NMAC: National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Join the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) in honoring National Native (American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian) HIV/AIDS Awareness Day this year. Held annually on March 20^th, the day is organized by representatives from the Colorado State University’s Commitment to Action for 7th-Generation Awareness & Education: HIV/AIDS Prevention Project, the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona and the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center to encourage Native peoples and communities to “work together, in harmony, to create a greater awareness of the risk of HIV/AIDS to our Native communities, to call for resources for testing and early detection and for increased treatment options, and to eventually decrease the occurrence of HIV/AIDS among Native people.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Native peoples have the highest rate of HIV infection after African Americans and Latinos, though they account for only 1% of the U.S. population. This is a disturbing in light of the disproportionately high rates of HIV co-morbidities, such as hepatitis C and tuberculosis, found in many American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities.

“Stigma is one of the biggest hurdles to HIV prevention, treatment and care in Native communities,” says Brenda Hunt, who is a member of the Lumbee Nation, serves on NMAC’s Board, and is Executive Director of Borderbelt AIDS Resource (BART), in North Carolina. “Many of our people wait to get tested for HIV, and are diagnosed with both HIV and AIDS, or progress to AIDS shortly after their HIV diagnosis.”

This trend has undermined health outcomes for Native people living with HIV, who, according to a 2008 report from the CDC, survive for a shorter period of time after being diagnosed with AIDS than Asians and Pacific Islanders, whites and Hispanics. Socio-economic determinants, including lack of access to quality, culturally-competent health care and education, as well as poverty and homelessness, further undermine the overall health and well-being of many Native communities.

Native gay men and men who have sex with men (MSM) have been hit particularly hard by the AIDS epidemic, accounting for nearly 75% of all new HIV cases contracted through sexual contact and injection drug use among American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. These numbers are of particular concern following the March 10^th release of the CDC data analysis showing a sharp disparity in rates of HIV and syphilis infection among MSMs relative to the rest of the U.S. population.

Paul Kawata, NMAC’s Executive Director says, “National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day takes place at the start of spring, which symbolizes profound change, new beginnings and birth for many Native communities. I hope we all use this as a time to re-dedicate ourselves to helping to end HIV among American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, and within all communities of color.”

For more information about National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, click here. Also, download the report, NOT ONE MORE: Recommendations to Improve HIV/AIDS Services to American Indians, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians.

About NMAC
The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) builds leadership within communities of color to address challenges of HIV/AIDS. Since 1987, NMAC has advanced this mission through a variety of programs and services, including: a public policy education program, national and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program, numerous publications and a website: http://www.nmac.org/. Today, NMAC is an association of AIDS service organizations providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the AIDS epidemic. NMAC’s advocacy efforts are funded through private funders and donors only.

For more information, call NMAC directly at (202) 483-NMAC (6622) or communications@nmac.org. Visit the agency online at http://www.nmac.org/, as well as on http://www.facebook.com/ and on http://www.wikipedia.com/. Pictures and video clips from past NMAC events are available from MyPhotoAlbum.com (nmacpics.myphotoalbum.com/), and http://www.youtube.com/, respectively.



Consumer Reports: Condoms 101

Want to know about condoms and which ones are the best? You may want to read the post on the wrappers at Consumer Report Blog!

According to the post:

Seven of the 20 models we tested earned a perfect score, indicating they were not only stronger and more reliable than most, but also had no leaks or flaws in their packaging. Those top seven include one Durex, two Lifestyles, and four Trojan models (Ratings available to subscribers). Alas, one of the more playful condoms we tested, the Night Light glow-in-the-dark model, didn’t fare as well, earning our lowest score for strength and exceeding the allowable number of samples with holes. But it did live up to its name on the glow front.

Read more here!

FOTR: Tribeca Film Fest

Tribeca Film Festival co-founded by Robert De Niro has announced its 2010 program, which includes several films with themes rooted heavily in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues premiere at the Festival, which runs April 21 – May 2.

Arias with a Twist: The Docufantasy follows performance artists Joey Arias (openly gay New York City-based drag artist) and Basil Twist (recognized puppeteer) along with those who have inspired their growth. Similarly, the life of 1970s fashion icon and gay man Roy Halston Frowick will be revealed in Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston, which will be making its world debut at the Festival. The Other City is a powerful documentary on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington, D.C. that follows a number of individuals devoting their lives to the cause or suffering from it. One of its lead protagonists is a young, gay male who is in the final stages of his AIDS plight and has lost the ability to do anything on his own. It is a truly heart-wrenching tale that brings light to this sub-community in the nation’s capital. At the other end of the spectrum, the comedic and lighthearted Spork follows a teen hermaphrodite with the same name that you’ll grow to love.

Read more at: Focus On The Rainbow!

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Join the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) in raising awareness about the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on women of color this National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD). Coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Women’s Health (OWH) and held annually on March 10, NWGHAAD has never been more important. The World Health Organization announced in November 2009 that HIV/AIDS is now the number one killer of women and girls aged 15-44 worldwide, and in the United States, a woman is infected with HIV every 35 minutes.

