The Rock at the heart of University of Michigan, painted by Results, Student Globial AIDS Campaign and others from the Ann Arbor area. The rock was painted in preperation of the Campaign to END AIDS arrival on Monday night,
To Much
- White Fang
- Ferndale, Michigan, United States
- 42, 6 foot 2, shaved head, lots of ink and steel, HIV positive, lovers of men and each other 43 years+, 420, no PNP, POZ40+, u=u, like friendly wrestling for top, bottom games, we like to film and share each other. Not hug up n looks, race but better clean yourself, man, we are civilized up to point. And if you bottom, just don't lay thee expecting someone else to do all the work.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
The ROCK
The Rock at the heart of University of Michigan, painted by Results, Student Globial AIDS Campaign and others from the Ann Arbor area. The rock was painted in preperation of the Campaign to END AIDS arrival on Monday night,
Friday, October 28, 2005
Honor the fallen
Neighbors and travelers (and we are all travelers in one form or another, neighbors too.)
Today marks the beginning of a journey that has taken many months to ripen and whose fruit has taken many hands to nurture to sweetness. We have been told by many that we labor in vain and that our harvest will be barren. Rich voices from the dark corners tell us that The Big Brothers will take care of all and too many of 1.1 million voices
believe, and stay silent. How will you answer the darkness, the world is waiting.
The dieing tears of gentle souls wet the Ryan White Care Act. The sweat and labor by thousands of PWA's and loved ones have guided the Act through the years, as many others have tried to unknot this important safety net. How can any stay silent after a generation sacrificed themselves on a bureaucratic alter of apathy?
What will your response be in a time where your people (your community,) need you so badly? As I experienced The Quilt in
Washington D.C. (actually the only time I could bear to see it,) from the Lincoln Memorial someone read from Dillon Thomas, Chaka Khan sang Amazing grace and the candles of our dead lined the way to the White House. When our history is written will you be absent?
The Campaign to End AIDS needs you.
Christopher E. Posler
Co-Chair- Diva Express
C2EA.com
Link to personal page:
http://www.campaigntoendaids.org/siteapps/personalpage/ShowPage.aspx?c=fnJMKLNmFmG&b=929341&sid=quI4JaNLJjL0K7PWH
Dylan Thomas - Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Today marks the beginning of a journey that has taken many months to ripen and whose fruit has taken many hands to nurture to sweetness. We have been told by many that we labor in vain and that our harvest will be barren. Rich voices from the dark corners tell us that The Big Brothers will take care of all and too many of 1.1 million voices
believe, and stay silent. How will you answer the darkness, the world is waiting.
The dieing tears of gentle souls wet the Ryan White Care Act. The sweat and labor by thousands of PWA's and loved ones have guided the Act through the years, as many others have tried to unknot this important safety net. How can any stay silent after a generation sacrificed themselves on a bureaucratic alter of apathy?
What will your response be in a time where your people (your community,) need you so badly? As I experienced The Quilt in
Washington D.C. (actually the only time I could bear to see it,) from the Lincoln Memorial someone read from Dillon Thomas, Chaka Khan sang Amazing grace and the candles of our dead lined the way to the White House. When our history is written will you be absent?
The Campaign to End AIDS needs you.
Christopher E. Posler
Co-Chair- Diva Express
C2EA.com
Link to personal page:
http://www.campaigntoendaids.org/siteapps/personalpage/ShowPage.aspx?c=fnJMKLNmFmG&b=929341&sid=quI4JaNLJjL0K7PWH
Dylan Thomas - Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
1 Million
MSNBC.com
More than a million Americans living with HIV
Government estimate reflects failure of prevention, critics say
The Associated Press
Updated: 3:05 p.m. ET June 13, 2005
ATLANTA - For the first time since the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, more than a million Americans are believed to be living with the virus that causes AIDS, the government said Monday.
The latest estimate is both good and bad news — reflecting the success of drugs that keep more people alive and the failure of the government to “break the back” of the AIDS epidemic by its stated goal of 2005.
Critics say the new estimate reflects a failure of prevention, and it comes in the year that the government had set as its deadline to “break the back” of the AIDS epidemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that between 1,039,000 and 1,185,000 people in the United States were living with HIV in December 2003. The previous estimate — released in 2002 — showed that between 850,000 and 950,000 people had the AIDS virus.
The jump reflects the role of medicines that have allowed people infected with the virus to live longer, said Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention.
“While treatment advances have been an obvious godsend to those living with the disease, it presents new challenges for prevention,” Valdiserri said.
60,000 new cases a year?
The challenges include overcoming a failure by the government to meet its 2005 goal of cutting in half the estimated 40,000 new HIV infections that have occurred every year since the 1990s. Then, Dr. Robert Janssen of the CDC pledged the government campaign would “break the back” of the epidemic.
CDC officials previously have said the country’s HIV infection rate has been “relatively stable” and without change. As the National HIV Prevention Conference was set to begin this week, Valdiserri said no new infection data will be available until next year.
However, recent outbreaks of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases in major cities around the country offer a hint that new infections may be as high as 60,000 cases a year, rather than the government estimate of 40,000, said Dr. Carlos del Rio, an Emory University professor of medicine.
“The U.S. has had a clear failure in HIV prevention — I think the increase in prevalence is a reflection of that, of the poor job we do in HIV prevention,” del Rio said.
He added that the higher number is not as surprising as why the country has not been able to curb new infections. He said the CDC hasn’t been given adequate resources to tackle HIV prevention and that experts have focused too much on whether it’s better to promote abstinence or condom use to stop the spread of the virus.
“We’re debating too much what to do and are not doing enough,” he said.
At the same time, reaching the 1 million mark is “a sign of both victory and failure,” said Terje Anderson, executive director of the National Association of People Living With AIDS.
“Part of the reason the number is so big is we’re not dying as before,” he said. “But the other problem is we have not made a significant dent in new infections.”
47 percent are black
Estimating the number of Americans with HIV has always been a difficult task for health officials, but this year’s figures are believed to be the most accurate ever thanks to wider case reporting.
Estimating the number of Americans with HIV has always been a difficult task for health officials. In the 1990s, the CDC and other agencies generally agreed that between 600,000 and 900,000 people had the virus, according to the University of California-San Francisco’s Center for HIV Information.
Previous estimates — as high as 1.5 million people — from the 1980s were later determined to be too high. For example, the CDC estimated in 1986 that between 1 million and 1.5 million people had HIV. In 1987, that was revised to 945,000 to 1.4 million and was refined in 1990 to 800,000 to 1.2 million.
Since the CDC’s previous HIV estimates didn’t include demographic information — age, gender, race, sexual orientation — for all 50 states, it’s impossible to determine what groups of people account for the increase in the latest estimate of people living with HIV.
However, the CDC estimates that blacks account for 47 percent of HIV cases; gay and bisexual men make up 45 percent of those living with the virus that causes AIDS, the health agency believes.
The CDC also warned those demographics may soon change because heterosexual blacks, women and others infected after having high-risk sex (such as with someone with HIV, an injection-drug user or a man who has sex with other men) now account for a larger proportion of those living with HIV than those who are living with full-blown AIDS.
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
© 2005 MSNBC.com
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8203052/
More than a million Americans living with HIV
Government estimate reflects failure of prevention, critics say
The Associated Press
Updated: 3:05 p.m. ET June 13, 2005
ATLANTA - For the first time since the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, more than a million Americans are believed to be living with the virus that causes AIDS, the government said Monday.
The latest estimate is both good and bad news — reflecting the success of drugs that keep more people alive and the failure of the government to “break the back” of the AIDS epidemic by its stated goal of 2005.
Critics say the new estimate reflects a failure of prevention, and it comes in the year that the government had set as its deadline to “break the back” of the AIDS epidemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that between 1,039,000 and 1,185,000 people in the United States were living with HIV in December 2003. The previous estimate — released in 2002 — showed that between 850,000 and 950,000 people had the AIDS virus.
The jump reflects the role of medicines that have allowed people infected with the virus to live longer, said Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention.
“While treatment advances have been an obvious godsend to those living with the disease, it presents new challenges for prevention,” Valdiserri said.
60,000 new cases a year?
The challenges include overcoming a failure by the government to meet its 2005 goal of cutting in half the estimated 40,000 new HIV infections that have occurred every year since the 1990s. Then, Dr. Robert Janssen of the CDC pledged the government campaign would “break the back” of the epidemic.
CDC officials previously have said the country’s HIV infection rate has been “relatively stable” and without change. As the National HIV Prevention Conference was set to begin this week, Valdiserri said no new infection data will be available until next year.
However, recent outbreaks of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases in major cities around the country offer a hint that new infections may be as high as 60,000 cases a year, rather than the government estimate of 40,000, said Dr. Carlos del Rio, an Emory University professor of medicine.
“The U.S. has had a clear failure in HIV prevention — I think the increase in prevalence is a reflection of that, of the poor job we do in HIV prevention,” del Rio said.
He added that the higher number is not as surprising as why the country has not been able to curb new infections. He said the CDC hasn’t been given adequate resources to tackle HIV prevention and that experts have focused too much on whether it’s better to promote abstinence or condom use to stop the spread of the virus.
“We’re debating too much what to do and are not doing enough,” he said.
At the same time, reaching the 1 million mark is “a sign of both victory and failure,” said Terje Anderson, executive director of the National Association of People Living With AIDS.
“Part of the reason the number is so big is we’re not dying as before,” he said. “But the other problem is we have not made a significant dent in new infections.”
47 percent are black
Estimating the number of Americans with HIV has always been a difficult task for health officials, but this year’s figures are believed to be the most accurate ever thanks to wider case reporting.
Estimating the number of Americans with HIV has always been a difficult task for health officials. In the 1990s, the CDC and other agencies generally agreed that between 600,000 and 900,000 people had the virus, according to the University of California-San Francisco’s Center for HIV Information.
Previous estimates — as high as 1.5 million people — from the 1980s were later determined to be too high. For example, the CDC estimated in 1986 that between 1 million and 1.5 million people had HIV. In 1987, that was revised to 945,000 to 1.4 million and was refined in 1990 to 800,000 to 1.2 million.
