May 2009 Archives
HPV confessionalBy on May 31, 2009 1:51 PM | 3 Comments
In March, after having lived for several months with what I thought was a "skin tag" on my anus, I consulted a doctor and discovered I had a light case of anal warts. My path to discovering and treating HPV was fraught with difficulties and I'd like to talk about some of them here. Rose Afriyie has also written about my experiences in her sex column for the Michigan Daily.
At the time in which I contracted HPV, I was practicing what I call "serial monogamy." This means I, having just gotten out of a long-term relationship, casually dated three men consecutively for about two months at a time. In each case, my partners and I used the fact that we were technically monogamous as an excuse to not use condoms.
In December, before having unprotected sex, the guy I was seeing and I actually discussed how he had had genital warts several years previously. He advised me that most sexually active gay men already have the virus lying dormant in their bloodstreams. True as this may be, it doesn't change the fact that having unprotected sex with this man probably gave me anal warts.
Skip ahead to February. I'm seeing a new guy and I visit University Health Services to get a "full" STI screening. After describing my sex practices to the physician's assistant, he examined my genitals and gave me a blood test, ignoring my rectum entirely. Since I am a (nearly) strict bottom, this represents a significant oversight. While I made a mistake in failing to demand that the PA peek at my nether regions, a rectal examination should have (in a perfect world) been a standard component of the examination in the first place.
After my blood test came back clean, I continued to have unprotected sex with my new partner. It was not until about a month later that I, still irritated by the bump on my rectum, discovered I had HPV. If the PA had looked at my anus at UHS, he would have recognized the bump as a wart and I could have been treated (and started practicing safer sex) earlier.
When I finally visited my family physician, he offered to freeze off the warts through cryosurgery. Having been advised by a friend who is a medical professional that burning off warts (fulguration) is the more effective treatment for HPV, I declined my doctor's offer and instead visited a colon and rectal surgeon where I was able to receive this procedure. I am miffed that my family doctor both discouraged me from pursuing fulguration and advised me that it was unnecessary to use a scope to check for warts further inside my rectum. This seems like shoddy medical advice administered by a doctor that has not been properly educated about gay men's health issues.
Now that I have been treated and can happily insert penises and other (protected) objects into my asshole once again, I have become acutely aware of the need for the biomedical and public health spheres to develop a greater sensitivity to the sexual health needs of gay men in particular and people who practice anal sex in general. This would include the introduction of an HPV vaccine for men, and a more sophisticated discourse about safe sex that does not automatically privilege monogamy as "safer" than other relationship styles.
My Blog's Four Years Old!By on May 29, 2009 4:24 PM | 2 Comments
Aww isn't it so cute! You can really see the resemblance! This blog has been my lovechild for four years now, and I'm so proud to see it continue to flourish today with the addition this year of new voices and a brand spanking new design. I even was lucky enough to be attacked by Christina Aguilera fans who brought my site down for almost two weeks. I was so flattered. Thank you for thinking this blog matters enough to hack!
As has been my custom on this auspicious occasion, I'd like to highlight my favorite entries from over the years. Check them out and take a whirlwind tour of my life and thoughts!
Thanks for reading and supporting this project. It just keeps getting better and more wonderful to have more people logging on and showing an interest in hearing my thoughts. It's the ultimate flattery. For realz.
xoxo
T
From 2005:
Rehnquist Hospitalized, Bush to Take Over World (July 14)I am a Political Scientist. What the hell does that mean? (July 28)
My FIRST Day as a Graduate Student (August 26)
Online Racial Power Disparities (August 28)
Why I Left the NC Fellows Program (September 8)
The Surreal Life, San Fran Style (October 16)
Creating Change Conference '05 (November 14)
From 2006:
Misogyny and Gay Men (January 22)"Against Health" Conference (October 13)
Frustrated with San Francisco (October 29)
The Death of Fiscally Conservative Repubs, and the Rise of Libertarian Dems (October 30)
From 2007:
LGBTI Health Summit - Philadelphia (March 17)Beyond Identity Politics? (May 19)
Toronto = Fabulous (October 7)
Longtime Companion, Early AIDS Movies, and Mentorship (October 25)
What I'm Thankful For, 2007 (November 20)
Questions of Trans-Inclusion and Identity (December 3)
A Lovely Time in Mexico! (December 17)
From 2008:
