Monday, December 31, 2007
Mark it in lipstick - Freedom to Marry Week is February 10th to 16th
Every year, right around Pres. Lincoln's Birthday and Valentine's Day, gay and non-gay people around the country gather to celebrate our lives, our loves, our families and the victories of our movement from the year before. Freedom to Marry Day, Tuesday, February 12th, is a day to celebrate and share our stories, reflect on the values of equality and love, while also engaging our neighbors in the movement for equality and fairness.
Thanks to Dc's David Mariner for putting this on the LifeLube radar.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Gay Health Group Given Grant To Fight Meth Use
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: December 28, 2007 - 1:00 pm ET
(New York City) Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the world’s oldest HIV/AIDS organization, has been awarded $303,000 in federal funds to fight the growing role of crystal methamphetamine use in the HIV/AIDS epidemic on a national level.
The appropriation, signed by President Bush, was sponsored by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Hillary
Clinton (D-NY).
Studies have shown rising rates of crystal meth use among gay men and men who have sex with men over the last few years. Various studies show a clear link between crystal meth use and unsafe sex.
In a 2004 study conducted by the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors and the National Coalition of STD Directors, crystal meth users were more than twice as likely to be HIV infected, nearly twice as likely to contract gonorrhea, and five times as likely as non-crystal users to be diagnosed with syphilis.
Though crystal meth is most commonly smoked, injection use is on the rise. This is disturbing because of the increased potential for HIV transmission through shared needles, said Dr. Marjorie J. Hill, GMHC’s Chief Executive Officer.
Hill said that GMHC views its first-ever federal appropriation as a unique and unprecedented opportunity in the agency’s work to reach out to individuals who are struggling with crystal meth use and provide them with the information and tools to help them prevent becoming infected with HIV and other STIs.
“HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men in the United States are up 13% since 2001. In New York City, infections among young MSM are up by one third.
Crystal meth is one factor fueling this rise in HIV infections among gay men,” said Janet Weinberg, Senior Managing Director of Development and Legislative Funding.
“This funding will allow us to warn people of the risks of crystal meth before they start using and to get users into treatment.”
The legislation also flat-funded domestic abstinence-only-until-marriage education at $176 million for Fiscal Year 2008. The administration had sought an additional $28 million for the program.
“We’re disappointed that this omnibus bill still contains millions for harmful and ineffective abstinence-only-until-marriage education and still contains the restriction banning the use of federal funds for syringe exchange,” said Sean Cahill, Managing Director for Public Policy, Research and Community Health at GMHC.
N-9 contraceptives must carry warning label... but not condoms
[LifeLube tip - check that condom before you buy it or use it. If it contains nonoxynol-9, N-9, as many Trojan and Lifestyle brand condoms do... don't use it! Instead, use a condom that doesn't have this dangerous ingredient! Buy and use Durex, Kimono and Johnson and Johnson brand condoms - none of which have N-9.]
The federal Food and Drug Administration is adopting a new rule that will require warning labels on contraceptive products that contain the spermicide nonoxynol-9 but the federal agency is delaying the establishment of a similar rule on condoms containing N-9.
"It's still not sufficient," said Judy Auerbach, the deputy executive director of science and public policy for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
Echoed Anna Forbes, the deputy director for Global Campaign for Microbicides, "It seems to me that they are completely stalling about this."
The FDA is considering labeling requirements for N-9 condoms separately because it classifies condoms as "medical devices." The two major manufacturers of N-9 condoms, Church and Dwight, the makers of the Trojan brand, and Ansell, the maker of the LifeStyles brand, wrote to the FDA suggesting that warning consumers about N-9 condoms could be confusing and could cause fewer consumers to use condoms at all.
That objection was the major factor in causing the FDA to delay N-9 labeling rules.
Citing that objection, the FDA opted to study the issue further. The first phase of the study will be completed by February and the second phase, which will take about 17 weeks, will begin after the FDA analyzes the first study, according to FDA spokeswoman Peper Long.
