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Clinton and Obama Talk to North Carolina's Largest LGBT Newspaper

Only five more days until the primaries in Indiana and North Carolina and the Democratic presidential candidates are aggressively courting the voters. That includes the politically active LGBT community in North Carolina and Q-Notes, the largest LGBT newspaper in the Carolinas, publishes interviews with Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and, Eric Stern, Obama's LGBT advisor. Clinton and Obama have strong positions on gay issues (PDF) and the Q-Notes interview retreads familiar territory with an emphasis on LGBT issues in the South.

Obama offers some solid advice to LGBT activists who criticize the political parties for not pushing hard enough for gay rights. "I have always said that I don’t think that the LGBT community should take its cues from me or some political leader in terms of what they think is right for them. Real change comes from the bottom up, not the top down. As your President, I will fight to make LGBT equality a reality at the federal level. But it is the LGBT community that has to decide what is in their best interest, and to help make it happen by engaging actively with the political process." The senator is absolutely right: Change begins at the grassoots and the Whitey House cannot solve all issues.

   

Clinton's response to the HIV/AIDS question caught our attention. After discussing funding, the senator reiterated promises to "halt and reverse the recent increase in infection rates among gay men, young people, and people of color. I will seek to address the factors that contribute to high risk behavior, such as the use of drugs like crystal meth, which is impacting both rural and urban areas, and the use of which is on the rise in the gay community." Clinton has talked about HIV/AIDS, crystal meth and the gay community several times. This may appear minor to some, but, we find it very impressive.

Clinton: ‘I can not only survive but win’ [Q-Notes]
Obama: ‘Change comes from the bottom up [Q-Notes]’

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Some Background ...
Obama Addresses Homophobia and Anti-Semitism [R20]
Obama Talks to "The Advocate" [R20]
"I Have A Dream Ticket" [The Advocate]
Behind the Gay-Friendly Faces [The Advocate + PDF]
A Tale of Two Cities [The Advocate]
Obama: Not "Very Christian" to Criticize Gays [R20]
Obama Buys Ads in Gay Newspapers in TX, OH [R20]
Obama: Hospital Visitation for Gay Couples is "Not a Special Privilege" [R20]
Right-Wing Townhall.com: "Obama Would Be First Gay President!" [R20]
Teddy Endorsed Obama to Preserve JFK's Civil Rights "Legacy"? What Legacy? [HuffPo]
Hillary: The Advocate Interview [R20]
The Advocate: Clinton vs Obama [R20]
Rove on Obama: "Lazy" and "Basketball Playing" [R20]
Democratic Debate Addresses Homopohobia, Race [R20]
Obama Addresses Homophobia and Anti-Semitism [R20]
HRC/Logo Forum: Obama Conference Call [R20]
HRC/Logo Forum: Morning After [R20]
Obama Meets the Press to Discuss Gays [R20]
Obama on McClurkin to "The Advocate" [R20]
Obama's "A More Perfect Union" Speech [R20]
Guest Commentary: Rod McCullom [Logo]
The Advocate: Clinton vs Obama [R20]
YearlyKos Day 3: Hillary Clinton [R20]
Democrats Debate Homopohobia, Racism,HIV [R20]
Democratic Candidates Debate Gay Issues [R20]
Clinton Names Prominent Gay Supporters [R20]
Clinton, Edwards Oppose Surgeon General Nominee [R20]
Clinton Camp Targets Gay and Lesbian Donors [R20]

Chicago Tribune Profiles Home for Black HIV-Positive Men

If you have a few minutes, please read the Chicago Tribune's profile of Jo-Ray House, a home for HIV-positive men in Chicago. Jo-Ray was founded in 2003 by Ida Byther-Smith, diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1991 "and learned soon after that her husband had had affairs with men and women." Instead of venting her anger at  him, she took care of her husband until he died eight years and then ...

Byther-Smith cashed in her life savings and started Jo-Ray House in 2003 after meeting a man who contracted HIV through prison rape. His family threw him and everything he touched out when he told them he was HIV positive.

But it is her own experience that allows Byther-Smith to identify with the men on a personal level.

