How is Byron D. Hill healthy?

I’ve learned that I am only what I do.

 

 

I am a healthy man because of my efforts to improve my thinking through the study of humanity, community and myself.

How healthy I am is relative to myself and those around me, so through understanding myself, my community, and others empathetically, I achieve not only health for myself but others. I am also healthy because I live by the mantra of doing the right thing.

“I’ve learned that I am only what I do.”

By being holistic in my deeds, my words and to myself, then, I am a healthy person

-- Byron D. Hill
Atlanta

How are you healthy?
Join in the conversation.
Tell us HERE. Send a pic to the same place.
And we'll blog it, right here.
Read past posts.
Learn more about the campaign.

Woof Wednesday

Tips for cruising the net

Hooking up online can be sexy good time, or it can be dicey/scary/deadly. There are some sick freaks out there who have no interest in getting off with you, and have other plans for your meeting.

The Center on Halsted has a great set of tips for leaving the virtual world and meeting Mister Right Now. You know, stuff like getting a face pic and phone number and first meeting in public.

Find out what a Silent Alarm is, and check out all the other great advice, here. And have a lovely time!

Black Tears: The saddest video in the world - BP killed the planet

When you find a boyfriend, can you lose the condoms?

New campaign from Terrence Higgins Trust urges gay men in relationships to 'play it safe'

via Pink News, by Christopher Brocklebank

Excerpt:

Alan Wardle, Head of Health Promotion for Terrence Higgins Trust said, "We know that for some men in a relationship, condoms can be one of the first things to go. Why do you need them if you’re in a relationship? Yet the fact is, if you’ve not talked to your partner about their sexual history and yours before you ditch the condoms, you could be at risk. We know that some men may find it difficult to discuss their sex life with their partner, but if you don’t talk about it how will you know?"

Read the whole thing. 

Video Montage - Every Goal Scored in World Cup (so far)

Monday Morning Perk-Up [Soccer Announces it is Gay]

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

Soccer Officially Announces It Is Gay

Get Your Game On, Play Smart

Rally the team
Suit up
Know your stats
PEP Talk

Play Smart trading cards were created by artists, commissioned by Visual AIDS and designed by John Chaich. It's an honest and straight-forward approach to promote harm reduction, HIV testing and post-exposure prophylaxis.

The back of each trading card features information you need to know to Get Your Game On and Play Smart.

So, you didn't use a condom - now what?

In Bed with Benny Feilhaber and “No Air”

We can't stand up for our country if we are too sick to stand

Silence Still Equals Death
via Huffington Post, by Jim Pickett

As a gay man living with HIV, I am feeling really conflicted during this month of LGBT Pride. I know I am supposed to be awash in warm, fuzzy feelings of pride and joy, and that I should have lots of parties and the big parade on my agenda.

But you know what? Not so much. 

Read the rest.

Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus to Host Historic Community Input Forum June 30

It is our hope that this forum will challenge us to take the microscope off of the individual, and really begin to zoom in on the institutions and institutional policies that impact the sexual health of the Black MSM population.

The Policy and Advocacy Committee of the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus (CBGMC), with support from the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), will host an unprecedented Community Input Forum to discuss the development of HIV/STI Prevention and Treatment Guidelines for Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chicago during Black Pride Weekend.

A collaborative effort with Chicago Windy City Black Pride and Windy City Black Pride, the forum will be held Wednesday, June 30th from 6p – 8p at the opening receptions of both pride organizations, Club Escape (1530 E. 75th Street) and Sidetrack (3349 N. Halsted), respectively. The forum will simulcast live from both locations to afford attendees the opportunity to participate in an interactive dialogue and witness what is happening at the other via large screen TVs.

“Black Pride Weekend is a key time in the City of Chicago to address and find solutions to issues that are affecting the African American LGBT community,” said Keith Green, chair of the CBGMC Policy and Advocacy Committee.  “We are excited to work with the Black Pride organizations to bring forth this groundbreaking platform on one of the most pressing issues within our community – HIV and STI prevention and treatment.  This is exciting stuff!”

The urgent need to establish HIV/STI Prevention and Treatment Guidelines for Black MSM in Chicago became apparent when, in 2009, the Chicago Department of Public Health released a report that found alarmingly higher rates of HIV in Black MSM compared to White and Latino MSM, despite the fact that there were no differences in how often they used condoms or how regularly they tested for HIV.

“There is obviously something going on at the community level that we as advocates and service providers have not tapped into,” said CBGMC Co-Chair Ariq Cabbler. It is our hope that this forum will challenge us to take the microscope off of the individual, and really begin to zoom in on the institutions and institutional policies that impact the sexual health of the Black MSM population. Though the Guidelines are being developed specifically for providers who encounter and work with Black MSM, they will also be made available to Black MSM through various mediums, to equip these men with information necessary for taking ownership of our own sexual health.”

Confirmed panelists include: Rodney Perkins, RN, MSN (Clinic Coordinator for the Gay Men’s Health and Wellness Clinic at the Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington, DC), Jim Pickett (Director of Advocacy for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago), Anthony Galloway (Prevention Manager at Test Positive Aware Network), Lora Branch, MS (Director of Administration for the Chicago Department of Public Health STI/HIV Division), Beau Gratzer, MPP (Director of Community Health at the Howard Brown Health Center) and “Aruba” Tommy Bennett (Of The Tom Joyner Morning Show and host of “He Say, He Say” on WVON).

[The mission of the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus is to mobilize and empower Black gay men and their allies to identify solutions to prevent new HIV infections by addressing the well-being of Black men who have sex with men. It is a coalition of public and private providers, business owners, club managers, promoters, and community activists dedicated to improving health outcomes for African American gay and bisexual men.]

