Measuring Up California’s Measure B

The adult entertainment industry has been in the news recently with the passing of Measure B, the Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act. This new legislation requires actors in pornographic films to wear condoms to prevent the spread of STDs and HIV. There’s been a lot of controversy around this issue which promises to continue, as The Free Speech Coalition- an adult-film-industry trade association- says it will challenge Measure B in court as a violation of the First Amendment. We took a closer look at some of the different perspectives and opinions.

Public health and policy advocates

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), a global organization providing HIV/AIDS medical care and advocacy, was one of the most outspoken champions of the measure. Their advocacy website states that passing the Measure will help prevent the spread of STDs and HIV, protect porn performers, and prevent taxpayer dollars from being spent on costs related to the adult industry. Porn producers are now required to obtain health permits and the county will do spot checks on porn sets to make sure performers are using condoms.

Since Measure B’s passing, AHF has expressed interest in taking its effort statewide by advocating for a bill that would broaden the power of the state and local governments to enforce condom use on porn sets. Some have even speculated that that was the main inspiration for Measure B—to gain footing for state legislation, which could, in turn, influence other states to adopt a similar policy.

Emily Nagoski, a sex educator and owner of The Dirty Normal, supports Measure B because it protects adult performers. She writes, “It’s not a right to put yourself in harm’s way for a paycheck, it’s a circumstance created by employers who care more about their bottom line than the safety of their workers.”

Nagoski also supports Measure B because some studies suggest that including condoms in porn will cause viewers to normalize condom use and thus use condoms more in their own sex lives.

 

Adult industry producers and actors

Porn industry leaders say the extra precautions aren’t warranted; L.A. County porn community hasn't had a performer test positive for HIV since 2004. "During that time, we've produced over 300,000 scenes. We do a pretty incredible job when it comes to protecting the performers," said Steve Hirsch, opponent of Measure B and founder of porn production company Vivid Entertainment.  

Performer and director Kylie Ireland said, “It's a ridiculous waste of time and money to regulate an industry that is already self-regulating.”

Measure B has also been criticized because it could be bad for business. Porn producers speculate that customers will not be interested in watching porn featuring actors wearing condoms. With the passing of Measure B, executives and directors have threatened to move from Los Angeles to other locations. Veteran director Kevin Moore said, “I love this business, but I feel this is an attempt to drive us out of California.''

The public

Though there hasn’t been a large-scale survey of the general public surrounding California’s Measure B, 56.8% of voters supported the measure at the polls.

We want to hear what you think. Is Measure B providing a good service, ensuring that adult actors are protected and moving porn toward becoming safer? Or is this unwarranted legislation that will waste money and move the industry elsewhere (or further under the table)?

 Sources

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/porn-industry-measure-mandatory-condom-measure-passed-los/story?id=17673377
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/11/condoms-in-porn-los-angeles-county-measure-b.html
http://healthland.time.com/2012/11/09/porn-industry-threatens-to-sue-over-l-a-county-law-requiring-condoms/

LGBT Votes are Queerly Important!

It’s hard to escape: the election is now less than a week away. If you’re connected with GO Atlanta on Facebook or Twitter, you may have seen our posts encouraging folks to register to vote, research candidates and issues, and to cast their votes, whether during early voting or on Election Day.

 As a program at a nonprofit organization, we’re not allowed to participate in political campaigns, including promoting or promoting candidates or parties. And even if we could, at the end of the day it really doesn't matter whether you’re on the left, right, somewhere in the middle or still deciding. We feel that people should be empowered to learn about issues and express their opinions by participating in the political process.

A recent Gallup poll of LGBT voters shows some definite differences between their non-LGBT counterparts (see the image below). About 4 percent of the American population identifies as LGBT, and in national elections they usually vote Democrat. The poll also found that LGBT people (74%) are slightly less likely to be registered to vote than non-LGBT people (80%).

For the LGBT and HIV+ communities, it’s especially important to vote because we've historically been closeted, silenced, and marginalized. Our votes-and the votes of our allies- will influence important issues like marriage equality / partner recognition, nondiscrimination, and funding for programs that keep our community safe and healthy though HIV prevention, treatment, care, housing, and research.

We wish you an informed, involved, and very happy election day. Signing off to vote,

Your friends at GO Atlanta

AIDS Walk Atlanta

October has been a busy month for us at GO Atlanta! Between our Coffee Talk series, our OUT2EAT events, Atlanta Pride last weekend, and recognizing LGBT History Month, National Coming Out Day, and Spirit Day, we’ve been busy, busy, busy! But the fun isn’t over yet.

