Why is it wrong to protect gay children?

via The Independent, by Johann Hari

To justify their discrimination against gay people, these few homophobes concoct a scenario in which they are The Real Victims

I am exhausted. I have spent all week trying to brainwash small children into being gay, by relentlessly inserting homosexuality into their maths, geography and science lessons. Their little eyes widened when the gay algebra lesson started, but it worked: their concept of “normal sexual behaviour” has been successfully destroyed. It’s all part of the program brilliantly co-ordinated by the Homintern to imposed The Gay Agenda on Every Aspect of British Life.

Read the rest.

Monday Morning Perk-Up [The male beauty contest judged by women]

Make-up, flirting, bling outfits. But this beauty contest has a twist - the men dress up, the women pick the winners. What does the Wodaabe people's pageant tell us about male beauty?

Read all of the article and see the photos of these male beauties here.

VIDEO: Dancing is very good

Feel the Love... Sister Glo Finds Salvation

The salvation of man is through love and in love.

~Viktor Frankl

Love is all you need with Sister Glo each Friday on LifeLube.

Friday is for Faeries - Au Naturale

CDC Releases Interim Guidance for the Use of HIV Drugs as Prevention for Gay Men

Only some men should use AIDS drug for prevention
via Reuters, by Maggie Fox

Only high-risk gay and bisexual men should use Gilead's HIV drug Truvada to protect themselves from the AIDS virus, federal officials said on Thursday in the first official guidance on using the drug.

A study published last November showed that the pill, which combines two AIDS drugs, reduced the HIV infection rate by nearly 44 percent in high-risk gay and bisexual men. It worked even better if the men used the drug consistently.

Some doctors have already been using the experimental approach, called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP for short. This use of the drug is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has approved Truvada for treating HIV infection.

But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided to issue some guidance for doctors who may want to prescribe the drug to protect people at very high risk of infection with the fatal and incurable virus.

Read the rest.


Read the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report's "Interim Guidance: Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection in Men Who Have Sex with Men."

Outrage as picture of Elton John's baby is covered with shield by U.S. supermarket to 'protect children'

A U.S. supermarket sparked outrage today after it covered with a 'family shield' a magazine showing a picture of Elton John, his husband and their newborn baby.

The Arkansas store deemed the image of the gay couple and their child, on the front of Us Weekly, to be offensive. Staff say complaints from shoppers prompted them to cover the magazine with the 'shield' - the same method used to cover pornographic magazines. The move today triggered fury among gay rights campaigners.

The magazine cover shows Elton and his husband David Furnish, 48, proudly showing off their baby Zachary Jackson Levi Furnish John who was born on Christmas Day via a surrogate mother.

The Harps grocery store in Mountain Home, Arkansas even wrapped last week's edition of the magazine in a protective plastic shield to stop youngsters flicking through it.

Only the very top of the magazine was visible, with the cover reading: 'Family shield. To protect young Harps shoppers.' The move has sparked outrage among representatives from GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).

Local resident Jennifer Huddleston took a photo of the shield and posted it on Plixi. This was taken at my local grocery store,' she wrote. 'I was shocked and horrified.

'They are saying they need to keep children from seeing it, because it is a gay family.' Ms Huddleston then tweeted Anderson Cooper, Kathy Griffin, Ellen DeGeneres, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the ACLU and a number of other gay rights activists. The picture immediately sparked controversy across the blogosphere.

But a company spokesperson defended the shield, saying Harps bosses reacted in response to 'several' customer complaints at that particular store. He insisted the move was 'in no way our opinion on this issue', adding, 'we do not have an opinion on this issue.'

But others were quick to complain about the shield, with many urging a boycott of the chain. Even international news outlets carried the story. Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail wrote: 'Heaven forbid your seven-year-old, while waiting in line with you at the grocery store checkout, be exposed to the gays.'

And British paper the Sun wrote: 'Either Elton's baby is in some way offensive or there's some serious homophobia going on here.' After receiving a plethora of complaints, the store management have taken action and un-censored the magazine.

'In this case our store manager received some complaints and, as has been our custom, placed the shield over the cover of the magazine', said Kim Eskew, president of Harps Food Stores Inc.

'When we began receiving complaints at our corporate office, we reivewed the magazine in question, removed the shield and are selling the magazine in all our locations today without any shield', Ms Eskew added.

The shields are usually placed over adult magazines with racy covers. 'Our true intention is not to offend anyone in our stores and this incident happened at just one of our 65 locations, which when brought to our attention we reversed', Ms Eskew said in a written statement.

Just last week Elton John publicly bemoaned feeling like a 'second-class citizen' in the U.S. because of his sexuality and said he was 'fed-up' about it. During a performance at a Beverly Hills fundraiser to help the legal challenge to California's gay marriage back Elton said: 'As I get older, I get more angry about it'.

Elton and his husband David Furnish have been together for 17 years and were married in a lavish ceremony in 2005. He recently shared how he is coping with life with a new baby.'Fatherhood is fantastic', he said. 'It's been the most wonderful thing that's happened to me after meeting David'.

