PrEP Sign on Letter for HIV+ Gay, Bi Men - Support an Informed Debate Based on Facts!

Read the letter, and sign on here.

 The release of data from the iPrEx study of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention in gay and bisexual men and transgender women has led to a good deal of debate about whether and how PrEP should be used.

Unfortunately, some of that debate has been fueled by misrepresentations of the study data and, perhaps more alarmingly, by groundless assertions that gay/bi men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) will misuse PrEP, spread drug resistance and act without regard to their health or the health of others if PrEP is made available. A paid ad campaign by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation running in gay papers across the country has contributed to spreading false ideas both about PrEP and about the commitment of gay/bi men to care for themselves and others. We reject those false assertions and want a full and factual discussion of the pros and cons of PrEP in our community.

Recently, two additional studies, Partners PrEP and the CDC's TDF2 study have confirmed the safety and efficacy of PrEP, this time in heterosexual women and men.

A small group of HIV positive gay/bi men who are committed to promoting safer sex and the open exchange of accurate information are circulating the following letter to help clarify the facts about PrEP, open up community discussion and make clear our belief that we are entitled to respect, accurate information and new HIV prevention tools.

This sign on letter is part of a broad array of advocacy activities being undertaken by the national PrEP Committee. Members of the PrEP Committee include individuals from a host of organizations working on PrEP and other new prevention technologies who meet regularly by phone and email to share information and strategize.  

For allies who are not HIV+ gay/bi men, you can learn more about this work and how to participateby sending an email to Jim Pickett at jpickett@aidschicago.org.

We encourage HIV+ gay/bi men who are allied in the fight against AIDS to help us clear the record about PrEP by signing on to this letter.

Read the letter, and sign on here.

What Does Virginity Mean to Gay Men?

via The Good Men's Project, By Joseph Caputo

The definition of sex can be as messy as the act itself. Hard and dry, sex means coitus: 1 penis + 1 vagina = 1 ejaculation. The dictionary does not mention clitoral stimulation, pegging, scissoring or even dry humping. Sex is not sex unless it is between heterosexuals and there is a passage of genetic material.

Queer men have a lot of sex. If sex is about passing on genetic material then there are gay genes all over the place. These acts have helped redefine the concept of sex from a biological necessity to a sharing of intimacy.
If sex isn’t sex, then when does a gay guy lose his virginity? Can a person be gay if he’s never been with a guy or only slept with girls? What is second base for a gay man—a kiss on the cheek or a gangbang? The answers are surprisingly personal.

We asked men who have sex with men what virginity means to them. They shared stories about their first girlfriends, anonymous hookups, and waiting for that special guy.

Sure, everyone says you lose your virginity the first time you make whoopie. Wrong. Virginity is not a binary thing. To me, it’s about knowing what you want and what the hell you’re doing. There are lots of 15-year-olds out there dipping it in on prom night, but Lord knows they’ll be virgins for a while. I didn’t know shit from Shinola until my mid-20s. Like a great philosopher of our time said back in 1967, “Are you experienced?” If not, well, it’s like the old truckers say: “If you can’t find it, grind it.”
—Maxwell, musician





Read more.

I f - - k HARDER!

[Have you ever experienced homophobic comments or judgmental looks from people that live with you or in your community? Have you even stood up against the hate ? Well here is a "love letter" to those who pass hate. Let's stand up against the HATE!]

Facebook's Randi Zuckerberg: Anonymity Online 'Has To Go Away'

via Huffpost

Facebook requires all members to use their real names and email addresses when joining the social network -- a policy that has been difficult at times to enforce, as the prevalence of spam accounts or profiles assigned to people’s pets suggest.

Zuckerberg, who is Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg’s sister, argued that putting an end to anonymity online could help curb bullying and harassment on the web.

“I think anonymity on the Internet has to go away,” she said during a panel discussion on social media hosted Tuesday evening by Marie Claire magazine. “People behave a lot better when they have their real names down. … I think people hide behind anonymity and they feel like they can say whatever they want behind closed doors.”

Read more. 

Feel the Love... Sister Glo Believes in Fairy Tales

Once in a while, 

right in the middle of an ordinary life, 

love gives us a fairy tale.

~Gieselle Viera

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

Friday is for Faeries - On Hiatus

Faeries and friends of faeries, the Friday is for Faeries feature on LifeLube is taking a bit of a hiatus. Actually, we are looking for someone to help collect fabulous faerie fotos and curate this weekly post - as our many minions have their hands full and are finding it challenging to keep this thing fresh and lovely.

