Is PrEP Prevention Justice? Join Free Webinar Feb 16 to Discuss

Brought to you by the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2011

3:30-5:30 pm Eastern / 2:30-4:30 pm Central / 1:30-3:30 pm Mountain / 12:30-2:30 pm Pacific

For the first time, a multi-country trial has shown that the use of the oral anti-HIV drug Truvada, by HIV negative gay men, MSM and transgender women, decreased rates of HIV transmission. And CDC has now released an interim guidance on the use of PrEP in gay men and other men who have sex with men....

But these results and guides beg many questions about ethics, equity, access and human rights. Join us with trial investigators, community advocates, human rights activists and others for an informative and stimulating conversation.

Speakers have been asked to discuss:

What are the human rights and HIV prevention justice implications, possibilities, challenges of PrEP?

What are the questions of access and ethics around new prevention technology, and the level of community input and transparancy in decision-making processes

Vulnerable and Marginal populations – thoughts on access and equity

Can interest in new prevention tech can bring new players in the fight for new resources? How can we leverage different strengths to FULLY fund the fight against AIDS?

Find out who the speakers are, and register.


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

CDC Releases Interim Guidance for the Use of HIV Drugs as Prevention for Gay Men

Only some men should use AIDS drug for prevention
via Reuters, by Maggie Fox

Only high-risk gay and bisexual men should use Gilead's HIV drug Truvada to protect themselves from the AIDS virus, federal officials said on Thursday in the first official guidance on using the drug.

A study published last November showed that the pill, which combines two AIDS drugs, reduced the HIV infection rate by nearly 44 percent in high-risk gay and bisexual men. It worked even better if the men used the drug consistently.

Some doctors have already been using the experimental approach, called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP for short. This use of the drug is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has approved Truvada for treating HIV infection.

But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided to issue some guidance for doctors who may want to prescribe the drug to protect people at very high risk of infection with the fatal and incurable virus.

Read the rest.


Read the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report's "Interim Guidance: Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection in Men Who Have Sex with Men."

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Uganda LGBT Activist David Kato Murdered; Human Rights Watch Calls for Investigation

 via Human Rights Watch

Excerpt:

"David Kato's death is a tragic loss to the human rights community," said Maria Burnett, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "David had faced the increased threats to Ugandan LGBT people bravely and will be sorely missed."

Witnesses told police that a man entered Kato's home in Mukono at around 1 p.m. on January 26, 2011, hit him twice in the head and departed in a vehicle. Kato died on his way to Kawolo hospital. Police told Kato's lawyer that they had the registration number of the vehicle and were looking for it.

Kato was the advocacy officer for the organization Sexual Minorities Uganda. He had been a leading voice in the fight against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which has been before Uganda's parliament since October 15, 2009. While homosexual sex is already illegal in Uganda, the proposed law would criminalize all homosexuality, making it punishable by a fine and life imprisonment. "Repeat offenders" and those who are HIV positive would be subject to the death penalty. The bill would also oblige anyone with knowledge of someone who is or might be a homosexual to report that person to the police within 24 hours.

Read the rest.

Read the post from Justice for Gay Africans Society.

Read President Obama's statement on the murder.

Read statement from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.




[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

The 10 Stories to Follow as HIV/AIDS Enters Its Fourth Decade

via Colorlines, by Ramon Johnson

Thirty years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and after decades of research disappointments, 2010 saw major breakthroughs that put scientific advances such as microbicides, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and vaccines within reach and created a favorable environment for other prevention and treatment efforts. In fact, some experts predict that over the next year, some of these discoveries could change the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic.

So what comes next? Colorlines will be covering the HIV epidemic closely throughout this year, in which the epidemic plunges into its fourth decade. Here, we examine 10 major HIV stories of 2010—and how experts expect them to unfold during 2011.

1. Microbicides March Toward the Market

Could applying a gel to the vagina or rectum one day prevent HIV? Scientists hope so. Last year, South African researchers reported breakthroughs in microbicide research. They found that inserting a vaginal-gel version of an antiretroviral medicine called tenofovir (prescribed in pill form as Viread) could reduce HIV incidence in women by 39 percent—and up to 54 percent in the most careful users.

What to watch: Never have scientists been closer to identifying a viable microbicide than they are today. Next steps include confirming these results. Some experts believe that a microbicide for women could be on the market by 2014. Efforts to develop a rectal microbicide are also under way; however, vaginal and rectal tissue are very different from each other, so this research may take significantly longer***.