He said that being a dad is 'surprisingly relaxing'.'This little soul that you're feeding, changing, bathing and telling bedtime stories to is a blank canvas', Elton shared.'And all it needs is love and nurturing. When he gets to talking and running around, I will probably feel a little different.'

Read the full article here.

Ugandan LGBT Activist Assassinated

Beyond words.

via Justice for Gay Africans Society

The news today that David Kato, a staunch and prominent Human Rights activist in Uganda is a big threat and raises newer fears. David dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of gay African people in Uganda right up to his death earlier today.

Information available stated that a man came in a vehicle, went into his house, hit him [twice] on the head and went back into his car and left. An undoubtedly hate crime. Could we argue that this isnt inspired by homophobia? David died on the way to the hospital.

Such is the life of gay people across many African countries and such is the ease with which anyone can attack them. For this assailant in Uganda, he had the boldness to do this horrible crime in broad daylight at 1pm [as reported] because he has the confidence that rarely would anyone care? Yes, after all, he is ‘cleansing the land’

Read the rest.

Read coverage from Human Rights Watch.

Read President Obama's statement on the murder.

Read statement from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

South Africa: Stop 'Corrective Rape'

‘Corrective rape’, the vicious practice of raping lesbians to ‘cure’ their sexuality, is a crisis in South Africa.

Millicent Gaika, pictured above, was bound, strangled, and repeatedly raped in an attack last year. But brave South African activists are risking their lives to ensure that Millicent’s case sparks change. Their appeal to the Minister of Justice has exploded to over 140,000 signatures, forcing him to respond on national television.

If enough of us join in to amplify and escalate this campaign, we could help get urgent action to end 'corrective rape'. Let's call on President Zuma and the Minister of Justice to publicly condemn ‘corrective rape’, criminalise hate crimes, and lead a critical shift against rape and homophobia.

Sign the petition and read the original article here.

Fears for safety of Ugandan lesbian due to be deported

A lesbian woman due to be deported from Britain to Uganda has been told by a Ugandan MP that she must "repent or reform" when she returns home.

The politician, David Bahati, intervened in the case of Brenda Namigadde, due to be deported on Friday, saying he would drop a clause making homosexuality punishable by death in a bill he introduced to the Ugandan parliament.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender campaigners were sceptical of his pledge to drop the death penalty, and said that Bahatia's intervention meant Namigadde was in "desperate trouble" if deported.

Gay sex is a criminal offence in Uganda punishable by a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

Bahati told the Guardian: "Brenda is welcome in Uganda if she will abandon or repent her behaviour. Here in Uganda, homosexuality is not a human right. It is behaviour that is learned and it can be unlearned. We wouldn't want Brenda to be painting a wrong picture of Uganda, that we are harassing homosexuals."

Asked what would happen if she did not "repent" he said: "If she is caught in illegal practices she will be punished. If she comes to promote homosexuality, if she is caught in the act, if she is caught in illegal acts, she will be punished. I would be surprised, if she was promoting homosexuality, if she were not arrested."

His bill, currently in committee stage, would impose life imprisonment for consenting adults who have gay sex, and the death penalty for people with HIV, "serial" homosexuals and those who have sex with under-18s, if it became law.

Bahati said he was "willing to drop the death penalty" because of international concerns, but "key clauses", including life imprisonment for gay people or gay marriage, imprisonment for the "promotion" of homosexuality and for those who fail to report an offence under the act, would remain. He was "confident" the bill would be passed following elections in the country next month, he said.

Speaking from Yarl's Wood detention centre, Namigadde, 29, who fled Uganda in 2003 after being threatened and her house destroyed over her relationship with her Canadian partner, said: "I'll be tortured or killed if I'm sent back to Uganda. They've put people like me to death there. Most of my friends in Uganda have disappeared."

Her initial asylum claim was rejected in part on the basis that there was not sufficient evidence that she is a lesbian.

Namigadde's lawyer, Alex Oringa, from Cardinal Solicitors, who submitted a fresh asylum claim on Monday, said he was "very worried" for her safety. "The moment she arrives at Entebbe airport she will be arrested. They will detain her and you never know what happens in detention. They think she has humiliated the Ugandan government."

Gay rights groups, including AllOut, a US-based gay right group and LGBT Asylum news, have petitioned Theresa May, the home secretary, to grant Namigadde asylum.

The UK Border Agency, said: "Ms Namigadde's case has been carefully considered by both the UK Border Agency and the courts and she has been found not to have a right to remain here. She has submitted further representations and these will be reviewed by the UK Border Agency prior to any removal."

Read the original article here.

How are you healthy? Share your thoughts on LifeLube!

Every last one of us is healthy in one way or the other. While no one is perfect, we all do something to take care of ourselves - physically, emotionally, sexually, spiritually.

LifeLube's "How are you healthy?" campaign has been asking GBT men - and allies - to share the ways in which they are healthy for the last couple of years. More than a hundred folks have participated.

And we'd love for YOU to jump in today. All you need to do is send a couple of sentences (or paragraphs - length is up to you) and a pic to lifelube@gmail.com - and we will post it right here.

