I’ve only been in camp for one hour, and I’ve already lost my tent. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s easy to lose track of your surroundings amidst 3,200 people and a sea of blue-hued domes.
Thankfully, I re-orient myself and the panic subsides enough to truly soak it all in: This is the 10th AIDS/LifeCycle ride that brings 3,200 cyclists and volunteers on a trek from San Francisco to Los Angeles all in the name of HIV/AIDS services.
Things are even more meaning this year, as this past Sunday, June 5, marked the 30th anniversary of the very first diagnosed case of what would become know as AIDS. Many of the riders have taken this to heart, bringing even more passion to their fundraising efforts. Together, they managed to raise over $13 million for HIV/AIDS services provided by the SF AIDS Foundation and the LA Gay and Lesbian Center – making this the largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser on the planet.
The passion is palatable. The riders do their hard work before the event, training and fundraising, and then follow through with an incredible physical effort – 575 miles of hills and valleys. There are also nearly one thousand volunteer “roadies,” whose unbridled enthusiasm creates a wonderful energy every single moment of the ride.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
I’m going to be blogging every day for the rest of the week, and posting photos and videos along with the words. There’s so much more than just my stuff, so head over to to the presscorps to get the scoop from the other eight journalists embedded on the ride.
And remember to get tested – the CDC recently found that 20% of gay American males have HIV, and a whopping 50% don’t even know it. All it takes is one time.
Unicorn Booty‘s Nick Vivion is following the tight Spandex lines of the AIDS/LifeCycle Ride from SF to LA
jeff4justice
Way to go to the people working to stop the spread of HIV.
One huge area I see ignored regarding HIV is the topic of the increased glorification of bareback/condomless sex in LGBT media.
At the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, ironically while going in for my routine STD checkups, I found a copy of Frontiers 4 Men, published by Frontiers Media, LLC who also published the very mainstream Frontiers in L.A. (full of corporate ads, etc…). Inside the mag was a review of a bareback video by BB profiteers Maverick Men of Xtube. The Frontiers 4 Men vid section has a section on their site of vid links and sure enough plenty of BB sex vids.
In the same center was their newsletter, Vanguard, in which the Center’s CEO talks about increasing HIV rates.
Especially considering how sex ed is not LGBT inclusive, to think BB sex does not influence young gay men is as foolish as thinking the bombardment of junk food in America does not contribute to growing obesity rates.
Sites like Adam4Adam are one of few sources available for gay men to meet in some areas. And Sites like A4a are full of BB sex vid ads.
This is not about being anti-porn or prudish. I’m very sexually libertarian actually.
However, it is shocking that the acceptance of BB sex is creeping into mainstream gay media.
I vlog about this at on YouTube:
Gay Glorifying Of Bareback Sex
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VzaC5LgJEY
EdWoody
@jeff4justice: I agree with you 100%, Jeff. I’ve worked in the porn industry in the past, and love it. But I’m pulling away from it more and more because of the increase of this stuff.
meego
June 5 was not the 30th anniversary of the first diagnosed case. June 5th was the 30th anniversary of the first published report (in Morbidity and Mortality Rate Weekly) of what would later be known as AIDS.
Althought not talked about in this article, are any of you kiddies aware that curcuit parties were originally created as AIDS fundraisers? That purpose somehow got lost over the years!
After 30 years of the AIDS epidemic, don’t you think they should have found anything along the lines of a cure? Something? Anything??? What about all the other major diseases? Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. Don’t you think that after decades of “research” and many billions of dollars that they would have found something?? Don’t kid yourselves. Cures will never be found. Disease is big business. Sick people feed the pharmaceutical industry (one of the 2 largest industries on the planet, btw). Imagine what would happen to all these organizations, American Cancer Society, all the AIDS orgs, imagine what would happen to all these organizations if cures were found for all these diseases. All these organizations would go out uf business. The American Cancer Society alone rakes in at least $400 million a year in donations. They don’t want to lose that! Again, don’t kid yourselves. We’ve given enough money. Now give us a cure!
Logan
I saw this report of someone getting cured of HIV/AIDS naturally without using ARVs or any other chemical drugs with horrific side effects. The healing was verified by 3 separate HIV tests.
Here are the details, this will help a lot of people if true..
http://merkaba.org/audio/aids.html
Here is an excerpt from the audio:
“ARV drugs do not cure people of HIV or AIDS, they only make people sick. Most people do not realize that ARV drugs actually feed the HIV so that the virus doesn’t go into full blown AIDS and consume the entire body. Thus, ARV drugs keep one alive but at the expense of immense pain and suffering.”
jeff4justice
@EdWoody: Be true to you friend. Chi Chi LaRue is a great example of someone doing well in porn and she has turned down big offers to bb porn.
If you stay in porn just be a great example of safer sex. ; )
Roget
I’ve never seen any examples of the mainstream press promoting bareback sex. Frontier Media is a gay company, and their publications are freely distributed, with ad space providing revenue. Because of their business model, they will exercise very little restraint in who can advertise.
I have been wishing that the gay community would have a serious debate about barebacking and the implications and risks attendant with each behavior. One of the great disservices to our community has been the advent of online hook ups, and the profiles or lack thereof. I have been arguing with Adam4adam for a couple years now lobbying them to reduce the number of photos, reduce the amount of information they ask for people to provide, and I feel they should not ask anyone about HIV status. Before the online sex craze took off, you ‘d meet and talk to people honestly, and you would ask about people’s health, and discuss sero-status directly. It encouraged communication, and people were very honest. Now people lie about age, weight, phots, little stuff and big stuff. Never forget we are responsible for our own behaviors and choices.