A number of organizations, including the Global Campaign for Microbicides and SFAF, have called for the removal of N-9 from condoms.
Read the rest in the Bay Area Reporter.Talk Amongst Ourselves
John Peller keeps sex real, only on LifeLube
“You’re negative.”
Right before Christmas, I got my HIV test results back from my doctor. Negative. For the 11th year in a row.
How should I react to the news? Should I run down the hall at the office shouting the news? How would my HIV-positive friends and colleagues react? Would they feel alienated? Judged?
Miss LifeLube in the office next door once commented, “We don’t do enough to 
celebrate gay men who stay negative.” He’s right. Partly, I think it’s because we sometimes don’t even know if it’s right to share the news.
I’ve never enjoyed taking it up the rear, so right there, the biggest risk factor for HIV is off the plate. No matter how much lube I use or how patient I am, it’s excruciating. Yeah, know I’m missing out, but it just ain’t for me. In the biz, we call this “strategic positioning”, a risk-reduction strategy that gay men can use to reduce the risk of HIV infection (but not STDs).
The fact that I’m white takes another risk factor off the plate. There are a number of individual, interpersonal and social/structural factors that play into risk (as much as whether you use a condom or not) and that disproportionately affect black gay men (check out Greg Millett’s presentation for more on this).
My mental health is under control, and I don’t have a substance abuse problem – two more risk factors that, thankfully, don’t apply to me. And because I have a partner (yes, we play around, with some rules), I don’t mess around with other guys – much.
But the temptation to fuck guys bareback is omnipresent. Neg, poz, didn’t ask/didn’t know… bang bang and four days later, the dripping began.
This year, I walked away with an STD that took two courses of antibiotics to clear up. Oh, and then there was that staph infection. And that other one.
Let’s be honest about this. Yes, I did something I wished I hadn’t done that put me at risk for HIV. There’s lots of things I regret and shouldn’t do. I overeat, despite more junk in my trunk than J-Lo. I ignored that “no right on red” sign yesterday. I jaywalk all the time. Sometimes I don’t recycle. I don’t floss every night. My cholesterol is high, but I still eat cheese. I’m not perfect, and I’m betting you, my dear, aren’t perfect either. Maybe if we talked more openly about those slip-ups and why we have them, we’d be better able to make sure they
don’t happen again.
I’m dead set on making sure I never hear the words, “You’re positive” from my doctor. No way, no how. No matter how much I hate using them, this will be my personal Year of The Condom—Every Time, Every Body. More than a quarter-century into the AIDS epidemic, condoms are the only option we gay men have, and Laura Bush and her As and Bs don’t work for me. All I got is the C. Let’s hear it for rectal microbicides!
I want to find a way to talk about being negative and staying negative. Not how I’ve managed to do it, because it’s nothing but my rosebud that just won’t open, the accident of birth as a white man, and the luck of having a job with health insurance that allows me to manage my mental health. Oh, and a partner who I love who keeps me at home cuddling most nights instead of prowling the back alleys for a quickie.
I want to talk about what it means to be HIV-negative and to stay that way. I want to talk about it in a way that doesn’t alienate gay men who are HIV-positive, but includes them in the dialogue. After all, us neg guys have a lot to learn from them, beyond what happened on “that night”. When you strip away the +/- labels, we are all gay men trying to strengthen our community.
So, come on fellas, let’s talk. Leave a comment below, or email me.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Sex addicted, moi?
by Dr. Justin Varney
Only on LifeLube
For the last year or so I have been a single gay man enjoying the bounty that is gay life in a global city. I have worked my market of chub-chaser in at least two continents and met a wide range of truly sensual, sexual and inspiring lovers,
hook-ups and flirtations. (Those of you who have read my blog posts before will be having flash backs to ice cream, virgin boys and very messy hotel rooms). I have enjoyed my sex life and been fulfilled by porn, people and on the rare occasion toys, yet life has suddenly changed….