Are you that faerie?

Let us know, send an email to lifelube@gmai.com if you'd like to keep Fridays chock full of faerie...

Thanks. MWAH.

"Magic" Pills and Potions - Hocus Pocus or Plus Plus?

LifeLube's Jim Pickett was part of a forum on PrEP in Seattle a few months ago called "The Magic Pill?" hosted by our fabulous friends Gay City Health Project. The following videos cover his talk - slides PLUS live action. Enjoy :)

[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.]

HIV researcher plans new PrEP study

via Chelsea Now, By Sam Spokony

[One major factual error in that article: “The longest any HIV-negative person has taken PrEP in a clinical study is 12 weeks.” For example in iPrEx, average follow up was 14 months. Otherwise, a very informative article.]

Few methods of HIV prevention have been as promising, or as controversial, as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). After a history of underground practice and off-label prescriptions, the approach has recently begun to receive serious attention from researchers, policy makers and health care advocates.

Under the guidance of Dr. Roy Gulick (director of the Weill Cornell Medical College HIV Clinical Trials Unit), a new experiment called the NEXT (Novel Explorations of Therapeutics) PrEP Study will begin this fall. It will include 400 at-risk, HIV-negative gay men, and will take place over 48 weeks at 12 sites across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The NEXT PrEP Study will differ from iPrEx in that its primary experimental group will receive a daily regimen of the drug maraviroc (brand name Selzentry). The control group will receive Truvada, and two other experimental groups will receive combinations of maraviroc and either tenofovir or FTC (the two individual drugs that make up Truvada). A major goal of the study, along with testing the HIV-prevention efficacy of maraviroc, will be to gauge the side effects of the drug on participants.

“The longest any HIV-negative person has taken PrEP in a clinical study is 12 weeks,” Gulick told Chelsea Now in a July 23 phone interview [This is inaccurate. The guys in iPrEx, for instance, were followed about 14 months - LifeLube]. “Now, since this is a drug we’re giving to healthy people, the next step is exploring further to prove that it is both safe and tolerable for them.”

Read more.

What's next for HIV prevention? Paying people to be healthy

via aidsmap, By Roger Pebody

Researchers are investigating the impact of offering financial incentives to people who are at risk of acquiring or passing on HIV, the International AIDS Society conference (IAS 2011) in Rome heard last week.


A large study in the United States is looking at whether a test-and-treat approach should be supported by offering incentives to newly diagnosed people who attend medical services and maintain an undetectable viral load.

In sub-Saharan Africa, a number of studies are investigating whether providing incentives to adolescent girls who remain in education reduces their long-term HIV risk.

Such approaches are not without their critics, but those participating in a conference symposium on the topic mostly felt that these interventions are trying to tackle structural factors and have the potential to be effective, especially when used alongside other prevention interventions.

“We shouldn’t look at behavioural economics as the new magic bullet,” commented Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). “This fits into a broader combination approach,” she said.

As well as cash, incentives may take the form of food or shopping vouchers. They are sometimes called conditional cash transfers, and the approach is sometimes referred to as contingency management.

The idea is already widely used in the development field (often aiming to impact poverty or education), and increasingly in relation to health.


Read more. 

Abbott's HIV Combo Test Detects Infections Earlier, Provides Valuable Information to Help Prevent Further HIV Transmission and May Save Treatment Costs

via PR Newswire

Hospital and public health laboratories across the country are now detecting early-stage HIV infections much sooner than previous tests since the launch of Abbott's ARCHITECT® HIV Ag/Ab Combo assay, a combination antigen-antibody test, in 2010.

Researchers reported finding early stage infections in places not known for high HIV prevalence like Sioux Falls, S.D., where HIV infections are believed to be low.  Experts presented their observations this week at an Abbott-sponsored workshop at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry annual meeting.

This year marks 30 years since the first U.S. reports of HIV and AIDS. While there have been significant advances made in the detection and treatment of the virus, each year more than 56,000 people in the U.S. are infected with HIV, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — and one in five people don't know they have it. The CDC also has reported that more than half of new HIV infections are transmitted by recently infected, highly contagious individuals unaware of their HIV status.