Since the CDC’s previous HIV estimates didn’t include demographic information — age, gender, race, sexual orientation — for all 50 states, it’s impossible to determine what groups of people account for the increase in the latest estimate of people living with HIV.
However, the CDC estimates that blacks account for 47 percent of HIV cases; gay and bisexual men make up 45 percent of those living with the virus that causes AIDS, the health agency believes.
The CDC also warned those demographics may soon change because heterosexual blacks, women and others infected after having high-risk sex (such as with someone with HIV, an injection-drug user or a man who has sex with other men) now account for a larger proportion of those living with HIV than those who are living with full-blown AIDS.
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
© 2005 MSNBC.com
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8203052/
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
C2EA
If you haven’t heard of C2EA:
WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BEAT AIDS. SO HOW CAN WE LET IT BEAT US?
You may have heard: AIDS isn't over. Not only that-it's poised for a major comeback. While the epidemic's devastation in the developing world has embroiled activists in a desperate fight for the funds and political will to turn around the global crisis, the epidemic has quietly made inroads into vulnerable communities right here at home. A carefree new generation of young gay men, women who never thought that their boyfriends or husbands could be infected, and African Americans, many of who have so many other challenges they're not even diagnosed until they're sick. Yet while the epidemic has been establishing deadly new roots, our leaders have repeatedly failed to fully fund the programs we need to keep people with HIV/AIDS alive and well and the science-based prevention methods to keep those most at risk from contracting the virus.
THAT'S WHERE WE COME IN: THE CAMPAIGN TO END AIDS
We're a diverse, new coalition of people living with HIVAIDS (PLWHAs) and the advocates, organizations and loved ones who stand behind them. After years of watching our friends and family die, we're ecstatic that we finally have the tools to stop the epidemic-treatments that works, however imperfect, and prevention methods like abstinence and condoms, as well as needle-exchange programs, which keep injection-drug users HIV-free. But we're infuriated that some of our most powerful leaders, including our president, have withheld these tools from those who need them most. That's why we're organizing on the local, state and national level to demand that those in power:
Fully fund high-quality treatment and support services for all people living with HIV everywhere in the world.
Ramp up HIV prevention at home and abroad guided by the best science.
Increase research to find a cure, more effective treatments and better prevention tools.
Fight AIDS stigma and protect the civil rights of all people with HIV and AIDS everywhere.
HOW WILL WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN?
In lots of fun, exciting ways. We're building strong local, state and regional networks of people with HIVAIDS and the groups that serve them. We're mobilizing the veterans of legendary activist groups like ACT UP, which played a major role in securing PLWHAs their first wave of treatment and legislation, to train a feisty new generation of fighters. And from October 8-12, 2005, we're bringing it all home-to the nation's capital, that is, where caravans from around the nation will converge for five lively days of meetings, prayer groups and lawmaker visits. It all culminates with a massive march that will show the world we're united, strong and ready to make a mighty ruckus until our leaders do the right thing to halt the epidemic.
HOW CAN YOU BE A PART OF IT ALL?
In so many ways! You can do everything from getting involved in your area to joining a national C2EA workgroup to joining a caravan traveling to D.C.! Roam around the site for more information and to see what's going down in your state. But real participation starts with signing up for our weekly update and, if you choose, telling us a bit about yourself.
C2Ea.org
WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BEAT AIDS. SO HOW CAN WE LET IT BEAT US?
You may have heard: AIDS isn't over. Not only that-it's poised for a major comeback. While the epidemic's devastation in the developing world has embroiled activists in a desperate fight for the funds and political will to turn around the global crisis, the epidemic has quietly made inroads into vulnerable communities right here at home. A carefree new generation of young gay men, women who never thought that their boyfriends or husbands could be infected, and African Americans, many of who have so many other challenges they're not even diagnosed until they're sick. Yet while the epidemic has been establishing deadly new roots, our leaders have repeatedly failed to fully fund the programs we need to keep people with HIV/AIDS alive and well and the science-based prevention methods to keep those most at risk from contracting the virus.
THAT'S WHERE WE COME IN: THE CAMPAIGN TO END AIDS
We're a diverse, new coalition of people living with HIVAIDS (PLWHAs) and the advocates, organizations and loved ones who stand behind them. After years of watching our friends and family die, we're ecstatic that we finally have the tools to stop the epidemic-treatments that works, however imperfect, and prevention methods like abstinence and condoms, as well as needle-exchange programs, which keep injection-drug users HIV-free. But we're infuriated that some of our most powerful leaders, including our president, have withheld these tools from those who need them most. That's why we're organizing on the local, state and national level to demand that those in power:
Fully fund high-quality treatment and support services for all people living with HIV everywhere in the world.
Ramp up HIV prevention at home and abroad guided by the best science.
Increase research to find a cure, more effective treatments and better prevention tools.
Fight AIDS stigma and protect the civil rights of all people with HIV and AIDS everywhere.
HOW WILL WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN?
In lots of fun, exciting ways. We're building strong local, state and regional networks of people with HIVAIDS and the groups that serve them. We're mobilizing the veterans of legendary activist groups like ACT UP, which played a major role in securing PLWHAs their first wave of treatment and legislation, to train a feisty new generation of fighters. And from October 8-12, 2005, we're bringing it all home-to the nation's capital, that is, where caravans from around the nation will converge for five lively days of meetings, prayer groups and lawmaker visits. It all culminates with a massive march that will show the world we're united, strong and ready to make a mighty ruckus until our leaders do the right thing to halt the epidemic.
HOW CAN YOU BE A PART OF IT ALL?
In so many ways! You can do everything from getting involved in your area to joining a national C2EA workgroup to joining a caravan traveling to D.C.! Roam around the site for more information and to see what's going down in your state. But real participation starts with signing up for our weekly update and, if you choose, telling us a bit about yourself.
C2Ea.org
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Hate Crimes Bill
From: PFLAG Dayton [mailto:daytonpflag@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005
Subject: Hate Crimes Legislation in Congress Today!
Urge Your Representative to Co-Sponsor the Transgender Inclusive Hate Crimes Bill!
Write, Call, Email Your Senators Today - Urgent Action Required
This morning Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA), IIeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), John Conyers (D-MI); Christopher Shays (R-CT), and Tammy Baldwin (D- WI) will introduce a hate crimes bill in the House of Representatives that explicitly includes transgender protections. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2005 extends existing hate crimes laws that already cover crimes motivated by race, color, national origin and religion to include crimes based on actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, disability and gender identity (including gender-related characteristics). PFLAG has consistently advocated for hate crimes legislation that includes gay, lesbian, and bisexuality persons as well as the transgender community and is pleased to support legislation that includes ALL of our loved ones. Documented hate crimes based on sexual orientation are on the rise according to FBI statistics. Unfortunately, the FBI data does not report separately on crimes against those who are targeted for non-traditional gender expression. We know that 75% of anti-GLBT hate crimes are unreported and that only twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia have hate crimes laws inclusive of sexual orientation while only five of those and the District of Columbia are expressly transgender inclusive. Contact your Representative today and urge him/her to become a cosponsor of this important piece of legislation that will ensure that the entire GLBT community is protected.
Take Action NOW on Hate Crimes Legislation
Your representatives need to hear from you! Call, Email, Fax or Write and Urge him/her to cosponsor the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2005! To locate your representative's contact information please go to http://www.vote-smart.org/. For talking points on Hate Crimes legislation please see PFLAG's 2005
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005
Subject: Hate Crimes Legislation in Congress Today!
Urge Your Representative to Co-Sponsor the Transgender Inclusive Hate Crimes Bill!
Write, Call, Email Your Senators Today - Urgent Action Required
This morning Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA), IIeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), John Conyers (D-MI); Christopher Shays (R-CT), and Tammy Baldwin (D- WI) will introduce a hate crimes bill in the House of Representatives that explicitly includes transgender protections. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2005 extends existing hate crimes laws that already cover crimes motivated by race, color, national origin and religion to include crimes based on actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, disability and gender identity (including gender-related characteristics). PFLAG has consistently advocated for hate crimes legislation that includes gay, lesbian, and bisexuality persons as well as the transgender community and is pleased to support legislation that includes ALL of our loved ones. Documented hate crimes based on sexual orientation are on the rise according to FBI statistics. Unfortunately, the FBI data does not report separately on crimes against those who are targeted for non-traditional gender expression. We know that 75% of anti-GLBT hate crimes are unreported and that only twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia have hate crimes laws inclusive of sexual orientation while only five of those and the District of Columbia are expressly transgender inclusive. Contact your Representative today and urge him/her to become a cosponsor of this important piece of legislation that will ensure that the entire GLBT community is protected.
Take Action NOW on Hate Crimes Legislation
Your representatives need to hear from you! Call, Email, Fax or Write and Urge him/her to cosponsor the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2005! To locate your representative's contact information please go to http://www.vote-smart.org/. For talking points on Hate Crimes legislation please see PFLAG's 2005
CAFTA
Boston Globe
CAFTA will hurt people with HIV
By Rahul Rajkumar May 26, 2005
IF CONGRESS wants to get serious about promoting a culture of life, its members might start by saving 275,000 lives in Central America. That's the number of people infected with HIV in the countries party to the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA. The agreement,
which may be ratified by the end of the month, will force its signatories to strengthen rotections on patents owned by multinational pharmaceutical companies, thus preventing the manufacture and importation of many cheap generic drugs. In the countries bound by the agreement -- Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador -- generic
competition has allowed for widespread access to life-saving medicines. In Guatemala, some AIDS drugs are as much as 98 percent cheaper than their name-brand alternatives. The antiretroviral cocktail that costs $4,818 per year when marketed by GlaxoSmithKline as Combivir can be purchased by Guatemalans for $216 in generic form. Given the financial strain many Americans experience when purchasing drugs like Combivir, it's not difficult to imagine how devastating similarly elevated prices would be for the farmers and impoverished
city dwellers who make up the bulk of AIDS cases in Central America. In addition to increases in patent protection, CAFTA mandates that these governments protect regulatory data on medicines -- an unprecedented step that could effectively extend patents by a decade without any form of reprieve, even in a public health emergency. Data protection for medicines means that if a drug is not patented, or if a country can somehow maneuver around the patent, generic manufacturers would still be prohibited from selling the medicine unless they repeat costly
clinical trials. Since few generic manufacturers in Central America have the resources to conduct clinical trials, data protection will function as another obstacle to generic competition.