"[HIV] is a pot. It doesn't matter how you got in, whether you jumped in or got pushed," she said. "All that matters is we are all in the same pot."

Six men currently live at Jo-Ray House, they are all black, and these include gay and bisexual men. One resident, 52-year-old Ed Phelps, says he tested HIV positive three years ago on Valentine's Day and talks "about survivor's guilt and his 14-year battle with addiction. His partner died of AIDS soon after finding out he was infected, Phelps said. The hardest obstacle he had to overcome was social isolation, said Phelps, who was once married. 'I was angry with the universe,' he said. 'The real killer is not the possibility of a physical death, it's the social death.' "

There is a beautiful closing quote from Byther-Smith, who says her faith has kept her going. "God knew that there was going to be a little black lady in Chicago that would contract HIV from her husband. That was my destiny."

HIV-positive men find a true home and friends [Trib]

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Some Background ...
GMHC's "I Love My Boo" Campaign [R20]
HIV Rates Rising Among Black NYC Gay Men [R20]
CDC Tracking "Serious" Strain of Syphilis [R20]
The HIV Morning After Pill? [R20]
Black Gay Men and "The Pill" [R20]
Jonathan Perry in "The Advocate" [R20]
Ending Black Homophobia Will Reduce HIV [R20]
Do You Disclose Your HIV Status? [R20]
Primetime Reports Black HIV Epidemic [After Elton]
"Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" [R20]
POZ Examines Race and the Down Low [R20]
HIV Rates Rise Among NYC Black Gay Men [R20] 
Phill Wilson: Candidates Must Address HIV/AIDS [R20]
POZ Examines Race and the “Down Low” [R20]
"Urban Rally Against AIDS" [R20]
The ABCs of Black HIV [R20]

Egypt Sentences 5 Gay, HIV Positive Men to Prison

The Egyptian government continues its crackdown against "debauchery", sentencing at least five gay men to prison. The Associated Press:

The five men were arrested in what human rights groups describe as a crackdown on people with the AIDS virus, using the debauchery charges as a means to prosecute them.

Four of the five men tested HIV-positive after all were forced to undergo blood tests in custody, Human Rights Watch says."

Queerty reports that "once the tests came out positive, [they] were told by a prosecutor, 'People like you should be burnt alive. You do not deserve to live.' "

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is headed to Egypt  where she reportedly "plans to discuss Middle East peace talks as well as the worrying situation in Iraq." Don't your breath that this draconian prosecutorial abuse will be on "peace" agenda.

Homosexuality per se is not explicitly prohibited under Egyptian law, "but a wide range of laws covering obscenity, prostitution and debauchery are applied to homosexuals" in the conservative, military-backed government.

Egypt Imprisons Gay Men for "Debauchery" [CBS News]
Secretary Rice to Travel to Middle East [RTT]
Egypt's Gay Crackdown [Queerty] 

Nigerian State of Anambra Bans Condoms to Promote "Morality"

Nigerian state of Anambra bans the distribution of what it calls "unnatural" contraceptives, including condoms and IUDs.

According to IRIN News, " 'Instead of teaching children how to use condoms and enjoy sex, they should be taught total abstinence,' Amobi Ilika, the state commissioner for health, said when announcing the ban late last month. He added that the 'use of condoms has greatly encouraged immorality.' "

HIV/AIDS and family planning advocates are concerned about the ban in the southeastern state. "I don't think it's the right step," public affairs analyst Alphonsus Ofodile tells IRIN.  "Even if you ban the use of condoms, people will still have sex. So why would a responsible government want to discourage safe sex?"

Condoms are widely available throughout other parts of Nigeria because the federal government has partnered with churches and health organizations to distribute and sell them and "the population of Anambra State are not known for habouring particularly fundamentalist beliefs but the ban may have been designed to appeal to local evangelical groups."

Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation—and one of its most stridently homophobic—and there are no government-approved programs to distribute condoms to gay or homosexual men.

