Does it get better? Bullying linked to long term negative mental health, HIV risk

via LGBTQ Nation, by Dana Rudolph

A popular anti-bullying campaign has been telling bullied teens “it gets better” — but the effects of past bullying often linger, according to new research.

The study, released Monday (May 16) in the May 2011 issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of School Health, reports that anti-LGBT bullying at school “is strongly linked” to negative mental health for its victims.

Among those risks are an increased frequency of suicide attempts and increased risk for engaging in behaviors that can lead to infection with STDs and HIV. The increased risks exist not only while the victim is in adolescence, but also in young adulthood.

Read the rest.

Do We Need to Rethink the 'Homophobic' Label?

Very interesting piece. Should we show some empathy and a little bit of understanding towards the people we'd label "homophobic?" Are these misguided folks "homo naive" or plain and simple "homo haters?"


via HuffPo, by Loren A. Olsen

While I was working on my book, "Finally Out: Letting Go of Living Straight," I received a very angry email about my being gay from a man named "George." I challenged the things he said about me, responding, "You don't know me."

George wrote back, "Oh, but I do know you. You have identified yourself as a homosexual, an immoralist. Nothing binds your conscience. Morality is just a matter of taste."

The best way to confront such prejudice is usually to become a real person to the other person and develop a relationship with them. I made some attempts to find some area of common ground. George could never respond to anything I wrote back to him other than to condemn me.

Some would say George is homophobic. I am not a fan of the word "homophobia." Gay men and women struggled for years and years to free ourselves from being diagnosed as pathological deviants. I see little value in attempting to pathologize those who oppose us by labeling them all homophobic.

Prejudice is based on the "Law of Small Numbers": What is true for one must be true for all. Like George, the rules of "in-groups" and "out-groups" dictate that those on one side attempt to define those on the other by applying stereotypical descriptions while never seeking information that dis-confirms their beliefs.

Do we as gay men and women move discourse forward by labeling those who oppose us "homophobes"?

Read the rest.

Bi-phobia at Health Forum Sponsored By Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network

Observations by Keith R. Green

While I praise any effort to educate and raise HIV/AIDS awareness among Black women, I cringe at such attempts that further demonize and stigmatize Black men in the process. The comments of Tony Wafford, National Director of Health and Wellness for the National Action Network (NAN), that are documented in the post below are particularly alarming considering the fact that the organization's President, Rev. Al. Sharpton, is a long-standing advocate for LGBT folks. In fact, Sharpton has stated that he intends to foster healthy dialogue about sexuality among the entire African American community through NAN.

That said, I would like to chime in with my two cents regarding a couple of Mr. Waffords remarks:

- Contrary to popular belief,sex with men who have sex with other men is not the only way that Black women contract HIV

- "The guy could have been locked down or like to 'toss up' men. No one will tell you if they were taken advantage of," he maintained. I mean…REALLY?! "Toss up men?" Can we at least strive for a little political correctness here?!

- "We accept foolishness as standard operating procedure. We got it flipped. Ladies, if you set the bar high, most chumps are going to climb up or go somewhere else. If you raise the bar, they'll come up. Women, you've got to set standards," he said. This sounds soooo very bi-phobic! Which is a HUGE issue among African Americans contributing to issues with disclosure and, ultimately, HIV transmission!

In the spirit of doing better, people, we have to make an effort to do better!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

National Action Network's I Choose Life Health and Wellness Center Addresses HIV/AIDS at KJLH's Annual Women's Health Forum

National Action Network's I Choose Life Health and Wellness Center is on a mission. More than 4,000 women from all walks of life came out to the Los Angeles Convention Center for the 11th Annual KJLH Women's Health Forum on April 2nd to take advantage of seminars, free screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, bone density, cholesterol, body mass index, HIV/AIDS and many other significant factors for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Also, several vendors, medical personnel and volunteers were on hand to share expertise in the health field.

