Polititian Sally Kern diagnosed with Homophobia

One `mental virus' that plagues are planet is homophobia. It afflicts not just the straight members of society, but also many gays. When public officials make statements that show that they are afflicted with this illness - and are not immediately removed from public office - it damages the entire psyche of the country.

(Video at bottom)

An Oklahoma state representative has received thousands of hostile e-mail messages after she said that homosexuality is a bigger threat to national security than terrorism.




Dally Kern has a Gay Son!! (poor guy)

On Wednesday, March 12, the gay online news service Queerty reported that one of Kern’s two grown sons, Jesse, is gay. The report was based on comments posted on Web sites by readers who alleged that Jesse Kerns had been disciplined for cruising toilets while a student at Oklahoma Baptist University.

As of Thursday, March 13, the report had not confirmed, and Sally Kern’s husband, a Baptist preacher, issued a statement denying it.

Sally Kern displays her illness

Sally Kern after parts of a speech she gave to a Republican organization earlier this year were posted on YouTube. Listen to portions of the speech below.

During the speech, Kern said that "the homosexual agenda is just destroying this nation" and that homosexuality poses a bigger threat to the United States than terrorism. "According to God's word, that is not the right kind of lifestyle," she said.

"Studies show no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than a few decades," Kern, a former teacher who sits on the education committee, added.

Her speech, first posted online earlier this week by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, has generated national attention. The recording has been viewed more than 500,000 times on YouTube. Since then, Kern's office has been bombarded by angry phone calls and e-mails. Several gay rights organizations have called for her to resign and local newspapers have criticized her.



Responses

"Hi! It's Ellen DeGeneres. The gay one."

The sitcom star turned chat show host turned her satirical sights on Oklahoma state representative Sally Kern earlier this week, in response to comments that gay people are "infiltrating" the US government.

Ellen DeGeneres decided to have some fun with Ms Kern on her nationally syndicated TV show yesterday.

"I feel like there's some misinformation going on here, and I think I need to call her," Ellen said after playing parts of the Kerns recording.

The phone went to voicemail and then an automated voice informed Ellen that the mailbox was full.

"I bet!" Ellen said.

"She's busy, it seems like she is getting some voicemails!"

Ellen then chose to leave her a message via her TV show, which has won 15 Emmy awards. (See clip at bottom)

"Her comments are so inappropriate and beyond the pale that she's demonstrated that she's not fit for service in public office," said Patrick Sammon, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, a national association of gay and lesbian Republicans. "For someone to compare gay people to terrorists is really difficult to comprehend. She should be ashamed."

Victory Fund president Chuck Wolfe wrote an open letter to Kern, explaining that her words have heavy implications.

"What you said is not OK, but that’s not because most sensible people disagree with it," he wrote. "It’s because your words give aid and comfort to those who would hurt, maim, and even kill people who are different from you. Comparing gays and lesbians to cancer and terrorism and saying they are the 'biggest threat to America' gives license to others to treat us that way, especially given the leadership position you hold in your community."

He also wrote that the Victory Fund made her speech public to point out to people that "even elected leaders like you are saying some nasty and potentially dangerous things about your fellow citizens." Wolfe mentioned the murders of Matthew Shepard, Lawrence King, and 62-year-old Steve Domer, who was killed in Oklahoma in the fall.

Email threats

Jessica Brown, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said the agency was reviewing the growing number of e-mails sent to Kern to determine if any of them could be considered legally threatening.

"If I say I'm going to kill you, that's a threat. If I say I hope you die, that's not," she said.

She said the agency may contact some of the people who sent the e-mails.

HIV scandal in Gay Porn Industry

Culture Correspondent, BBC Newsnight

Infected porn actors

Three films have been withdrawn from sale following a Newsnight investigation into the health risks of so-called bareback gay porn - which shows men have unprotected sex. Three films have been withdrawn from sale following a Newsnight investigation into the health risks of so-called bareback gay porn - which shows men have unprotected sex.

It follows concerns within the gay community that performers are being infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. It follows concerns within the gay community that performers are being infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Two of the DVDs featured footage from a week-long shoot during which eight British models had sex with each other in multiple combinations without condoms.