No Condoms for Anambra State [IRIN]

More NIGERIA

Some Background ...
Nigerian Mob Attacks Gay Activist [R20]
Nigerian Lynch Mob Storms Jail [R20]
Nigeria Latest 18 Alleged Gays Face Death Penalty [R20]
Nigerian Woman Denies "Lesbian Wedding" [R20]
Nigerian Lesbian In Hiding After Reported Wedding [R20]
Nigeria's Homophobia Threatens Bid for Games [R20]
Nigeria One Step Closer to Outlawing Gays [R20]
Gay Nigerians Speak Out [R20]
Nigeria Prepares to Outlaw Gays [R20]
Nigeria to Ban Gays Meeting [R20]
Who is Archbishop Peter Akinola? [R20]
Nigeria's Islamic Sharia Law [R20]
UK Deports Gay Nigerian [R20]
Harsh New Nigerian Laws [R20]

New York City Hospitals To Offer Free Rapid, HIV Tests

New York City hospitals will soon offer free, rapid HIV tests for "tens of thousands" of people.

According to the New York Daily News, under the deal negotiated by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the manufacturer of the test, OraSure Technologies, will "donate the rapid tests to city hospitals so they don't have to dip into their budgets to pay for the kits."

New York City has the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases in the country, and, for the sixth straight year, seroconversion rates have risen among men under 30 years old. The largest increase was among young gay black men. The CDC reports "a third of patients who are tested for HIV in a public health clinic fail to return for the results." The results for the oral rapid test are available within 20 minutes and could be provided to patients before they leave.

"The Health and Hospital Corp., which runs city hospitals, is aiming to test 150,000 patients for the deadly virus this year and expand to 160,000 next year."

Now, at least in New York City, there is no excuse not to get tested.

Thousands of Quick HIV Tests Will Be Avail. [NYDN]

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Some Background ...
GMHC's "I Love My Boo" Campaign [R20]
HIV Rates Rising Among Black NYC Gay Men [R20]
CDC Tracking "Serious" Strain of Syphilis [R20]
The HIV Morning After Pill? [R20]
Black Gay Men and "The Pill" [R20]
Jonathan Perry in "The Advocate" [R20]
Ending Black Homophobia Will Reduce HIV [R20]
Do You Disclose Your HIV Status? [R20]
Primetime Reports Black HIV Epidemic [After Elton]
"Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" [R20]
POZ Examines Race and the Down Low [R20]
HIV Rates Rise Among NYC Black Gay Men [R20] 
Phill Wilson: Candidates Must Address HIV/AIDS [R20]
POZ Examines Race and the “Down Low” [R20]
"Urban Rally Against AIDS" [R20]
The ABCs of Black HIV [R20]

Bill T. Jones Debuts New "Chapter", Discusses Race and Discrimination

Internationally renown choreographer and auteur Bill T. Jones begins a new chapter in his life—literally and figuratively. The iconic choreographer, recently photographed by Francois Rousseau to cover the OUT 100, will present his newest work, "Chapel/Chapter", at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. The artist discusses the impact of being  black, gay and HIV-positive in dance with the Windy City Times.

Jones, who describes himself as "a child of people who were basically field workers, and who taught that the American Dream was an almost Ebony magazine notion of what a Black person should be", says dance is more welcoming of black male dancers than choreographers.

Let's put it this way ...  A young Black male [ who is ] halfway well-trained and disciplined can write [ his ] own ticket. The dance world is hungry for males, first of all, but also young Black ones; they are much in demand.

Having said that, I know that there are all sorts of prejudice against our intellectual capabilities. It's one thing to be a young stud on stage, dancing and sweating in somebody else's work. It's something else altogether to get the world to take your ideas—your intellectual engagement—seriously. That's the biggest gap I've found there.

You have to realize that, in general, dance is not a valued commodity in the culture, no matter what they say about [ the TV shows ] Dancing with the Stars or So You Think You Can Dance? Anyone who goes into the dance world is going to realize that it's going to be a very difficult career, there will be few rewards and one has to fight to make a middle-class living, never mind establish a highly individualistic and idiosyncratic way of creating art.