Greeting the crowd, Karen E. Slade, KJLH General Manager, said, "This has been the biggest forum we have ever had and we are glad you are here. Your life and health are a gift from God; they should be cherished and enjoyed. I thank the sponsors and with your help and God's grace we'll continue to grow."

Wafford, the National Director of Health and Wellness for the National Action Network, spoke at the 11th Annual KJLH Women's Health Forum about the impact of HIV/AIDS on African American women. Wafford pulled no punches during his frank and candid discussion about the spread of HIV/AIDS in the African American community; which he said is operating under a cloak of silence. "There's an estimated half million people in the country who don't know they are infected with HIV," said Wafford.

"I have three daughters, and we never talked about how HIV affects black women. I had to teach them how to put on a condom," he said. "I encourage my daughters to have a conversation with any guy they are interested in," said Wafford, adding that many men may not be forthcoming about their sexual history. "The guy could have been locked down or like to 'toss up' men. No one will tell you if they were taken advantage of," he maintained.

Pausing, he added, "Women, you have to carry your own condoms in your purse and you have to learn how to put it on and take it off. Don't fall for the excuse a man will give you, 'I don't want to put it on because it doesn't fit," he warned.

Wafford admitted that in his youth, he was no "angel" when it came to relationships. "I used to run a whole lot of women," he admitted. "But we're at a critical point where we have to have honest conversations with each other about sexual relationships."

Scanning the audience of attentive females, Wafford declared, "Women, you have to plan how you will dialogue and negotiate with a brother. There's no way you can look at a brother and tell what he has been or is doing." As a case in point, Wafford, who regularly counsels African Americans with the HIV virus, said that looks can be deceiving. "I've dealt with homosexuals, dope fiends and thieves," he said, adding that he has counseled some hard looking brothers who look like the rapper 50 Cent. "They admit they have sex with other men. They don't consider themselves homosexual," he pointed out.

"They don't do mandatory testing of men coming out of prisons," Wafford informed the audience, adding that women should demand mandatory HIV testing for their partners. "Most guys coming out of prison are not going back to Pacific Palisades or Beverly Hills, they are coming back to South Los Angeles," said Wafford.

Commenting that black women need to 'speak up' about HIV/AIDS when it comes to their sexual partners, Wafford said, "We accept foolishness as standard operating procedure. We got it flipped. Ladies, if you set the bar high, most chumps are going to climb up or go somewhere else. If you raise the bar, they'll come up. Women, you've got to set standards," he said.

"The reason we're dying is because we don't speak up, that's the biggest problem we have. It's hard, but it's real. Unless we have honest dialogue with each other, we'll be left in the dark," Wafford said.

Other participants at the workshop included Dr. Antronette Yancey, co-director of the UCLA Center for Health Equity professor; Niele Anderson, former Sentinel Religion Editor and Faith and Community Coordinator for Let's Move LA.; and Chris Draft, an NFL linebacker active in men's health outreach initiatives. Recording artist and KJLH owner Stevie Wonder was also present along with Assemblyman Isadore Hall and L.A. Council Members Jan Perry and Bernard Parks to show their support of health awareness.

Spiritual health came from Kevin Nash, KJLH on-air personality, who conducted a session and observed, "This is my second workshop and I believe it is part of God's purpose that I share the message that spiritual health is intimately connected to physical health. You have to start from the inside out. It doesn't make any sense if you're only working on the physical because we are spiritual beings first. Take care of the inside, then the outside."

The result of the KJLH Women's Health Forum was overwhelmingly positive according to many in attendance. Members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority said they attended to empower themselves and others toward a healthier tomorrow.

VIDEO: Straight Supremacy? We will not be assimilated!

Dr. Jallen Rix, whose book Ex-Gay No Way: Survival and Recovery from Religious Abuse is one of five nominees in the LGBT nonfiction category for this year’s Lambda Literary Awards, talks about heterosexual supremacy.

Gay billboards put knots in panties

[This goes in the WTF column. One of our favorite campaigns ever is being attacked by the goon squad - of which there is no shortage.]

via Bilerico, by Alex Blaze

A billboard campaign is up in Schenectady, New York, showing that black gay men do exist and attempting to start conversations about sexual minorities. As I understand it, there are three billboards, each with a different picture from the right of this banner with the text "I am gay, and this is where I (stay/pray/play)."