Creating Change '08: Mourning / Celebration (February 10)Making it Work: Mobilizing Gay and Lesbian Identities in the 21st Century (February 12)
Where's the Pleasure in Gay Sex? (February 16)
On the Staph Debate and the Swiss AIDS Study (February 17)
Barebacking and XTube: A Window Into Our Sex Lives (February 22)
Gay Men's Health Leadership Academy: Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 (March 22-24)
Gay.com Conversations on Race: Part One / Part Two (April 1-2)
HIV Prevention Politics in Detroit (April 17)
The Gayest Podcast in Michigan - Episode 2a: Troy Wood (June 23)
Juanita More's 2008 PRIDE Party Extravaganza (June 30)
The Gayest Podcast in Michigan - Episode 2b: Troy Wood, Ctd. (July 4)
"DON'T ASK ME TO PAY FOR THEIR MEDICINE!" (July 23)
Gaycation '08 Photo Album (July 28)
Hooking Up (July 31)
Racial Diversity on Manhunt, Adam4Adam: San Francisco Edition (August 6)
Racial Diversity on Manhunt, Adam4Adam: Atlanta Edition (August 8)
Racial Diversity on Manhunt, Adam4Adam: NYC Edition (August 10)
The LAST Trannyshack EVER (August 13)
Me on "Getting it on with Bonnie" (August 21)
Dating Economics (September 13)
Three Fags in a Boat (October 12)
What is Sexual Health? (October 19)
Outrage! NC DJ Arrested for Having Unprotected Sex (October 23)
Resist "Lazy Structuralism": HIV Prevention as Case Study (October 27)
"BlacksOnBoys": The Construction of Black Masculinity (Vs. White Femininity) in Gay Porn (November 30)
Working Out, or, "What happens to twinks when they hit 25?" (December 8)
Positional Identity on Manhunt, Adam4Adam: SF Edition (December 18)
From 2009:
Positional Identity on Manhunt, Adam4Adam: NYC Edition (February 3)So I Went to Taco Bell Last Night...Me and Loretta Devine!!!! (February 10)
Eric Leven's Recent Barebacking Video: "Why are we..." (March 3)
How Do I Trust Again?: Love, Betrayal, and Moving On (March 17)
Why are Hate Crimes Worse Than Other Crimes? (April 1)
What's New in Gay Sex?: "Natural" (April 11)
Recuperating "Heteronormativity": It's Not *Just* About Heterosexuals! (April 20)
Christina Aguilera Fans Crashed My Blog (May 10)
To Everyone Who Is Demanding Lambert Come Out... (May 28)Hookups are not meaningless (And other thoughts on sex) (May 29)
By on May 29, 2009 1:00 PM | No Comments
On my way home from Menjo's in Detroit, circa 2 AM. It was so delicious I could hardly contain myself. But when I went this morning to find my credit card to buy my Frameline tickets for this year's festival (they went on sale today!), I found this instead:
The very friendly cashier had handed me back her swipe card instead of my credit card. Sigh. Epic fail. I ordered a new card and its on its way, but damn! Get it together.
Hookups are not meaningless (And other thoughts on sex)By on May 29, 2009 4:09 AM | 6 Comments
Time and time again I find myself having the same conversation online with gay men -- particularly, it seems, younger and/or newly out men. They don't hook up, they say, because hooking up is one of any number of unappealing things: immature, slutty, disgusting, pathetic, a sign of self-loathing and/or desperation. But the most common accusation of them all has to the often usage of the adjective meaningless in describing sex with strangers or people you're not formally dating. I want to take a moment here to defend hooking up, and to argue in fact that sex with strangers can be just as intimate, emotionally connected, transformative, and moving as sex with someone you love can be. And just like sex with someone you love, it can also be disastrous.
Let's first begin with a story from my own life. Travel back with me a few years to 2006, when I was visiting Ann Arbor for the "Against Health" conference here at the University of Michigan (see my post from way back then). It was a wonderful experience -- my very first academic conference! But the conference isn't what I'm here to talk about today. Instead, I want to relate an experience I had during my stay in Ann Arbor that Fall that continues to live with me today: quite simply, the most mindblowing, intimate, and transformative sexual connection I've ever experienced... (continue reading after the jump)
Continue reading Hookups are not meaningless (And other thoughts on sex). Gaga *Kills* It!By on May 28, 2009 10:10 PM | 2 Comments
Note: This video quality sucks - but it's all that's to be found on Youtube. Sigh. I hate to do this, but Perez Hilton has the full HQ video up. Go there if you must.
If there was any question about Gaga being the new Princess of Pop -- lay the doubt to rest. This video is FIERCE! So ridiculous. And she can pull ridiculous off in a way that no one has been able to do in the last decade.
Research FAIL: Survey of Craigslist Top/Bottom AdsBy on May 28, 2009 5:11 PM | No Comments | 1 TrackBack
The Sword has conducted a quasi-scientific study of Craigslist ads to determine the perecentage of "top/bottom" (problematic language -- see comments later) advertisements in various cities' M4M sections. Obviously of interest is the variation from city to city, with Houston home to the highest perecentage of ads from guys looking to get fucked; and NYC home to the highest % of guys looking to fuck.
