Give Some LOVE to IRMA for Give OUT Day

Condoms are getting some help! 

Dear IRMA members and readers of this blog -

Give OUT Day shines a spotlight on organizations that empower LGBTQ communities across the country, and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is among these charities.

We’re using this campaign to highlight the next generation of HIV prevention: rectal microbicides. Though they’re still in development, these agents can be added to things like lubricants that will prevent the transmission of HIV, revolutionizing the way we protect ourselves and others. Condoms are getting some help!

This will greatly benefit gay and bisexual men, transgender individuals, and women because rectal microbicides are developed specifically for anal intercourse—a common human behavior. We need to expand the ways we protect ourselves against HIV, and rectal microbicides are quite promising. With the support of AFC’s global advocacy initiative—International Rectal Microbicide Advocates—scientists have achieved an enormous amount of progress, and we’re tremendously excited about the future.

You have an opportunity to support advocacy efforts that will be instrumental in making rectal microbicides a reality for all who need them.

Learn more by downloading this podcast on rectal microbicides, and visit our Give OUT page to make a contribution today.

Thanks,
Jim Pickett
Chair, International Rectal Microbicide Advocates


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,200 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.

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Anti-HIV rectal microbicide research moves ahead

[Citizen News Service and IRMA are collaborating to amplify rectal microbicide research and advocacy, as well as IRMA-led initiatives, throughout AIDS 2012.]

via Citizens News Service, by Bobby Ramakant

It is indeed promising to note the momentum rectal microbicides research and development has attained, more so when there is a global call to end AIDS at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012). Turning the tide of HIV is not possible unless we have safe and effective HIV prevention options for women and men who practice anal sex. Just before the AIDS 2012 opened in Washington DC, the researchers at Microbicide Trial Network (MTN), University of Pittsburgh, USA, got a green signal to go ahead with a major rectal microbicide clinical trial.

According to Jim Pickett, Chair of International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA) and Director (Advocacy), AIDS Foundation of Chicago: Rectal microbicides are products currently under research – that could take the form of gels or lubricants – being developed and tested to reduce a person’s risk of HIV or other sexually transmitted infections from anal sex. The risk of becoming infected with HIV during unprotected anal sex is 10 to 20 times greater than unprotected vaginal sex because the rectal lining is only one-cell thick, the virus can more easily reach immune cells to infect.

Read the rest.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
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Rectal microbicide research gives hope for HIV protection

via Citizens News Service, by Somya Arora

According to the Microbicides Trials Network (MTN), HIV continues to disproportionately affect racial minorities and men who have sex with men (MSM). MTN estimates that 5 to 10 percent of the world’s population engages in anal sex and globally, MSM are 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population. Unprotected anal sex is the primary driver of the HIV epidemic among this population. The risk of becoming infected with HIV during unprotected anal sex is 10 to 20 times greater than unprotected vaginal sex, because the rectal lining being only one-cell thick, it allows the virus to easily reach immune cells to infect. 

“Rectal microbicides are critical to turn the tide of the AIDS pandemic as we know that unprotected anal intercourse is the riskiest of HIV related behaviours. Human beings, all over the world, regardless of gender and sexuality, have anal intercourse and a lot of this is unprotected because they do not have access to condoms and/or because of the mistaken notion that anal intercourse is safer than vaginal intercourse with regards to contracting HIV. Having more tools for protection, in addition to what we already have, I think would be absolutely critical,” says Jim Pickett, Director (Advocacy), Chicago AIDS Foundation and founder-chair of International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA).

In an update on the CHARM (Combination HIV Antiretroviral Rectal Microbicide) Program, Dr Ian McGowan, Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, and Co-principal Investigator MTN, informs that, “Microbicides are products that can be applied to the vaginal or rectal mucosa with the intent of preventing or significantly reducing the risk of acquiring Sexually Transmitted Infections including HIV. Combination antiretrovirals are more potent and more useful as rectal microbicides. The rationale behind the CHARM programme is that we need a rectal specific combination antiretroviral microbicide.”

Read the rest.


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*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.

*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.

*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.

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Meet Eva Westley: Our Newest Friendly Rectal Microbicide Advocate!