Four of those who took part were diagnosed as HIV positive soon after. One of the men told the BBC he was distressed that footage which he believed showed him becoming infected had been put on sale.

After all the gay community has been through why are we putting people at risk for porn
Chi Chi Larue
US gay porn director

In a separate case a British producer, Rufus Foulkes, was jailed last week on a child pornography charge for putting a 16-year-old boy in a gay porn film in which he had unprotected sex.

The US company which released the film had refused appeals to stop selling the DVD until it was approached by Newsnight.

Now, Britain's leading bareback film company, Icreme, has told the BBC it has decided to only do films using condoms.
Most heterosexual pornography has never featured condoms. But showing unprotected sex became taboo in gay porn after HIV and Aids emerged in the 1980s.

"We have been talking about condoms so long that people are bored or think they know it all."
Ceri Evans Sexual Health Adviser.

Yet in the last four years there has been an explosion in the production of bareback films. They now make up about 60% of the gay market.

Some health officials believe this is a sign of a wider complacency in society about the risks of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases which is mirrored in rising statistics for new infections. Some health officials believe this is a sign of a wider complacency in society about the risks of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases which is mirrored in rising statistics for new infections.



Condom Fatigue.

Ceri Evans, Senior Sexual Health Adviser at West London Centre for Sexual Health, told Newsnight: "I think that there is a possibility of something being called condom fatigue.

"We have been talking about condoms so long that people are bored or think they know it all. Education in schools is not what it could be, for anybody, for heterosexual but particularly if you are gay."

The rise of bareback porn exasperates many who lived through the 1980s and 1990s. .
Rufus Foulkes was jailed for putting a 16-year-old in a porn film.

In the US the leading gay porn director Chi Chi Larue has taken a very public stance against bareback films.

"After all the gay community has been through why are we putting people at risk for porn," he says in a new advert aimed at persuading consumers to boycott bareback films.

In Britain the campaign against bareback is being lead by a director called Steven Brewer. He is inviting both producers and performers to sign up to a new code of practice designed to minimise risk within the gay porn industry.

He told Newsnight: "I just don't want another 18-year-old model crying on my shoulder not sure how to tell his partner or his parents that he is now HIV positive."

Among Gay men : Syphilis rates rose again in 2007

Syphilis rates up on gay male sex

By Cheryl Wetzstein
March 13, 2008

Syphilis rates rose again in 2007, largely reflecting outbreaks among men who have sex with men, the nation's public health agency said yesterday.

The news dampens hopes of eliminating the ancient sexually transmitted disease (STD), which in 2000 looked close to eradication in the United States.

"STDs remain a major threat to the health of gay and bisexual men, in part because having an STD other than HIV can increase the risk of transmitting or acquiring HIV," said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the Centers on Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.

"The resurgence of syphilis among MSM [men who have sex with men] represents a formidable challenge to our STD prevention efforts, but one that is surmountable," Dr. Fenton said at the agency's STD prevention conference in Chicago.

Screening and treatment should be a central part of medical care for gay and bisexual men, as well as finding innovative ways to help them avoid STD infections, including HIV, in the first place, he said.

Based on preliminary data, the 2007 syphilis rate was 3.7 cases per 100,000 population, or 11,181 cases. It was the seventh increase in a row and pushed rates 76 percent higher than in 2000, when the rate was 2.1 cases per 100,000.

The 2007 syphilis rate among the female population also increased, deepening concerns about a potential resurgence of the disease among women. But, as in recent years, the overall increase in the 2007 syphilis rate was largely attributed to men, especially men who have sex with men, the CDC said.

"While syphilis rates have increased recently for both men and women, the increases have been considerably larger for men," the CDC said. "This differs from the pattern seen in the late 1990s, when rates among males and rates among females were roughly equivalent."



What is syphilis?

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It has often been called “the great imitator” because so many of the signs and symptoms are indistinguishable from those of other diseases.

What are the signs and symptoms in adults?

Many people infected with syphilis do not have any symptoms for years, yet remain at risk for late complications if they are not treated. Although transmission occurs from persons with sores who are in the primary or secondary stage, many of these sores are unrecognized. Thus, transmission may occur from persons who are unaware of their infection.