Now, this study is all sorts of FAIL. For one, the methodology is wholly unclear. Were they picking ads from guys who identified as bottoms? Or ads from guys who were just looking to get fucked? Or did that all get lumped into the same category? Obviously, versatile ads and ads not seeking anal sex are totally thrown out of the picture. But most importantly for me is that Craigslist advertisements are not the same as, say, Manhunt profiles. Sampling Craigslist ads tells you something about the sexual culture of those cities, but its problematic for a number of reasons: 1) Repeated posters (and you know if you use Craigslist that there are a few dozen people in each city who post multiple times a day, seven days a week); 2) The relationship between people who post and people who do NOT post is wholly unclear. For every ad you seen on Craigslist, there are at least a dozen people looking (and maaaaybe replying) but never posting themselves. So the lurkers will never get sampled in this kind of analysis.
Let's compare this data to the data I collected last year from Adam4Adam and Manhunt in San Francisco and New York City. In a sample of ALL Manhunt and Adam4Adam profiles in both cities, I found that NYC had slightly more tops than bottoms (on both sites, about 35% tops and 28% bottoms) while San Francisco's numbers were comparable but skewed a bit more towards bottoms (33% tops and 28% bottoms -- with many more vers guys). Compare here the charts for just Manhunt for both cities:
Sure, my data from MH and A4A has its own set of problems (see original posts linked above for more on that), but I think it's MUCH less susceptible to the kinds of gross errors / data biases that come with sampling Craigslist. In short, don't get your puds in a wad over this info. Take with a big, fat grain of salt!
"Everyone in Favor of Dissolving the Gunderson Marriage..."By on May 28, 2009 5:06 PM | 2 Comments
Chuckles. Via Pam's House Blend.
To Everyone Who Is Demanding Lambert Come Out...By on May 28, 2009 10:12 AM | 3 Comments
Gay bloggers like Perez Hilton are just loving to complain that Adam Lambert has refrained from discussing his sexual identity openly in the media. Powerless to out him themselves (as clearly its a shared public secret), they whine about how he's not being a good role model for the community or for young queer people. I have just a few words for those whiners:
1) You don't know what position he's in: It's no secret that potentially queer artists are often hassled into signing contracts or being forced to vow to keep their sexuality identity on the mum in order to secure a recording contract. When you are faced with the opportunity to do what you have perhaps always wanted to do -- to sit down in a professional recording studio and record your own music (well, at least your own voice for newly minted "Idol" alums) -- you cannot understand how alluring that opportunity is. You also can't understand what its like to have authoritative figures all around you asking or demanding that you do not officially claim a gay identity publicly. He may well be in a situation where his contract or his opportunity to record an album depends on that silence. He may also simply feel on his own that it is best to keep mum in order to preserve a future career in the recording industry -- and we have every reason to believe that this is not misguided thinking.2) Fuck off, self-righteous bitches: As if! Don't you remember that publicly declaring being queer is, like, not always the easiest thing to do? In this case, it seems like Lambert has a very public history of acting queer, but we really at the end of the day don't know what's up with his personal life. So get over yourselves. It's his prerogative and his life at the end of the day, and it's not like all these whiners have proven themselves to be gay martyrs for the cause their entire lives. We all make difficult decisions at one point or another which may entail compromising our political commitments because we believe that compromise will further our opportunities in life. That might mean trying to butch it up for a job interview, or conveniently leaving out our queer activism in our application to a prestigious scholarship.
3) It's not his responsibility to be a role model: I know that we all want every famous lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise queer person to step up and be a "role model" for young people. But if you think young queers everywhere can't respect or look up to Adam Lambert simply because he has not declared his sexuality, you fundamentally misunderstand the nature of how this shit works. Sure, coming out publicly could be a powerful political message that could impact people who respect and/or idolize him -- but at the end of the day: 1) Not "officially" coming out is not a hindrance to him being a role model, for realz; 2) And even so, it's not Lambert's responsibility to come out. Being queer doesn't come with some responsibility that you must adopt a pristine, pure politics 24/7. There is no such politics to adopt. We can certainly want him to come out of the closet, but being gay is not sufficient a reason to obligate him to do so.
Just a few words. It's been on my mind.
Mark Moford: "The Big Gay Shrug"By on May 28, 2009 12:22 AM | 1 Comment
Let us hereby be reminded, before sadness and frustration overwhelm once more: Proposition 8 and its ilk are merely the last, fitful gasps of a long-dying ideology, markers of a certain kind of sad, conservative desperation. They are the final clawings and scrapings of a reactionary worldview that attempts to outlaw and punish all it cannot, will not understand. Same as it ever was, really.The pattern is as old as fear itself. Remember, only rarely does true progress appear as a single, momentous, Obama-like shift that reverberates across the planet and changes everything in an instant. Most frequently it comes in fits and starts and hiccups, small lurches and hard-fought battles shot through with little spitballs of hate and intolerance and heaps of misunderstanding. You know, just like now.
Evidence? Plenty. Just look at the numbers: Support for gay marriage is now the highest it's been in American history, somewhere between 42 and 48 percent nationwide. Just a few decades ago, support was down in the 20s. It's been rising steadily ever since, never once regressing.