“The fact is, lots and lots of people have anal sex, and rectal microbicides just make sense in this context. This isn’t about being gay or straight or kinky or conservative. This is about the fact that people have sex in many different ways for many different reasons and everyone deserves to protect themselves and their partners from HIV and other STIs.”

Eva is an IRMA advocate from Minneapolis, MN who now lives and works in Chicago. She is a grant writer at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) - home of IRMA and Project ARM. Her efforts are a big reason IRMA and its initiatives, such as Project ARM, get funding to survive and thrive! Before this she was a Latin American Health Policy major and has travelled extensively through the region. She loves fried plantains, being a yoga teacher, and her book club!

Eva first became involved with IRMA as a grantwriting intern at AFC. She worked with Jim Pickett on a few IRMA grants and realized what an amazing advocacy group IRMA was! She has been on the listserv and looking for more ways to be involved since. Most recently, Eva attended the Project ARM meeting in Addis Ababa and provided critical on-the-ground logistics support. She says the meeting was successful beyond her expectations.

She is an advocate of rectal microbicides because the prevention options available today are not enough to protect everybody. “Rectal microbicides are important among new HIV prevention technologies not only because they would add to the diversity of prevention options, but because they would give people a way to protect themselves and their partners by building on a behavior that people already use during anal sex. Since a rectal microbicide might be developed as a lubricant, gel, or douche- and we know many people having anal sex use these types of products- they might be more acceptable prevention options,” she says. She also mentions that using these products could make anal intercourse more pleasurable, so adding rectal microbicides to them could really be very ideal!

Eva creates awareness of rectal microbicides by educating IRMA funders about their crucial role in combating HIV. She knows how important money is in the development of biomedical technologies and is excited about her role working with the key institutions that can provide it. Through AFC she also submits funding proposals for other great projects, such as female condoms, syringe exchanges, prevention justice advocacy, and more!

Eva encourages everyone to become an IRMA advocate. She says it is one of the most inspiring and rewarding aspects of her career, and she learns new things almost every day by reading the listserv. She understands that many people could face some stigma for supporting IRMA and rectal microbicides, but she knows it won’t go away until we keep talking about it and the world acknowledges sexual diversity. Her final advice for advocates: “Shine on, rectal stars!”

Thanks Eva for all that you do!


[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.]

Meet Olumide Makanjuola: Our Newest Friendly Rectal Microbicide Advocate!

“Rectal microbicides are a very important new prevention technology. They bring attention to anal intercourse and provide protection for those who practice it, regardless of their sexual identities.”

Olumide is an IRMA advocate from Lagos, Nigeria. He works at TIERs (The Initiative for Equal Rights) for the rights of LGBT people and sexual health rights. He loves his job and the inspiring people he works with.

Olumide first became involved with IRMA when he visited the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) for a week and worked with the IRMA crew (IRMA is housed at AFC.). He joined the IRMA listserv and has since been following the conversations and information shared by members every day. At first he was not sure how this would be helpful to the people he serves in Nigeria, but now he says he sees how valuable rectal mircobicides can be for the gay/MSM community and others who practice anal intercourse.

Olumide was excited to participate in the Project ARM - Africa for Rectal Microbicides meeting held in Addis Ababa this past December, in conjunction with ICASA, which brought together so much expertise and many different community perspectives to help design a road map for rectal microbicides in Africa. He says that it is a long road ahead and implementation of the agenda will be difficult, but he is confident and knows Project ARM’s goals are “surely achievable.”

Throughout his career as an advocate he has faced much stigma and discrimination; anyone standing up for the MSM or LGBT communities in Nigeria does. Sometimes in Nigeria, people think IRMA is promoting homosexuality. Olumide has to fight this stigma as well.

His advice for IRMA is to continue promoting and educating people about rectal microbicides in Africa at the grassroots level, as the Project ARM meeting concluded.

Thanks Olumide, for all that you do!


[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.]

Open Letter to FDA Urging Immediate PrEP Review

via AIDS Foundation of Chicago

This is an open letter to the Food and Drug Administration, urging the priority review of the drug Truvada for use in PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). The AIDS Foundation of Chicago and 25 other organizations signed this letter to counter the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's protest of the FDA regarding this review. To read the PDF of the letter, with footnotes, click here.

