From Blackvoicesnews.com….

The second of a two-part series examining the high rates of new HIV infection among Black gay and bisexual men.  Part 1 described the new data detailing the dramatic increases in new infections, examined some of the reasons driving the numbers and described the CDC’s new social-marketing initiative, designed to encourage testing among Black MSM.

In light of the persistent increase in new infections among MSM (men who have sex with men)–and despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new testing initiative–a consensus has emerged among prominent Black gay men who have leadership positions in HIV/AIDS policy, prevention and public health: A larger investment is needed from public and private sources, as well as a more “holistic” approach to Black gay men’s sexual health.

Read the full article on Blackvoicesnews.com.

From michiganmessenger.com …

The federal government Monday announced more than $1.89 billion in funding to states to fight the HIV epidemic with access to care and with more cash for the failing AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

According to an HHS press release, $813 million of that money will go directly to the ADAP programming. An additional $8,386,340 will be issued as a supplement to 36 states and territories currently facing a litany of unmet needs and access issues. The additional money is designed to help those programs reduce or eliminate their waiting lists. They also released an additional $40 million to assist states and territories currently refusing coverage for people in need to reduce the number of people waiting.

To read the full article, go to michiganmessenger.com.

National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is observed each year on September 27 to focus on the continuing serious and disproportionate effects of the human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) on gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex  with men (MSM) in the United States. In 2008, an estimated 580,000 MSM were living with HIV infection.

Based on these findings, sexually active MSM might benefit from more frequent HIV testing (e.g., every 3 to 6 months). CDC is using the 2011 National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day as an opportunity to highlight this information for gay men and their health-care providers. Additional information is available at http:/www.cdc.gov/msmhealth.

Search for free testing near you by clicking on the “find testing” tab above. You can also email us at PMS@stophiv.pitt.edu for more information.

The first of a two-part series by writer and commentator Rod McCullom examining what can be done to reverse the high rates of new HIV infection among Black gay and bisexual men…

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The number of new HIV cases in the United States has remained fairly stable at about 50,000 per year between 2006 and 2009, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that was published in early August in the online scientific journal PLoS ONE.

Predictably, the epidemic continues to affect Black America disproportionately: Forty-four percent of all new infections occurred among African Americans, who make up only about 13 percent of the population.  And gay and bisexual men, who make up only an estimated two percent of the population, accounted for 61 percent of all new HIV infections in 2009.  Young Black gay and bi men–“men who have sex with men” (MSM), in public health jargon–ages 13 to 29 experienced the greatest increases, with infection rates skyrocketing by more than 48 percent.

But government researchers described the soaring seroconversions among young Black MSM as “alarming.”  “The data is not surprising because we’ve been talking about young Black gay and bisexual men for some time,” says A. Cornelius Baker, a member of the Presidential Advisory Council HIV/AIDS (PACHA), the senior communications consultant at AED Center on AIDS & Community Health and board chair of the Black AIDS Institute.  “Now we have an opportunity to make some progress with bold and comprehensive strategies.”

Contunue reaeding the article at Balckvoicenews.com.

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Rod McCullom blogs on politics, pop culture and Black gay news at rod20.com. His commentary appears in Ebondy, The Advocate, ColorLines and other popular media.

From 365gay.com…

Future  doctors aren’t learning much about the unique health needs of gays and  lesbians, a survey of medical school deans suggests.On  average, the schools devoted five hours in the entire curriculum to  teaching content related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender  patients, according to the survey results appearing in Wednesday’s  Journal of the American Medical Association. A third of the schools had  none during the years students work with patients.

More  than a quarter of the medical school deans said their school’s coverage  of 16 related topics was “poor” or “very poor.” The topics included sex  change surgery, mental health issues and HIV-AIDS. While  nearly all medical schools taught students to ask patients if they  “have sex with men, women or both” while obtaining a sexual history, the  overall curriculum lacked deeper instruction to help “students carry  that conversation as far as it needs to go,” said lead author Dr. Juno  Obedin-Maliver of the University of California, San Francisco.

Got to 365gay.com for the full story.

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From Colorlines.com…

When the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released its latest estimates of HIV infection earlier this month, it made unexpected headlines with a startling finding: 30 years into the epidemic, researchers have found a burgeoning epidemic among young black gay and bisexual men. This week, at the agency’s massive annual convening of HIV prevention scientists and experts, federal health officials rolled out a rare national campaign targeting black gay men.

According to the CDC, new infections among black gay and bisexual men under 30 years old shot up by 48 percent in recent years, rising from an estimated new 4,500 infections in 2006 to an estimated 6,500 in 2009. The findings—which also confirmed the U.S. continues to log 50,000 new cases a year overall, roughly half of which are among African Americans—prompted many to ask the perennial question: Why is this happening and what can be done about it?

