Stay HIV Free - Always Use a Condom!

A graphic public service announcement on HIV/AIDS has been released by the New York City Department of Health. The ad features individuals with HIV suffering from not only HIV alone but other diseases that can accompany it due to higher risk.

HIV/AIDS has been spreading rapidly in the gay community and elsewhere, especially among those who are under 30 and were not around or old enough to witness the epidemic during the 1980's.



For a brochure on this campaign click here.

Be safe. Be smart. Be with a condom at all times.

World AIDS Day 2010

December 1st is World AIDS Day and is an opportunity to educate and create awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The theme for this year is Universal Access and Human Rights in an effort to demand that all people have access to preventative resources and life saving medications.



HIV can be transmitted through anal, vaginal, and oral sex, and through the use of dirty and/or used needles. HIV can be transmitted through blood, semen, vaginal secretions, pre-ejaculate, and breast milk. Please always make sure to use protection, via condoms, female condoms, and dental dams for oral-genital contact.

Action tips for the day:

-Wear a red ribbon to support AIDS awareness.

-Educate yourself about HIV/AIDS.

-Get tested for HIV/AIDS and other STI's.

-Discuss HIV/AIDS with others, urge them to get tested and learn more.

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day

May 18th marks HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, an annual recognition of the thousands of volunteers, community leaders, health professionals, and scientists working to create a preventative vaccine against HIV. The day is designed so people learn more about the progress being made towards a vaccine and encourage people to join clinical vaccination trials.



To learn more and find out how to get involved please visit http://bethegeneration.nih.gov/

Your Support Can Help End HIV

Dr. Sudhir Paul of the Covalent Immunology Foundation offers a promising new vaccine that potentially eradicates HIV in the human blood through an enzyme that interacts with the virus. The study needs to go into the next phase of research which involves testing. They want to make this vaccine affordable and accessible to the public if it is successful.



Help take the research into the next phase at End HIV.

National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (9.27.09)

Today is the second annual National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day put together by the National Association of People With AIDS. NGMHAAD is an opportunity to focus resources and attention to the alarming rate of new infections among gay and bisexual men, particularly those in communities of color where resources are severely lacking.

NGMAHAD's goals are to 1) raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among gay men, 2) encourage HIV testing, early diagnosis and linkage to care, 3) promote better understanding of the complex factors that drive HIV transmission among gay men, and 4) obtain broad based support to acquire needed public and private resources and sound governmental policies to prevent new infections among gay men and to provide treatment for gay men living with HIV/AIDS.

* Fifty-three percent of new HIV infections occurred among men who have sex with men (MSM) in 2006

* From 2001 – 2006, men who have sex with men (MSM) across all racial and ethnic groups were the only transmission category with significant increases in HIV diagnoses

* HIV incidence has been increasing steadily among gay and bisexual men since the early 1990s, consistent with increases in risk behavior, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and HIV diagnoses among MSM

* Gay men comprise over half of the total number of total HIV/AIDS cases in the United States

* More than 500,000 gay men of all colors have died in the United States. (NAPWA).

Fact sheet for National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Help out by blogging, using widgets, or banners on your own site to promote the day.

National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day

Today is National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day and the theme for this year is "HIV Over 50, Get Educated, Get Tested!." There is an alarming rate of infections among the elder population, due to fear, lack of information and resources targeting this demographic.

This day is meant to bring awareness to the growing issue of HIV/AIDS for older people and it is essential to promote testing, safe-sex, and education for this age group.

In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported persons aged 50 and older accounted for approximately:

10% of new HIV diagnoses

24% of persons living with HIV

33% of persons living with AIDS

19% of all AIDS diagnoses (The AIDS Institute).

NHAADD awareness day pamphlet, fact sheet, and resources.

Find an HIV testing location near you, and get tested regularly!

Today is National HIV Testing Day

In 1995, the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) launched the very first National HIV Testing Day, which urges all sexually active people in the United States to get an HIV test to encourage early detection and treatment which is key for maintaining health if HIV positive.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 1 million people were living with HIV in the U.S. in 2006, and an estimated 21 percent of HIV positive people are unaware of their status.

Getting tested, knowing your status and receiving treatment if needed, people are taking a big step towards protecting their own health as well as the health of current and future sexual partners.

Help get the word out and encourage your family, friends and loved ones to get an HIV test today, June 27.

Click here to find a testing facility in your area.

Crossposted via Gay Agenda.

'These Cuts Won't Heal' Ensure HIV/AIDS Funding Remains in California!

California is in a budget crisis, and HIV/AIDS programs are at risk of losing millions of dollars in funding. These cuts are truly scary, with proposals of up to $160 million in past weeks. Not only would this devastate state funding to health care programs, but it would also endanger the matching federal funds which would evaporate without the state contribution. People with AIDS/HIV, for whom health insurance is not a possibility, will literally lose their medication. And if they lose their medication, their risk of infection can increase 80% in the first month alone.