Read the rest.

***Note - Rectal microbicide research is indeed a bit behind compared to vaginal microbicides - but it is moving forward nonetheless. There are small trials underway now with sites in Pittsburgh, Boston, San Juan and Birmingham!

Learn more about rectal microbicide research and advocacy at the home of IRMA - International Rectal Microbicide Advocates. 

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Sex Work, Criminalization, and HIV: Lessons from Advocacy History

via San Francisco AIDS Foundation's BETA,  by Anna Forbes

Sex workers are frequently omitted from discussions about the links between criminalization, marginaliza­tion, and increased HIV transmission. We talk a lot about the effects of this dynamic on men who have sex with men, injection drug users, and peo­ple living with HIV—as we certainly should—but not about sex workers. Why is this group not like the others?

Read the rest.


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Case Study: Alcohol Consumption and HIV Risk in Chennai, India

Alcohol Consumption and HIV Risk
A Peer Education Strategy for Bar Patrons

via AIDSTAR-ONE, by Reshma Trasi

In a busy neighborhood in Chennai, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians jostle for space on the narrow streets. Small shops line the sidewalks, offering everything from bright silk saris to auto parts. From a nondescript storefront comes the sound of clinking glasses and loud voices. Inside, one wall has shelves stocked with beer and hard liquor. In a back room are groups of men at counters and tables, laughing with friends or arguing about politics or cricket. Each has a glass and sometimes an entire bottle of alcohol in front of him.

One of the largest cities in South India, Chennai attracts men from all over the country seeking seasonal, unskilled, or hourly wage work. Away from their families, these men go to bars to socialize. Establishments that sell alcohol in Chennai range from holes-in-the-wall offering home-brewed toddy to high-end clubs selling expensive foreign alcohol. Somewhere in the middle of this spectrum are more than 600 wine shops, popular among men of all ages.

But the wine shops offer more than just a chance to relax and drink. Female sex workers also frequent many of the shops; at some locations, younger boys and hijras (transgendered persons) solicit sex. As male customers consume alcohol, inhibitions loosen, peer pressure builds, and the temptation to engage in high-risk commercial sex becomes harder to resist.

In 2002, the Y.R. Gaitonde Center for AIDS Research and Education (Y.R.G. CARE), a nonprofit known internationally for its comprehensive HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs, initiated a five-year research intervention to study alcohol consumption and risky sex among male patrons of Chennai's wine shops. The Collaborative HIV/STD Prevention Trial identified, recruited, and trained peer outreach workers called Community Popular Opinion Leaders (CPOLs). CPOLs disseminated HIV prevention messages to their peers, delivering them as personal endorsements of risk-reduction and health-seeking behaviors. The Research Triangle Institute and Johns Hopkins University partnered with Y.R.G. CARE on the research, which was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

Read the rest.


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Heterosexual Anal Sex Experiences Among Puerto Rican and Black Young Adults

Heterosexual Anal Sex Experiences Among Puerto Rican and Black Young Adults

Health providers should address it openly and, when appropriate, as a positive sexual and emotional experience.

Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health Vol. 42; No. 4: doi:10.1363    (12..10):: Marion Carter; Dare Henry-Moss; Linda Hock-Long; Anna Bergdall; Karen Andes

Summary via U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The authors introduced the study by noting that heterosexual anal sex, which poses risks for STDs, "is not uncommon in the United States." "However, who engages in it and why are not well understood, particularly among young adults."

In Hartford, Conn., and Philadelphia from 2006 to 2008, data on topics related to sexual health were collected via survey (483 respondents) and qualitative interviews (70 individuals) from black and Puerto Rican persons ages 18 to 25. Predictors of anal sex with the most recent serious heterosexual partner were assessed by bivariate and multivariate analyses. The team analyzed interview transcripts to assess experiences with anal sex and reasons for engaging or abstaining.

Anal sex was reported by 34 percent of survey respondents. It was more common with serious (22 percent) as opposed to casual (8 percent) partners. Black participants were less likely than Puerto Rican respondents to report anal sex (odds ratio, 0.3); women were more likely than men to report anal sex (2.9).

The qualitative cohort found perceptions of anal sex as painful and unappealing were the predominant reasons for abstaining. Sexual pleasure and, in serious relationships, intimacy were the main reasons cited for engaging in it. During anal sex, condom use "was rare and was motivated by STD or hygiene concerns."