The Abbott ARCHITECT HIV Ag/Ab Combo assay is the first test approved in the United States that can simultaneously detect both HIV antigen and antibodies. HIV antigen is a protein produced by the virus immediately after infection, whereas antibodies are developed days later as the body works to fight off the infection. Studies have demonstrated that Abbott's test may detect HIV up to 20 days earlier than antibody-only tests, which is important in controlling the spread of the virus. This is particularly important because individuals who receive false negative results remain unaware that they have HIV and are not able to take proper precautions.

Read more. 

HHS Moves to Review Outdated Lifetime Gay Blood Donor Deferral

[Sources: Senators John Kerry (D-Mass) & Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) , GMHC]

LifeLube today applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for outlining concrete steps toward ending the outdated, discriminatory lifetime ban on gay men from donating blood.

In a question-and-answer document, HHS described four areas of necessary study to allow a further review of the existing policy, and implementation of the June 2010 recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability (ACBSA).

These areas include:

•    How the risk of blood transmissible diseases in the current donor population relate to the risk factors in donors;

•    The root cause of quarantine release errors (QRE), the accidental release of blood not cleared for use that potentially put the blood supply at risk;

•    If potential donors correctly understand the current questionnaire and if men who have sex with men (MSM) would comply with modified deferral criteria; and

•    If alternative screening strategy (e.g. pre- and/or post-qualifying donation infectious disease testing) for MSM (and potentially other high-risk donors) would assure blood safety while enabling data collection that could demonstrate safe blood collection from a subset of MSM or other currently deferred donors.


Highlighting what some of our state officials and partners have done for this effort thus far, we want to continue to fight to end discriminatory ban.

In February 2010, GMHC released a comprehensive report titled "A Drive For Change: Reforming U.S. Blood Donation Policies," which details the FDA's current blood donation guidelines and provides recommendations for alternative guidelines that emphasize behavior-based deferrals. In June 2010, GMHC provided testimony at the ACBSA meeting held to review the MSM policy. GMHC has long advocated for consistently applied standards of rigorous, scientifically-based blood safety, contributing to an increased pool of blood donors

In June 2010, Mark Skinner spoke on behalf of the American Plasma Users Coalition (A-PLUS) at the ACBSA meeting held to review the MSM policy.  A-PLUS is a coalition of national patient organizations created to address the unique needs of over 125,000 patients with rare diseases that use life-saving plasma protein therapies and are dependent on blood plasma therapies to lead healthy.  A-PLUS has acknowledged that the scientific basis for the permanent deferral requires review, and previously indicated that there are a number of factors which should be fully evaluated before making a revision to the policy. Such evaluation and research could lead to a policy revision that maintains or enhances the safety of blood and blood products.

Senator John Kerry has been a longtime advocate for updating this discriminatory policy.  Last year, he wrote two separate letters to the FDA urging them to abolish the policy along with an op-ed on the ban in Bay Windows, New England’s largest LGBT newspaper.

Congressman Mike Quigley spear-headed an op-ed co-authored by seven House Democrats urging HHS to revise its blood donation policy.  Quigley and Kerry also wrote also a bi-cameral letter to HHS calling for an end to the ban and submitted testimony to HHS for a two-day hearing reviewing the policy.

He likes it r-w

By Sapphire

Kel and I dated for three months. We met on the subway where he ran after me to tell me how beautiful I was. He was impressive but I wasn’t prepared drama that tagged along.

Kel and I were not compatible. We fought all the time and were completely disrespectful to one another.  There were times when I couldn’t even look at him.  He would buy me something nice to make up for arguments or fights. He thought it would make me happier.-9 times out of ten..It did.

At the time, sex wasn’t a major need for me. I was trying to escape an oversexed lifestyle and having sex with Kel, wasn’t the best idea. There were days when I had sex with three people in a row! A little out of control I know! 

We were a serodiscordant couple (I am HIV positive and he was HIV negative) and my health was very important to me. I thought with Kel, I could turn a new leaf but that was not the case.

Kel LOVED sex. He bugged all the time about sex and the sex he was into was not healthy. Bottom line, Kel was the “raw-topping” type of guy. He never refused to use condoms but there were times when the condom would come off

 It was a pleasure rush but sometimes a headache. It really messed with my head. Why would a HIV negative man want to risk his life contracting HIV from someone he barely knows? It didn’t add up to me. We had discussions about it that went nowhere. He would say “Don’t stress about it” and it really confused me. There were moments when I felt he was lying about his status. Does he know how HIV is affecting gay men today? Was he trying to get infected? Is he ready to live with the virus?