We must pressure our legislature and our governor to make HIV/AIDS funding a state priority, and ensure that the final budget decisions do not dismantle any aspect of HIV/AIDS healthcare.

Using the link www.TheseCutsWontHeal.com where you can find your legislator's phone number. Every call made to a legislative office is put on record and presented to said legislator, and this is our opportunity to push this issue to the top of our government's agenda. As of 2007, AIDS is officially a global pandemic. We must pressure our leaders to pay more attention to this urgent global issue, and we can start by making it an urgent local issue.

Crossposted via Unite The Fight.

Stop The HIV Cuts Demonstrations in California

Californians from Los Angeles and Sacramento will rally against Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed plan to slash funding for HIV/AIDS programs by the state. The plan will result in the loss of several programs and could bring about the loss of thousands of lives.

Two protests have been organized to counter the Governor's dangerous and unfair plan.

Friday, June 5,2009
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Wednesday, June 10th
1:30-3 PM
North steps of the State Capital
Sacramento, CA

Contacts:

Oakland/East Bay Area

Naina Khanna
Director of Policy & Community Organizing
WORLD
510-986-0340 ext 316
nkhanna@womenhiv.org

Los Angeles

Ruel Nolledo
AIDS Project Los Angeles
213-785-1993
RNolledo@apla.org

For more information and to reserve transportation, check out Stop the HIV Cuts.

"Pedro" New Movie About First Openly Gay Real Worlder With AIDS

In 1994 MTV's The Real World San Francisco which brings together different housemates to live together and share their life story had Pedro Zamora an openly gay man with AIDS on the season. He brought the disease to the spotlight and brought a humanizing element to this most feared and misunderstood illness. Pedro became the face of HIV/AIDS activism for the younger generation and his courage to stand up and be counted has made a difference in countless lives and he made a place for himself in history.

Below is a clip of the cast and a bit about the story and Pedro Zamora's life, "Pedro" which is going to debut Wednesday April 1st at 8pm EST on MTV.

Protest at Senegal High Commission in London

The planned LGBT / HIV human rights protest outside the Senegal Embassy in London on Friday 23 January has been canceled.

This is at the request of LGBT and HIV activists in Senegal. They say negotiations are going well with the Senegalese government for the release of nine men from jail. Although the activists appreciate our planned protests and have expressed their gratitude for our support, they now feel that negotiations are at a very delicate stage and they are nervous that protests might alienate the government.

For further information contact Dennis Hambridge, of Gay Activists Alliance
Email: dhambridge@btinternet.com

Crossposted via LGBT Asylum News.

World Aids Day (12-1-08)

World Aids Day is observed every December 1st. The AIDS epidemic has killed more than 25 million people around the world, including many dear and beloved members of our queer community. In addition an estimated 33 million people are living and suffering with HIV worldwide. Many lives have been claimed, many have been affected, and many people remain in the dark and do not know their status.

Click here for a national listing of HIV & STD testing resources.

It is vital to get tested regularly to ensure that you are not HIV positive, this very serious disease poses a risk not only to yourself but also to potential partners. It only takes one time to get the illness and there is no cure. Regardless of ones status it is imperative to always use protection.

HIV can be transmitted through anal, vaginal, and oral sex, and through the use of dirty and/or used needles. HIV can be transmitted through blood, semen, vaginal secretions, pre-ejaculate, and breast milk.

Please always make sure to use protection, via condoms, female condoms, and dental dams for oral-genital contact. No question is ever too stupid when it comes to dealing with sexual health, and please visit AVERT for comprehensive information on HIV/AIDS for specific countries, sexuality, and more.

On this day let us contemplate the millions of lives who have been and are currently affected by HIV/AIDS. Please use protection, educate yourself and educate others!

Stay safe, and please feel free to use the comment section to ask any questions, we are all here to help one another and no question can be deemed invalid when it comes to our sexual health.

Demand Investigation Over Guatemalan Attack on "Our Gay Beauty" HIV Prevention Event

"On October 18, 2008, two Guatemalan organizations—Amigos contra el Sida and Asociación Gay de Samayac—organized an event called “Our Gay Beauty” in Samayac Suchitepéquez. The event itself was focused on HIV prevention in the context of the campaign by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. During the evening, someone threw a tear gas bomb into the space where the event was being held. While no one was seriously injured, people fainted, children became excessively tearful, and everyone was affected by the fumes. This is the second time this year that tear gas bombs have been used to attack events held by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) joins Colectivo Amigos Contra el Sida in requesting that you send emails or faxes asking Guatemalan authorities for a fair and thorough investigation of the case, and to make sure that similar attacks do not occur in the future."

Click here to send one email that will go to the Human Rights Associate Procurator, Departmental Governor of Suchitepequez, Public Ministry Office Attorney in Suchitepéquez, Deputy Carlos Enrique Bautista Godínez, Presidential Commissioner on Human Rights as well as a copy of your letter to IGLHRC and Colectivo Amigos Contra el SIDA.