"Heterosexual anal sex is not an infrequent behavior and should be considered in a broad sexual health context, not simply as an indicator of STD risk," the authors concluded. "Health providers should address it openly and, when appropriate, as a positive sexual and emotional experience."


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Heterosexual anal sex reported by women receiving HIV prevention services in Los Angeles County

Womens Health Issues. 2010 Nov-Dec;20(6):414-9.

Heterosexual anal sex reported by women receiving HIV prevention services in Los Angeles County.

Reynolds GL, Fisher DG, Napper LE, Fremming BW, Jansen MA.

California State University, Long Beach, Center for Behavioral Research and Services, Long Beach, California 90813, USA. greynol2@csulb.edu

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study examined reported heterosexual receptive anal intercourse (HRAI) in a sample of women recruited from HIV prevention providers in Los Angeles County.

METHODS: The majority of women surveyed were Latina and the modal age was 19 years. Women reporting HRAI were more likely to use both injected and non injected drugs and to have sexual partners who injected drugs.

RESULTS: Factors associated with HRAI in a multivariate regression model included use of methamphetamine; use of alcohol before, during, or after sex; and use of dental services at the interview agency. Factors inversely associated with heterosexual anal sex were being African American (compared with Latina) and endorsing the use of condoms for episodes of vaginal sex from start to finish.

CONCLUSION: HIV prevention providers in Los Angeles County should be aware of the need for basic prevention messages concerning condom use and injection behavior in young Latina women.



[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Homosexuality In Ghana

 via GhanaWeb

Excerpt:

But attitudes are changing in Ghana too. Not long ago, there were no gay clubs, organisations, activities, etc. in our country. But now there are many with university students leading the way. Ghanaian youth have a more favourable attitude to gays than the old - the same trend found in other countries too. But it is today still difficult for prominent Ghanaian gays to come out and a politician who is known to be gay will never be voted for. But it cannot be so that there are no prominent men in Ghana who are gay. There must be as there are in all societies. After all, some of the most gifted and most brilliant persons in the world are gays. The well-known Ghanaian philosopher, cultural theorist and novelist, Anthony Kwame Appiah, currently the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Philosphy at Princeton University, is openly gay. What is wrong with that?

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

AIDS 2010 Conference Report Now Online

Read about the important developments presented during AIDS 2010 in the recently released AIDS 2010 Conference Report.

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Hard Core Porn's Pervasiveness and Evolving Sexual Behaviors

via The Atlantic, by Natasha Vargas-Cooper

Excerpt:

Porn’s new pervasiveness and influence on the culture at large haven’t necessarily introduced anything new into our sexual repertoire: humans, after all, have been having sex—weird, debased, and otherwise—for quite a while. But pervasive hard-core porn has allowed many people to flirt openly with practices that may have always been desired, but had been deeply buried under social restraint. Take anal sex: in a 1992 study that surveyed sexual behaviors, published by the University of Chicago, 20 percent of women ages 25 to 29 reported having anal sex. In a study published in October 2010 by the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University, the instances of anal sex reported by women in the same age cohort had more than doubled, to 46 percent. The practice has even made its way into the younger female demographic: the Indiana study shows 20 percent of 18- and 19-year-olds have had anal sex at least once.

One of the Indiana study’s co- authors, Debby Herbenick, believes that Internet porn now “plays a role in how many Americans perceive and become educated about sex.” How this influence actually works is speculative— no one can ever really know what other people do in their bedrooms or why. Some experts postulate a sort of monkey-see, monkey-do explanation, whereby both men and women are conforming to behaviors they witness on their browser media players. But in many ways this explanation doesn’t account for the subtle relationship between now-ubiquitous pornography and sexuality. To take anal sex again, porn doesn’t plant that idea in men’s minds; instead, porn puts the power of a mass medium behind ancient male desires. Anal sex as a run-of-the-mill practice, de rigueur pubic waxing for girls—and their mothers—and first-date doggy-style encounters (this is but a small sampling of rapidly shifting sexual mores) have been popularized and legitimized by porn. Which means that men now have a far easier time broaching subjects once considered off- putting—for instance, suburban dads can offhandedly suggest anal sex to their bethonged, waxed wives.

Read the rest.

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Stigma, Health Care Access, and HIV Knowledge Among MSM in Malawi, Namibia, and Botswana.

 AIDS Behav. 2010 Dec 10. [Epub ahead of print]

Fay H, Baral SD, Trapence G, Motimedi F, Umar E, Iipinge S, Dausab F, Wirtz A, Beyrer C.