Or, flip that data around. According to FiveThirtyEight, marriage bans like California's are losing support at a rate of about two percent a year. According to that model, more than half of U.S. states will vote against bans like the contemptible Prop 8 as soon as 2012, if not sooner. By 2024, even miserably homophobic joints like Alabama and Mississippi will be flying the rainbow flag.
Let's see that it all goes down that way. Hat tip to tyleraadams in the comments!
"The Trick"By on May 27, 2009 1:00 AM | No Comments
Here is a wonderful poem called "The Trick" by Mark Wunderlich. More of his work - including audio recordings - is available at the Cortland Review. He was also recently featured in the March issue of Poetry magazine. Enjoy!
The Trick
I made love with a man--hugely muscled, lean--the body
I always wished for myself. He kept pulling my arms
up over my head, pinning them there, pressing me down
with his entire weight, grinding into me roughly,
but then asked, begged, in a whisper of such sweetness,
Please kiss me. Earlier that evening, he told me
he'd watched a program about lions, admired
how they took their prey--menacing the herds at the water hole
before choosing the misfit, the broken one.
What surprised him was the wildebeests' calm
after the calf had been downed, how they returned to their grazing
with a dumb switching of tails. Nearby the lions looked up
from their meal, eyed the hopping storks and vultures,
before burying their faces, again, in the bloody ribs.
As a teenager, I wished to be consumed,
to be pressed into oblivion by a big forceful man.
It never happened. Instead I denied myself nourishment--
each un-filled plate staring back satisfied me, deprivation
reduced to a kind of bliss I could lie down in
where I remained unmoved, untouched.
Early on I was taught that the body was a cage,
that illness was a battle fought with chaos,
the viruses themselves unnatural; that sex lived
in some pastel chamber that gave way to infants,
first cousins, the handing down of names.
No one ever mentioned being taken in the dark,
or wanting to be broken open, pushed beyond words,
tongue thickening in another human mouth,
or how a person could be humiliated and like it.
To my surprise, I found myself struggling under this man,
pushing me chest up against his chest, arms straining
against the bed, until some younger, hungrier
version of myself lay back on top of me and took it--
the heaving back, the beard, the teeth at the throat.
What's Your Bear Code?By on May 26, 2009 7:57 PM | 3 Comments
A bit silly. But somewhat humorous. And who knows, perhaps its a bit practical. What's your code? I'm abstaining.
Daddies: Gay Erotic StoriesBy on May 26, 2009 4:50 PM | No Comments
I was browsing the gay and lesbian section of Powell's and came across a new anthology called Daddies: Gay Erotic Stories, edited by Richard Labonte. I was very pleased to see my sexual proclivities find representation within the Harlequin Superromance genre. But unlike $2 Harlequin novels, Daddies cost $30 in the store, preventing me from purchasing it on principle. I did spend a good half hour reading the short story "Coach" by Dale Chase, in which, after a series of superfluous stream-of-consciousness monologues, a vigorous and lusty baseball coach fucks the shortstop on the baseball diamond (or maybe it was in the woods, I can't remember; either way, I had an inconvenient truth of a hard-on in the middle of Powell's.) I highly recommend this book to silver foxes and their adoring fans everywhere.
Prop 8 Protests, Arrests BeginBy on May 26, 2009 3:45 PM | 2 Comments | 1 TrackBack
Via Joe.My.God, protests have begun in Los Angeles apparently including arrests. Twitter member 1Struggle1Fight is live-tweeting the demonstration. Protesters in San Francisco are blocking Van Ness Avenue, a major thoroughfare, and police are about to begin arrests. The Governator is urging calm. Here's footage:
You can find the full court ruling AFTER the jump, but here's the gist:
We conclude that each of the state constitutional challenges to Proposition 8 advanced by petitioners and the Attorney General lacks merit. Having been approved by a majority of the voters at the November 4, 2008 election, the initiative measure lawfully amends the California Constitution to include the new provision as article I, section 7.5.Finally, we consider whether Proposition 8 affects the validity of the marriages of same-sex couples that were performed prior to the adoption of Proposition 8. Applying well-established legal principles pertinent to the question whether a constitutional provision should be interpreted to apply prospectively or retroactively, we conclude that the new section cannot properly be interpreted to apply retroactively. Accordingly, the marriages of same-sex couples performed prior to the effective date of Proposition 8 remain valid and must continue to be recognized in this state.
I can't say that I was surprised by today's ruling - though obviously outraged. It falls in line with the failed government that exists today in California which puts up for popular vote all sorts of irresponsible and unnecessary measures. This is just further evidence that California desperately needs to overhaul their democratic process, the kind of reform without which will force the state to continue spiraling into crisis.
Find the full decision after the jump!
Continue reading Prop 8 Protests, Arrests Begin. Disco HeatBy on May 25, 2009 6:47 PM | No Comments
God bless Sylvester. I just can't get enough! I downloaded his entire discography, and I listen to it almost every day. Simply amazing.