The theory behind patents is straightforward. By allowing pharmaceutical companies to recoup development costs along with a sizeable profit, they provide an incentive for future innovation. The problem is that innovation, as an end in itself, can be a hollow accomplishment. Drugs
must also be within reach of the people who need them most. Without cheap access to the fruits of innovation, many poor patients will die unnecessarily.
The nations of the World Trade Organization recognized this dilemma, when, as part of the 2001 Doha Declaration, they unanimously resolved that public health emergencies like HIV/AIDS may require circumventing patent rules. CAFTA flouts this global consensus and is widely
understood to be part of the Bush administration's larger systematic effort to undermine the WTO process -- that is, to use bilateral trade agreements to bully small developing countries into waiving their rights under the WTO's intellectual property rules. The WTO's rules allow
developing countries to implement patent laws that meet their individual needs.
The office of the US trade representative maintains that nothing in the agreement prevents governments from producing generic drugs and that it will result in increased access to life-saving drugs as stringent patent protection encourages innovation in drug development.
The first of these claims is, unfortunately, false. CAFTA's protection for drug test data ensures that while countries may be able to produce generic drugs, they won't be able to use them. The second statement is partially true but so disingenuous that it verges on outright deception.
Increased protection for patent rights will certainly give drug companies larger profits, and this could theoretically lead to more innovation. However, the pharmaceutical market in Central America is so small that any increase in earnings will be negligible relative to the overall profits of the pharmaceutical giants. Patients in Central America will most likely end up getting nothing in return for the higher prices.
Congress will decide whether CAFTA goes into effect when it votes to ratify the agreement. Many lives ride on the outcome of this vote. Most of the 275,000 HIV-positive people in Central America will die needlessly without access to cheap antiretroviral drugs. Congress can
save these lives by voting down CAFTA and telling the Bush administration to renegotiate the agreement's intellectual-property provisions. Could there be any better way to demonstrate our
dedication to the culture of life?
Rahul Rajkumar is a member of Universities Allied for Essential
Medicines.
(c) Copyright
2005 The New York Times Company
------ End of Forwarded Message
CAFTA will hurt people with HIV
By Rahul Rajkumar May 26, 2005
IF CONGRESS wants to get serious about promoting a culture of life, its members might start by saving 275,000 lives in Central America. That's the number of people infected with HIV in the countries party to the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA. The agreement,
which may be ratified by the end of the month, will force its signatories to strengthen rotections on patents owned by multinational pharmaceutical companies, thus preventing the manufacture and importation of many cheap generic drugs. In the countries bound by the agreement -- Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador -- generic
competition has allowed for widespread access to life-saving medicines. In Guatemala, some AIDS drugs are as much as 98 percent cheaper than their name-brand alternatives. The antiretroviral cocktail that costs $4,818 per year when marketed by GlaxoSmithKline as Combivir can be purchased by Guatemalans for $216 in generic form. Given the financial strain many Americans experience when purchasing drugs like Combivir, it's not difficult to imagine how devastating similarly elevated prices would be for the farmers and impoverished
city dwellers who make up the bulk of AIDS cases in Central America. In addition to increases in patent protection, CAFTA mandates that these governments protect regulatory data on medicines -- an unprecedented step that could effectively extend patents by a decade without any form of reprieve, even in a public health emergency. Data protection for medicines means that if a drug is not patented, or if a country can somehow maneuver around the patent, generic manufacturers would still be prohibited from selling the medicine unless they repeat costly
clinical trials. Since few generic manufacturers in Central America have the resources to conduct clinical trials, data protection will function as another obstacle to generic competition.
The theory behind patents is straightforward. By allowing pharmaceutical companies to recoup development costs along with a sizeable profit, they provide an incentive for future innovation. The problem is that innovation, as an end in itself, can be a hollow accomplishment. Drugs
must also be within reach of the people who need them most. Without cheap access to the fruits of innovation, many poor patients will die unnecessarily.
The nations of the World Trade Organization recognized this dilemma, when, as part of the 2001 Doha Declaration, they unanimously resolved that public health emergencies like HIV/AIDS may require circumventing patent rules. CAFTA flouts this global consensus and is widely
understood to be part of the Bush administration's larger systematic effort to undermine the WTO process -- that is, to use bilateral trade agreements to bully small developing countries into waiving their rights under the WTO's intellectual property rules. The WTO's rules allow
developing countries to implement patent laws that meet their individual needs.
The office of the US trade representative maintains that nothing in the agreement prevents governments from producing generic drugs and that it will result in increased access to life-saving drugs as stringent patent protection encourages innovation in drug development.
The first of these claims is, unfortunately, false. CAFTA's protection for drug test data ensures that while countries may be able to produce generic drugs, they won't be able to use them. The second statement is partially true but so disingenuous that it verges on outright deception.
Increased protection for patent rights will certainly give drug companies larger profits, and this could theoretically lead to more innovation. However, the pharmaceutical market in Central America is so small that any increase in earnings will be negligible relative to the overall profits of the pharmaceutical giants. Patients in Central America will most likely end up getting nothing in return for the higher prices.
Congress will decide whether CAFTA goes into effect when it votes to ratify the agreement. Many lives ride on the outcome of this vote. Most of the 275,000 HIV-positive people in Central America will die needlessly without access to cheap antiretroviral drugs. Congress can
save these lives by voting down CAFTA and telling the Bush administration to renegotiate the agreement's intellectual-property provisions. Could there be any better way to demonstrate our
dedication to the culture of life?
Rahul Rajkumar is a member of Universities Allied for Essential
Medicines.
(c)
2005 The New York Times Company
------ End of Forwarded Message
Thursday, April 14, 2005
APATHY
"AIDS Fighters Face a Resistant Form of Apathy"
New York Times (04.03.05)::Andrew Jacobs
The disappearance of condoms and HIV prevention literature from gay
bars is a telling sign of how much momentum has been lost in the US fight
against AIDS. Public health officials and AIDS advocates say many gay men
have adopted a laissez-faire attitude about safe sex, and they cite as
examples the continued popularity of crystal methamphetamine, a rise in
barebacking, and widespread apathy in which HIV is seen more as a nuisance
than a life-threatening disease. The reality that gay men continue to have
unprotected sex has vexed health experts for 20 years, though the struggle
became more pronounced with the introduction of HAART in the mid-1990s,
which sharply reduced AIDS death rates but fed the misconception that HIV is
an easily managed disease.
"Just because folks are well informed doesn't mean they'll necessarily
make the wisest choices in terms of their health," said Dr. Ronald
Valdiserri, director of AIDS prevention at CDC. "This is true of all
humanity, not just gay men."
The only hope for changing behavior, say public health experts and
psychologists, is to recognize and address the underlying factors that cause
men to take risks, such as loneliness, self-hatred, and alienation.
Perry Halkitis, a New York University psychologist who studies the
relationship between drugs and sex, said many gay men who take risks are
grappling with profound mental health issues. "They do it because the sexual
risk fulfills a need, or somehow makes them feel better about themselves,"
said Halkitis.
Other advocates say that approach is naïve and call for more personal
responsibility. Crystal meth needs to be demonized, unprotected sex must be
stigmatized, and people need to be reminded that living with HIV can be
grueling, they argue. A key first step, they say, would be for
pharmaceutical firms to stop running ads that portray life with AIDS as
carefree.
New York Times (04.03.05)::Andrew Jacobs
The disappearance of condoms and HIV prevention literature from gay
bars is a telling sign of how much momentum has been lost in the US fight
against AIDS. Public health officials and AIDS advocates say many gay men
have adopted a laissez-faire attitude about safe sex, and they cite as
examples the continued popularity of crystal methamphetamine, a rise in
barebacking, and widespread apathy in which HIV is seen more as a nuisance
than a life-threatening disease. The reality that gay men continue to have
unprotected sex has vexed health experts for 20 years, though the struggle
became more pronounced with the introduction of HAART in the mid-1990s,
which sharply reduced AIDS death rates but fed the misconception that HIV is
an easily managed disease.
"Just because folks are well informed doesn't mean they'll necessarily
make the wisest choices in terms of their health," said Dr. Ronald
Valdiserri, director of AIDS prevention at CDC. "This is true of all
humanity, not just gay men."
The only hope for changing behavior, say public health experts and
psychologists, is to recognize and address the underlying factors that cause
men to take risks, such as loneliness, self-hatred, and alienation.
Perry Halkitis, a New York University psychologist who studies the
relationship between drugs and sex, said many gay men who take risks are
grappling with profound mental health issues. "They do it because the sexual
risk fulfills a need, or somehow makes them feel better about themselves,"
said Halkitis.
Other advocates say that approach is naïve and call for more personal
responsibility. Crystal meth needs to be demonized, unprotected sex must be
stigmatized, and people need to be reminded that living with HIV can be
grueling, they argue. A key first step, they say, would be for
pharmaceutical firms to stop running ads that portray life with AIDS as
carefree.
Congrats MI-POZ
MI-POZ receives $10,000 grant from Ben & Jerry's Foundation
FERNDALE - The Ben & Jerry's Foundation, the charitable organization established by the ice cream manufacturer, has made a $10,000 grant to the Michigan Positive Action Coalition to support its efforts to build effective grassroots leadership among people living with HIV and AIDS. The one-year grant will fund legislative education training sessions for people affected by HIV and AIDS in addition to legislative education activities in Washington, D.C. and a bi-monthly newsletter to inform the community about public policy issues that impact HIV care and prevention. "We're really excited about this grant," said Mark Peterson, director of MI-POZ. "The Ben & Jerry's Foundation has a long history of supporting projects that are working for systemic social change across the United States. We felt this was a perfect match." Currently operating under the umbrella of the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project, MI-POZ is the only project of its kind in Michigan that teaches people living with HIV/AIDS how to advocate for themselves and educate their elected representatives. MI-POZ received its first financial support in March 2004, a grant from the Michigan AIDS Fund. With the MAF grant, MI-POZ trained 15 people and organized meetings with state senators in Lansing to discuss pending legislation on HIV issues. MI-POZ expects to hold its next training seminar in June, and is making a special effort to recruit participants from HIV-affected African-American communities in the Detroit metro area. The training seminars are led by MI-POZ Legislative Director Rick Otterbein, who has been actively involved in legislative education activities for nearly a decade. The training workshop provides participants with basic information about state and federally-funded HIV care and prevention programs and the advocate's role in that process, including information about how government works, methods for individuals to affect change within their communities, specific strategies to impact policy decisions, and communication techniques. The training has proven successful in preparing its participants to discuss HIV issues with their elected officials, said Otterbein. "HIV-affected persons are more likely to participate in public policy development when they feel they have some degree of power over the outcome, and advocacy training workshops are effective in instilling these feelings of empowerment," said Otterbein. Anyone interested in attending a free MI-POZ training is encouraged to call Mark Peterson at 248-545-1435.