Abstract

Same-sex practices are stigmatized in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Cross-sectional relationships between discrimination, access to and use of health care services, and HIV knowledge among men who have sex with men (MSM) were assessed in Malawi, Namibia, and Botswana. A survey and HIV screening were used to explore these variables and the prevalence of HIV. Overall, 19% of men screened positive for HIV infection. Ninety-three percent knew HIV is transmitted through anal sex with men, however, only 67% had ever received information of how to prevent this transmission. Few (17%) reported ever disclosing same sex practices to a health professional and 19% reported ever being afraid to seek health care. Men reported ever been denied health care services (5%) and 21% had ever been blackmailed because of their sexuality. Strong associations were observed between experiences of discrimination and fear of seeking health care services. Characterizing the relationship between stigma and health care seeking practices and attitudes can inform the development and implementation of HIV interventions for African MSM.

[Thanks to the Global Forum on MSM and HIV for putting this on our radar.]


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

FDA approves Gardasil to prevent anal cancer [Dec 22]

Read the press release from the FDA.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today [December 22] approved the vaccine Gardasil for the prevention of anal cancer and associated precancerous lesions due to human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, and 18 in people ages 9 through 26 years.

Click here for the Gay Men's Health Crisis press release on Gardasil for men.
 

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Anal HPV Infection in HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex with Men from China

via PLoS One, by Lei Gao, Feng Zhou, Xiangwei Li, Yu Yang, Yuhua Ruan, and Qi Jin


Background

Anal HPV infection, which contributes to the development of anal warts and anal cancer, is well known to be common among men who have sex with men (MSM), especially among those HIV positives. However, HIV and anal HPV co-infection among MSM has not been addressed in China.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Beijing and Tianjin, China. Study participants were recruited using multiple methods with the collaboration of local volunteer organizations. Blood and anal swabs were collected for HIV-1 serological test and HPV genotyping.

Results

A total of 602 MSM were recruited and laboratory data were available for 578 of them (96.0%). HIV and anal HPV prevalence were 8.5% and 62.1%, respectively. And 48 MSM (8.3%) were found to be co-infected. The HPV genotypes identified most frequently were HPV06 (19.6%), HPV16 (13.0%), HPV52 (8.5%) and HPV11 (7.6%). Different modes of HPV genotypes distribution were observed with respect to HIV status. A strong dose-response relationship was found between HIV seropositivity and multiplicity of HPV genotypes (p<0.001), which is consistent with the observation that anal HPV infection was an independent predictor for HIV infection.

Conclusions

A high prevalence of HIV and anal HPV co-infection was observed in the MSM community in Beijing and Tianjin, China. Anal HPV infection was found to be independently associated with increased HIV seropositivity, which suggests the application of HPV vaccine might be a potential strategy to reduce the acquisition of HIV infection though controlling the prevalence of HPV.

Read the entire paper.


[Thanks to the Global Forum on MSM and HIV for putting this paper on our radar.]

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

At Risk: Sex, HIV and the Community in Pakistan

[Thanks to the Global Forum on MSM and HIV for putting this on our radar.]

via Newsline, by Huma Khawar

Around 15 years of age, clad in a dirty shalwar kameez, the boy walks around the park, zeroes in on a customer and having struck the deal, takes him to the filthy public toilet located on the premises. The ‘transaction’ takes a few minutes and the boy is out looking for his next client. He makes 30 to 50 rupees per job and in one day he can service several customers – and all of this unprotected sex.

Wearing a green shalwar kameez, kajal on her eyes, sporting bright pink thickly applied lipstick, painted nails and dangling earrings, Anmol, the transgender beggar in Jinnah Super Market greets me with a wide smile. “Baji aaj tu kuch dey do. Itney din baad ayee ho.” Anmol is not the only one of her ilk here. Over the past one year there has been a huge influx of transgender people (hijras) on the streets, in market places and in the public parks of all major cities, where they actively ply their trade – usually one that places them on the fringe of society.

“People perceive transgenders as sex workers, beggars or dancers. Unfortunately that isn’t too far from the truth. A lack of education and employment opportunities forces them to make their living in these ways,” says Sarah Gill, a transgender medical college student in Karachi, who is actively working for transgender peoples’ rights and to end the violence and discrimination faced by them. Gill is president of the Moorat Interactive Society (MIS) and general secretary of the Gender Interactive Alliance (GIA). “There is no acceptance for our community in society. We are a symbol of shame even for our blood relations,” says Gill, who launched the first helpline for transgender people in Pakistan and is working to bring them from being a marginalised community into the mainstream, by creating an enabling environment in which “they can be treated like, and have the same rights as, males in our society.”