Tomorrow: Day of Decision RalliesBy on May 25, 2009 2:46 PM | No Comments
The California Supreme Court will decide tomorrow whether or not to uphold the constitutionality of the voter referendum ("Prop 8") passed last year that made same-sex marriage illegal. Tomorrow there will be rallies nationwide (and a few in Canada!) to celebrate or protest that decision. For more information and to find your city's event, click on this link here!
Were you involved in early SF or Berkeley GLF?By on May 25, 2009 12:39 PM | No Comments
Hi everyone,
I am forwarding a message I received on Facebook from Jason Serinus some days ago.
Were you involved in early SF or Berkeley GLF?
If so, I want to talk to you for my BAR story. Deadline imminent. Please write me at jserinus@planeteria.net.
Also still trying to hunt down that illusive "I was actually there fighting in
the streets" Stonewall Vet.
Thanks so much,
jason victor serinus in Oakland
By on May 24, 2009 8:41 PM | No Comments | 2 TrackBacks
Every year, I hit up San Francisco's annual LGBT film festival for an outrageous number of delicious queer films. I think my record was something like 14 films last year. This year, sadly, I arrive in SF halfway through the festival, but have managed to still schedule 11 films for my festival. You can see the titles above. After the jump, find the full details of each film. If you're in SF, you really must go see a film. Really. It's a wonderful event that is not to be missed. Here's the link to the festival site.
Find the details on my selections, after the jump...
Continue reading My 2009 Frameline LGBT Film Festival Picks. Juanita More's 2009 Pride Party: GET READY, BITCHES!By on May 24, 2009 7:46 PM | No Comments | 1 TrackBack
June 28th. The best party in the world. San Francisco. Will you be there?
See my coverage (including videos and photos) of last year's extravaganza here. Here's this year's flyer:
Tickets go on sale soon. Keep checking Juanita's PRIDE party website for deets.
Think U Can Dance Judge: Not Homophobia, Sissyphobia!By on May 24, 2009 3:10 PM | 1 Comment
There was quite an uproar over judge Nigel Lythgoe's homophobic comments in regards to an audition from two male dancers. He told the couple, "I think you probably alienate a lot of our audience. I mean, we've always had the guys dance together on the show, but I've -- they've never really done it in each other's arms before." Shortly thereafter, he added, "Do you know what? I'd like to see you both dancing with a girl." He later took to his Twitter account and noted that "The same sex ballroom guys did remind me of 'Blades of Glory.' However, I'm not a fan of 'Brokeback' Ballroom."
You can watch the original comments here:
Well, he's now trying to do some "damage control" rather poorly by insisting that it wasn't the men's sexuality that had him in a tizzy, it was rather their gender -- namely, that they were too effeminate for the dancefloor. He says on his Twitter:
I hear I'm taking a beating on the web due to my comments regarding same sex ballroom I thought I was the most accepting of it on the panel?The same sex ballroom guys did remind me of "Blades of Glory." However, I'm not a fan of 'Brokeback' Ballroom.
I am very sad the word 'homophobe' is being used. That is someone who hates homosexuals. I dislike effeminate dancing! Wake up and listen!
I believe overtly effeminate dancing destroys the opportunity for many male dancers to be supported. Being gay doesn't mean effeminate.
We have had same sex dancing on SYTYCD from Season 1. Last year Joshua and Twitch. Before that Mia's Prince's routine with Danny and Neil.
I am passionate about dancers and dancing. I am not interested in their sexual preferences only their dancing and performances. Offstage ??
And in an interview with AfterElton:
AE: Why don't you like the effeminate [dancers]?NL: Because they need to be very strong. Dancing is role-playing most of the time. And you need to be strong and lift girls. You need to look stronger than the girl you're dancing with. You control the dance, especially in ballroom. So if you mince about the stage, you're not doing what the choreographer is asking you to do. He's asking you to be strong. If your choreographer then wants to do an effeminate routine, then that's fine, but most of the time we don't do effeminate routines so straight or gay doesn't come into it for me.
This all reminds me of the way another reality TV show competition treated gay dancers -- Step It Up and Dancer. I wrote last year about how the judges routinely mocked or chastised the gay dancers for being overly effeminate, and that this was unacceptable behavior for the dancefloor.
I have two words for these assholes: FUCK YOU. It's almost worse than homophobia in my eyes because its homophobia's insidious veiled gender-fied core that is widely tolerated and promoted in every aspect of our culture (see my essay, "The Making of a Southern Faggot" in Beyond Masculinity for more on this). We need to destroy it -- to call it out by its name and expose it as nothing but disgusting and repellant bigotry.
Don't be fooled by his dance routine around the issue: Nigel Lythgoe is a sissyphobic, gender-policing bigot. He is one of many. We need to be vigilant in calling out the assholes who perpetuate this systematic prejudice and work to systematically reorder acceptable gender. That may include redefining and broadening masculinity, or it may include destroying the entire concept altogether. Whatever our project, gender as we currently understand it needs to go.