Do you take the stairs? Have you cut down on smoking? Do you skip desert once in awhile? Gotten back to the gym? Meditate every morning? Socialize with your friends? Take your meds on time? Have great sex? Take a deep breath and count to three when necessary? Avoid toxic people, places, and things? Do you turn off the tv and have a conversation? Do you put the scizzors down before you run?

If you're alive, you're doing something right.

We'd love to hear about it.

Read previous posts here.

The 10 Stories to Follow as HIV/AIDS Enters Its Fourth Decade

via Colorlines, by Ramon Johnson

Thirty years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and after decades of research disappointments, 2010 saw major breakthroughs that put scientific advances such as microbicides, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and vaccines within reach and created a favorable environment for other prevention and treatment efforts. In fact, some experts predict that over the next year, some of these discoveries could change the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic.

So what comes next? Colorlines will be covering the HIV epidemic closely throughout this year, in which the epidemic plunges into its fourth decade. Here, we examine 10 major HIV stories of 2010—and how experts expect them to unfold during 2011.

1. Microbicides March Toward the Market

Could applying a gel to the vagina or rectum one day prevent HIV? Scientists hope so. Last year, South African researchers reported breakthroughs in microbicide research. They found that inserting a vaginal-gel version of an antiretroviral medicine called tenofovir (prescribed in pill form as Viread) could reduce HIV incidence in women by 39 percent—and up to 54 percent in the most careful users.

What to watch: Never have scientists been closer to identifying a viable microbicide than they are today. Next steps include confirming these results. Some experts believe that a microbicide for women could be on the market by 2014. Efforts to develop a rectal microbicide are also under way; however, vaginal and rectal tissue are very different from each other, so this research may take significantly longer***.

Read the rest.

***Note - Rectal microbicide research is indeed a bit, er, behind compared to vaginal microbicides - but it is moving forward nonetheless. There are small trials underway now with sites in Pittsburgh, Boston, San Juan and Birmingham!

Learn more about rectal microbicide research and advocacy at the home of IRMA - International Rectal Microbicide Advocates. Or visit the IRMA blog.

Health Care Reform and LGBTs - The Big Picture

via The Notion, by Nancy Goldstein

Even in downscaled form, the Affordable Care Act may transform the Big Picture for LGBT people more radically than any other federal legislation in this last decade. I say this with no disrespect to the marriage equality movement and the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. But not all LGBT people are ready, willing, or able to enlist in marriage or the military, whereas everyone needs medical care.

Read it all.

Woof Wednesday is Smiling at You

Monday Morning Perk-Up [Marching Band Football Kick]

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

Feds Model Illinois on LGBT Housing Rights Proposal

By the end of the year, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals won't be shut out of federal housing assistance any longer. In a move praised by gay rights groups yesterday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) unveiled a proposed rule change that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in many of the agency's key programs, including government-backed mortgages and public housing. While HUD is still conducting a national study on the topic, a 2007 analysis of 120 fair housing tests in Michigan found that 25 percent of gays faced disparate treatment.

Read the rest at Progress Illinois.

Deadline to Ride Lobby Days Bus Extended to January 24!

Save Our State, Lobby Days 2011 is upon us and we’re gearing up fast! The AIDS Foundation of Chicago is hoping to send as many AIDS advocates as possible to the 2011 HIV/AIDS Lobby Days in Springfield on March 2, 2011, but times are tough and we’re anticipating a decrease in the number of scholarships we are able to offer this year. We are working to get a fleet of buses for this event so that we can transport as many Chicago-area advocates down as possible, and are offering the opportunity for organizations and individuals to reserve and pay for spots at a very affordable rate (around $35 per seat roundtrip).

If you or your organization are interested in participating, please contact Pete at psubkoviak@aidschicago.org. The bus will depart from downtown Chicago at 6 a.m. and return around 6 or 7 p.m on March 2nd, 2011.

We will need the final number of seats you or your organization want to reserve by January 24th, 2011. You will be responsible for the cost of all seats you reserve. Seat availability on a first come, first serve basis.

Feel the Love... Sister Glo Suggests Therapy

The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.

~Hubert Humphrey

Love is all you need with Sister Glo each Friday on LifeLube.

Friday is for Faeries - Green

Who's that Queer? [Senator David Norris]

Senator David Norris is a well known Irish political activist, gay activist and campaigner, and one of the leading candidates for President in Ireland this year.

One of the most well known candidates running in the Irish Presidential election in October 2011 is Senator David Norris. Human rights advocate, Gay campaigner and major figure in Ireland’s gay history are just some of the attributes that make Senator Norris one of the leading candidates in the Presidential race.

Senator David Norris began his political career as an Irish Civil Rights campaigner and Independent politician. He is a former lecturer at Dublin’s world renowned Trinity College, and has been a member of Seanad Eireann since 1987. His election as a Senator made history as being the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in Ireland even though homosexuality was still illegal.

He was instrumental in decriminalizing homosexuality in Ireland and he co-founded the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform. Homosexuality was finally decriminalized in 1993 in Ireland. Senator Norris has continued his campaigning for gay causes, most notably the fight to legalize same sex marriage through his collaboration with the MarriagEquality group.

Find out more about Senator David Norris' Presidential bid here.