Registration for the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) Opens December 1!

Registration, abstract and programme activity submissions for the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), to be held from 22 to 27 July 2012 in Washington, D.C., open December 1 online at www.aids2012.org.

More than 25,000 participants and 2,000 journalists from approximately 200 countries are expected to convene at the conference, which is predicted to be a landmark event in the history of HIV and AIDS both in the United States and globally.

“Turning the Tide Together”, the theme of the conference, emphasises that we have reached a pivotal moment in time and that seizing this potential and actually turning the tide on HIV and AIDS will require commitment and action on many levels. The conference will be an important and high profile opportunity to reflect on the tension between recent scientific advances which could theoretically end the epidemic, and the current global economic crisis which threatens the funding necessary to implement this scientific knowledge.

“In the last couple of years we have seen some incredibly important breakthroughs in science,” said. Elly Katabira, International Chair of AIDS 2012 and President of the International AIDS Society (IAS). “The results of the CAPRISA trial presented at AIDS 2010 and the data from IAS 2011 proving beyond a doubt that treatment is prevention have shown us that we now have the real potential to change the direction of HIV. Science has provided us with the tools, what we need now is a global political and economic commitment to action. A turbulent economic climate must not halt funding for research and implementation”.

The return of the International AIDS Conference to the United States after more than 20 years represents a victory for public health and human rights and it is the result of dedicated advocacy to end the nation’s misguided entry restrictions on people living with HIV.

“Hosting AIDS 2012 in the U.S will be an occasion to highlight the disparities in access to treatment and care which exist in the country.” said Diane Havlir, Local Co-Chair of AIDS 2012. “We hope for a broad and active participation from all of those affected by the HIV epidemic, particularly people living with HIV and AIDS, policy-makers and key affected populations”.

Together with delegate and media registration, 1 December is the opening day for online abstract submissions. Over half of all conference sessions will be abstract-driven and all of the submissions will go through an extensive peer-reviewed process in order to guarantee the highest caliber of state-of-the-art science. The online abstract submission closes on 15 February 2012 and reopens on 19 April 2012 for late breaker abstract submissions.

In addition to the conference sessions, AIDS 2012 will feature a set of workshops open to delegates. Workshops will fall under professional development, community skills and leadership skills. Online submissions for workshops open on 1 December 2011 and close on 15 February 2012.

AIDS 2012 will host a Global Village, open to conference delegates and the general public, aimed at intensifying the involvement of key affected populations and other stakeholders in the conference. The conference also presents a Youth Programme with the goal of strengthening the participation of young people and youth issues in the conference through activities such as youth-driven sessions. From today it is possible to submit applications for both the Global Village and the Youth Programme. Both the submissions close on 15 February 2012.

With over 7,000 square metres of prime exhibition space AIDS 2012 offers both commercial and non-commercial organizations the opportunity to showcase their products and services to a wide public. Exhibitor applications open on December 1 and close on 25 May 2012. Exhibition space is limited so early bookings are strongly encouraged.

Various satellite meetings will take place in the conference centre during AIDS 2012. These satellite meetings are fully organized and coordinated by the organization hosting the satellite. The satellite slots are available for a fee and the applications open on 1 December and close on 31 March 2012.


From 8 December online applications for scholarships will be open. The International and Media Scholarship Programme is open to everyone around the world and is aimed at making the conference accessible to people from resource-limited settings and communities. Priority is given to those whose participation will help enhance their work in their own communities. A limited number of scholarships will be also available for media representatives.

More information on registration process and registration fees is available here: http://www.aids2012.org/Default.aspx?pageId=368


[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.]

IAC 2012: No Progress on Visas for Drug Users or Sex Workers

Via Housing Works.

One year from the International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., prospects are looking dim for sex workers and drug users who want to attend.

The International AIDS Society has announced that it will release a document in August that details the U.S. visa process for IAC 2012. That document will describe entry restrictions for sex workers and drug users, and it will provide instructions on how to apply for a waiver if a delegate’s visa is denied. IAS will post that information here.

Still no obvious solutions

Strict U.S. regulations that block entry for people who admit to sex work or drug use could keep hundreds from participating in the world’s largest gathering on HIV/AIDS. Recognizing the key role these individuals play in charting the future of the fight against the disease, the IAS formed a working group to troubleshoot avenues for getting marginalized groups into the country.

The working group, however, has already explored—and discarded—a number of options. In June, it released a document stating that it will not lobby to change U.S. immigration policy before the conference.

The group did meet with U.S. officials to ask the federal government to issue a blanket waiver for all conference delegates who are denied a visa. The U.S. government rejected that proposal, and immigration authorities will have to review each waiver individually—a process that will cost delegates both time and money.

Read the rest 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.]

2011 LGBT Pride Month: Obama's Proclamation

Via The Bilerico Project.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release - May 31, 2011

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2011

-------

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

The story of America's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community is the story of our fathers and sons, our mothers and daughters, and our friends and neighbors who continue the task of making our country a more perfect Union. It is a story about the struggle to realize the great American promise that all people can live with dignity and fairness under the law. Each June, we commemorate the courageous individuals who have fought to achieve this promise for LGBT Americans, and we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Since taking office, my Administration has made significant progress towards achieving equality for LGBT Americans. Last December, I was proud to sign the repeal of the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. With this repeal, gay and lesbian Americans will be able to serve openly in our Armed Forces for the first time in our Nation's history. Our national security will be strengthened and the heroic contributions these Americans make to our military, and have made throughout our history, will be fully recognized.