Dear Commissioner Hamburg:

We write as a coalition of 25 leading HIV/AIDS and health organizations to request that FDA grant priority review of a supplemental New Drug Application1 (sNDA) for the approval of emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada®) fixed dose combination for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of HIV infection among adults as part of a comprehensive prevention package including risk reduction counseling and condoms.

The rigorous priority review process applicable to efficacy supplements is the best means to promote public health by recognizing the potential of PrEP to offer a major advance in HIV prevention and deserving this priority “where no adequate alternate therapy exists or as a significant improvement compared to marketed products … including nondrug products or
therapies.”

Our organizations understand that granting priority review is not tantamount to a final approval. Nevertheless, we are hopeful that the full dossier of data on emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate fixed dose combination of PrEP from multiple clinical trials in different populations can lead to a responsible regulatory and marketing plan that allows safe use in the populations that may benefit from this innovative development.

The need for significantly improved safe and effective HIV prevention tools is clear. Despite many years of efforts to reduce HIV incidence using available counseling methods, some 50,000 new infections occur annually. Disparities persist so that incidence continues to concentrate among African Americans and Latinos, men who have sex with men (including transgender individuals), and the poor. These grim and stubborn facts led to the creation of the White House-directed National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States (NHAS), which lists enhanced prevention efforts as a primary objective. If emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for PrEP satisfies FDA approval criteria, health programs and individuals will have improved choices to address a domestic priority and save lives.

The PrEP sNDA for Truvada® meets criteria set out in FDA’s Manual of Policies and Procedures for priority review. As organizations committed to ending the AIDS epidemic, we appreciate how the history of FDA’s regulatory tools for fast track approval or for accelerated and priority review introduced the current suite of HIV therapeutic drugs to treat active infection. In the present case, there is a clear unmet need for new effective methods for preventing HIV infection, a need that is as urgent today as was the need for HIV therapeutics over the past two and more decades.

HIV advocacy organizations made it possible to launch such regulatory procedures for the benefit of all patient disease groups when those tools were not yet available. We are not aware of any legitimate reason to thwart the faster introduction of medicines FDA determines to be safe and effective to stop HIV, nor should anyone turn back the pages of history and act against the interests of patients to do so now. Unfortunately, recent actions by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation regarding PrEP would introduce unwarranted roadblocks in the FDA process of making responsible decisions about potentially useful medicines and public health. Those actions also foster misunderstandings of the careful balancing of risk and benefits that informs a mature marketing permission based on all available data. Those actions would also set an unhelpful precedent as PrEP research evolves in the future and the FDA is asked to review non-tenofovir-based regimens (e.g. maraviroc), microbicide gels, and intermittent PrEP. We urge that FDA continue its public health promotion goals now in the service of the critical need to prevent, as well as treat, HIV and grant this priority review.

We would be happy to discuss the priority review process as applied to HIV prevention further at your convenience. Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of AVAC, acts as the contact person for the organizations signing this letter and can be contacted at 1-212-796-6423 and mitchell@avac.org.

Yours sincerely,

AIDS Foundation of Chicago
AIDS Legal Referral Panel
AIDS Resource Center Ohio
AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta
AIDS United
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS
Research
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
AVAC: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention
Black AIDS Institute
Caracole, Inc.
Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus
Fenway Health
HIV Prevention Justice Alliance
International Rectal Microbicide Advocates
Justice Resource Institute
LA Gay and Lesbian Center
National Alliance of State and Territorial
AIDS Directors
National Black Gay Men's Advocacy
Coalition
National Latino AIDS Action Network
National Minority AIDS Council
Ohio AIDS Coalition
Project Inform
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
SisterLove, Inc.
Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown HIV/AIDS Ministry
Us Helping Us







Read the PDF of the letter (with footnotes) here.


[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.]

Don't Delay HIV Prevention for Gay and Bi Men

via The Huffington Post, by David Ernesto Munar

Lives will be saved when the Food and Drug Administration puts its stamp of approval on a groundbreaking preventative approach called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, recently found to reduce HIV infections.

With PrEP, people who are not infected with HIV take a daily pill, usually used to treat the disease, to help prevent infection -- as part of a broad HIV prevention approach that includes condoms and safer-sex counseling.

But the longer the FDA waits before beginning its review of the HIV medication Truvada for prevention, the more lives will be unnecessarily lost. This is particularly true for those at greatest risk: gay and bisexual men.