This weekend marks the 22nd AIDS Walk Atlanta in Piedmont Park!

It’s the largest AIDS-related fundraising event in the Southeastern United States and helps support many services at AID Atlanta, not to mention our partners AIDGwinnett, AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta, Aniz, Jerusalem House, Living Room, Open Hand, and Positive Impact. These nine agencies provide treatment and medications, prevention education, meals, hospice, mental health services, child care, substance abuse counseling, pastoral care, and clinical research to help thousands of our families, neighbors and friends living with, affected by, and at-risk for HIV/AIDS in Atlanta.

AIDS Walk is THIS SUNDAY, and we would really, truly greatly appreciate your support. It’s not too late to register for the walk or run, donate to a team or specific individual, or make a general donation. You could also volunteer or stop by to cheer on runners and walkers.

Hope to see you there!

Get tested for HIV… on your couch

You may have heard the recent news that the first ever home rapid HIV test, OraQuick, is now available in stores and online. You may even remember our previous post on this very topic. People are able to purchase the test kit for about $40 at stores such as Walgreens and CVS, or on the OraQuick website. This is huge news! Here’s why:

There are approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. that have HIV and 1 out of 5 of them are unaware of their status. People who don’t know they are HIV+ are much more likely to unknowingly transmit the virus to others. They are also at greater risk for serious health problems and early death with HIV.

 

A recent study found that 84% of gay and bi men say they would administer a self-test if one were available. Sometimes it feels hard to make time to take care of ourselves, even if it’s something as important as getting tested for HIV. It can also be scary to get tested. For some, the appeal of taking a quick test in the comfort and privacy of home is a deal breaker.

 

Many people are concerned that without the support of a trained HIV counselor, people who test positive for HIV may be upset, hurt themselves, or ignore the result. Finding out you have any disease is difficult, but an HIV+ diagnosis is crushing to some. Trained professionals can connect folks to resources and explain why being poz isn’t a death sentence today.  

 

While the oral swab test is 98% accurate when conducted by a professional, it’s estimated that the test is only 92% accurate when conducted by an average person. OraQuick recommends that if a person tests positive, they contact a professional for follow up.

This is a controversial issue: will home rapid HIV tests prompt more people to get tested and learn their status? Will people who test positive access the resources they need to stay healthy?

What do you think, readers?

If you’d like to get tested for HIV at AID Atlanta, contact us at (800) 551-2728 or visit this website.

 

History is Gay

Happy October! You’ve probably seen Halloween costumes and pink breast cancer awareness ribbons adorning storefronts and newsfeeds lately. Often forgotten is that October is also LGBT History Month, first officially celebrated in 1994. It coincides with National Coming Out Day and is coordinated by Equality Forum, an international LGBT civil rights organization.

It’s so important that we acknowledge this month because- let’s face it- most of us didn’t learn about history through rainbow-colored glasses. Most history books barely mention queer people throughout history. Some even have the audacity to refer to the gay rights movement in the past tense (Um, hello?! We’re still fighting for equality today!). Others imply that LGBT history just began in the last century. Knowing our history is vital for our future. LGBT History Month also highlights positive LGBT role models, builds community by embracing our past, and brings to light our extraordinary national and international contributions.

We at GO Atlanta have taken some time to put together some highlights of LGBT history represented in pop culture. Check it out:

 

For your viewing pleasure:

• Milk (2008): The story of Harvey Milk, the American gay activist who became California's first openly gay elected official.
• How to Survive a Plague (2012): The story of two coalitions -- ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) -- whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition.
• Vito (2011): The story of Vito Russo, founding father of the gay liberation movement, author of "The Celluloid Closet," and vociferous AIDS activist in the 1980s.
• Celluloid Closet (1995): A documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of the LGBT community and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.
• Paris is Burning (1990): A chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality.
• Raid of the Rainbow Lounge (2012): A full length documentary film recounting the events surrounding the widely publicized and controversial raid of a Fort Worth, Texas gay bar in 2009. Pssst: This film is being screened at Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBT film festival.

For your listening pleasure:

• Born This Way - The Columbus Gay Men's Chorus
• In This Life - Madonna
• Cowboys are Frequently Fond of Each Other - Willie Nelson
• Take Me or Leave Me - Glee
• I Want to Break Free - Queen

For your browsing pleasure:

• http://www.lgbthistorymonth.com
• http://www.lgbthistory.org/
• http://www.glbtq.com

Safer Sex For Your Smartphone?