Quote of the DayBy on May 22, 2009 3:29 PM | No Comments
Tonight for my "Sociology of Sexuality" class, I'm teaching a sizable chunk of David Halperin's important work on Foucault, Saint Foucault. I came across this quote while preparing that I thought was fabulous. Enjoy your Friday!:
"If there is something self-affirming and indeed liberating about coming out of the closet, that is not because coming out enables one to emerge from a state of servitude into a state of untrammeled liberty. On the contrary: to come out is precisely to expose oneself to a different set of dangers and constraints, to make oneself into a convenient screen onto which straight people can project all the fantasies they routinely entertain about gay people, and to suffer one's every gesture, statement, expression, and opinon to be totally an irrevocably marked by the overwhelming social significance of one' so openly acknowledged homosexual identity. If to come out is to release oneself from a state of unfreedom, that is not because coming out constitutes an escape from the reach of power to a place outside of power: rather, coming out puts into play a different set of power relations and alters the dynamics of personal and political struggle. Coming out is an act of freedom, then, not in the sense of liberation but in the sense of resistance."Hey y'all!-- David Halperin (1995). Saint Foucault: Towards a Gay Hagiography. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 30.
By on May 21, 2009 2:05 PM | 1 Comment
Scott here. Trevor has conscripted me into writing for his blog. I graduated in May. Some of my interests include daddies, science fiction movies, and L'il Kim.
xxoo
Scott
By on May 20, 2009 9:59 PM | No Comments
Featuring San Francisco drag legend, Heklina (who used to run the fabulous weekly show, Trannyshack). I'll be there. Will you?:
By on May 20, 2009 9:38 PM | 3 Comments | 1 TrackBack
Conference organizers have just posted audio recordings of from the LumpenCity conference I attended in Toronto earlier this year (see my abstract here; see the conference website here; find my Powerpoint slides here). Here's the audio!
"Hypothetical Scenario of Universal Testing and Immediate ART in South Africa"By on May 20, 2009 8:41 PM | No Comments
Dr. Peter Kilmarch (Chief, Epidemiology Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC) gave a presentation today on one of CHAMP's amazing StrategyLab conference calls. I didn't make the call, but I did check out the Powerpoint slides the Kilmarch sent out to support his talk, "Assessing the Effect of Antiretroviral Therapy on Risk of Sexual Transmission of HIV." Very useful and interesting compilation of data here. I'm not sure if the slides are public, so I won't republish them here, but I did want to highlight this slide on the hypothetical potential for ARV + Universal testing to dramatically impact the epidemic in South Africa:
Granted, this is highly hypothetical scenario (based on this modelling study) -- requiring a number of assumed phenomenon to be implemented without problem. But the entire set of slides highlights the potential for a combination of testing and treatment to be used as a powerful set of prevention techniques. I've said it once, I'll say it again: these are tried and true tools in our prevention knapsack -- and they seem to rely much less on the needs of behavioral change messages that I believe are often stigmatizing and highly problematic. Though certainly testing / treatment program implementations can come with their own set of problems (treatment adherence, questions over when to begin ARV treatment, etc.)
What we need to make this feasible is certainly generic equivalents -- ASAP. And certainly a rethinking of the "old school" approaches to prevention.
When I Think About You, I Cut Myself...By on May 20, 2009 12:26 PM | No Comments
Whilst cooking dinner last night I cut my hand open. Ouch. Not a huge wound, but deep. Still bleeding when I woke up. On my way to doc now to prolly get stitches. Gross. More later!
UPDATE: Yep, it's stitches. Ugh! I hate blood / surgery / etc. See a gross photo of it in all its glory after the jump!
Continue reading When I Think About You, I Cut Myself.... "Get Betty White a F***ing Cup of Coffee!"By on May 19, 2009 8:01 PM | 2 Comments
Pretty funny stuff. God bless Betty White. My friend Justin met her at a movie premier in LA the other week, and said she was pretty effing fabulous. Trust.
My First Day On MI "MSM Strategic Planning Committee"By on May 19, 2009 8:01 AM | No Comments
I'm off to Detroit for an all-day meeting with the MSM Strategic Planning Committee. The organizer invited me to join a few months back, and today is the first meeting for my term. I'll let you know how it goes when I get back!
xoxo
T
ACLU: Minnesota Rejects Real ID ActBy on May 19, 2009 7:56 AM | No Comments
From the ACLU:
WASHINGTON - May 18 - Minnesota Governor Timothy Pawlenty signed legislation on Saturday that prohibits his administration from turning the state driver's license into a national identity card and from imposing new burdens on taxpayers, citizens, immigrants and state government. The state legislature overwhelmingly endorsed the bill with a unanimous House vote and a 64-1 vote in the Senate. Minnesota becomes the 23rd state to reject the Real ID Act of 2005, raising the question of why Congress has not repealed the law."23 states have now sent a clear message to Washington that they will not submit to wrongheaded federal mandates that waste state tax dollars and put privacy at risk," said Christopher Calabrese, Counsel of the ACLU Technology & Liberty Program. "Congress should take notice and repeal the Real ID Act so that effective driver's license security policy can be developed."