We urge the FDA to immediately begin its review for approval of Truvada for PrEP for gay and bisexual men.

Last year the iPrEX trial, touted as the scientific breakthrough of the year by TIME magazine, found that gay, bi and other men who have sex with men who took Truvada, along with counseling and condoms, had 42 percent fewer HIV infections than with counseling and condoms alone. Among those who used the prevention pill most consistently, the drop in infections was far greater.

And remember the sobering context: between 2006 and 2009, the number of young gay African-American men infected with HIV in the United States increased by 48 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

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.]

My Summer with IRMA

By Aldona Martinka, IRMA Intern

Today is my last day at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, where I had the pleasure of interning this summer. I am one of the last summer interns remaining, and the empty intern “sweatshop” surrounds me. I had the opportunity to work with AFC and IRMA, as well as with Mapping Pathways and Project CRYSP for the summer at this desk, facing a window with blinds that are always closed. The closed blinds never bothered me, though, because whenever I was at my desk my eyes were fixed on my computer screen. I know that statement does little to separate me from the rest of my generation, but there is a good reason that I did not often look away from my work: I was fascinated.

I joke with my friends that I read about sex all day for work, but it’s true. In my work with HIV, and especially in my work with IRMA, I am constantly exposed to sex. My days are spent absorbing information about it: clinical studies showing the effectiveness of antiretroviral-based prevention methods, laws that criminalize and stigmatize high-risk groups, public health efforts in deeply-affected areas, or even sexual advice for HIV-positive people looking for love in modern America. Not only that, but for IRMA much of my reading was about the sexual act that is perhaps the most taboo, anal sex, because of the high risk of transmission and the sociocultural issues surrounding it. For a shy girl from a Catholic family this was a lot to take in. I quickly adjusted, though, and as my internship comes to a close I can discuss lubricant distribution in the rectum with a straight face and a confident smile. Though initially kind of shocking, I learned so much in these past several months, and what I learned has crystallized so much for me.

I learned that there are more HIV prevention tools even than there were 4 years ago when I took sex ed in high school. Rectal and vaginal microbicides, PrEP, and treatment as prevention represent real methods of preventing HIV that should be added to condoms as tools in the global prevention toolbox. Not only are they effective enough to warrant more exploration and consideration, but they provide protection in the wide variety of cases where condoms are a less desirable option, or not an option at all. With these prevention methods sex workers, wives in patriarchal societies, members of sero-discordant couples, and many other at-risk people can be protected that may not want to or be able to use condoms for a variety of reasons.

I learned just how inextricably HIV/AIDS is linked to my other passion: human rights. I learned about how government and cultural views toward sex workers, women, and LGBT people affects everything from the availability of condoms to the accessibility of treatment, and can create many difficulties in between. I also learned about the criminalization and stigmatization of HIV-positive individuals, something which surprised and horrified me, and how the continuation of these only obstructs public health efforts.

I learned so much, but I learned one last thing of personal significance to me. I was chattering excitedly at my father about the internship portion of my upcoming semester abroad in India, and how I hoped to work with an organization there that fights HIV. He asked if I wanted to look at other internships as well, to broaden my areas of knowledge in public health. While answering that question, I realized that everything I’ve learned in this internship, all of the related issues and exciting science, had led me to this seemingly unexceptional question. “No,” I said, “I want to continue to work with HIV.” Everything about it, the human right issues, the new advances in prevention and treatment, and my personal experiences with advocacy work, have captured my attention and drawn me to the fight against AIDS. I hope to continue in the field of HIV prevention and advocacy, and my time at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago with IRMA has provided me with invaluable experience. Thank you to all of the IRMA community for allowing me this opportunity. With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work, hopefully someday no one will have to go without a way to prevent HIV, for any reason.

[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.]

"Magic" Pills and Potions - Hocus Pocus or Plus Plus?

IRMA chair Jim Pickett was part of a forum on PrEP in Seattle a few months ago called "The Magic Pill?" hosted by the wonderful Gay City Health Project. Here is his talk - live action AND slides - in two glorious parts!

[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.]

Love to the Elton John AIDS Foundation from IRMA

Once again, the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) has recognized the important work IRMA is doing, providing us with $25,000 in their latest round of 2009 grants (see blurb below.)