About a month ago I hooked up with a guy who thoroughly charmed me, the sex had a real connection and he was both good looking and intelligent, a deadly combination. We met a couple more times and then he asked me out to see the Spice Girls in concert. We held hands as the crowds went wild for Posh, Scary, Sporty and Ginger Spice and that night we did a bit of bump and grind of our own. He delayed his trip home for Christmas to spend the night wrapped up on the sofa watching Ru Paul kick ass in Starbooty and in the morning I dropped him at the station knowing that the next ten days I’d be without him. The romantics amongst you will be going awwwww and even the
cynics may be thinking that this bicycle has a new tire, but it isn’t all plain sailing….
About three weeks into this dating, are we, aren’t we phase, I changed almost all of my web profiles to say I wasn’t looking to hook up anymore and was waiting to see if this went somewhere. I didn’t make a big deal about it, I just changed them and sat back and waited for signs from him that this was more than just hooking up and romantic dinner dates. In bed after sex I’d drop hints that I wanted more and that maybe we should become bf’s, he’d joke that it wasn’t like that and he just wanted to see where it goes, so hence my slightly puppy like brain goes into overdrive and all my negative self esteem issues come out to play….
Now I’m six days into the enforced celibacy and going slightly stir crazy. For the last year I have had sex on average once or twice a week, either in real life or on webcam. Now in the evenings I come home and log on and wonder what to do. Part of me still desires the hunt for sex and wants to hook up with another random stranger for a few hours fun, part of me wants to try this monogamy thing and see if I can hack it and make this into the relationship that part of me has always craved.
Sex addiction isn’t something that we discuss much in the 
list and discussed what was different between being addicted and being a stereotypical gay man.
I always struggled with the term but I can honestly say that at the moment I am struggling with withdrawal from the hunt for sex and the act itself. I miss those moments of tenderness, the adventure of capturing a guy and slowly stripping each other, exploring and finding new ways to pleasure each other……cold turkey is not easy……..I think when I look in the mirror I am looking at a man who is addicted to sex, to pleasure, to indulgence and hedonism.
Closing this chapter of the book will not be easy and I’m not sure how to tell the man, I might well be falling in love with, that he may fall in love with a flawed and damaged individual who has a past that might make Mata Hari blush.
I don’t regret my lifestyle, nor do I think its bad, I enjoyed the sex and the practice has helped me develop a wide range of skills in and out of the bedroom that hopefully will make my love life fun and pleasurable for both partners if this does turn out to be ‘the one’. I’m sure this period will pass and there are worse things to find out that you are addicted to, at least this one keeps my heart rate pounding and my pelvic floor intact….
Read more LifeLube posts from from Justin.
Data show mixed value of Prometa
[Read more LifeLube posts on Prometa.]
SEAN ROBINSON; The News Tribune (Tacoma)
Published: December 23rd, 2007 01:00 AM
The record of success is uneven. The stock price is sinking in a morass of government scrutiny and media skepticism. The hype machine is running on fumes.
It's been a rocky two months for Prometa, the anti- addiction treatment regimen hailed by some as a life-changer, scoffed at by others who doubt its reputed virtues.
The slide started Oct. 24, when Pierce County auditors released a report debunking Prometa's claimed effectiveness in the local drug court.
Members of the Pierce County Council later voted to cut county funding for the program, though it's still backed by state funding.
In the aftermath, Hythiam Inc., Prometa's parent company in Santa Monica, Calif., endured tough local and national media coverage, capped by a Dec. 7 report on the "60 Minutes" television news program.
Hythiam stock is sucking air in the fallout. It's lost almost two-thirds of its value in eight weeks. On Oct. 23, it was trading for $8.56 a share. Friday, it struggled to stay above $3.
For Terren Peizer, Hythiam's chairman and CEO (right), who owns about 13.7 million shares of company stock, that represents a loss of more than $75 million.
NO COMMENT FROM HYTHIAM
The first quarter of 2008 could be Prometa's make-or-break moment.
Results from several studies of the treatment are due to arrive, including a preliminary evaluation by the University of Washington, which is studying Pierce County's Prometa program.