The CDC has pointed to several factors, including limited access to both HIV testing and sexual health education, stigma surrounding HIV and homosexuality that has gone unchallenged in communities of color and a higher incidence rate of other sexual transmitted illnesses, which have been show to facilitate transmission of HIV.

Richard Wolitski, a deputy director in the CDC’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Division, spoke with Colorlines.com about the Testing Makes Us Stronger campaign and the CDC’s concern over the increase in HIV infection rates among black gay and bisexual men.

 Read the full article at Colorlines.com.

From LifeSiteNews.com:

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 8, 2011  – The American Psychological Association (APA) has re-affirmed its support for same-sex “marriage” for the eighth consecutive year, this time with a more strongly-worded statement.

On the eve of this year’s annual convention, the association’s policymaking body supported same-sex “marriage” unanimously in a 157-0 vote.

The APA has backed “marriage” for homosexual couples since 2004, and marriage-like benefits since 1997, and now calls itself “a strong advocate for full equal rights for LGBT people for nearly 35 years.”

This year’s resolution is the first new wording of the association’s position since 2004, and includes stronger support for same-sex “marriage” by both asserting the possibility of long-term gay relationships as well as criticizing the stress that traditional marriage campaigns cause gays.

One APA official indicated that the recent spread of gay “marriage” in America, most notably in New York last month, has made the association’s public support for normalizing same-sex “marriage” more bold.

Read the full article.

From the New York Times:

WASHINGTON — In the first comprehensive count of domestic partner benefits by a federal government agency, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that about one-third of all workers had access to health care benefits for same-sex partners.

 Bureau officials added two questions about domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples to the National Compensation Survey, a sample of 17,000 businesses and local governments, as a response to growing public interest in the topic, said Philip Doyle, assistant commissioner at the agency. The results were made public on Tuesday.

 Thirty-three percent of state and local government employees had access to domestic partner health benefits for same-sex couples, the survey found, slightly higher than the 29 percent of employees in private companies.

 Gary Gates, a demographer at the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the data collection “reflects contemporary reality of what constitutes a compensation package.” It will also allow researchers to track whether laws on same-sex marriage affect the availability of domestic partner benefits.

To read the full article, you can go to the New York Times online.

From the Washington Blade:

The good news for older gay men is there are now many more ways to network, some may say, “hook up” with other guys, older and younger. In the past, one of the few places to meet someone was in a gay bar; today there are many more opportunities. Besides social clubs like Prime Timers, Metro Retirees or SAGE-DC, there is an explosion of social networking websites. One of the most popular for older guys is called “Silver Daddies” where all kinds of men from around the world can get to know each other.

And, of course one of the other factors enhancing the erotic life of older men is the introduction of “the little blue pill” — Viagra. The problem is not finding someone to have a sexual relationship with; the problem is keeping it safe.

With this new level of sexual freedom for gay male seniors comes the bad news in the reality of increases in HIV and other STD rates within this group.

Read the rest of the article on the Washington Blade Website.

From the Huffington Post:

For the first time, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations will be included in the National Health Interview Survey — one of the key sources used to gauge the health of Americans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday morning that it will add questions on sexual orientation to the survey by 2013 and begin efforts to collect data on gender identity.

In a statement, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius hailed the move as essential to helping policymakers and researchers identify health issues among LGBT populations, for which there is notoriously little data.

Read the full article on the Huffington Post.

From the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association:

NEWS RELEASE
June 27, 2011

New York, NY, June 27, 2011 – With the New York State now the sixth – and largest – state to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a policy position declaring that excluding same-sex couples from marriage is “discriminatory” and reaffirming existing AMA policy to support relationship recognition of gay and lesbian couples as a means of addressing health disparities faced by those couples and their families.

“With this deliberate policy statement by the American Medical Association, the nation’s doctors diagnose the pain and injury that exclusion from marriage inflicts on lesbian and gay couples, their children, and loved ones – and make clear that ending marriage discrimination is the cure,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry. “The AMA now joins every other mainstream public health organization in America in making the case for providing the freedom to marry – and the critical safety-net that comes with marriage – to loving, committed same-sex couples.”

The policy, H-65.973 Health Care Disparities in Same-Sex Partner Households, was adopted the AMA on Monday, June 20th, and states: Our American Medical Association: (1) recognizes that denying civil marriage based on sexual orientation is discriminatory and imposes harmful stigma on gay and lesbian individuals and couples and their families; (2) recognizes that exclusion from civil marriage contributes to health care disparities affecting same-sex households; (3) will work to reduce health care disparities among members of same-sex households including minor children; and (4) will support measures providing same-sex households with the same rights and privileges to health care, health insurance, and survivor benefits, as afforded opposite-sex households.

To read the full press release, go to the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association Website.