FERNDALE - The Ben & Jerry's Foundation, the charitable organization established by the ice cream manufacturer, has made a $10,000 grant to the Michigan Positive Action Coalition to support its efforts to build effective grassroots leadership among people living with HIV and AIDS. The one-year grant will fund legislative education training sessions for people affected by HIV and AIDS in addition to legislative education activities in Washington, D.C. and a bi-monthly newsletter to inform the community about public policy issues that impact HIV care and prevention. "We're really excited about this grant," said Mark Peterson, director of MI-POZ. "The Ben & Jerry's Foundation has a long history of supporting projects that are working for systemic social change across the United States. We felt this was a perfect match." Currently operating under the umbrella of the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project, MI-POZ is the only project of its kind in Michigan that teaches people living with HIV/AIDS how to advocate for themselves and educate their elected representatives. MI-POZ received its first financial support in March 2004, a grant from the Michigan AIDS Fund. With the MAF grant, MI-POZ trained 15 people and organized meetings with state senators in Lansing to discuss pending legislation on HIV issues. MI-POZ expects to hold its next training seminar in June, and is making a special effort to recruit participants from HIV-affected African-American communities in the Detroit metro area. The training seminars are led by MI-POZ Legislative Director Rick Otterbein, who has been actively involved in legislative education activities for nearly a decade. The training workshop provides participants with basic information about state and federally-funded HIV care and prevention programs and the advocate's role in that process, including information about how government works, methods for individuals to affect change within their communities, specific strategies to impact policy decisions, and communication techniques. The training has proven successful in preparing its participants to discuss HIV issues with their elected officials, said Otterbein. "HIV-affected persons are more likely to participate in public policy development when they feel they have some degree of power over the outcome, and advocacy training workshops are effective in instilling these feelings of empowerment," said Otterbein. Anyone interested in attending a free MI-POZ training is encouraged to call Mark Peterson at 248-545-1435.
2005 PWA Guide
PWH/A Pocket Reference Guide for Spring 2005
The Spring 2005 issue of the PWH/A Pocket Reference Guide is in the final editing process. I ask that each of you look at your entry for any changes needed, please E-mail those changes to info@friendsalliance.org. Our projected timeline is to have the editing process completed VERY SOON, so that printing and distribution will occur in April. So far, I have heard from only 17 agencies on changes to be made so far. Has your agency moved in the past year? Telephone numbers changed? Services added or discontinued? Added a website or E-mail? Please send your changes now, we are going to press in just a few weeks! If you do not have a Guide handy, E-mail me or leave a message at (248)544-3320 and we will rush a copy out to you!
The Spring 2005 issue of the PWH/A Pocket Reference Guide is in the final editing process. I ask that each of you look at your entry for any changes needed, please E-mail those changes to info@friendsalliance.org. Our projected timeline is to have the editing process completed VERY SOON, so that printing and distribution will occur in April. So far, I have heard from only 17 agencies on changes to be made so far. Has your agency moved in the past year? Telephone numbers changed? Services added or discontinued? Added a website or E-mail? Please send your changes now, we are going to press in just a few weeks! If you do not have a Guide handy, E-mail me or leave a message at (248)544-3320 and we will rush a copy out to you!
New POPE
Seeking a new Catholic lead on condoms
By Justin Pearce BBC News website, Johannesburg
Campaigners against Aids in South Africa are hoping that the election of a new Pope could lead to a liberalisation of the Vatican's stance on the use of condoms to prevent HIV transmission.
During his lifetime, Pope John Paul II drew criticism for refusing to moderate the Catholic Church's anti-condom stance in the face of the Aids epidemic. But some Catholics say that the Church does not ban condoms outright, and is concerned with sexual morality as well as preventing HIV transmission.
An estimated 5.3 million out of South Africa's 45 million people are living with HIV - only India has more people infected with the virus. South Africa's largest non-governmental Aids prevention programme is run by the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC).
"One cannot talk about human rights without promoting reproductive rights - it's a package," Said Luyanda Ngonyama, a Catholic who previously worked for the SACBC HIV-Aids programme, and who now co-ordinates the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in Gauteng province.
"The Pope's teaching was limited. One understands the constraints on him, but he was the one person who had the opportunity to make a change. He lacked the will to make that change."
'Misunderstood'
Mr Ngonyama argues that the church's approach makes it difficult to take an "integrated approach" to preventing the spread of HIV.
"If one is talking about an integrated approach, one must talk about condoms: One can say that those who want to abstain can do so, but that those who wish to use condoms because of their lifestyle must be allowed to do so."
But one SACBC Aids programme staff member - who preferred to remain anonymous - said Catholic teaching on condom use was often misunderstood. The church does, for example, condone the use of condoms between a married couple where one partner is HIV-positive.
"The teaching is not against the use of condoms, but against the casualisation of sex," the SACBC worker said.
Although the arrival of a new pope was unlikely to bring about a major change, "there may be some slight shift in the recognition that some people are not able to live in monogamous relationships - some bishops already recognise that.
"The late Pope has been criticised for not coming out more clearly on the recognition that conscience plays a role [in deciding whether to use condoms] - the church's teaching is that informed conscience must be the basis for a decision."
Although the SACBC HIV programme does not distribute condoms, it does provide education and counselling on HIV prevention. "A responsible way of doing counselling is to give people all the facts they need to know how to protect themselves," the SACBC staff member said.
TAC's national spokesman Nathan Geffen said he hoped that whoever is elected to succeed John Paul "would be more liberal on social issues, and would consider changing the Catholic Church's position on reproductive choice and on the use of condoms".
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4417521.stm
By Justin Pearce BBC News website, Johannesburg
Campaigners against Aids in South Africa are hoping that the election of a new Pope could lead to a liberalisation of the Vatican's stance on the use of condoms to prevent HIV transmission.
During his lifetime, Pope John Paul II drew criticism for refusing to moderate the Catholic Church's anti-condom stance in the face of the Aids epidemic. But some Catholics say that the Church does not ban condoms outright, and is concerned with sexual morality as well as preventing HIV transmission.
An estimated 5.3 million out of South Africa's 45 million people are living with HIV - only India has more people infected with the virus. South Africa's largest non-governmental Aids prevention programme is run by the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC).
"One cannot talk about human rights without promoting reproductive rights - it's a package," Said Luyanda Ngonyama, a Catholic who previously worked for the SACBC HIV-Aids programme, and who now co-ordinates the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in Gauteng province.
"The Pope's teaching was limited. One understands the constraints on him, but he was the one person who had the opportunity to make a change. He lacked the will to make that change."
'Misunderstood'
Mr Ngonyama argues that the church's approach makes it difficult to take an "integrated approach" to preventing the spread of HIV.
"If one is talking about an integrated approach, one must talk about condoms: One can say that those who want to abstain can do so, but that those who wish to use condoms because of their lifestyle must be allowed to do so."
But one SACBC Aids programme staff member - who preferred to remain anonymous - said Catholic teaching on condom use was often misunderstood. The church does, for example, condone the use of condoms between a married couple where one partner is HIV-positive.
"The teaching is not against the use of condoms, but against the casualisation of sex," the SACBC worker said.
Although the arrival of a new pope was unlikely to bring about a major change, "there may be some slight shift in the recognition that some people are not able to live in monogamous relationships - some bishops already recognise that.
"The late Pope has been criticised for not coming out more clearly on the recognition that conscience plays a role [in deciding whether to use condoms] - the church's teaching is that informed conscience must be the basis for a decision."
Although the SACBC HIV programme does not distribute condoms, it does provide education and counselling on HIV prevention. "A responsible way of doing counselling is to give people all the facts they need to know how to protect themselves," the SACBC staff member said.
TAC's national spokesman Nathan Geffen said he hoped that whoever is elected to succeed John Paul "would be more liberal on social issues, and would consider changing the Catholic Church's position on reproductive choice and on the use of condoms".