Know your HIV status? Know your partner’s? There’s an app for that. Technology is creeping further and further into our personal lives, and the question has become, does it make our lives easier or more complicated?

The recently developed app called Chec-Mate allows individuals to search for testing locations, receive results after the test, and share the results with a partner. The app complies with all HIPAA regulations, the laws by which all healthcare professionals are bound. Privacy is maintained by using a unique username and password. A key advantage of sharing a person’s status using the app is that it reduces the amount of personal information disclosed with the test results. The question of ease versus complication remains unanswered. The app requires registration, and then an individual must have the professional complete a special verification form at the testing site. The app also requires a yearly subscription. Since the application is currently only available for iPhone, it is certainly not usable by everyone who could potentially benefit from it.

Some people have no qualms about sharing all of the information displayed on the paper results. Others choose not to discuss status at all because of fear or unease about how to approach the subject. At GO Atlanta we are addressing this unease with our online video series that stresses everyone’s responsibility for talking about sexual health. If this app encourages dialogue around sexual health while maintaining privacy I am willing to add it to my list of prevention tools.

What do you think? Why are some apprehensive about discussing sexual health? Is this app beneficial to anyone, some, or potentially everyone?

Lucas.Gosdin@aidatlanta.org

FDA reviews first rapid, take-home test for HIV

WOULD YOU USE AN OVER-THE-COUNTER HIV TEST KIT?

The Food and Drug Administration is considering approval of the first over-the-counter HIV test that would allow consumers to quickly test themselves for the virus at home, without medical supervision.

FDA reviewers said Friday the OraQuick In-Home HIV test could play a significant role in slowing the spread of HIV, according to briefing documents posted online. But they also raised concerns about the accuracy of the test, a mouth swab that returns results in about 20 minutes.

The review comes one day after an FDA advisory panel endorsed the HIV pill Truvada for preventive use. If FDA follows the group's advice, the daily medication would become the first drug approved to prevent healthy people from becoming infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
Public health experts estimate one-fifth, or about 240,000 people, of the 1.2 million HIV carriers in the U.S. are not aware they are infected. Testing is one of the chief means of slowing new infections, which have held steady at about 50,000 per year for two decades.

In a trial conducted by the company OraSure Technologies Inc., the test correctly detected HIV in those carrying the virus 93 percent of the time. That rate is below the FDA-recommended 95 percent threshold for accuracy.

The FDA estimates the test would miss about 3,800 HIV-positive people per year, if approved for U.S. consumers.

The test was more accurate at correctly clearing patients who do not have the disease. In company studies, OraQuick correctly identified HIV-negative users 99 percent of the time.
In their briefing documents, FDA scientists noted both the benefits and risks of expanding HIV testing with the take-home diagnostic kit.

"There is considerable personal and public health value in informing infected, but otherwise untested, persons of their true positive HIV status," the reviewers state. "However, this benefit is offset in some measure by HIV-positive individuals who receive an incorrect message that they are not infected."

The lukewarm endorsement apparently spooked investors. OraSure's stock tumbled $1.32, or 11.8 percent, to close at $9.85 in trading Friday.

On Tuesday, the FDA will ask a panel of outside experts whether the test should be approved for over-the-counter sales in U.S. The agency is not required to follow the group's advice, though it usually does.

Based in Bethlehem, Pa., OraSure has marketed a version of OraQuick to doctors, nurses and other health care practitioners since 2004. The test sells for $17.50, though OraSure declined to discuss how it would price the consumer version. When used by professionals, the test is shown to accurately identify both carriers and non-carriers 99 percent of the time.

While it's not clear why the test was less accurate in consumer trials, CEO Doug Michels said company researchers anticipated that its "performance in the hands of a consumer would be different from that observed in hands of a professional."

OraSure tried the new version of the test in a study of 5,800 people of various sexual orientation, race and income levels. The trial identified about 100 HIV carriers who were previously undiagnosed.
The FDA has already approved HIV test kits that people take home. However, those kits, which require a blood sample, must be sent to a laboratory for development. But OraSure argues that a test that can be done at home will appeal to a much broader group of people.
According to the company's study, 41 percent of people who discovered they were HIV-positive using OraQuick had never been tested previously. In its own briefing documents, the company estimates that 9,000 new HIV carriers would be identified for every 1 million people who use the test.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/05/14/fda-reviews-first-rapid-take-home-test-for-hiv/#ixzz1urP5xsWG

SAY, YEAH!

Dine at Yeah Burger Virginia-Highland tomorrow (2/7/2012)

 and they donate 10% of everything sold to AID Atlanta!

