HEALTH / HIV

HIV Stories 1 to 10 of 48  
2/27/2014
Condom Wars: Part 1
“Condoms are for pussies,” reads porn performer Mike Dozer’s T-shirt. The rapid increase in bareback porn is just one indication of the culture war that is brewing within the gay community regarding safer sex.  At the same time that gay marriage is about to become legal in the state of Virginia, many countries—like India, Nigeria, Uganda and the Ukraine—that are passing brutal anti-gay laws. (This will be the subject of my next column.) The gay ...
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1/5/2014
Love is the Best Protection: Why Gay Marriage Will Save Lives
By the time you read this, it will be the new year and AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s ‘Love is the Best Protection’ Rose Parade float celebrating same-sex marriage will have successfully made its way down Colorado Boulevard before a worldwide audience of 84 million television viewers. This year, AHF’s float honored same-sex marriage and the role it can play in helping to reduce new HIV infections among gay men. Playing off the Tournament’s 2014 ‘Dreams Come ...
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12/5/2013
Now More than Ever
Whether you are seeing more and more gay bareback porn, reading ads for men looking for condomless hookups or looking at stats from the CDC, there is little doubt that unprotected sex among gay men is on the rise. There are too many different explanations to cover them all here. However, what we do know is that this generation didn’t live through the holocaust of the ‘80s and ‘90s. And listening to their elders talk ...
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11/5/2013
The Risk Sweet Spot
We live in a world of balanced risks. Every time we leave the house, drive on the street, travel or have a sexual encounter, we are taking risks. A life without risk is a life not worth living. Determining where to draw that line is tricky, both personally and as a matter of public policy. The general standard that we have adopted as a society is to minimize risk while maintaining enjoyment. Driving a motorcycle ...
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10/14/2013
Gay Men Not Buying Into PrEP
It seems that gay men are not buying into PrEP. According to an article posted on AIDSMap.com, a recent “U.S. survey of the prescribing of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) to HIV-negative people as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) … found that recipients are more likely to live in the Southern states and are more likely to be female than people receiving Truvada for HIV treatment.” About a year ago, the FDA approved use of Gilead’s AIDS treatment combination, Truvada, ...
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9/13/2013
Stay Negative
These days it seems to be politically incorrect to congratulate gay men for remaining HIV-negative. The theory is that by celebrating someone being negative that you are indirectly stigmatizing people who are HIV-positive. Under the guise of saying there is no shame in being positive, we are supposed to refrain from advocating for the benefits of staying negative. Unfortunately, this form of self-censorship has crippled HIV prevention efforts. Let’s start with the simple logic that ...
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8/16/2013
Safer Sex: Is it Too Much to Ask?
The discussion about how to stop the spread of HIV in the gay community has been heating up. Now that the focus on gay marriage is abating, the spotlight is coming back to the health crisis among gay men. The stubbornly high number of new infections in this country and around the world is frustrating. After three decades and all the efforts that have been made, why are we not more successful in promoting safer ...
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7/19/2013
No Cure Yet
Reading the various and sundry headlines about the state of AIDS research, you may find them very confusing and often misleading. There is no question that the rate of scientific progress in understanding and treating HIV has accelerated, and there is tremendous promise. However, we have to carefully consider headlines about being on the verge of a cure or “the end of AIDS.“  I am not looking to rain on anyone's parade. I think it ...
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6/20/2013
Room for Marriage Equality and HIV In The Gay Agenda
Recently, the Pew Forum did a major poll on the attitudes of the LGBT community that found some surprising results. The timing of the study comes as everyone anxiously awaits the results of the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, an issue that has virtually dominated the entire agenda of the LGBT community  for the last few years. People might assume that this issue is the overriding concern of the community, but the poll shows ...
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5/24/2013
Sexual Revolution 2.0
As the AIDS Healthcare Foundation proceeds from year to year, it is important to step back and take a look at major trends that are shaping our vision. AHF has always had an expansive view of fighting AIDS that was focused on protecting the public health. Circumstance and the success of the organization allow us to act on that larger scope in very meaningful ways. If you place HIV/AIDS in its proper context, it is ...
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