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4417521.stm
Coke & HIV
HIV-positive cocaine users have higher rates of coronary calcification
Michael Carter, Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Infection with HIV and concurrent cocaine use may contribute to the early stages of the hardening of the heart’s arteries, according to a study conducted in the US and published in the March 28th edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The investigators from Baltimore found that being HIV-positive, use of cocaine, and being HIV-positive and using cocaine were significantly associated with subclinical coronary calcification. Cocaine has been shown to cause arterial damage and it has been postulated that infection with HIV can contribute to cardiovascular disease through inflammatory responses to the virus. Investigators from Baltimore wished to examine the association of HIV infection, cocaine use, and a combination of HIV infection and cocaine use with coronary calcification, a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. A total of 224 black individuals aged between 25 and 45 were recruited to the study between Spring 2000 and Spring 2003. Both HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals were recruited to the study. Individuals were excluded if they had a diagnosis of heart disease, symptoms suggestive of heart disease, or were pregnant. Sociodemographic details and drug use information were obtained using a questionnaire. Fasting blood lipids and blood pressure were also measured and individuals underwent a computed tomographic (CT) scan to determine coronary calcium. Cocaine was used by 153 individuals (68%) and a total of 124 individuals (55%) were HIV-positive. Mean age was 38 years, however HIV-positive cocaine users were significantly younger (mean 27 years p < 0 .001). HIV-positive cocaine users were also significantly more likely to smoke, and had a significantly lower body mass index A total of 192 individuals underwent a CT scan and were included in the investigators’ analysis. The proportion of HIV-positive patients who used cocaine with coronary calcification was significantly higher than that in HIV-negative individuals with no cocaine use. The highest rate of coronary calcification was seen in HIV-positive cocaine users (38%), followed by HIV-negative cocaine users (30%), HIV-negative individuals who did not use cocaine (29%), and HIV-positive non-cocaine users (18%). However, in further analysis, the investigators also noted that amongst non-users of cocaine, HIV-positive individuals had more calcified lesions, a larger calcified area (p < 0.01), a higher calcification total volume score (p < 0.01), and a higher calcification score (p < 0.01) than HIV-negative individuals. What’s more, calcification scores were similar for HIV-positive individuals, regardless of cocaine use (p < 0.05). In multiple regression analysis, the investigators established that individuals who were HIV-positive (p = 0.05), individuals who were HIV-positive and used cocaine (p = 0.003), and HIV-negative cocaine users (p = 0.02) had higher total calcification scores. Because 75% of HIV-positive individuals were taking a protease inhibitor, a class of antiretrovirals which has been associated with accelerated atherosclerosis, the investigators conducted further analysis. This compared HIV-negative non-users of cocaine with HIV-positive non-users of cocaine who were not taking a protease inhibitor. When body mass index was accounted for, the investigators still found that being HIV-positive was significantly associated with coronary calcification (p = 0.02). “This study in young adults demonstrates a positive association of HIV infection, cocaine use, and both with coronary artery calcification. These findings suggest that HIV infection and cocaine use may be involved in the development of subclinical atherosclerosis”, write the investigators. The investigators do, however, caution that their study had a cross-sectional design “and the results from this study need to be explained with caution.” Nevetheless they conclude, “this study suggests that HIV infection, cocaine use, or both may contribute to early subclinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Studies with a larger sample size are needed to test the interaction between HIV infection and cocaine use, and clinical trials are needed to examine whether reduction in cocaine use is an effective means of preventing atherosclerosis and, thus, ameliorating the burden of coronary disease.” Reference Lai S et al. Human immunodeficiency virus 1 infection, cocaine, and coronary calcification. Arch Intern Med 165: 690 – 695, 2005.
Michael Carter, Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Infection with HIV and concurrent cocaine use may contribute to the early stages of the hardening of the heart’s arteries, according to a study conducted in the US and published in the March 28th edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The investigators from Baltimore found that being HIV-positive, use of cocaine, and being HIV-positive and using cocaine were significantly associated with subclinical coronary calcification. Cocaine has been shown to cause arterial damage and it has been postulated that infection with HIV can contribute to cardiovascular disease through inflammatory responses to the virus. Investigators from Baltimore wished to examine the association of HIV infection, cocaine use, and a combination of HIV infection and cocaine use with coronary calcification, a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. A total of 224 black individuals aged between 25 and 45 were recruited to the study between Spring 2000 and Spring 2003. Both HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals were recruited to the study. Individuals were excluded if they had a diagnosis of heart disease, symptoms suggestive of heart disease, or were pregnant. Sociodemographic details and drug use information were obtained using a questionnaire. Fasting blood lipids and blood pressure were also measured and individuals underwent a computed tomographic (CT) scan to determine coronary calcium. Cocaine was used by 153 individuals (68%) and a total of 124 individuals (55%) were HIV-positive. Mean age was 38 years, however HIV-positive cocaine users were significantly younger (mean 27 years p < 0 .001). HIV-positive cocaine users were also significantly more likely to smoke, and had a significantly lower body mass index A total of 192 individuals underwent a CT scan and were included in the investigators’ analysis. The proportion of HIV-positive patients who used cocaine with coronary calcification was significantly higher than that in HIV-negative individuals with no cocaine use. The highest rate of coronary calcification was seen in HIV-positive cocaine users (38%), followed by HIV-negative cocaine users (30%), HIV-negative individuals who did not use cocaine (29%), and HIV-positive non-cocaine users (18%). However, in further analysis, the investigators also noted that amongst non-users of cocaine, HIV-positive individuals had more calcified lesions, a larger calcified area (p < 0.01), a higher calcification total volume score (p < 0.01), and a higher calcification score (p < 0.01) than HIV-negative individuals. What’s more, calcification scores were similar for HIV-positive individuals, regardless of cocaine use (p < 0.05). In multiple regression analysis, the investigators established that individuals who were HIV-positive (p = 0.05), individuals who were HIV-positive and used cocaine (p = 0.003), and HIV-negative cocaine users (p = 0.02) had higher total calcification scores. Because 75% of HIV-positive individuals were taking a protease inhibitor, a class of antiretrovirals which has been associated with accelerated atherosclerosis, the investigators conducted further analysis. This compared HIV-negative non-users of cocaine with HIV-positive non-users of cocaine who were not taking a protease inhibitor. When body mass index was accounted for, the investigators still found that being HIV-positive was significantly associated with coronary calcification (p = 0.02). “This study in young adults demonstrates a positive association of HIV infection, cocaine use, and both with coronary artery calcification. These findings suggest that HIV infection and cocaine use may be involved in the development of subclinical atherosclerosis”, write the investigators. The investigators do, however, caution that their study had a cross-sectional design “and the results from this study need to be explained with caution.” Nevetheless they conclude, “this study suggests that HIV infection, cocaine use, or both may contribute to early subclinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Studies with a larger sample size are needed to test the interaction between HIV infection and cocaine use, and clinical trials are needed to examine whether reduction in cocaine use is an effective means of preventing atherosclerosis and, thus, ameliorating the burden of coronary disease.” Reference Lai S et al. Human immunodeficiency virus 1 infection, cocaine, and coronary calcification. Arch Intern Med 165: 690 – 695, 2005.
From Test Positive Aware NetworkNovember/December 2004
The Buzz
Giraffes and HIV
Treatment Interruptions With a Twist
By Andrew Zalski, M.D.
With the recent New Year came the usual resolutions, including improving one's fitness. We're all familiar with the new crowds at the health clubs that time of year that include many people who are obviously less fit.
Wouldn't it be great if we were able to make HIV less fit, less likely to be able to replicate itself efficiently? Would having a less fit HIV virus be advantageous in managing HIV disease? Can viral fitness be measured and selected for? These are all very interesting questions, and as usual with HIV care, not all the answers to these questions are clear.
First of all, we should define some terms.
The wild type virus is essentially HIV without any significant mutations.
Mutations are changes in the viral genome. They occur as the virus replicates. Some of these mutations lead to "resistance" to HIV medications.
The viral genome is the genetic code that determines the type of virus that is produced.
Selective pressure refers to an outside force, such as an HIV medication, which pressures the virus to select for specific and characteristic mutations. With these mutations, the virus can resist or elude the effect of antiviral medicines, thus ensuring its own (viral) survival.
The classic example from evolutionary theory is the giraffe. Giraffes with longer necks were more likely to survive because they were able to eat the fruits higher up on trees, while the giraffes with shorter necks could only eat low-lying fruit. Eventually, only the giraffes with long necks would survive, although the number of giraffes would at least initially be less.
So do giraffes have anything to do with HIV management? Hardly, because if we continued the analogy, it would be better (for the fruit on the trees) to completely wipe out the population than to select for long-necked giraffes. However, these giraffes, because of their size, are not as efficient in reproducing, and thus are fewer in number. The end result is that there are fewer giraffes and more fruit. Similarly, in HIV, there might be less fit virus and more T-cells, at least for a period of time.
Replication capacity of the HIV virus can now be measured by genotypic and phenotypic testing. Replication capacity is thought to be a measure of viral fitness. A lower viral fitness may mean that the virus is weaker and less likely to replicate (make copies of itself) efficiently and less likely to cause immune system and T-cell deterioration. This would be the equivalent of selecting for the short-necked giraffe that has decreased survival capacity.
How does all this impact HIV care? The gold standard of care has been undetectable viral load and increased T-cells. There are many people with HIV who have been able to maintain undetectable (or nearly undetectable) viral load for many years.
However, some become tired of taking medications (pill fatigue), or wish to take a holiday from having to take medications, or may have developed significant side effects from the medications whereby it has direct effect on their quality of life. Some of these factors may make it medically advisable to take a treatment interruption.
Finally, on occasion where individuals have developed multiple resistance mutations, a treatment holiday is advised to encourage wild type virus to re-emerge; thus re-establishing susceptibility to antiviral medications. Would it be better for these patients to take a break from their triple medication regimen and only continue on a single (one) HIV medication which would primarily promote the selection to a less fit virus?
There is an intriguing study of patients from Italy that suggests just that. In a study designed by Antenella Castagna, M.D., patients whose virus had a M184V mutation (selected for by 3TC or FTC -- brand names Epivir or Emtriva) were randomized to two groups. The first group stopped all their HIV medications while the second group was continued on only 3TC (Epivir). After 24 weeks, the group that continued 3TC had lower viral loads and higher T-cells than the group that had stopped all HIV medications. The 3TC group continued to select (remember selective pressure) for virus that had the M184V mutation that rendered the virus "less fit."
It is important to note two facts. First, 3TC causes only a M184V mutation and no other significant mutations. Continuing an HIV medication, which selected for more than one mutation, would lead to resistance to other HIV drugs. Second, all the participants in the study already had a virus that had the M184V mutation. We would not want to select for the M184V mutation in patients whose virus does not already contain this mutation because the presence of this mutation might make the virus less susceptible to other HIV medications in the future.
Only time and further studies will let us know whether this is a useful strategy. We only have very preliminary, 24-week results which are encouraging. Further, we do not know what long-term effects may occur nor guarantee a long-term response. This may represent a reasonable strategy for those who would need, or have been medically advised to take a break from treatment and whose virus already contains the M184V mutation.
It goes without saying that this should not be attempted without discussion with your HIV care provider. In the meantime, continue to be true to your resolutions to become more fit, hope for a less fit virus, and be aware that giraffes and HIV are still quite prevalent.
Andrew Zalski, M.D., practices as an HIV specialist at Northstar Healthcare in Chicago. He is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at Rush University Medical Center.