In addition to being named to the OUT 100 and celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Bill T. Jones/Arne Zane Dance Company in 2007, Jones also received his first Tony award.

Bill T Jones Starts A New "Chapter [WCT]

You May Enjoy ...
Bill T. Jones on the "OUT 100" [R20]
Darryl Stephens on the "Out 100" [R20]

Brazil Targets Young Gay, Bisexual Men with HIV/AIDS Prevention

Earlier this week, a clever new HIV/AIDS prevention initiative debuted in New York City to target young gay and bisexual black and Latino men. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation reports the government of Brazil is launching a similar program to target young "men who have sex with men" (MSM) aged 13 to 24 years old.

The initiative will use public service announcements on radio and television stations to promote condom use and deliver safer-sex messages nationwide. The campaign also will place posters with HIV/AIDS prevention messages in public areas, such as train stations and bus stops."

The Ministry of Health reports a disproportionate number of new HIV cases, an alarming 41 percent, "recorded in 2006 occurred among MSM in the 13-24 age group." Brazil has been aggressively pursuing testing and prevention programs and health officials report "a general downward trend in new cases." That's good news.

More HEALTH
More HIV

Some Background ...
GMHC's "I Love My Boo" Campaign [R20]
HIV Rates Rising Among Black NYC Gay Men [R20]
CDC Tracking "Serious" Strain of Syphilis [R20]
The HIV Morning After Pill? [R20]
Black Gay Men and "The Pill" [R20]
Jonathan Perry in "The Advocate" [R20]
Ending Black Homophobia Will Reduce HIV [R20]
Do You Disclose Your HIV Status? [R20]
Primetime Reports Black HIV Epidemic [After Elton]
"Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" [R20]
POZ Examines Race and the Down Low [R20]
HIV Rates Rise Among NYC Black Gay Men [R20] 
Phill Wilson: Candidates Must Address HIV/AIDS [R20]
POZ Examines Race and the “Down Low” [R20]
"Urban Rally Against AIDS" [R20]
The ABCs of Black HIV [R20]

GMHC's "I Love My Boo" Campaign Targets Black and Latino Gay Men

Should have mentioned this last week, but, when it comes to news this important, better late than never. With HIV and syphilis rates rising among gays—especially among younger black and Latino men—a new public awareness campaign debuts in New York City to raise awareness around safe sex.

The new marketing campaign is called "I Love My Boo" and was developed by Gay Men's Health Crisis. The PSAs target young black and Latino gay and bisexual men and are displayed on telephone kiosks across the five boroughs, such as the one seen here at Eighth Avenue and 23rd in Chelsea. The ads feature a vignette of couples and situations and the tagline "Safer sex is one way we show our love."

Blogger and critic Darian Aaron previewed the campaign: "One of the elements of this campaign that I love is that the language reflects it's target audience. It's current and even a little hood. ... Beautiful images of brothers loving and respecting each others bodies and souls. Now that's not something you see everyday."

New data from the Centers for Disease Controls show HIV infections among black gay and bisexual men have risen by an incredible 80 percent across the country and by one-third across New York City. Let's hope this campaign does something to help to turn the tide.

I Love My Boo [LOLDarian]
CDC Data Showing HIV Increase [GMHC]

More HEALTH
More HIV
More NEW YORK CITY

Some Background ...
HIV Rates Rising Among Black NYC Gay Men [R20]
CDC Tracking "Serious" Strain of Syphilis [R20]
The HIV Morning After Pill? [R20]
Black Gay Men and "The Pill" [R20]
Jonathan Perry in "The Advocate" [R20]
Ending Black Homophobia Will Reduce HIV [R20]
Do You Disclose Your HIV Status? [R20]
Primetime Reports Black HIV Epidemic [After Elton]
"Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" [R20]
POZ Examines Race and the Down Low [R20]
HIV Rates Rise Among NYC Black Gay Men [R20] 
Phill Wilson: Candidates Must Address HIV/AIDS [R20]
POZ Examines Race and the “Down Low” [R20]
"Urban Rally Against AIDS" [R20]
The ABCs of Black HIV [R20]

News: Washington DPs, Crystal Meth, Norway, HIV, Lutherans

· Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire signs law expanding the state's domestic partnerships, adding "more than 170 of the benefits and responsibilities given to married couples "including areas referring to probate and trusts, community property and homestead exemptions, and guardianship and powers of attorney."