The News Tribune took a closer look at Prometa's performance in drug courts around the country, seeking records of results and assessments from court leaders. Hythiam officials were also consulted, but they declined to answer questions.
"I don't think we are going to be able to comment at this time,"
spokeswoman Rachel Carr said in an e-mail Tuesday.
Read the rest of this story.
Read more LifeLube posts on Prometa.
BONUS - Check out LifeLuber Jim Pickett spouting off about Prometa on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet here, and afterwards in the Green Room here.
Poppers, BOOTY SEX and HIV
viaTerrence Higgins Trust
Studies show men who sniff poppers when getting fucked without a condom are more likely to get HIV (compared to men who do the same thing but without poppers). Possible reasons could be;
- poppers open blood vessels wider, causing more blood to go into the arse. This could make it easier for HIV to get through these blood vessels, especially if using poppers makes the inside of the arse more likely to bleed during anal sex
- men who use poppers might be more likely to have rougher sex (with more bleeding)
- some researchers think poppers might weaken the immune system for a few days, leaving someone more open to picking up HIV. But others believe poppers don’t do this.
The Gay Harlem Globetrotters are Coming to Chicago! One Night Only - January 17, 2008.
It's the Trocks, baby!
I have loved The Trocks ever since I was a little, baby fag (I think I saw 
them on Ed Sullivan or Johnny Carson) and have been trying to get them to Chicago for several years (their international touring schedule has really made this really challenging, so we’re thrilled that they’re finally coming!).To me, they’re like the gay Harlem Globtrotters, and they truly embody that elusively clever mix of being brilliantly subtle and outrageously comic all in loving homage and campy mockery of classic dance. It’s been said before that if you love dance, you’ll love The Trocks. And, if you hate dance you’ll love them even more!
- Steve
Steve Abrams is General Manager of Harris Theater for Music and Dance, located in Millennium Park, Chicago. And, even more impressively, he is a longtime galpal of LifeLube and friends.
The Harris Theater for Music and Dance and The AIDS Foundation of Chicago will present Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the all-male professional ballet company, for one night only Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the performance, which range from $40 - $75, are on sale now at the 
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
How can sex make the world a better place?
About.com:Sexuality - one of our fav spots on the web - is currently asking a bunch of folks the question from the headline. Here is the answer that was posted today - which we love, love, love. Check the site for more thoughts on the subject in the coming days.
From Miriam Kaufman:
Sex makes the world a better place because it gives us something to talk and laugh about. It is an area where we all feel vulnerable, which can be a good thing, because it gives us commonality (it can also make the world a worse place, because many people think they are the only ones who are vulnerable and can get kind of weird about it).
When sex is pleasurable, it can relieve pain, distract us, bring us closer to others and make us feel better about life, all of which are good for the world. When a person is recognized as a sexual being, with the right to control their sexual expression, then they feel empowered and know that others see them as unique individuals rather than objects to be used.
If we could have an hour or two when everyone had consensual sex (either with themselves or others), that would be a period of time when there would be no killing, no war, less pain and hunger, less fear and a liberation for all.
~ Dr. Miriam Kaufman
Author, pediatrician and public educator Miriam Kaufman is a highly sought after speaker and a regular contributor to the national media. Most recently Miriam is the co-author of The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability.
Nepal's sexual minorities emerge as 2007's winners
Hindustan Times, 22 Dec 2007
With its political parties failing to provide good governance and hold elections, and the Maoists continuing with violence despite signing a peace pact, Nepal's gay community has emerged as the only winners of the year that saw the country suffering from a series of dismal failures.
The most remarkable gain for the homosexual, lesbian and transgender community came at the fag end of the year with the Supreme Court acknowledging their right to be treated at par with men and women.
Read the rest.
Uruguay approves gay civil unions
Via Fridae
Uruguay becomes the first country in Roman Catholic-dominated Latin America to legalise civil unions for same-sex couples in a nationwide measure.
Although several cities in Latin America already have gay civil union laws on the books, Uruguay is the first to recognise same-sex civil unions countrywide.
Read the rest.
Monday, December 24, 2007
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