The Buzz
Giraffes and HIV
Treatment Interruptions With a Twist
By Andrew Zalski, M.D.
With the recent New Year came the usual resolutions, including improving one's fitness. We're all familiar with the new crowds at the health clubs that time of year that include many people who are obviously less fit.
Wouldn't it be great if we were able to make HIV less fit, less likely to be able to replicate itself efficiently? Would having a less fit HIV virus be advantageous in managing HIV disease? Can viral fitness be measured and selected for? These are all very interesting questions, and as usual with HIV care, not all the answers to these questions are clear.
First of all, we should define some terms.
The wild type virus is essentially HIV without any significant mutations.
Mutations are changes in the viral genome. They occur as the virus replicates. Some of these mutations lead to "resistance" to HIV medications.
The viral genome is the genetic code that determines the type of virus that is produced.
Selective pressure refers to an outside force, such as an HIV medication, which pressures the virus to select for specific and characteristic mutations. With these mutations, the virus can resist or elude the effect of antiviral medicines, thus ensuring its own (viral) survival.
The classic example from evolutionary theory is the giraffe. Giraffes with longer necks were more likely to survive because they were able to eat the fruits higher up on trees, while the giraffes with shorter necks could only eat low-lying fruit. Eventually, only the giraffes with long necks would survive, although the number of giraffes would at least initially be less.
So do giraffes have anything to do with HIV management? Hardly, because if we continued the analogy, it would be better (for the fruit on the trees) to completely wipe out the population than to select for long-necked giraffes. However, these giraffes, because of their size, are not as efficient in reproducing, and thus are fewer in number. The end result is that there are fewer giraffes and more fruit. Similarly, in HIV, there might be less fit virus and more T-cells, at least for a period of time.
Replication capacity of the HIV virus can now be measured by genotypic and phenotypic testing. Replication capacity is thought to be a measure of viral fitness. A lower viral fitness may mean that the virus is weaker and less likely to replicate (make copies of itself) efficiently and less likely to cause immune system and T-cell deterioration. This would be the equivalent of selecting for the short-necked giraffe that has decreased survival capacity.
How does all this impact HIV care? The gold standard of care has been undetectable viral load and increased T-cells. There are many people with HIV who have been able to maintain undetectable (or nearly undetectable) viral load for many years.
However, some become tired of taking medications (pill fatigue), or wish to take a holiday from having to take medications, or may have developed significant side effects from the medications whereby it has direct effect on their quality of life. Some of these factors may make it medically advisable to take a treatment interruption.
Finally, on occasion where individuals have developed multiple resistance mutations, a treatment holiday is advised to encourage wild type virus to re-emerge; thus re-establishing susceptibility to antiviral medications. Would it be better for these patients to take a break from their triple medication regimen and only continue on a single (one) HIV medication which would primarily promote the selection to a less fit virus?
There is an intriguing study of patients from Italy that suggests just that. In a study designed by Antenella Castagna, M.D., patients whose virus had a M184V mutation (selected for by 3TC or FTC -- brand names Epivir or Emtriva) were randomized to two groups. The first group stopped all their HIV medications while the second group was continued on only 3TC (Epivir). After 24 weeks, the group that continued 3TC had lower viral loads and higher T-cells than the group that had stopped all HIV medications. The 3TC group continued to select (remember selective pressure) for virus that had the M184V mutation that rendered the virus "less fit."
It is important to note two facts. First, 3TC causes only a M184V mutation and no other significant mutations. Continuing an HIV medication, which selected for more than one mutation, would lead to resistance to other HIV drugs. Second, all the participants in the study already had a virus that had the M184V mutation. We would not want to select for the M184V mutation in patients whose virus does not already contain this mutation because the presence of this mutation might make the virus less susceptible to other HIV medications in the future.
Only time and further studies will let us know whether this is a useful strategy. We only have very preliminary, 24-week results which are encouraging. Further, we do not know what long-term effects may occur nor guarantee a long-term response. This may represent a reasonable strategy for those who would need, or have been medically advised to take a break from treatment and whose virus already contains the M184V mutation.
It goes without saying that this should not be attempted without discussion with your HIV care provider. In the meantime, continue to be true to your resolutions to become more fit, hope for a less fit virus, and be aware that giraffes and HIV are still quite prevalent.
Andrew Zalski, M.D., practices as an HIV specialist at Northstar Healthcare in Chicago. He is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at Rush University Medical Center.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Interesting Article
March 30, 2005 OP-ED COLUMNIST
When Marriage Kills By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Livingstone, Zambia —
Sex kills all the time, particularly here in Africa. But prudishness can be just as lethal. President Bush is focusing his program against AIDS in Africa on sexual abstinence and marital fidelity, relegating condoms to a distant third. It's the kind of well-meaning policy that bubbles up out of a White House prayer meeting but that will mean a lot of unnecessary deaths on the ground in Africa.
The stark reality is that what kills young women here is often not promiscuity, but marriage. Indeed, just about the deadliest thing a woman in southern Africa can do is get married.
Take Kero Sibanda, a woman I met in a village in Zimbabwe. Mrs. Sibanda is an educated woman and lovely English-speaker who married a man who could find a job only in another city. She suspected that he had a girlfriend there, but he would return to the village every couple of months to visit her.
"I asked him to use a condom," she said, "but he refused. There was nothing I could do." He died two years ago, apparently of AIDS. Now Mrs. Sibanda worries that she and her beautiful 2-year-old daughter, Amanda, have H.I.V. as well.
Encouraging more use of male and female condoms might reduce such tragedies, for there's a disdain for condoms in many countries that social marketing might change (there's an African saying: "Who wants a sweet with the wrapper still on?").
The fact is that condoms have played a crucial role in the campaigns against AIDS that have been relatively successful, from Thailand's "100 percent condom program" to the efforts in Uganda, Cambodia and Senegal. And condoms don't cause sex any more than umbrellas cause rain.
In theory, everybody agrees on how to prevent AIDS: the ABC method, which stands for abstinence, being faithful and condoms. But the Bush administration interprets this as ABc. New administration guidelines stipulate that U.S.-financed AIDS programs for young people must focus on abstinence or, for those who are already sexually active, "returning to abstinence."
Here in Livingstone, Zambia, I visited Corridors of Hope, a U.S.-financed center for young people that has proved cheap and effective in reducing H.I.V. among prostitutes and long-distance truck drivers. One prostitute in the program is Mavis Sitwala, an orphan (probably because of AIDS) who is supporting her five siblings and one child. She says that truck drivers pay $1 for sex with a condom or $4 for sex without.
"At times, you need food or money to pay the rent," she said, "and so even if he won't use a condom, you agree." Encouraging Ms. Sitwala to "return to abstinence" isn't likely to get far, but encouraging more use of condoms might save her life, the lives of her clients and the lives of her clients' wives. Indeed, the Bush administration recognizes that, allowing condoms to be handed out to prostitutes in programs like Corridors of Hope - but not to society as a whole.
There's a bit of wiggle room in the administration guidelines. But the U.S. Center for Health and Gender Equity reports that in several countries, the U.S. is already backing away from effective programs that involve condoms.
The irony is that President Bush's plan to tackle AIDS in Africa - spending far more than any previous administration - could be one of his best and most important legacies. It tackles one of the most important humanitarian challenges in the world today: at present infection rates in Zimbabwe, 85 percent of today's 15-year-olds will die of AIDS.
So I wish Mr. Bush would reach out beyond the ideologues to a real expert, like Loveness Sibanda. I met Mrs. Sibanda (no relation to the other Mrs. Sibanda) and her child in her village in Zimbabwe. She is 26, and her husband works in the city of Bulawayo, where she has heard that he has a girlfriend. Every few months he comes back to the village and insists on sleeping with her, without a condom. She now dreads these visits.
Perhaps the White House thinks it has the moral high ground when it preaches, completely irrelevantly, to women like Mrs. Sibanda about the need to be faithful. But it strikes me as hypocritical to pontificate about virtue while pursuing an ideological squeamishness about condoms that risks condemning Mrs. Sibanda and millions like her to die of AIDS.
E-mail: nicholas@nytimes.com
When Marriage Kills By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Livingstone, Zambia —
Sex kills all the time, particularly here in Africa. But prudishness can be just as lethal. President Bush is focusing his program against AIDS in Africa on sexual abstinence and marital fidelity, relegating condoms to a distant third. It's the kind of well-meaning policy that bubbles up out of a White House prayer meeting but that will mean a lot of unnecessary deaths on the ground in Africa.
The stark reality is that what kills young women here is often not promiscuity, but marriage. Indeed, just about the deadliest thing a woman in southern Africa can do is get married.
Take Kero Sibanda, a woman I met in a village in Zimbabwe. Mrs. Sibanda is an educated woman and lovely English-speaker who married a man who could find a job only in another city. She suspected that he had a girlfriend there, but he would return to the village every couple of months to visit her.
"I asked him to use a condom," she said, "but he refused. There was nothing I could do." He died two years ago, apparently of AIDS. Now Mrs. Sibanda worries that she and her beautiful 2-year-old daughter, Amanda, have H.I.V. as well.
Encouraging more use of male and female condoms might reduce such tragedies, for there's a disdain for condoms in many countries that social marketing might change (there's an African saying: "Who wants a sweet with the wrapper still on?").
The fact is that condoms have played a crucial role in the campaigns against AIDS that have been relatively successful, from Thailand's "100 percent condom program" to the efforts in Uganda, Cambodia and Senegal. And condoms don't cause sex any more than umbrellas cause rain.
In theory, everybody agrees on how to prevent AIDS: the ABC method, which stands for abstinence, being faithful and condoms. But the Bush administration interprets this as ABc. New administration guidelines stipulate that U.S.-financed AIDS programs for young people must focus on abstinence or, for those who are already sexually active, "returning to abstinence."
Here in Livingstone, Zambia, I visited Corridors of Hope, a U.S.-financed center for young people that has proved cheap and effective in reducing H.I.V. among prostitutes and long-distance truck drivers. One prostitute in the program is Mavis Sitwala, an orphan (probably because of AIDS) who is supporting her five siblings and one child. She says that truck drivers pay $1 for sex with a condom or $4 for sex without.