After much reflection, I broke up with him. I couldn’t keep putting his life or mine in danger. I followed up with my doctor about my behavior and got myself checked out. Everything was fine and I felt like I dodged a bullet. I am glad that we communicated about each other’s HIV status but upset we didn’t make healthy choices around that. Understanding that condom negotiation is not easy, I had to develop better about my communication skill for the next guy. Trust me- it’s better now.

VIDEO: Guide to Sexual Freedom

Have you ever had a  Pleasure Rush? Watch the video and see how it is done!



LifeLube love it! It's provocative and sex positive! This is a real scenario for any gay man on any day.What do you think? Feedback is encouraged!

Read the article detailing the Pleasure Rush campaign

Read the article.

Woof Wednesday Straps

How are Roberto and Naes healthy?[Our first "How are you healthy?" video]

Since the launch of the "How are you healthy"' series  in 2009, LifeLube has had contributions from 143 wonderful individuals who have provided insight on staying healthy in a world where making unhealthy choices is fashionable.

Keeping up with what's hot in 2011 (though, yes, we are a little late to the party), LifeLube has uploaded its FIRST video to the "How are you healthy" series. Watch how Roberto and Naes maintain a healthy relationship and lifestyle as a couple.

LifeLube would like to encourage YOU to reflect on your own healthy choices and make video to provide tips to others on LifeLube! Stay Fashionable! Be Healthy! Live Long! LifeLube!Send your video link or written post to lifelube@gmail.com.




--Roberto and Naes
Philadelphia



How are you healthy?
Please join the hundreds who have shared their tips.
Tell us HERE. Send a pic to the same place.
And we'll blog it, right here on LifeLube.
Gay men and all allies welcome to participate.
Read past posts.
Learn more about the campaign

Homophobia in Sports: The Other Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

via Black Enterprise, By Andreas Hale

Amaechi is recognized as the first NBA player to be openly gay and released a memoir Man in the Middle in 2007. The book and Amaechi were met with mixed results from active NBA players. Some applauded his courage while others scrutinized the notion that there was a gay man amongst them.

Players like Tim Hardaway expressed how they wouldn’t be willing to accept a gay player as a teammate.But Amaechi’s former teammate and now retired NBA player Troy Hudson understands both the locker room mentality and sympathizes with Amaechi and other gay athletes who remain silent.

“Little things like taking a shower in the locker room would make them uncomfortable,” Hudson says when asked why players are apprehensive about having a gay teammate in the locker room. “I think that if an athlete is gay it makes it hard for him to be part of the team. The biggest concern is that they will lose friendship and brotherhood with their teammates.”

Another rationale is that some feel they may be perceived as gay by association. “It’s not just that you are not gay, but you aren’t even going to be close to being gay,” says Khalid Salaam, Slam magazine Senior Writer. “Not because you’re against it. Rather, our culture doesn’t allow you to exist comfortably in it until you get much older.”

On the other side of the coin are the struggles of the lesbian community in sports, which are nearly polar opposites of their male counterparts. A reverse sexism comes into play for female athletes who are oftentimes assumed to be gay simply because of their physical prowess. When Swoopes, who is frequently referred to as the “female Michael Jordan,” revealed that she was gay in 2005, the news came and went without nearly as much buzz as if a male athlete were to do the same.

 It’s a double standard based on presumed gender roles that show no signs of changing anytime soon.

Read more.

The end to 'don't ask, don't tell' follows shifting public attitudes

via The Monitor, By Brad Knickerbocker

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” officially comes to end September 20. And while the controversial ban on gay men and women serving openly in the US military no doubt will continue to be the subject of social and political debate, the change in policy comes as public attitudes have shifted dramatically since DADT came into force 18 years ago.

Many gay elected officials, newscasters, sports figures, and other prominent public figures no longer feel the need to be closeted. Six states now allow same-sex marriages. And public attitudes toward LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Americans have moved toward greater tolerance – particularly among younger generations.

Between 1996 and 2011, according to Gallup, the percentage of those polled who think marriages between same-sex couples “should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages” has doubled to 53 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage that thinks such marriages should not be valid has dropped from 68 percent to 45 percent


Read more. 

800 couples wed on first day gay marriage is legal in N.Y.

via USA Today, Martha T. Moore

Alan Miles knew he loved his boyfriend, but not until the day in 2004 that he was caught up in Massachusetts' celebrations of the passage of its same-sex marriage law did he realize how much he wanted to marry Drew Glick.