· The nation's largest Lutheran congregation, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, decides the church should "continue defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman." The ELCA expresses regret that church teachings have been used "to tear apart families with gay or lesbian members" and will ask all Lutherans to welcome gays and advocate for legal protection.

· Senate Foreign Relations committee approves legislation that would repeal the HIV travel and immigration ban which "was originally enacted in 1987 and explicitly restated in 1993." The measure moves to a full vote on the Senate floor.  The United States is one of only 13 countries with such a ban.

· California drug officials launch a new "$11-million barrage of billboards, bus wraps, cable TV ads and a website" to discourage black and Latino gay men from using crystal methamphetamine.

· Norway's center-left government proposes expanding marriage and adoption rights to gays and lesbians.

· Yet another presidential debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania before the primary.

· Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll: "The General Election is essentially tied no matter who the Democrats nominate. It’s McCain 45% Obama 44% and McCain 46% Clinton 44%. In both match-ups, McCain enjoys more unified support from Republicans than his opponents do from Democrats."

· Clik's Darian Aaron on the new Trace cover featuring Erykah Badu and Q-Tip: "From the slight mohawk to his beautifully chiseled pecs, he was so damn hot I had to take Erykah out of the photo. No shade towards Erykah because she's amazing. But Q-Tip could have easily rocked the cover by himself."

· A North Carolina Quaker congregation is "forced from its church building and out of its regional organization after supporting gay and lesbian rights. Jimmy Vestal, the minister of City View, says he ... was raised with the conservative view that 'homosexuality is a sin at best, even an abomination,' but he began to doubt that view as he became friends with gay and lesbian people. As he and his church members began to study what the Scriptures say about the issue and the history of it, 'I found myself feeling like a bigot for Christ,' he said. 'I came to the conclusion that if I’m wrong, I’d rather be wrong on the side of love.'"

News: Janet, Pelosi, Bloomberg, Magic Johnson, Puerto Rico

· Janet Jackson covers the new HX and shares her celebrity girl-crush with Clay Cane. " You know who I think is flawless? Alicia Keys. I think she's absolutely beautiful, such a sweetheart, down to earth. So maybe Alicia Keys." Yeah, maybe ...

· Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi seeks "a grand-jury probe of whether White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriett Miers were in contempt of Congress for failing to respond to subpoenas issues as part of the U.S. attorney firing probe. "

· Former professional basketball Earvin "Magic" Johnson tours black churches in Miami and encourages an end to the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. ''We have a major problem, a crisis in our community and only we can take care of it. Blacks and browns, we need to come together.''

· ACLU: "Terror list" has more than 900,000 names.

· The Boston Globe criticizes Gov. Deval Patrick for only modest growth in the Massachusetts HIV/AIDS prevention budget, encouraging efforts  to the  "black and Hispanic communities, which are increasingly bearing the brunt of the disease ... Among gay and bisexual men between the ages of 13 and 24 diagnosed with HIV between 2004 and 2006, 53 percent were black or Hispanic."

· Republican senators block Democratic bill "to curb rising home foreclosures."

· New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg writes an op-ed in The New York Times: I'm not running for president ...but if a candidate takes an independent, nonpartisan approach—and embraces practical solutions that challenge party orthodoxy—I’ll join others in helping that candidate win the White House."

· The name of the final Madonna album for Warner Bros: Hard Candy. Via Popnography, a tracklisting and we learn Madge has "been busy shooting a big cover spread for Vanity Fair."

· Andrés Duque at Blabbeando reports "an unprecedented move" by Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY) who warns "Puerto Rican legislators that passage of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages in the island might affect the Puerto Rican government's ability to access federal funding in the future. ... [S]uch a measure would make it difficult to ask openly gay Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), the chairman of the Financial Services Committee, for assistance."