"At times, you need food or money to pay the rent," she said, "and so even if he won't use a condom, you agree." Encouraging Ms. Sitwala to "return to abstinence" isn't likely to get far, but encouraging more use of condoms might save her life, the lives of her clients and the lives of her clients' wives. Indeed, the Bush administration recognizes that, allowing condoms to be handed out to prostitutes in programs like Corridors of Hope - but not to society as a whole.
There's a bit of wiggle room in the administration guidelines. But the U.S. Center for Health and Gender Equity reports that in several countries, the U.S. is already backing away from effective programs that involve condoms.
The irony is that President Bush's plan to tackle AIDS in Africa - spending far more than any previous administration - could be one of his best and most important legacies. It tackles one of the most important humanitarian challenges in the world today: at present infection rates in Zimbabwe, 85 percent of today's 15-year-olds will die of AIDS.
So I wish Mr. Bush would reach out beyond the ideologues to a real expert, like Loveness Sibanda. I met Mrs. Sibanda (no relation to the other Mrs. Sibanda) and her child in her village in Zimbabwe. She is 26, and her husband works in the city of Bulawayo, where she has heard that he has a girlfriend. Every few months he comes back to the village and insists on sleeping with her, without a condom. She now dreads these visits.
Perhaps the White House thinks it has the moral high ground when it preaches, completely irrelevantly, to women like Mrs. Sibanda about the need to be faithful. But it strikes me as hypocritical to pontificate about virtue while pursuing an ideological squeamishness about condoms that risks condemning Mrs. Sibanda and millions like her to die of AIDS.
E-mail: nicholas@nytimes.com
Group Happenings @ HARC
April 14th, 7pm
Fuzeon Program
Heard about the latest class of HIV medications, but still confused if its right for you. Come to a program that will give you a change to learn more and ask questions on how this advance relates to your own treatment regime. Nelva Homan RN, BSN (from Dr. Craig’s office,) will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have.
Refreshments will be served.
For this night the group is open to all HIV positive persons.
April 21st, 7pm
Diplomat Pharmacy Mail Order Program
Ever get tired of running out to refill medications or forget to, this program could be for you. A representative from Diplomat Pharmacy will be on hand to outline their program and answer any questions you may have.
Refreshments will be served.
For this night the group is open to all HIV positive persons.
May 5th, 7pm
Ask the Lawyer
Disclosure. Probate. Confidentiality. If these words make you feel intimidated and confused, this program is for you. Long time lawyer and HIV advocate Kendra S. Kleber will be on hand to help answer your questions.
For this night the group is open to all HIV positive persons
If you would like to attend any of the above programs or would like to attend the weekly group please contact:
Rev. Christopher E. Posler
Positive Prevention Specialist
HIV/AIDS Resource Center
734-572-9355
Chris@r2harc.org
Fuzeon Program
Heard about the latest class of HIV medications, but still confused if its right for you. Come to a program that will give you a change to learn more and ask questions on how this advance relates to your own treatment regime. Nelva Homan RN, BSN (from Dr. Craig’s office,) will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have.
Refreshments will be served.
For this night the group is open to all HIV positive persons.
April 21st, 7pm
Diplomat Pharmacy Mail Order Program
Ever get tired of running out to refill medications or forget to, this program could be for you. A representative from Diplomat Pharmacy will be on hand to outline their program and answer any questions you may have.
Refreshments will be served.
For this night the group is open to all HIV positive persons.
May 5th, 7pm
Ask the Lawyer
Disclosure. Probate. Confidentiality. If these words make you feel intimidated and confused, this program is for you. Long time lawyer and HIV advocate Kendra S. Kleber will be on hand to help answer your questions.
For this night the group is open to all HIV positive persons
If you would like to attend any of the above programs or would like to attend the weekly group please contact:
Rev. Christopher E. Posler
Positive Prevention Specialist
HIV/AIDS Resource Center
734-572-9355
Chris@r2harc.org
Saturday, March 12, 2005
My Aunts Work
I wanted to share one of my Aunts paintings, she is doing some really great work. Janice Kimball lives and works in Chapala, Mexico and runs the Kimball Gallery there. You can see more of her work at http://www.mexconnect.com/amex/jk/ .
Radio Spot
Pissed off
I was heading to group the other night and this radio spot came on. I had heard it before and it pissed me off, but this time I heard the whole thing. The spot has the HIV virus speaking to you in a seductive and very threatening voice. It goes on to say how it is stalking you, creeping around and other vile scary things. I believe that the radio spot is very dangerous in that it demonizes HIV positive folk, making us out to be stalkers and lurkers.
It’s a shame that one of the co-sponsors is MAPP (http://www.aidsprevention.org/), an agency that I respect for the work that they do. The other co-sponsor is the Michigan Department of Community Health, I know some very good people there too. If you hear the spot and it disturbs you as much as it does me, please let the sponsors hear from you.
I was heading to group the other night and this radio spot came on. I had heard it before and it pissed me off, but this time I heard the whole thing. The spot has the HIV virus speaking to you in a seductive and very threatening voice. It goes on to say how it is stalking you, creeping around and other vile scary things. I believe that the radio spot is very dangerous in that it demonizes HIV positive folk, making us out to be stalkers and lurkers.
It’s a shame that one of the co-sponsors is MAPP (http://www.aidsprevention.org/), an agency that I respect for the work that they do. The other co-sponsor is the Michigan Department of Community Health, I know some very good people there too. If you hear the spot and it disturbs you as much as it does me, please let the sponsors hear from you.
Links that I respect
www.mihivnews.com
The best link to find out what is going on in Michigan, also the place to look for work in an AIDS service agency.
www.Positiveoutlook.org
Home page of Kendra S. Kleber who is now back in MIchigan, very good resorce for HIV related legal matters.
www.aidsmap.com
British HIV web site, good to have a non- American perspective.
www.cdcnpin.org
Center for Disease Control, the nation’s largest collection of information and resources on HIV, STD and TB Prevention.
www.thebody.com
One of the web sites that I respect the most, gives a balanced look at HIV and AIDS.
www.TPAN.COM
The best peer led agency anywhere, great people.
www.hivandhepatitis.com
Really good site with information on co-infection with Hep a, b and c.
FYI: I am not affiliated with any of these sites and they are offered for your information only.
The best link to find out what is going on in Michigan, also the place to look for work in an AIDS service agency.
www.Positiveoutlook.org
Home page of Kendra S. Kleber who is now back in MIchigan, very good resorce for HIV related legal matters.
www.aidsmap.com
British HIV web site, good to have a non- American perspective.
www.cdcnpin.org
Center for Disease Control, the nation’s largest collection of information and resources on HIV, STD and TB Prevention.
www.thebody.com
One of the web sites that I respect the most, gives a balanced look at HIV and AIDS.
www.TPAN.COM
The best peer led agency anywhere, great people.
www.hivandhepatitis.com
Really good site with information on co-infection with Hep a, b and c.
FYI: I am not affiliated with any of these sites and they are offered for your information only.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Save the Date: Fuzeon Workshop
Would you like to connect with other PWA's on Fuzeon (enfuvirtide) or learn more about it?
If so you are invited to a Fuzeon Workshop (www.fuzeon.com)
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
6:30 PM
Pasquales Restaurant
3155 Woodward Ave.
Roayal Oak, MI
248-549-4002
Pleasse RSVP 214-379-3059 by 3-21
Dinner will be provided
Tatbear is not affiliated with Roche Labratories and this notice is for information purposes only
If so you are invited to a Fuzeon Workshop (www.fuzeon.com)
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
6:30 PM
Pasquales Restaurant
3155 Woodward Ave.
Roayal Oak, MI
248-549-4002
Pleasse RSVP 214-379-3059 by 3-21
Dinner will be provided
Tatbear is not affiliated with Roche Labratories and this notice is for information purposes only
Save The Date: Dining for Dollars
May 4, 2005
Dining For Dollares
Zingerman's Roadhouse
Ann Arbor
Join us for a fabulous dinner and silent auction to benefit the HIV/AIDS Resource Center
$125.00 per person
For more information contact Eliza at HARC 734-572-9355
Dining For Dollares
Zingerman's Roadhouse
Ann Arbor
Join us for a fabulous dinner and silent auction to benefit the HIV/AIDS Resource Center
$125.00 per person
For more information contact Eliza at HARC 734-572-9355
HIV Odds & Ends
From Positivly Aware http://tpan.com/( see bio for info on Test Positive Aware Network.) The March/April issue focuses on Straight Positive folk, very insightful. Treatment Guidelines updated, adults with over 350T-cells can wait to start therapy until viral load over 100,000. A very good article Post Exsposure Prophylaxis and sex, a must read. Check the issue out.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
BLOGS
Hey There,
Still checking out BLOG hosting to check on one that will offer me some bells and whistles without any cost. I will let you know what I come up with.
Still checking out BLOG hosting to check on one that will offer me some bells and whistles without any cost. I will let you know what I come up with.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Welcome
Hey there folks. Just created this blog and still have some bugs to work out.I am writing this Blog to share some of the things I come across on my journey through life.
I was born in 1962 to Sharlet and Thomas, the last of 6 children.My father was a rising star firefighter. He started the firefighting programs at Madonna, U of M and Washtenaw Colleges, Fire Chief of Westland and was a great EMT. I think that tagging along with him to watch him train the fireman in life saving procedures inspired much of my interest in medical stuff. I also got my fathers Russian fire when it comes to debate and not letting go of any issue.