Primary Stage
The primary stage of syphilis is usually marked by the appearance of a single sore (called a chancre), but there may be multiple sores. The time between infection with syphilis and the start of the first symptom can range from 10 to 90 days (average 21 days). The chancre is usually firm, round, small, and painless. It appears at the spot where syphilis entered the body. The chancre lasts 3 to 6 weeks, and it heals without treatment. However, if adequate treatment is not administered, the infection progresses to the secondary stage.

Secondary Stage
Skin rash and mucous membrane lesions characterize the secondary stage. This stage typically starts with the development of a rash on one or more areas of the body. The rash usually does not cause itching. Rashes associated with secondary syphilis can appear as the chancre is healing or several weeks after the chancre has healed. The characteristic rash of secondary syphilis may appear as rough, red, or reddish brown spots both on the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet. However, rashes with a different appearance may occur on other parts of the body, sometimes resembling rashes caused by other diseases. Sometimes rashes associated with secondary syphilis are so faint that they are not noticed. In addition to rashes, symptoms of secondary syphilis may include fever, swollen lymph glands, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches, and fatigue. The signs and symptoms of secondary syphilis will resolve with or without treatment, but without treatment, the infection will progress to the latent and possibly late stages of disease.

Late and Latent Stages
The latent (hidden) stage of syphilis begins when primary and secondary symptoms disappear. Without treatment, the infected person will continue to have syphilis even though there are no signs or symptoms; infection remains in the body. This latent stage can last for years. The late stages of syphilis can develop in about 15% of people who have not been treated for syphilis, and can appear 10 – 20 years after infection was first acquired. In the late stages of syphilis, the disease may subsequently damage the internal organs, including the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints. Signs and symptoms of the late stage of syphilis include difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, numbness, gradual blindness, and dementia. This damage may be serious enough to cause death.

Heath Ledger 1979-2008 Amazing Grace

Forbes Magazine : Gay Rights Advances Likely in Congress

Two measures are likely to win win approval this year:

1.A hate-crimes bill that would cover offenses motivated by anti-gay bias.

Notes:

According to the FBI, about 14 percent of the 7,163 hate crimes reported in 2005 targeted gays or lesbians - a slightly lower percentage than the two prior years.

The hate-crimes measure would expand existing federal provisions to include acts of violence against gays and lesbians. Opponents contend it would be an ominous first step toward criminalizing criticism of homosexuality.

2. A measure that would outlaw workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.


Also on the table - although with more doubtful prospects - will be a measure to be introduced Wednesday seeking repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bans openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the military.

If approved by Congress, the bills would head to the White House. Activists on both the left and right are unsure whether President Bush would sign or veto them.

Gay men :: Cancer and the risks of smoking

Gay men may be at increased risk for certain forms of cancer, and illnesses linked to cigarette smoking.

Evidence of the damaging effects of cigarette smoking on human health continues to accumulate. Today there are some 25 known tobacco-related diseases, including heart disease, strokes, respiratory illnesses, several forms of cancer, and male impotence.

Smoking takes a heavy human toll. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide 4 million people die prematurely each year from smoking cigarettes. The 400,000 lives claimed each year by smoking-related illnesses in the United States matches the number of Americans who died in World War II. In China, smoking takes an estimated 2,000 lives per day, the equivalent of having five fully loaded jumbo jets crash each day with no survivors.

Cancer

Some cancers are more commonly seen in persons with HIV infection. For example, Kaposi's sarcoma and certain types of lymphomas are more common in people with HIV. Since HIV is found in higher rates among gay men in Western nations, cancers associated with HIV infection are more common among gay men in these parts of the world.

Some strains of HPV -- the virus that causes genital and anal warts -- are linked to certain forms of cancer. When this virus causes cancer in men, it most often causes anal cancer. Anal HPV infection primarily occurs through unprotected anal intercourse, and direct penis-to-rectum contact during sex. Anal cancer occurs more frequently in men with damaged immune systems (including those with HIV). Smoking may increase the risk of cancer as well. HPV on the penis can also cause penile cancers, but this quite rare.