Dr. Kim Johnson, NMAC’s Director of Technical Assistance, Training and Treatment Division says: “Often lost in the discussion about the disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS in minority communities and the increase in HIV infections among women overall is the potential impact on future generations. Women and girls – and particularly women and girls of color – tend to be the primary caretakers at home, putting the health and welfare of their partners, children and elders ahead of their own. Compounding this barrier to HIV prevention and care are cultural stigmas around HIV and condom use, as well as socioeconomic disparities – such as high rates of poverty and homelessness – and an overall lack of access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care and information.”

Women now account for 25% of all HIV and AIDS cases in the U.S., a sharp increase from 11% in 1990. And though women of color represent only a quarter of the total female population in the U.S., they account for nearly 80% of all AIDS cases among women nationwide. Black women in particular have been impacted. AIDS is a leading cause of death among African American women in all age groups, and it is the number one killer of Black women aged 25-34.

Evelyn Ullah, Director of HIV/AIDS at the Miami-Dade County Health Department and a member of NMAC’s Board, says: “We call on everyone to take a stand and engage in open discussions about sexuality and sexual risk – and the importance of HIV prevention and testing. Otherwise, we will continue to see women and girls of color being infected with HIV and, worse, testing late. All too often, women of color are simultaneously diagnosed with HIV and AIDS – or progress to AIDS within a year of testing positive for HIV.”

NMAC hopes you will join us in supporting the recommendations for action outlined in the National Black Women’s HIV/AIDS Network’s report: “Recommendations for HIV/AIDS Policy for Black Women and Girls and Their Families Living with and Affected by HIV/AIDS.” Though these refer to African American women, they are relevant to all women of color:

• Support HIV-positive and non-positive Black women and girls and their organizations and networks;
• Ensure equal access to care, treatment and health insurance coverage;
• Ensure that Black women and girls and their families have the knowledge and means to prevent HIV infection; and
• Ensure that Black women and girls have access to research.

Concerned that the vast majority of HIV infections among women and girls of color stem from heterosexual contact and lack of access to health education, NMAC established the Women of Color Leadership Institute (WOCLI) to build the advocacy skills of current and future minority women leaders working on their own, at faith- and community-based organizations and/or attending historically-black colleges and universities.

A former WOCLI participant living with HIV/AIDS, Rev. Vanessa D. Sharp, says: “WOCLI helps women of color develop their skills – their political voices – so they can successfully weigh in on decisions related to HIV/AIDS taking place in every arena, whether in their homes or in Washington, D.C. More than just another training, NMAC’s WOCLI program empowers women to overcome their fears of stigma – from their family, churches and community – and speak truth to power about this epidemic.”

In addition to several WOCLI trainings, NMAC will holding a number of town hall forums in 2010 focusing on women’s rights and HIV, as well as building its video library of interviews with community leaders discussing AIDS in communities of color. The agency also has an ongoing public service announcement (PSA) campaign called “African American Women GET REAL about HIV/AIDS,” which may be seen here. A similar campaign, SOY, launched by the Kaiser Foundation and Univision, includes several videos featuring women discussing their lives with HIV/AIDS.

Other helpful resources include:

• The official NWGHAAD site, which offers a listing of all events taking place nationwide, as well as e-cards and other resources;
• Womenhealth.gov’s women and HIV/AIDS section;
• NMAC’s African American Women GET REAL about HIV/AIDS PSA collateral material, which is available in limited quantities, free-of-charge, by sending an e-mail to communications@nmac.org; and
• NMAC’s training manual, “Using Social Marketing to Take Action Against HIV/AIDS for African American Women,” also available for free by sending an e-mail to communications@nmac.org.

About NMAC
The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) builds leadership within communities of color to address challenges of HIV/AIDS. Since 1987, NMAC has advanced this mission through a variety of programs and services, including: a public policy education program, national and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program, numerous publications and a website: http://www.nmac.org/. Today, NMAC is an association of AIDS service organizations providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the AIDS epidemic. NMAC’s advocacy efforts are funded through private funders and donors only.

For more information, call NMAC directly at (202) 483-NMAC (6622) ext. 309 or communications@nmac.org. Visit the agency online at http://www.nmac.org/, as well as on http://www.facebook.com/ and on http://www.wikipedia.com/. Pictures and video clips from past NMAC events are available from MyPhotoAlbum.com (nmacpics.myphotoalbum.com/), and http://www.youtube.com/, respectively.



Vegas Taxi Authority Lists Gay Men as “High Risk”

The Las Vegas Taxi Authority (TA)—which monitors thousands of cabs in the city—is distributing a policy manual to officers listing homosexuals alongside intravenous drug users and sex workers as “persons of high-risk groups” for communicable diseases, such as HIV and other blood-borne illnesses, lasvegasnow.com reports. The policy, which can be read here, says that TA officers should wear protective gear and gloves when bringing a high-risk suspect into custody.

According to the article, several area law enforcement agencies—including the Nevada Highway Patrol, the University of Nevada, the Las Vegas Police, the Henderson Police and the North Las Vegas Police—have removed this language from their policies. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is in the process of doing so.

More at: POZ.com!

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