Abstinence-only

Today the New York Times published a batch of letters responding to their editorial on rising HIV rates in young gay men. Since they didn't publish CHAMP's letter, I thought i'd do it here (This is why we love the Internet!)

The January 14th editorial, “HIV Rises in Young Gay Men,” spent a lot of energy blaming 19-year olds, and ignored core issues that hamper effective prevention efforts.

A recent Journal of Adolescent Health study counted youth homelessness as a major factor in HIV risk. The New York City Council commissioned a 2007 report showing that one-third of all homeless youth in NYC were gay.

Congress continues to bankroll abstinence-only education programs in spite of the proven increase risk behavior they cause. Though the HIV epidemic grows worse in black and Latino communities, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) budget has remained stagnant for a decade.

We still have no national HIV prevention plan, 27 years into the epidemic.

Young gay men are not to blame for the profound failure of government to provide comprehensive HIV prevention—nor for the media’s continued ignorance of the root causes of HIV.
 read more »

Want the good news or bad news first?

I'll give you the bad news.

Sex columnist Dan Savage whose syndicated column Savage Love is read weekly by millions in alternative weeklies around the country, wrote a blog entry for the Seattle news site The Stranger about the NYT story on rising HIV infections among young MSMs. His blog post was his usual snarky self, but horribly misinformed. He writes:

" so long as gay health educators refuse to level with gay men--there's no "moderating" your meth use; you can suck too much cock; anal sex isn't a first-date activity and having anal sex with hordes of anonymous partners, even with condoms, is sure-fire way of contracting HIV--these new campaigns won't have much of an impact. And so we'll be reading this story again in a couple of years, yet another story about HIV infection that makes tragic heroes of guys like Javier Arriola and goes on to suggest that straight talk about HIV infection is part of the problem, not part of the solution."  read more »

Showing the “missing pieces” of HIV prevention puzzle in the United States, more than three hundred people poured into the downtown Atlanta streets for the PJM Unity Rally and March in Atlanta, GA, on Tuesday, December 4th, where the National HIV Prevention Conference (NHPC) ended on Wednesday. People from across different communities marched to demonstrate unity for a comprehensive HIV prevention in the US, not to be divided by community or issue.

In order to draw conference attendees from the hotel to the opening rally two blocks away at Hardy Ivy Park, a group of carolers sang an HIV prevention song to the tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas.” Other PJM folks were in the lobby, decorating marchers with the PJM sash—a white satin cloth with the red PJM Unity logo. Helping to sash people in the hotel was Miss Rhode Island 2007 Ashley Bickford, who was attending the conference as someone interested in HIV/AIDS issues.

The spirited marchers burst from the Hyatt onto Peachtree Street, blowing whistles and chanting, and made their way to Hardy Ivy Park to meet the crowd already assembled. The March MC Waheedah Shabbazz-el took the bullhorn and hyped the crowd to a frenzy, reminding the crowd, “HIV is more than a disease, It’s positive proof of injustice!” The marchers grabbed signs and flashlights from organizers and marshals, and the rally was in full swing.  read more »

As we slid our tired bodies into the miniva/taxi to go to the airport, CHAMP staffers Lei, Cameron, and I (Kenyon) were met with yet another challenge. We were riding with two other people whom we did not know, but were headed to the same destination.

I say in the passenger seat, while Lei and Cameron were in the middle and back row respectively. Both were sitting next to the well scrubbed and "professionally" dressed people who had, by account of their conversation, attended the same conference we did. But what message did they get?

The two began to talk about their work. (Just to describe, they were a white man and a black woman. Both presumably straight). Without cause of provocation, they launched into their work. The woman spoke the most, while the dude offered assuring "Yes, and Uh-huh, and Something's gotta be done!" every so often. She started talking about youth in juvenile detention facilities--boy/teens. She said she has been talking to ministers about getting on board with the issue of HIV education and being more frank about sex and sexuality.

I think, OK cool.  read more »

"What do we want? EFFECTIVE PREVENTION! When do we want it? NOW!" shouted HIV/AIDS, women's rights, and faith-based advocates as they marched down Pennsylvania Avenue to join a World AIDS Day rally at the White House.

On Friday, November 30, nearly 200 activists—including community members, students, and people living with HIV and AIDS—brought together local, domestic, and global demands for critical changes to U.S. HIV and AIDS policies. Those rallying called upon the government to cut the red tape on HIV and AIDS programs, with particular emphasis afforded to prevention programs at home and abroad.

The rally-goers, armed with posters and giant scissors with messages like "Sex Education Saves" and "Cut the Red Tape on U.S. Global HIV Prevention," weren't the only people making demands of the Administration. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington, D.C.'s non-voting delegate in Congress, issued powerful words to President Bush as part of her address to the crowd.  read more »

A sharper approach to fighting AIDS
In today's Atlanta Journal Constitution!

By Sandra Thurman

Twenty years ago, as executive director of AID Atlanta, I would arrive at the office at the crack of dawn to find a cast of homeless intravenous drug users waiting at our door. Their faces and the countless more living with HIV I've met since still haunt my dreams. I often wonder if a clean needle could have saved their lives.  read more »

For those of you who can not join us here in Atlanta today for the Unity Rally, I wanted to share our custom Christmas Carol that you can hum to the tune of "the 12 Days of Christmas" right around 5 pm EST and it will be like you are there!  read more »

This piece ran in RH Reality Check, a great blog focusing on reproductive health, with my perspectives on this particular World AIDS Day... comments?

What should we make of this year's World AIDS Day theme of "keep the promise," when it comes to the epidemic here at home?  read more »

Please check back later in the week for a more in-depth blog from my colleague from the Center for Health and Gender Equity, Kim Whipkey. Right now she’s in New Hampshire leading an organizing training, so I’m blogging on the basics.

On Friday November 30, more than 150 students, community members, advocates, and religious leaders* rallied in front of the White House to demand that the government cut the red tape and implement effective HIV and AIDS programs at a local, national, and international level.  read more »