Daycare provider Pamela Spicer told the City Council that the billboards were so vague they were worthless.

"These messages are a failure. I think the Department of Health needs their money back," she said. "The intent is to instruct them not to spread HIV if they have it ... That does not come across in the message."

Instead, she said, the billboards allow "inappropriate sexual expression."

She argued that the messages should be limited to adult business zones -- mainly industrial areas at the outskirts of the city.
She told the council that her clients read the billboards as she drives them to events in the city. She offers daycare to a 2-year-old, 4-year-old and 8-year-old.

"When I'm driving them to the Schenectady Public Library and they say, 'What does gay mean?' how do I answer that question?" she said. "How do I expose them to such content?"

Read the rest. 

Don't B H8'n on the Homos - FCKH8

FCK BULLIES by FCKH8.com: DON'T B H8N ON THE HOMOS! from FCKH8.com on Vimeo.

Making of Video: FCKH8 "STR8 AGAINST H8" 2011 Calendar from FCKH8.com on Vimeo.

Episcopalians Bummed to See Bishop Gene Go

via The Boston Globe, by Janet Walsh

Across the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, congregants and clergy today reacted with heavy hearts to word that Bishop V. Gene Robinson is retiring.

Robinson, 63, whose consecration seven years ago as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church divided the Anglican Communion worldwide, yesterday announced at the annual convention of the New Hampshire diocese that he plans to retire in January 2013, short of the mandatory 72-year-old retirement age for Episcopal bishops. He cited death threats and the considerable strain that the worldwide rift has placed on him, his family, and the church.

"The fact is, the last seven years have taken their toll on me, my family, and you," Robinson told the convention. "Death threats, and the now-worldwide controversy surrounding your election of me as bishop, have been a constant strain, not just on me, but on my beloved husband, Mark, who has faithfully stood with me every minute of the last seven years."

Read the rest.

Dear Oprah - I AM PISSED

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

I Love My Boo Campaign Launches October 4 NYC

We LOVE the gawjuss "I Love My Boo" campaign. The images of loving/caring gay boy-next-door/on the block couples - sans the ubiquitous nipple pony, gleaming 8-pack, pornstrosity look - is so refreshing and so needed. Eye candy is nice, love it, okay, but is that all there is? Really? Is our only value as gay men in how little body fat we have and how bubbly our booties are?

The campaign images send a powerful message to those who would demean us and worse - and there are plenty, hello. Besides the haters, we need to see ourselves represented in ways that demonstrate our love and commitment to one another - which can happen in the context of a couple as well as single men and their friends and families. We all got a boo, whether we're banging each other or not.

Frankly, we are sick and tired tired tired, and OVER the worn out and false meme that "all gay men are dogs" and we're all selfish, irresponsible, and incapable of loving anyone or anything outside the image we see in the mirror.

Blech.

Bravo to GMHC for this great work.

The campaign kicks off Monday, October 4th on the New York City MTA subway system with ads in 1,000 trains and on 150 platforms. There is a rally that day at Christopher Street Park (7th Ave & Christopher St) - so show up if you are in NYC, eh?



Check out their FB page. And make an "I Love My Boo" image your profile pic in support of the campaign. You should also post a pic of you and your boo. Do it.

Lovin the boo!

"All you need is lube, and it's a tailgate party"

thanks Joe.My.God for putting this on the LifeLube radar

Tired of being gay? Well, Richard Cohen and his Ex-Gay cohorts can help. Join Bryan Safi as he navigates the world of conversion therapy. You never know, you might be able to rearrange that pesky DNA!

Imagination - the cause of and the solution to so many of our problems

Why Has a Divided America Taken Gay Rights Seriously?