As part of creating a national identification card, the Real ID Act of
2005 also mandates that states hold all Americans' private information in a single database that is accessible to federal and state officials - the cost and security of which is unknown. Consequently, the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures have expressed strong opposition to the Real ID Act.Since its enactment - as evident by the rejection of 23 states -- Real ID has faced significant resistance on the state level. During her January confirmation hearing, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano called for a review of Real ID, saying the states were not consulted enough in its creation and that the initiative is a fiscal burden on the states. Before heading up DHS, Napolitano was Governor of Arizona, where she enacted legislation prohibiting her state from complying with the requirements of Real ID.
Because Real IDs require significantly more background information than a driver's license, privacy experts fear that the government will now have access to an unprecedented amount of highly sensitive information about citizens and that there will be an exponential rise in identity theft from the database where the information is stored.
There were concerns among trans activists that a national ID act would level any advances made at the state level to get trans people's genders legally changed on their IDs -- although those appear to have been relieved somewhat.
A Typical Case of Sex Panic in ParisBy on May 18, 2009 6:56 PM | 2 Comments
Two days ago, I was thrilled that I am going back to France soon (see below) : well, it did not last very long ! Sad news today from my country, and even from my hometown. Julien Bobot, a (so-called) socialist politician, who was 10th arrondissement of Paris deputy major has just resigned, because pedopornographic pictures were found on his computer.
As far as I can say, Julien Bobot is a 34 year old straight man, he is married and has kids. I should also specify that I am not a member of his party, that I do not know him (although I met him a couple of times about 10 years ago), and that although he is a member of the leading (so-called) left party in France, I clearly consider myself to be a political opponent to it.
However, I cannot help but be outraged by his story, and by the 10th arrondissement Major accepting his resignation. He is the victim of a system that keeps refusing to make a couple of elementary distinctions when it comes to pedophilia, including the one between pedophiliac fantasy and pedophiliac acts. He is not accused of having had actual sexual encounters with kids, let alone raped them. He is only accused of having downloaded pictures on his computer from the internet; these picture show, I assume, naked kids or kids masturbating or maybe having sex. But it is not enough for our media, justice and government to control what people actually do, they also need to control what one sees and fantacizes about.
By on May 18, 2009 4:49 PM | No Comments
Here's the 411 on 2009's installation of what has become an institution in queer studies in the US, the UCLA Queer Studies Conference:
LOS ANGELES QUEER STUDIES CONFERENCE 2009ABC Cancels Samantha Who?Friday and Saturday, October 9-10, 2009
Royce Hall, UCLA
PLENARY SPEAKERSPaul E. Amar
Noa Ben-Asher
Lee Edelman
Martin Manalansan
Hoang Tan Nguyen
Elizabeth A. Povinelli
Omise'eke N. Tinsley
Deborah R. Vargas
Sara Warner
CALL FOR PAPERSThe Los Angeles Queer Studies Conference welcomes presentations of research and other work in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies, on queer topics, sexuality and gender. Since one of the principal goals of the conference is to encourage the exchange of ideas across academic generations, we invite participation of both graduate students and faculty scholars.
Please send your proposal (not more than 750 words) for a 20-minute presentation and a cv (not more than 1 page) to one of the addresses below. Only one proposal per person. We will not consider proposals, or read cvs, that exceed the specified length.
If you would like to organize a panel of three speakers, please feel free to do so. Panel submissions must include not only the proposals and cvs of each of the participants but also a brief statement presenting the panel as a whole. Those who submit proposals as part of a panel should indicate whether, if the whole panel is not accepted, we should consider their proposals individually for possible acceptance.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: June 22, 2009
Submissions by US Postal Service:
UCLA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Program
3300 Rolfe Hall
Box 951531
Los Angeles, California 90095-1531Email submissions: lgbs@humnet.ucla.edu
For further information, please contact the LGBTS office at 310 206 0516 or lgbs@humnet.ucla.edu
By on May 18, 2009 4:38 PM | No Comments
No surprise. ABC has no idea how to keep a good series afloat. Granted, it wasn't an eather-shattering comedy, but it has some pretty solid moments. And I kind of love Christina Applegate, and definitely love Jean Smart (who played her mother on the series).
Apparently they still have seven unaired episodes, one of which allegedly "feels like a series finale" -- but God knows if / when those will ever see the light of day.
By on May 18, 2009 2:49 PM | No Comments
"Mr. Diaz: You do not represent the voice of Latinos! Absolutely not! Not in our name!" God bless her.
Via Blabbeando.
Why I Loathe San SavageBy on May 18, 2009 2:36 PM | 1 Comment
Him answering a question at a forum (probably at a college campus), "How many partners is too many?" Note how sex here is totally about potential danger, disease, death, and spoilage. There's no critique of anyone viewing an arbitrary number as problematic and fraught with normative assumptions about appropriate sexuality. There's no celebration of an exploration of pleasure, orgasm, and transformative sex. He even sums up his view pretty clearly when he notes his friends who fucked too much in the 70s and regretted those choices in 80s -- um... are you referring to the fact that they may have died of AIDS, Dan?
