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Their inflation's around 231%, industry's nonexistent, most of the nation's people are uneducated and underfed. And, of course, there's their madman president, Robert Mugabe, who has led the government and his people into what appears to be an insurmountable crisis. Thus, it should come as no surprise that health organizations are accusing Mugabe's government of misappropriating potentially life-saving grants: The Zimbabwe government has been accused of misusing funds mean to fight HIV/AIDS and other diseases by an international aid agency. Let's hope the board realizes they're flushing their money away - Mugabe's not interesting in saving his homeland. What is he interested in? Perhaps being remembered as one of the top ten worst leaders in human history. If so, he's definitely succeeded. |
» Bloody Hell!
"The blood transfusion service has rejected calls from gay men's groups to lift the ban on them donating blood. It has told the Scottish Parliament petitions committee HIV is rising in gay men and donor selection is the only way to keep blood products safe. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service said it was not discriminating just recognizing behavioral risks." Hmmm… Isn't that sort of like saying all gay men are irresponsible sex fiends? [BBC] |
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» Left Out.
"Gay men in Burundi have been ignored in local HIV/AIDS campaigns, resulting in widespread ignorance about the virus among this largely invisible group." [Mamba] |
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» New Frontier.
"A million text messages a day will be sent as part of a new scheme to encourage South Africans to be tested for HIV. Project Masiluleke has been described as the largest use of mobile phone technology for health promotion." [Pink News] |
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Currently on probation for not revealing his HIV status to three lovers with whom he had unprotected sex, Weaver has now found himself under six-months house arrest after again transmitting perhaps tainted sperm. Fool. On Sept. 6, Q-Notes reported that Weaver, 23, who works in clubs in Raleigh and Wilmington, pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to disclose his HIV-positive status and engaged in unprotected sex with three people. Weaver was given a suspended jail sentence and placed on probation. The terms of his probation ordered Weaver to use protection when engaging in sexual activity. We'd laugh at the irony of this STD misfortune, but our bemusement's been squashed by the sad realization that Weaver's lover may have received much worse than anything a health official could cure. |
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As legislators and health officials butt heads over whether to decriminalize same-sex relations, the Court issued a harsh statement opining that homosexuality is not a disease: "Show us one report which says that it is a disease. A WHO paper says that it is not a disease but you are describing it as a disease. It is an accepted fact that it is a main vehicle that causes (AIDS) disease, but it is not a disease itself," a Bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah said. Aside from being ignorant and offensives, Malhotra's arguments are being contradicted by Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss. According to Ramadoss - and countless other experts the world over - prohibitive laws contribute to the spread of HIV, rather than containing it, as Malhotra would like to believe. |
» Uprising…
"Up to a third of gay and bisexual men in Hong Kong may be infected with HIV by 2020 if prevention programs to reduce new infections and promote safe sex fail to work, experts warned… The number of gay and bisexual men confirmed with the virus has risen sharply every year since 2003. The figure rose from 50 in 2003 to 67 in 2004, 96 in 2005 and 112 in 2006, while newly confirmed infections among heterosexuals stayed within a range of 110-116 each year." [Reuters] |
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The openly gay law-lover stands alongside four finalists for a seat on the nation's Constitutional Court. His HIV-positive status, however, may complicate matters: [Cameron] was grilled on Monday by the Judicial Services Commission with a series of tough questions. President Kgalema Motlanthe will make the final decision on whether Cameron gets the slot. |
» Wrap It Up, Fools!
"The frequency at which gay men are having unprotected sex has almost tripled since 1994, a survey by [Switzerland's] Lausanne University researchers has found. The Institute for Social and Preventative Medicine asked nearly 3,000 gay men about condom use and HIV testing. Of those, 24.2 per cent said they "never" or "every now and then" use a condom. That's up from 8.9 per cent in 1994. The "Gay Survey 2007" also found that one third of the respondents did not know whether their partners were HIV positive. One in six gay couples do not use condoms despite not having taken an HIV test. The survey also showed that the majority of gay men still use condoms to protect themselves from HIV infections. However, infection rates among gay men have been accelerating since 2003." [SwissInfo] |
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All For A Good Cause, Of Course
Later this month - on October 15, to be precise - Mackenroth will unveil a custom wedding dress made entirely of condoms. Some may assume the project would be a breeze for a boy such as Mackenroth, but this project had some particularly sticky challenges. One of the most pressing challenges sprang from the fact that condoms were heavy and had to be removed from the packages, an undertaking complicated by the fact that Mackenroth's allergic to latex. |
» Happy Penis?!
"Circumcision, which can slow the spread of the AIDS virus from women to men during sex, doesn't appear to provide the same protective effect for men having sex with other men, U.S. researchers said today. While circumcised gay men were 14 percent less likely to be infected with the AIDS virus than uncircumcised men, the difference missed the level needed to show that it wasn't the result of chance…" [Bloomberg] |
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» Don't Smoke.
"Bluefield State College and Covenant House have each received $50,000 state grants for programs aimed at reducing smoking in the gay community. The grants from the state Division of Tobacco Prevention will fund yearlong anti-smoking programs in central and southern West Virginia. Tobacco Prevention Director Bruce Adkins says tobacco use is significantly higher in the gay community than among non-gays. Covenant House Development Director Jeff Crist says tobacco is a bigger health threat for the gay community than HIV." [Herald-Dispatch] |
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» Uprising!
"HIV infections jumped 8-fold over the past few years in parts of China among gay and bisexual men, according to new data from southern China. Published in Nature, the study found that the proportion of HIV-positive women of child-bearing age doubled in the past 10 years and researchers warned the disease was moving from high-risk communities into the wider population." [Reuters] |
» Keep Pushing.
Indian Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss says he and "like-minded" leaders plan on meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the government's ongoing support of Section 377, a colonial era law prohibiting same-sex action. Ramadoss hopes to overturn the law, but other politicians insist it's for the good of the nation and have ignored Ramadoss' argument that Section 377 contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS. [PTI] |
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The move was hailed as a huge success by activists on both sides of the political divide, particularly within gay communities. Such celebrations, however, were premature, because the Department of Homeland Security announced yesterday that it is "streamlining" the process, but will not be lifting the ban entirely. From an Immigration Equality press release: [The DHS says] it will issue regulations which purport to “streamline” the waiver application process for HIV-positive short-term visitors. The move comes nearly two years after President Bush directed the agency to streamline the process and fails to follow Congress’ mandate to end the ban. Maybe the DHS thinks HIV-positive people are terrorists, or something… |