I am gay.

via Look At Vietnam

Nguyen Van Trung, 35, is as excited as a teenager going to his or her first party.

But the excitement is tinged with some nervous bravado, because Trung’s coming out party seeks to increase public tolerance toward the gay community in Vietnam.

A group of 100 gay activists is planning to raise awareness and visibility by wearing pink T-shirts proclaiming, "I am gay." They will walk together on the sidewalks in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, probably on the upcoming Valentine’s Day, Trung said.

“This will be the first time such an activity has been organized by the gay community in Vietnam,” said Trung, member of a HCMC voluntary group that seeks to advise men who have sex with men (MSM) on safe sex and HIV-related knowledge.

“I only hope that by doing so, the public will be more tolerant of people like us since we do no harm to the society.”

Read the rest

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Do you find the new HIV ad campaign from the NYC Dept of Public Health offensive?

Watch and see what you think....

Is it helpful to paint the lives of people living with HIV as a horror show?

Is it honest?

Will it encourage people to get tested?

Will it encourage people to stay safe?

Will it further polarize HIV neg and HIV pos people?





[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Community Forum: iPrEx - What Next? A Chicago discussion on HIV meds as prevention

Next Wednesday, December 15
Center on Halsted, Chicago

Click for a closer look

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

'Whoonga' presents new challenge in South Africa's AIDS war

via The Washington Times

AIDS patients in South Africa are being robbed of their lifesaving drugs so that they can be mixed with marijuana and smoked, authorities and health experts say.

The concoction is called "whoonga" — less a word than an exclamation — and it adds a bizarre twist to the war on AIDS in the world's worst-affected country just as it embarks on a massive distribution of medications.

Whoonga's spread is so far limited to eastern KwaZulu-Natal, the country's most AIDS-stricken province, but AIDS and addiction specialists worry that it could reach other parts of the country.

There's no evidence that any ingredient of the AIDS drug cocktail is addictive or does anything to enhance the marijuana high. Whoonga smokers may be fooling themselves into believing the AIDS drugs are giving them a high, when it's really some other ingredient, says Dr. Njabulo Mabaso, an AIDS expert.

AIDS is already a source of damaging myths in South Africa, such as that the disease can be prevented by sleeping with a virgin or showering after sex with an HIV-positive partner.

Read the rest

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Rachel Maddow interviews David Bahati, author of the Ugandan "kill the gays" bill

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]