A philosopher credits the power of imagination

via Slate, by Dahlia Lithwick

Excerpt:

In From Disgust to Humanity, Nussbaum, a prominent professor of law and philosophy at the University of Chicago, explains that much of the political rhetoric around denying equal rights to gay Americans is rooted in the language of disgust. Their activities are depicted as "vile and revolting," threatening to "contaminate and defile" the rest of us. Looked at starkly, she argues, much of the anti-gay argument is bound up in feces and saliva, germs, contagion and blood.

The philosophical question for Nussbaum is whether disgust of this sort is a "reliable guide to lawmaking." She cites Leon Kass, head of the President's Council on Bioethics in the George W. Bush administration, who has argued that it is; that visceral public disgust contains a "wisdom" that lies beneath rational argument. Then she proceeds to annihilate that argument by offering example after example of discarded disgust-based policies, from India's denigration of its "untouchables" to the Nazi view of Jews, to a legally sanctioned regime of separate swimming pools and water fountains in the Jim Crow South. Time and again, Nussbaum argues, societies have been able to move beyond their own politics of disgust to what she calls "the politics of humanity," once they have finally managed to see others as fully human, with human aspirations and desires.

Read the whole thing.

Stinkbomb Alert - Catholic Charities "adjusts" benefits cuz of those damned gays

Same-sex marriage leads Catholic Charities to adjust benefits

via Washington Post, by William Wan

Employees at Catholic Charities were told Monday that the social services organization is changing its health coverage to avoid offering benefits to same-sex partners of its workers -- the latest fallout from a bitter debate between District officials trying to legalize same-sex marriage and the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

Starting Tuesday, Catholic Charities will not offer benefits to spouses of new employees or to spouses of current employees who are not already enrolled in the plan. A letter describing the change in health benefits was e-mailed to employees Monday, two days before same-sex marriage will become legal in the District.

"We looked at all the options and implications," said the charity's president, Edward J. Orzechowski. "This allows us to continue providing services, comply with the city's new requirements and remain faithful to the church's teaching."

Catholic Charities, which receives $22 million from the city for social service programs, protested in the run-up to the council's December vote to allow same-sex marriage, saying that it might not be able to continue its contracts with the city, including operating homeless shelters and facilitating city-sponsored adoptions. Being forced to recognize same-sex marriage, church officials said, could make it impossible for the church to be a city contractor because Catholic teaching opposes such unions.

After the council voted to legalize gay marriage, Catholic Charities last month transferred its foster-care program -- 43 children, 35 families and seven staff members -- to another provider, the National Center for Children and Families.

Orzechowski said Monday that the change in health benefits will be the last move necessary in response to the legislation.

Read the rest.

What is justice for the Black Gay man? [Chicago community forum]

Join the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus, Project CRYSP,

Lifelube, and the Communities of Color Collaborative

Justice for All?
A community forum exploring
What is justice for 
the Black Gay man?

Panel includes Keith Boykin
Thursday, January 28 at 6pm
525 South State Street

More info below - click images to enlarge

We hope to see you and yours there. Gay men of all colors, and allies, are welcome to attend this free event.

It's the homo-negativity, stupid!

via Sydney Star Observer, by Harley Dennett

An interview with Dr Judith Auerbach, vice president of science and public policy at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Here is a snip.

Higher rates of depression and alcohol and substance abuse among adult gay men have consistently been linked to HIV acquisition risk, Auerbach said.

“It’s all connected to being gay in a homo-negative culture. The background of gay men’s lives can have an ultimately very complicated pathway to acquisition and transmission of HIV.

“Everything from child sexual abuse, to being bullied in school, to other ways you could define homo-negativity, the ways dominant culture is negative to homosexuality and is played out by bullies, has a relationship to adult behaviours that lead to HIV risk.”

African American gay men have even higher HIV rates. Auerbach said that had a lot to do with their social position, driven in part by the homophobic black church culture, and also their low visibility in so-called gay refuge destinations like San Francisco’s Castro district.

“[Same-sex] marriage is not necessarily protective,” she said. “Most transfers continue to happen between main partners, not the other partnerships. All people tend to use condoms with their non-main partnerships.”

Read the full article.