Gay men may also be at increased risk for liver cancer. Gay men are considered at increased risk for hepatitis B infection, which has been linked to liver cancer and other forms of liver disease (including cirrhosis of the liver).

In addition to anal and liver cancers, gay men may also be at increased risk for lung cancer and other cancers linked to cigarette smoking. It has been suggested that smoking rates among gay men may be higher than the general population. Of course, smoking also has many other health risks, including an increased risk for emphysema and heart disease.

Cigarette smoking causes sexual impotence

The antismoking campaign is being bolstered by research indicating that cigarette smoking is a leading cause of male impotence. The constriction and blockage of small blood vessels associated with smoking may first manifest itself in the inability to achieve an erection, well before blockage of the larger coronary arteries leads to heart disease.

One of the mainstays of California's highly successful antismoking campaign is a TV commercial in which a man's flirtation with a woman fails when the cigarette in his mouth begins to droop. Experience in California indicates that while adolescent males may not be particularly worried about their mortality, they are concerned about their sexuality. In Thailand, cigarette packs carry in large type the warning “Cigarette smoking causes sexual impotence.”

Sources: (http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com)(http://www.thebody.com)

Video - Life cycle of HIV virus

Really interesting video shows the life cycle of the HIV virus.

New Drugs on the Horizon to Battle HIV

"There is a confluence of new drugs in the pipeline that people are pretty excited about," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

More than 25 years into the AIDS epidemic, many drugs are used to treat HIV, but an alarming number of patients are becoming resistant to therapy, driving research into new ways to combat the virus. About half of U.S. patients treated for infections with HIV have stopped responding to at least one drug, said Dr. John Mellors, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh.

Drugmakers Merck, Pfizer Inc. Gilead Sciences and Johnson & Johnson are expected to present new clinical data at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Feb. 25-28 2007 in Los Angeles.

On Tuesday, Merck & Co. will release results of a trial of MK-0518, which is likely to be the first in a new class of drugs, known as integrase inhibitors, designed to block genetic information needed for HIV to reproduce. Merck plans to seek U.S. approval for the drug in the second quarter.Also on Tuesday, Pfizer Inc.will present data from a late-stage trial of its CCR5 inhibitor, maraviroc, now awaiting U.S. and European approval. Patients in the trial had fared poorly on previous HIV treatments.

“If maraviroc is approved, it would change the landscape of treatment and be the first new oral class of HIV treatments in a decade, since the approval of protease inhibitors,” said Howard Mayer, a Pfizer executive in charge of maraviroc’s development. This new class of medicines works by blocking HIV from entering and taking up residence in T cells, a type of white blood cell vital to the immune system. The drugs work by jamming receptors — or docking stations — that dot the surface of the T cells and act as doorways into the cells. If HIV is barred entry, the virus cannot replicate. Because the receptors are made of a protein called CCR5, the crop of drugs are called CCR5 inhibitors.

On Wednesday, Gilead Sciences Inc., maker of top-selling HIV pill Truvada, will present data from a mid-stage trial of its experimental integrase inhibitor, GS-9137.

Also on Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson, which last year launched its first AIDS drug, Prezista, will announce results from a mid-stage trial of its next-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, known as TMC278, which works by blocking an enzyme the HIV virus needs to replicate.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) to successfully replicate itself, the virus must first infect a host cell and integrate itself into the cell's genome. Three enzymes in the body help the virus accomplish this task: reverse transcriptase, protease and integrase. Once HIV gets cozy inside a host cell, it turns that cell into an HIV factory, capable of churning out new copies of the virus to seek out and infect new cells.

There are currently three major classes of antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV. Two of these classes work by inhibiting the action of the reverse transcriptase enzyme; the third class inhibits the protease enzyme. Modern HIV therapy, which involves patients taking a cocktail of these drugs, does a remarkable job of tamping down the virus to undetectable levels. HIV and AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) used to kill patients quickly but now have been somewhat defanged, and HIV infection is treated more like a chronic disease. (There is still no "cure" for HIV because under current therapies, the virus is never 100% eliminated from the body.)

The human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS infects more than 1 million people in the United States and nearly 40 million worldwide. An estimated 40,000 Americans become infected each year.