Many, many thanks to EJAF for their ongoing support - it is deeply appreciated. We really couldn't continue without them. And IRMA can't do this work without YOU - so thanks to each of you for making your voices heard on the importance of developing safe, effective, acceptable and accessible rectal microbicides for women and men worldwide.

AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), Chicago, IL, $25,000
This grant will support the International Rectal Microbicide Advocates’ (IRMA) global advocacy across six continents. Since AFC launched IRMA with three other North American partners in 2005, this coalition has grown to include more than 800 scientists, advocates, and policy makers promoting the research and development of safe, effective, and acceptable rectal microbicides for the women and men who need them. Through concerted global advocacy, IRMA has brought visibility, legitimacy, and respect to the emerging rectal microbicide development field and set the stage for researchers to develop these new, lifesaving tools more quickly and effectively. Thanks to support from EJAF in FY09, IRMA further expanded its reach and capacity, forming a close strategic collaboration with the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC); supporting the launch of a sister organization in Latin America, IRMA – ALC (América Latina y El Caribe, based in Lima, Peru) and in Africa through the launch of IRMA-Nigeria; and increasing its global membership by 60% since 2006. During this time, UCLA completed and reported on the first Phase I human rectal safety trial, and up to three additional Phase I rectal safety studies are about to begin. In FY10, AFC sees great potential for the rectal microbicides field, as there has never been more global recognition or support for the development of these new prevention tools.

Plenaries announced for LGBTI Health Summit

Organizers of the 2009 National LGBTI Health Summit announced that, in collaboration with the Bisexual Health Summit, five lunch time plenaries will serve as features of the Summit. The plenaries include a keynote by Cheryl Dobinson on bisexual health disparities (during the Bisexual Health Summit), a national conversation among gay mayors and LGBT liaisons from around the country, a discussion on the present and future sustainability of LGBTI health movement building, “Count Us In! How and Why To Include LGBTIs in Data Collection” a talk on LGBTI-inclusive research, and “Elder Sexual: HIV and Aging,” a dialogue on the issues of HIV and aging. The plenaries are sponsored by the Adler School of Professional Psychology, Roosevelt University, and Tibotec.

“The plenary topics illustrate many of the pressing issues in LGBTI health,” said Catherine Jefcoat, Director of the Lesbian Community Care Project at Howard Brown Health Center and a co-chair of National LGBTI Health Summit. “These four topics reflect the comprehensive nature of the Summit. We hope to use the plenaries as a catalyst for conversation and vision-setting.”

The Summit begins the morning of Friday, August 14 with a day devoted specifically to Bisexual Health and the needs, opportunities and challenges of the Bisexual Community. Saturday, August 15 kicks off the full LGBTI Health Summit which continues through Tuesday, August 18.

The full topic workshop schedule is posted on the website.


Philadelphia hosted the last National LGBTI Health Summit in 2007. This year’s Summit in Chicago – at the Chicago Hilton and Towers – will be the fourth gathering of its kind. Sponsors include Center on Halsted, Test Positive Aware Network, Chicago Hilton Hotel and Towers, the Chicago Department of Public Health’s Office of LGBT Health, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Howard Brown Health Center, Adler School of Psychology, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and Sidetrack among others. Organizers may be contacted through the Summit website www.2009lgbtihealth.org.

Microbicide advocates stress options - Chicago Free Press

via Chicago Free Press, by Amy Wooten

With over 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS across the globe, advocates stress that more prevention options are needed, and a product currently in development—microbicides—could potentially save millions of people from infection.

Microbicides have for years been in development to reduce HIV transmission, and some even aim to prevent other STDs, as well. But since the rectum and vagina are biologically very different, safe and effective microbicides for both areas need to be developed.

The rectum is what AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) Director of Advocacy and International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA) chair Jim Pickett describes as “the perfect storm” for HIV infection. Although women will primarily use vaginal microbicides, safety trials are being conducted to determine if they are safe for anal use. Both men and women will ideally utilize rectal microbicides.

According to AFC policy manager Jessica Terlikowski, Chicago has been a hub for microbicide activism.

“This is the city where microbicide advocacy has been taking place for the last 10 years,” Terlikowski said.