My Administration has also taken steps to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans in Federal housing programs and to give LGBT Americans the right to visit their loved ones in the hospital. We have made clear through executive branch nondiscrimination policies that discrimination on the basis of gender identity in the Federal workplace will not be tolerated. I have continued to nominate and appoint highly qualified, openly LGBT individuals to executive branch and judicial positions. Because we recognize that LGBT rights are human rights, my Administration stands with advocates of equality around the world in leading the fight against pernicious laws targeting LGBT persons and malicious attempts to exclude LGBT organizations from full participation in the international system. We led a global campaign to ensure "sexual orientation" was included in the United Nations resolution on extrajudicial execution -- the only United Nations resolution that specifically mentions LGBT people -- to send the unequivocal message that no matter where it occurs, state-sanctioned killing of gays and lesbians is indefensible. No one should be harmed because of who they are or who they love, and my Administration has mobilized unprecedented public commitments from countries around the world to join in the fight against hate and homophobia.

At home, we are working to address and eliminate violence against LGBT individuals through our enforcement and implementation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We are also working to reduce the threat of bullying against young people, including LGBT youth. My Administration is actively engaged with educators and community leaders across America to reduce violence and discrimination in schools. To help dispel the myth that bullying is a harmless or inevitable part of growing up, the First Lady and I hosted the first White House Conference on Bullying Prevention in March. Many senior Administration officials have also joined me in reaching out to LGBT youth who have been bullied by recording "It Gets Better" video messages to assure them they are not alone.

This month also marks the 30th anniversary of the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has had a profound impact on the LGBT community. Though we have made strides in combating this devastating disease, more work remains to be done, and I am committed to expanding access to HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Last year, I announced the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. This strategy focuses on combinations of evidence-based approaches to decrease new HIV infections in high risk communities, improve care for people living with HIV/AIDS, and reduce health disparities. My Administration also increased domestic HIV/AIDS funding to support the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and HIV prevention, and to invest in HIV/AIDS-related research. However, government cannot take on this disease alone. This landmark anniversary is an opportunity for the LGBT community and allies to recommit to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and continuing the fight against this deadly pandemic.

Every generation of Americans has brought our Nation closer to fulfilling its promise of equality. While progress has taken time, our achievements in advancing the rights of LGBT Americans remind us that history is on our side, and that the American people will never stop striving toward liberty and justice for all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2011 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

[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.]

D.C. brings HIV testing to the DMV

From the Washington Post, by Nikita Stewart

As of Tuesday this week, getting tested for HIV in the District will be as easy as renewing a driver's license.

In what District officials say is the first effort of its kind in the nation, the city will partner with a nonprofit group to offer free HIV testing at the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Penn Branch in southeast Washington. Participants will receive up to $15 to help defray their DMV costs.

"We wanted to have a broad audience and a captive audience. You're captive at the DMV." -Angela Fulwood Wood, chief operations officer of the Family and Medical Counseling Service

The year-long project would be another way to reach residents in a city where a 2008 epidemiology update concluded that 3 percent of the population had HIV/AIDS. That is well above the 1 percent considered to be a general epidemic, advocates for prevention and city officials said.

Read the rest

Elevated HIV Prevalence Despite Lower Rates of Sexual Risk Behaviors

from AIDS Patient Care and STDs, by Magnus et al.

The District of Columbia (DC) has among the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the United States, with 3.2% of the population and 7.1% of black men living with HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this study was to examine HIV risk behaviors in a community-based sample of men who have sex with men (MSM) in DC.

Data were from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system. MSM who were 18 years were recruited via venue-based sampling between July 2008 and December 2008. Behavioral surveys and rapid oral HIV screening with Western blot confirmation on positives were collected. Factors associated with HIV positivity and unprotected anal intercourse were identified. Of 500 MSM, 35.6% were black. Of all men, 14.1% were confirmed HIV positive; 41.8% of these were newly identified HIV positive. Black men (26.0%) were more likely to be HIV positive than white (7.9%) or Latino/Asian/other (6.5%) men. Black men had fewer male sex partners than non-black, fewer had ever engaged in intentional unprotected anal sex, and more used condoms at last anal sex. Black men were less likely to have health insurance, have been tested for HIV, and disclose MSM status to health care providers. Despite significantly higher HIV/AIDS rates, black MSM in DC reported fewer sexual risks than non-black.

These findings suggest that among black MSM, the primary risk of HIV infection results from nontraditional sexual risk factors, and may include barriers to disclosing MSM status and HIV testing. There remains a critical need for more information regarding reasons for elevated HIV among black MSM in order to inform prevention programming.

Read more.

Congressional Briefing for PrEP Scheduled on December 4th

Yesterday, amFAR announced it will hold a congressional briefing on PrEP on December 4th at the Capitol in Washington D.C. The presentation, entitled "Preparing for PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis): Policy Implications of a Prevention Pill for HIV/AIDS," is open to the public, and will feature leading medical researchers in the field of PrEP.

Moderating the meeting will be Susan J. Blumenthal, Senior Policy and Medical Advisor at The Foundation for AIDS Research and Former Assistant Surgeon General of the United States. Among others, panelists include Robert Grant of the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, Carl Dieffenbach, Director of the Division of AIDS at the National Institutes of Health, and Richard Wolitski, Acting Director of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Division for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The briefing is open to the public, so if you're in the D.C. area on December 4th, you can RSVP by clicking here: rsvp.policyoffice@amfar.org or by calling (202) 331-8600.