"It was very powerful to me. I realized this was really something I wanted for myself," he said. Miles promptly proposed, but learned he would have to wait.Yes, Glick, 45, wanted to be married but in New York, his hometown,and nowhere else.

In June, when New York became the sixth and largest state to allow same-sex marriage, Glick immediately updated his Facebook status to "engaged."

On Sunday, after 16 years together and a seven-year engagement, the two were married by a judge in the office of the city clerk, one set of newlyweds among more than 800 beaming and often teary-eyed same-sex couples legally united on the first day the law went into effect.

Read more.

Black and LGBT in the Black Church

via Black Enterprise, By Tomika Anderson

Rigid attitudes around homosexuality in the church, mosque and in communities of color overall may explain the fervor that surrounded embattled Georgia pastor Eddie Long.

After years of publicly denouncing homosexuality—even going so far as to lead a special ministry for gays and lesbians in order to convert them into heterosexuals—Bishop Long was sued last year by four young men who alleged he used his pastoral influence to coerce them into a sexual relationship with him. A national uproar ensued as he scurried to settle with them out of court.

Some argue that had it been women Long had the affairs with, he might have gotten a slap on the wrist. But because his dalliances allegedly involved (underage) men, his feet were put to the proverbial fire.

New York City-based trauma expert and wellness coach Dara Williams says it is the fear of public condemnation that keeps folks—in and outside of the church—from being honest about who they are when it comes to their sexuality. “The black community is very conservative about most sex-related issues,” she says, “and homosexuality is one of them. Sexuality in our community is generally oppressed or not discussed, and we can see through our [collective] rate of HIV infection that this kind of secrecy is literally killing us.”

Read more.

Ready to Wed? No, Mom.

via New York Times, By Tim Murphy

For the last year, Aaron Breslow, 23, an H.I.V. project coordinator, has been dating Dan Scudellari, 26, an advertising executive. They have spent holidays with each other’s families, and enjoy searing scallops and making kale salads in their apartments in Brooklyn.

Mr. Breslow's stepmother, Lorraine Gray, wants them to marry.

They were mildly interested when New York lawmakers voted to allow same-sex marriage. Then his stepmother called. “She congratulated me on gay marriage passing and said, ‘This is a great opportunity for you,’ ” Mr. Breslow said.

But there’s a problem: Mr. Breslow, who calls himself queer rather than gay, philosophically opposes marriage. “I don’t understand the concept of legalized monogamy and normalcy,” said Mr. Breslow, who has a brother, Jacob, also gay. “My brother and I both studied queer theory.”

His stepmother, Lorraine Gray, won’t take no for an answer. “I don’t have any girls,” said Ms. Gray, 52, a psychotherapist in Oakland, Calif. Never mind that she also has two other sons, 18 and 22, who are straight. “My gay kids are more fun than my straight ones,” she said.

Read more.

Gay men ‘unaware of HIV symptoms’

via  Pink News, By Jessica Geen

Sixty per cent of gay men are unaware of the symptoms of early HIV infection, a large-scale survey has found.

According to the research by National AIDS Trust, most of the men surveyed could not name the ‘triad’ of a sore throat, rash and fever as the most common symptoms occurring together.

Between 70 and 90 per cent of people experience symptoms soon after HIV infection but fewer than one in ten respondents were aware of this.
While 31 per cent said they would go to the doctor if they experienced the symptoms, 28 per cent said they would wait to see if the symptoms go away.

Read more.

Start Rhymin’, Stop AIDS !

via Start Rhymin', Stop AIDS, By Louis Ortiz

[ Tapping on the shoulder of one of LifeLube's supporters, I will like to applaud this  awareness campaign in Philadelphia for their  creative work and congrads to the man behind this vision. This is truly a HIV/AIDS movement that is worth talking about! Keep it going!]

It has long been said that where there is rhyme, there is reason. This is my motivation in developing a new way to deliver this message to the masses – YOUR WORDS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!

As a person who was literally raised in the HIV non-profit world of Philadelphia, I have heard and been a part of almost every prevention campaign that has been developed over the last 20 years. Some were affected, some reinforced shame and doubt and some were just downright terrible. But join me in celebrating the efforts, none the less. J Clap. Clap. Clap. What most of the campaigns did not incorporate, was the voice of the young people. We have been reminded over and over just how powerful young people are. So after being reminded for the 100^th time, it finally hit me “create something that puts the voice of the young people in the forefront!” this is how Start Rhymin’, Stop AIDS was born.