12,000+ men and their vibrators

Vibrator Use Among Gay and Bi Identified Men
via About.com, by Cory Silverberg 

Excerpt:

Getting down to the nitty gritty of vibrator use, the researchers asked men how they used vibrators specifically, offering five options. From most common to least, here's what men reported:

• 87% said they used a vibrator for anal penetration
• 73% said they held or rubbed the vibrator against their anus
• 62% held or rubbed the vibrator against the testicles
• 59% held or rubbed a vibrator against their penis
• 25% held or rubbed against other body parts

The survey distinguished between committed sexual relationships and casual sex. There wasn't a significant difference in vibrator use from one kind of relationship to the other, but overall people tended to use vibrators more in relationships than in casual sexual encounters.

Read the whole item.

Feel the Love... Sister Glo channels Leo Buscaglia

A life of love lasts forever.

~Leo Buscaglia

Sister Glo shares her glittery gems of love with LifeLube each Friday.

Friday is for Faeries

Hillary Lovin' on the Gays

Human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights.



Worth watching… Hillary Clinton addressed State dept. workers and others yesterday to mark Pride. In her speech she speaks extensively (and passionately) on international LGBT issues.

Chicago Blackhawk to March with Stanley Cup in Pride Parade

Michael Sneed is reporting that Blackhawks President John McDonough is rerouting the Stanley Cup from the NHL draft in L.A. to the Chicago Pride parade Sunday . . . and Blackhawk defenseman Brent Sopel has volunteered to represent the team. "I am honored to do it," said Sopel, who will be accompanied by wife, Kelly, and his four kids, Jacob, 12, Lyla, 8, Jayla, 6, and Paul, 20, whom they adopted three years ago after Paul's parents died within six months of each other.

Read the rest...

AIDS Killed My Partner—But It Was His Decision To Die

via The Village Voice, by Steve Weinstein

On January 1, 1990, I met Tom, the love of my life. On May 15, 2001, I helped him die.

Excerpt:

“Dearest Steve, If you’re reading this, it worked! I hope it did, for both our sakes. You have given me more than anyone could possibly want. I am so sorry it came down to a youthful death, but I need to sleep and you need to get on with your life without more worry about me. If that is a gift to give, then I give you my spirit to have with you at all times.”

Read the rest.

FOXY - Gay Blood Ban Controversy: AIDS Activist (and LifeLuber) Weighs In

[The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has decided to continue the controversial policy of banning gay men from donating blood. We talked live with Jim Pickett of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.]

Who's that Queer? [Raymond Burr]

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

American actor Raymond Burr will probably be forever associated with two successful TV roles - Perry Mason (1957-66 & 1985-93) and Ironside (1967-1975). Although he notably appeared in A Place In the Sun (1951) and as the murderer in Hitchcock`s Rear Window (1954).

An intensely private man, it would appear that Burr created a smokescreen to conceal his homosexuality by inventing two wives and a son. One of his fictional wives died in a plane crash, one from cancer, his son from leukemia aged 10. He was actually briefly married, but that marriage was annulled.

Read the rest at Gay for Today.

How is Donald Ray Cook II healthy?

After I started to cut out fast food, fried foods, and pop - I saw big changes.

Staying physically fit and eating healthy are two of the many priorities I hold. My exercise regimen includes walking, jogging, running, weight lifting, yoga, martial arts and I coach a step team part time at my old high school (Dwight D. Eisenhower). And starting in the last week of March, I started the P90X program to look good for the summer.

As far as my eating habits are concerned, I eat lean meat, fruits and vegetables, lots of sea food, no fried foods and absolutely no fast foods. After I started to cut out fast food, fried foods, and pop - I saw big changes.

When I'm not in the gym or coaching, I like to hang and chill, sleep, sing till I'm blue in the face and spend endless hours on Facebook :).

-- Donald Ray Cook II

Chicago

How are you healthy?
Join in the conversation.
Tell us HERE. Send a pic to the same place.
And we'll blog it, right here.
Read past posts.
Learn more about the campaign.

Frameline 34: "We Were Here: Voices from the AIDS Years in San Francisco"

[excellent piece from Trevor Hoppe]

I bent over in my chair, put my head in my hands, and gasped for air in between sobs.

I can recall sobbing uncontrollably exactly three times in my adult life. Last night was one of those times. I ventured out to the Castro theatre for the "sneak peek" screening of "We Were Here: Voices from the AIDS Years in San Francisco." I knew I was in for a tear-fest, but I had no idea just how incredibly moving and utterly devastating the film would be. Before the screening, both the filmmakers admitted not wanting to make this film -- how can you possible represent the horror of those years without doing some injustice, without leaving some story untold? The idea is daunting.

No documentary to my knowledge exists that chronicles these years so intently, most likely because these stories are so incredible painful to tell -- and just as painful to listen to and absorb. I can only imagine that this film's road to the screen is paved in rivers of tears. As someone who did not experience those years, these representations are my only access to the memory of an era that shaped my gay world. It's why I have the kind of sex I do. It's why I have so few gay mentors from that generation. It's why bathhouses closed and disco died. And it's probably why gay marriage is the 21st century gay raison d'être.

Read the rest.

WAKA WAKA - Esto es Africa

Straight Bears and the Men who Love Them

via The Village Voice, by Joe Erbentraut

People are owning their natural look, and I believe a lot of that is connected to the bear world.

Excerpt:

Meet the straight bears. These men—like their gay counterparts—are the antithesis of the metrosexual stag hags, those heavily primped, buff straight guys who count gays among their most trusted wingmen. Straight bears are less concerned with designer labels and limiting their carbs than with comfy clothes and beer. And they love to hang with their gay-bear brothers. As Cohen told a British gay magazine, Attitude, “I enjoy being around gay people. I find I get on better with them than straight people.”

Read the rest.

Woof Wednesday