That is why advocates are ecstatic that an upcoming clinical trial of a vaginal microbicide gel will take place in Chicago, as well as other cities. Terlikowski said that the trial would most likely be launched this summer and added that support for microbicide research and development is on the rise.

Read the rest.

Chicago Organizers Launch 2009 National LGBTI Health Summit Website

The Chicago organizers of the 2009 National LGBT Health Summit are excited to announce the launch of their new website – a one-stop-shop for all related organizing and planning activities. The Summit is scheduled for August 14-18, 2009 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. Visit the Summit’s website here – www.2009lgbtihealth.org.

“We are delighted to welcome LGBTI health communities from across the country and around the world to Chicago this August,” said Summit co-chair Cat Jefcoat, Director of the Lesbian Community Care Project at Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC). “This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, a significant milestone in the LGBTI rights movement in the Unites States and a great time to focus on improving the health and well being of our diverse communities.”

The 2009 National LGBTI (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex) Health Summit is an event dedicated to preserving and improving the emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual, psychological, environmental, and social health and wellness of LGBTI people, a population that continues to experience significant health disparities because of its members’ sexual orientations and/or gender identities. The Summit’s theme is “Health Through the Life Course” and individuals of all ages, races, ethnicities, gender identities and professional backgrounds are encouraged to participate. Students are also welcomed!

The Bi Health Summit will be held in conjunction with the LGBTI Health Summit on August 14th, although bisexual health issues will be addressed throughout the five days in workshops and panels.

The Summit’s newly launched website allows for a range of interactive planning activities, including registration, housing, fundraising, and workshop proposal submission. It also includes information on the Bi Health Summit.

“The site offers the opportunity for our communities throughout the country and across two oceans to regularly interact with each other, offer input, and become engaged early and often in every aspect of the planning process,” said Summit co-chair Jim Pickett, Director of Advocacy at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC). “Users can participate in discussion forums, volunteer, apply for scholarships, develop ideas for programming– including social activities–and ensure the process is open and dynamic.”

Philadelphia hosted the last National LGBTI Health Summit in 2007. This year’s Summit in Chicago will be the fourth gathering of its kind. Local organizational partners currently include Center on Halsted, Test Positive Aware Network, Haymarket Center, the Chicago Department of Public Health’s Office of LGBT Health, AFC and HBHC, among others. Organizers may be contacted through the Summit website www.2009lgbtihealth.org.

Traveler's Notes: AIDS Advocacy in the Age of Obama

by David Ernesto Munar
AIDS Foundation of Chicago

via AIDS Connect

Sometimes you do your best thinking on the beach.

So it was a week after the election as I retreated from the 24-hour news cycle to relax with family in Cartagena, Colombia.

Known as the Heroic City, Cartagena readied for its annual independence parades and festivals as I arrived. The laid-back rhythms of this Caribbean colonial port helped soothe my accumulated stress. On a healthy diet of seafood and sun, I gained a renewed perspective about the significance of this transformative period in American history.

"Is he as impressive as he seems?" I was asked frequently. In this predominately multi-racial society where racism nonetheless prevails, President-elect Barack Obama inspires both a sense of pride and enormous awe in the resiliency of the American spirit.

For those of us affected by HIV/AIDS, Obama's ambitious AIDS plan portends a better future. Could our aspirations be dashed, however, under the weight of AIDS complacency and competing priorities?

AIDS advocates have good reason to be cautious. As the U.S. deployed unprecedented assistance to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, the Administration of President George W. Bush blocked lifesaving and science-based HIV prevention, divested from community-based HIV organizations, and allowed the domestic epidemic to grow without a commensurate expansion in services.

The global AIDS response, while commendable, nonetheless neglected proven harm reduction approaches, undermined access to condoms and family planning, and failed to empower women, girls, and gay/bisexual men in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

I harbor resentment that no amount of caravans, protests, facts, or organizing succeeded in dampening the Bush Administration's (and its allies') powerful and ideologically based resistance to sound HIV/AIDS policies.

After these past eight years, I'm practically programmed to be disappointed.

So I gathered with my mix of emotions – and North American newspapers – in the quiet moments of my Colombian vacation to recalibrate my thinking about our movement's next strategies and approaches.

Read the rest on AIDS Connect.