YEAH?

Yeah Burger --  Virginia-Highland

Please tell them you are from AID Atlanta and how much you appreciate their support!

UNWRAPPED

Recently, the popular porn site SEAN CODY, announced that it would be releasing it's first installment featuring condomless sex.  The video, "Brandon & Pierce Unwrapped," is a first for the popular site.  SEAN CODY is not alone, however, and follows the lead of CORBIN FISHER - another popular video site that has also recently added bareback video clips.

The clips on SEAN CODY does come with a warning of sorts.  Before you view the video, it states: “Unprotected sex is not something we recommend or endorse.”  Huh??  By featuring a bareback video, are you not endorsing unprotected sex?

While bareback sex remains a high risk reality in the gay community, is it irresponsible for websites to feature such films?  Or, by not featuring condomless sex, do we fetishize this behavior and make it even more appealing to gay/bi men?  In the age of HIV/AIDS, what is the responsible stance to take?

You can read the full article here:  http://www.queerty.com/sean-cody-joins-the-bareback-bandwagon-20111228/

STRONGER TOGETHER

We know the old addage that there is safety in numbers, but the reality is that it's true.  For instance, the only way you can REALLY know your partner's HIV status is to be tested together.  Often times we can find testing to be intimidating and awkward.  Wouldn't that situation be made better if your partner was there with you?  Additionally, we can find it hard to have a conversation about our wants/needs surrounding safer sex.  Wouldn't it be easier if you had someone to help you with that conversation?

WELL.....

AID Atlanta is now proud to offer couples testing for gay and bi men.  Testing Together provides an opportunity for you and your partner to have your HIV test together and get your test results together, with a trained counselor present to help you talk about the results. Testing Together and receiving your results together can start an ongoing healthy conversation between you and your partner about HIV in your relationship, and allow you to talk openly about building a protection plan together.

AID Atlanta is excited to be one of the area locations to pilot this program.  You can find out more details here: http://testingtogether.org/ or by visiting AID Atlanta.  If you have a partner, I encourage you to consider getting tested together.  You're always better to know your status - and your partner's too!

MOVING FORWARD

Earlier this month, the CDC released new findings that indicated that Gay & Bisexual men continue to make up the largest portion of new HIV/AIDS infections.  While HIV infection rates have remained level across the country, with new infections hovering around 50,000 per year, the infection rate amongst gay/bi men continues to climb.

The study showed that while gay/bi men make up only 2% of the population, they are an astounding 61% of new infections.  Young MSM (ages 13 to 29) were most affected, representing more than 1 in 4 (27%) of all new HIV infections nationally in 2009. Although young MSM of all races are affected, black MSM were the only group to see a statistically significant jump in new infections over the 4 years studied. Between 2006 and 2009, new HIV infections among young black MSM surged by half (48%), from 4400 infections to 6500 infections.  These rates are even scarier, when you consider that 1 in 5 people in the US do not know their HIV status.

Last week, The GA Voice did an article/cover story on some of the work that is being done in Atlanta to help combat these trends.  If you missed it, you can find the article here.  Clearly we have a lot of work to do still in the battle against HIV/AIDS.  One of our biggest foes is stigma.  Our new web outreach at http://www.getupandgoatlanta.com/ is working to help alleviate some of that stigma.  Here, gay & bi men (and our allies) can access video trainings to learn more about safer sex information.  You can also get information on how to start those conversations about safer sex with your friends and loved ones.  Additionally, men can find events in the Atlanta area to allow them to socialize with other gay/bi men and to meet with AID Atlanta staff face to face.

COMING SOON!

Welcome to the GO Atlanta blog!  We are a work in progress, but we will soon be up and running full force!


What is GO Atlanta, you ask?  GO Atlanta is a new Gay Outreach initiative of AID Atlanta.  We are committed to Empowering Atlanta’s Gay and Bi Men to Live Healthier Lives!

We're out in Atlanta - in the clubs, bars and coffee shops!  We're everywhere that you are!  We recognize, though, that men are online more and more.  Whether it's our smartphones or laptops, we've all grown increasingly tech savvy.  We're aware of that, so we are building a web presence that will increase our reach to Atlanta's men! 

We want to meet you!  We want to hear what you're interested in, and what challenges you're facing.  So, drop us a line - and let us know what's going on with you in your life!  In the meantime, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter or at http://www.aidatlanta.org/.  Just remind yourself to check back soon - you'll be glad you did!

Most of all, we want to know-

WHAT MAKES YOU GET UP AND GO???