My Mother is made of very strong stuff. An artist, possessing of so many talents to make anyone jealous of her and how I love her paintings (most of all the hardedge, mod nudes, I love all stuff 60's.) While I appreciate the creative juices my mother passed down to me, I value my Mother's families long history of civil service, duty to humanity, humanistic thought and untiring liberalism. I have many fond memories of cutting up peace doves out of paper plates before we would go to peace rallies with my family and members of our church. The 60's seemed so vibrant to me, even with the war and all. It seemed that we always had a CO or two staying with us.The 70's were a real drag however. My folks split up and found other lovers. I started experiencing what I would find out later was bi-polar and obsessive/compulsive disorder. I obsessed on the world ending. Panicky obsession mixed with Sudifedrin for my allergies (since the once a week allergy shots never did a thing.) My family went through many trails in the 70's, but for the most part that is very old history and baggage that I try not to carry any more. My father married a woman named Janice from my church (UU) and 3 more children joined our family, Adam, Amy and Andy. Dad and Ma live up in Sugar Island across from Canada on the locks.Mom found a great man, Pete DiGiorigio one day at the laundry mat ( another Unitarian Univeralist,) and he and his son Marcus joined a very large family. Pop is great. He is always there for me and if I already didn't have a taste for political argument, Pete brought it on. I cant think of anyone that is to the left of me politically, but he comes pretty close. It's funny, if things had been different I could see him and my Father spending hours debating politics, religion and life.
I came out of the closet in the mid 70's very young. Mom and Pops were very supportive, my Father and Ma the polar opposite. I joined the Gay Liberation Front (something like that,) at Wayne State, the All Peoples Congress, was an officer in the Student senate at college (I did high school and college together towards the end,) and an officer of radical student group. At the same time I became a young slut and being a big boy, could get into the bars and clubs while still under age. After money for school ran out, started working as a security guard at clubs in Detroit (TNT, Menjos, Glass House, Gas Station, Back Street and the Hay Loft,) and staying most night in a room at TNT.
While working one Valentines Day in 1981, I spotted this hot guy dancing to "I Can't Go for That" by Hall & Oats. As cliché as it sounds I was love struck and I starved for him. Eddie and I had a very hot night, breakfast and moved in together in a one bedroom walk up in Palmer Park a couple days later. Lots more about him later.
A year later a good friend of ours, took us to Chicago for our first anniversary. My first big exposure to Leather and S&M, now a part of my soul and religious thought. When we got back to Detroit I started to experience symptoms of anal gonorrhea and went to see a doc at a new gay clinic on Woodward Ave.. While it wasn't the drip, the Doctor said a weird thing. He said that there was a strange disease attacking gay men (Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome,) in big cities and since I could of been exposed that Eddie and I should move to Chicago so as not to expose anyone in Detroit to it. Since no good jobs were in Detroit, we packed up and moved to Chicago (after living in a trailer next to a gravel pit for a summer, but that's a long story.)
In Chicago, Eddie and I ran a sex shop for 15 years. We watched hundreds of clients, friends, sex partners get sick and die over a 10 year period. I started getting tattooed or pierced (I do most of my own piercing and will talk later of this,) each time a friend would die, I am pretty heavily tattooed.
I joined a study of gay men's immune function at Howard Brown Memorial Clinic, with many friends, all now gone. Each 6 months I would go to the clinic and have lots of blood drawn, give them a stool sample and semen sample. I always thought it was funny that they had freezers in the waiting room with my body samples in it. The study is still going on and has contributed heavily to the science of HIV. So one day they tell me the have at test for what was now known as HIV, I go in a little room and look at the slip of paper and it says that I am positive. I return to the study 6 months later and the little slip says I'm negative, what the fuck, Anyways , 6 months later the slip says I'm positive and now the tests have been perfected, so I'm positive. Lots of other stuffed happened in Chicago, so of which I'll share at another time. But one other thing I'll share is that I started working in HIV in the mid 80's, consulting on sex to many agencies, public and private, as well as working for Test Positive Aware Network. And of course you will hear about Karen, my piercing soul wife later on.
After most of our friends had died in Chicago, Eddie and I tried to escape to South Florida, didn't work. I spent time there with Care Resource (formally Health Crisis Network,) Coordinating the testing program, which they have many. It was fun driving around in a 27 foot RV on Ocean, testing the hottest guys in South Beach. What wasn't as fun was working in Over town and giving out hundreds of positive results.
Anyways a couple years ago Eddie (BTW only me and a few others call him that, his name is Edward,) and I moved back home to Michigan and now live in Ypsilanti. I spent a couple years helping run the Washtenaw Rainbow Action Project (local Queer community center in Ann Arbor,) and now am a Positive Prevention Specialist at the HIV/AIDS Resource Center in Ypsi. You will hear all about WRAP, HARC and another group that is very close to me, The Huron Valley Bears in the future.Eddie and I just celebrated our 24th year together, still deeply in love. Hopefully you'll hear allot more.That brings me to the present. If you read anymore from me try to remember a few things: My past has left a heavy mark on me, more than I realize most of the time. I am a peer worker with lots of experience, not a medical doctor. I sometime get carried away, but it's usually from a good place.
Peace Out
I was born in 1962 to Sharlet and Thomas, the last of 6 children.My father was a rising star firefighter. He started the firefighting programs at Madonna, U of M and Washtenaw Colleges, Fire Chief of Westland and was a great EMT. I think that tagging along with him to watch him train the fireman in life saving procedures inspired much of my interest in medical stuff. I also got my fathers Russian fire when it comes to debate and not letting go of any issue.
My Mother is made of very strong stuff. An artist, possessing of so many talents to make anyone jealous of her and how I love her paintings (most of all the hardedge, mod nudes, I love all stuff 60's.) While I appreciate the creative juices my mother passed down to me, I value my Mother's families long history of civil service, duty to humanity, humanistic thought and untiring liberalism. I have many fond memories of cutting up peace doves out of paper plates before we would go to peace rallies with my family and members of our church. The 60's seemed so vibrant to me, even with the war and all. It seemed that we always had a CO or two staying with us.The 70's were a real drag however. My folks split up and found other lovers. I started experiencing what I would find out later was bi-polar and obsessive/compulsive disorder. I obsessed on the world ending. Panicky obsession mixed with Sudifedrin for my allergies (since the once a week allergy shots never did a thing.) My family went through many trails in the 70's, but for the most part that is very old history and baggage that I try not to carry any more. My father married a woman named Janice from my church (UU) and 3 more children joined our family, Adam, Amy and Andy. Dad and Ma live up in Sugar Island across from Canada on the locks.Mom found a great man, Pete DiGiorigio one day at the laundry mat ( another Unitarian Univeralist,) and he and his son Marcus joined a very large family. Pop is great. He is always there for me and if I already didn't have a taste for political argument, Pete brought it on. I cant think of anyone that is to the left of me politically, but he comes pretty close. It's funny, if things had been different I could see him and my Father spending hours debating politics, religion and life.
I came out of the closet in the mid 70's very young. Mom and Pops were very supportive, my Father and Ma the polar opposite. I joined the Gay Liberation Front (something like that,) at Wayne State, the All Peoples Congress, was an officer in the Student senate at college (I did high school and college together towards the end,) and an officer of radical student group. At the same time I became a young slut and being a big boy, could get into the bars and clubs while still under age. After money for school ran out, started working as a security guard at clubs in Detroit (TNT, Menjos, Glass House, Gas Station, Back Street and the Hay Loft,) and staying most night in a room at TNT.
While working one Valentines Day in 1981, I spotted this hot guy dancing to "I Can't Go for That" by Hall & Oats. As cliché as it sounds I was love struck and I starved for him. Eddie and I had a very hot night, breakfast and moved in together in a one bedroom walk up in Palmer Park a couple days later. Lots more about him later.
A year later a good friend of ours, took us to Chicago for our first anniversary. My first big exposure to Leather and S&M, now a part of my soul and religious thought. When we got back to Detroit I started to experience symptoms of anal gonorrhea and went to see a doc at a new gay clinic on Woodward Ave.. While it wasn't the drip, the Doctor said a weird thing. He said that there was a strange disease attacking gay men (Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome,) in big cities and since I could of been exposed that Eddie and I should move to Chicago so as not to expose anyone in Detroit to it. Since no good jobs were in Detroit, we packed up and moved to Chicago (after living in a trailer next to a gravel pit for a summer, but that's a long story.)
In Chicago, Eddie and I ran a sex shop for 15 years. We watched hundreds of clients, friends, sex partners get sick and die over a 10 year period. I started getting tattooed or pierced (I do most of my own piercing and will talk later of this,) each time a friend would die, I am pretty heavily tattooed.
I joined a study of gay men's immune function at Howard Brown Memorial Clinic, with many friends, all now gone. Each 6 months I would go to the clinic and have lots of blood drawn, give them a stool sample and semen sample. I always thought it was funny that they had freezers in the waiting room with my body samples in it. The study is still going on and has contributed heavily to the science of HIV. So one day they tell me the have at test for what was now known as HIV, I go in a little room and look at the slip of paper and it says that I am positive. I return to the study 6 months later and the little slip says I'm negative, what the fuck, Anyways , 6 months later the slip says I'm positive and now the tests have been perfected, so I'm positive. Lots of other stuffed happened in Chicago, so of which I'll share at another time. But one other thing I'll share is that I started working in HIV in the mid 80's, consulting on sex to many agencies, public and private, as well as working for Test Positive Aware Network. And of course you will hear about Karen, my piercing soul wife later on.
After most of our friends had died in Chicago, Eddie and I tried to escape to South Florida, didn't work. I spent time there with Care Resource (formally Health Crisis Network,) Coordinating the testing program, which they have many. It was fun driving around in a 27 foot RV on Ocean, testing the hottest guys in South Beach. What wasn't as fun was working in Over town and giving out hundreds of positive results.
Anyways a couple years ago Eddie (BTW only me and a few others call him that, his name is Edward,) and I moved back home to Michigan and now live in Ypsilanti. I spent a couple years helping run the Washtenaw Rainbow Action Project (local Queer community center in Ann Arbor,) and now am a Positive Prevention Specialist at the HIV/AIDS Resource Center in Ypsi. You will hear all about WRAP, HARC and another group that is very close to me, The Huron Valley Bears in the future.Eddie and I just celebrated our 24th year together, still deeply in love. Hopefully you'll hear allot more.That brings me to the present. If you read anymore from me try to remember a few things: My past has left a heavy mark on me, more than I realize most of the time. I am a peer worker with lots of experience, not a medical doctor. I sometime get carried away, but it's usually from a good place.
Peace Out
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A Path to Peace: How Art & AI Can Work Together Artificial intelligence has been used for centuries to create realistic and accurate i...
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Pissed off I was heading to group the other night and this radio spot came on. I had heard it before and it pissed me off, but this time I h...