Earlier this spring, I traveled through-out the city of Philadelphia recording some of the dopest young spoken word artist who wanted to share their stories. Artists who wanted to give HIV/AIDS an emotional dimension. Give the voices of the people a rhyme and a reason.

Start Rhymin’, Stop AIDS was created remind us, each other and the world that it is with our words that we change the way people hear, see and experience the world. And if we can do that – then we have changed the word! Start Rhymin’, Stop AIDS is a movement. Because after all, with every movement, there is a rhyme. Yup!

facebook.com/startrhyminstopaids

http://www.youtube.com/user/startrhyminstopAIDS

Feel the Love... Sister Glo's Heart is Beating

In melody divine, 

my heart beats to rapturous love. 

I long to call you mine.

~Unknown

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

Friday is for Faeries - Pink's Your Color

Drug study sees up to 92-percent cut in HIV risk among gays

via Google, By AFP

[ This article offers a good overview of the data behind studies around pre-exposure prophylaxis]

Volunteers who responded most to a cocktail of antiretroviral drugs in an HIV prevention trial among gay men had a reduced risk of 92 percent of being infected by the AIDS virus, researchers said on Wednesday.

They presented the work as a last-minute, or "late-breaker", contribution to the world forum on AIDS science in Rome.

The research looked at a group of men who took part in a major trial called iPrEx HIV Prevention Study.
iPrEx explored the idea that an uninfected person taking daily AIDS drugs could be shielded from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a novel approach called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

The overall findings, published last November, found that use of a drug called Truvada reduced HIV infections by 44 percent compared with a dummy pill, also called a placebo.

The new study looked at a sub-set of men who had the highest concentrations of the drug in their blood -- a telltale that they had been highly disciplined about taking the pill and that their system had also absorbed it better.

Read more.

"Junk science" that could save lives

via the Salon, By Tracy Clark- Flory

[ LifeLube knew it! Here is a s a more level headed interpretation that explains the value of this research.]

Conservatives wrongly claim taxpayers funded a study of gay men's penis size -- and miss the survey's importance.
The Traditional Values Coalition's mission this week is to alert poor, beleaguered American taxpayers that they paid scientists to measure gay men's junk. You will surely be shocked to hear that this news has sparked a firestorm among staunch conservatives; the only problem is that none of it's true. Not only was the research paid for without government funds, but the study's findings could help save lives, and taxpayers' money.

Bloggers were quick to churn out the tabloid headlines that just write themselves: "Your Tax Dollars Going to Study Gay Men's Penis Size." Right-wing news sources like Fox and the Daily Caller got in on this orgy of outrage too. Naturally, the Daily Mail was not far behind.

But contrary to all of these reports, the NIH did not pay researchers to measure gay men's penis size. The data for the study -- "The Association Between Penis Size and Sexual Health Among Men Who Have Sex with Men" -- were "collected as part of a larger survey of the sexual health of gay men," says researcher Jeffrey Parsons, a psychology professor at Hunter College.

That survey was funded by the college's Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training -- not the NIH. What's more, they didn't even measure men's penises: "We simply asked men to self-report if they felt their penis was above average, average, or below average," he tells me.

Read more.

 

 

NIH-Backed Study Examined Effects of Penis Size in Gay Community

via Fox News, Judson Berger

[ I am shocked that the NIH would put money towards a project like this without connecting it to Gay Men's health. This must be an error. ]

The federal government helped fund a study that examined what effect a gay man's penis size has on his sex life and general well-being.

The study was among several backed by the National Institutes of Health that have come under scrutiny from a group claiming the agency is wasting valuable tax dollars at a time when the country is trying to control its debt. This particular research resulted in a 2009 report titled, "The Association Between Penis Size and Sexual Health Among Men Who Have Sex with Men."

The study reported, among its findings, that gay men with "below average penises" were more likely to assume a "bottom" sexual position, while those with "above average penises" were more likely to assume a "top" sexual position. Those with average penises identified themselves as "versatile" in the bedroom.

Though it's difficult to trace exactly how much federal funding went to the project, the study was one of many linked to an $899,769 grant in 2006. The grant was administered by NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse, and went first to a group called Public Health Solutions and a researcher with the National Development and Research Institutes before going to individual researchers.

Read more.