of participants reported use of illicit drugs, while 29 percent used drugs once a week or more. The study also reveals the prevalence of amphetamine use among MSM, concluding that crystal meth is a growing problem, particularly on
FDA approves sale of 10-minute HIV test WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - The Food & Drug Administration approved a 10-minute HIV test, the Irish company that makes the test said Monday. Trinity Biotech PLC plans to market the test to government programs, physicians and hospitals for quick testing of health workers who acc
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.