Read the rest.

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Uganda's Rolling Stone Pushes Back Against Judiciary and "Homos"

As a follow-up from yesterday's post Uganda gays celebrate court victory against newspaper below you will find a press statement from the newspaper in question - Rolling Stone. Thanks to Spectrum Uganda for this.

PRESS STATEMENT from Rolling Stone (Uganda)

Homos had a short-lived smile today morning after The Rolling Stone management announced it would appeal against a High Court ruling which "permanently restrains" the investigative newspaper from outing their pictures.

Homos sued Rolling Stone last November over a page one story titled “Pictures Of Uganda’s Top 100 Homos Leak.”

Court at 10:00am said the newspaper should give these self-confessed criminals shs4.5m as compensation for violating their right of privacy.

This was in total disregard of the fact that the shamed homos’ pictures had appeared on a gay-networking website –gaydar.co.uk.

Justice Kibuuka Musoke said in his ruling read by the court registrar that by quoting a church leader calling upon government to hang homos, the newspaper put the lives and dignity of these fellows at risk!!

Can a newspaper incite government against a homo? If this is not fantasy then what is it?

Hanging is done after the due process of the law has been followed. Simple facts.

We would have paid them but doing so is as good as “paying a tribute” to those who promote sexual identity confusion and related madness.

Our lawyers said the controversial ruling does not only condone but perpetuates immorality with impunity.

It further sets a dangerous precedent for the nation and future generations.

It also puts media freedom at stake.

The newspaper managers have resolved to register our grievance with the President’s office.

We remain strong that indeed in times of war, losses are expected.

The newspaper will fight homos on different fronts.

Our supporters should remain strong –the agents of the devil shall be defeated.

It’s a matter of time.

Sanity must prevail at all costs.


Issued by
Giles Muhame
Managing Editor,Rolling Stone
Source : Extracted from Gilles Muhame's Wall on facebook


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Uganda gays celebrate court victory against newspaper

via AfrikNews

Gays in Uganda celebrated today, after courts ruled in their favor in a case against a newspaper which called on people to hang them.

 

In October 2010, Rolling Stone newspaper had boldly called for gays to be hanged in one of their headlines. "Hang Them," the headline read. The ensuing story showed photos of people presumed to be gays in Uganda, and even indicated locations of their homes.

And according to gays in Uganda, the newspaper article led to some of those whose photos, names and home adresses appeared in the newspaper to be attacked and beaten up by people who claimed to be anti-gay.

But after taking the case to court and applying for damages whilst requesting for an injunction against the newspaper, a Uganda court Monday ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.

The court has also issued a parmanent injunction against Rolling Stone newspaper never to publish photos of gays in Uganda, and also never to again publish their home addreses.

Justice Kibuuka Musoke’s ruling read in parts: "Gays are also entitled to their rights. This court has found that there was infringment of some people’s confidential rights. The court hereby issues an injuction restraining Rolling Stone newspaper from future publishing of identifcations of homosexuals."

Read the rest.



[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

U.S. Taxpayers Pay for Sexual Abuse of Afghani Boys

via Creative Loafing, by John Grooms
 

I know, I know, there are too many godawful things going unreported to name just one award “winner.” But one true story, which received pitifully little coverage in America despite the whole thing being funded by U.S. taxpayers, needs to — at the very least — be given some kind of Shame Award.

While the government and our happily compliant press were busy calling for the head of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange, a shocking revelation from one of the released diplomatic cables was blithely ignored. DynCorp, a government contractor providing training for Afghan security and police forces, gets nearly all its money from you and me. The company used some of that money to throw a party for a group of Afghan police trainees.

The evening’s “entertainment” consisted of “bacha bazi boys,” whose pimps were paid so the boys would sing, then dance, then submit to anal sex with the police recruits. Read all about it here, along with more info on DynCorp doing the same kind of thing in the ’90s when we paid them to train people in Bosnia.  The leaked cable also makes clear that our government put pressure on journalists to not report on the “party.” See the leaked cable here.

Read the rest.

And check out the Frontline video below. Click here for more info on this program, and to see it in its entirety.





[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]