I'm reminded of Eric Rofes' statement from his "Gay Bodies, Gay Selves," manifesto:
In most of America today -- including most gay centers, health clinics, and AIDS prevention programs -- one can find others who look at gay men's sexual practices, patterns of socializing, and cultural norms as troubling. Here one can find professionals who'll examine gay male subculture, shake their heads, and point out what's wrong. Whether the subculture involves urban street youth, bears, circuit boys, Black MSM's, bare-backers, muscle boys, or leather men, you can find someone who'll point out substance abuse, obesity, narcissism, low self-esteem, food disorders, and internalized homophobia as major themes of gay male life in America. You can create programs, write grants, establish projects, and make speeches decrying the "epidemic of epidemics" facing gay men, expressing surprise and dismay at the sexual practices of gay men, and identifying homophobia, internalized or externalized, as the dominant force influencing gay male life today.But you're wrong. You'll win grant funding. You'll get great press coverage. You'll sell books. You'll win community service awards. But you're wrong.
You would be popular because you would buy fully into the dominant thinking about gay men that reigns throughout American culture today. Whether taking the form of pity or disgust, sincere concern or superficial empathy, blaming or shaming, the overarching understanding of gay men's lives today is one of tragedy and pathos. Why are they so sex obsessed? Why do they do so many drugs? Why do they use steroids, work out obsessively, and dye their hair as they age? Why do they have to cruise all the time? You'd be affirming the overarching belief that gay male culture is immature, irresponsible, and irrational.
It kills me that Dan Savage is our spokersperson / media whore these days. He's no better than the same shit we hear about sex all the time. Make no mistake about it. He's gay. But he's a conservative when it comes to sex.
Via Knucklecrack.
Have You Registered?By on May 18, 2009 4:04 AM | No Comments
I'm really trying to push user registration on my new platform, as you may have noticed. I've been adding all sorts of links to encourage visitors to sign-in and register. You can register using any number of social networking accounts, but you can also create your own account just for TrevorHoppe.com (just click "Register" after "Not a Member?").
Once you've registered, you can edit your own user profile with all sorts of information. See, for example, my user profile. You can upload whatever photo (square photos are best) you like, which will pop up next every comment you enter. Movable Type will automatically import your user photo from other social networking sites, so that works as well!
I hope this will help foster a more intimate community of users and commenters here. Let me know if you run into any issues! Thanks, y'all!
xoxo
T
The Ethics of Publishing Potentially Stigmatizing Data on MinoritiesBy on May 16, 2009 3:54 PM | 2 Comments
This article from last year came across a listserv I'm on today. It discusses a question I think a lot about: What is the responsibility of researchers to buffer potentially harmful effects of data they generate about stigmatized minority populations?
They note that IRBs (Institutional Review Boards -- which reviews all proposed research projects involving human subjects) do not deal with this issue, noting that their guidebook issued by the Office for Human Research Protection simply states:
"Some behavioral research involves human subjects in studies of heredity and human behavior, genetics, race and IQ, psychobiology, or sociobiology. Vigorous ethical debates about these studies arise out of the fear that scientific data may be used to justify social stratification and prejudice, or that certain groups will appear to be genetically inferior. The possible use or misuse of research findings, however, should not be a matter for IRB review, despite the importance of this question"
And that the Code of Federal Regulations says:
"The IRB should not consider possible long-range effectsof applying knowledge gained in the research (for example, the possible effects of the research on public policy) as among those research risks that fall within the purview of its responsibility"
The article does not particularly provide any solutions (no surprise). It's primarily concerned with research that the the lead author conducted that could be read to "imply that undocumented persons are more likely to transmit tuberculosis than are documented foreign-born persons or persons born in the United States. These study results have the potential to further fuel the often fierce debate regarding undocumented immigrants in the United States."
The authors conclude simply that they remain concerned, and that there are benefits alongside the ethical drawbacks. So perhaps this is not the best article for guiding future research, but it highlights some critical ethical concerns for researchers who study minority populations.
I for one do not believe that you can separate the political context of the population you study from your research, and that as a researcher you have an obligation to mitigate potentially harmful effects of your research. This means not only being careful in the way you report your data, but also being careful to understand how your very research question may be influenced by the stigma surrounding the population you're studying. If you go into a community expecting to find problems, you will undoubtedly find them. Being open to finding positive effects of stigmatized phenomenon1 is critical to the production of ethical research.
1 See, for example, Geronimus, A. (1992). "The Weathering Hypothesis and the Health of African American Women and Infants: Evidence and Speculations." Ethnicity and Disease 1992(2): 207-221
Russia Arrests Gay ActivistsBy on May 16, 2009 3:09 PM | No Comments
Activists in Russia have been planning to hold a Moscow Pride rally to coincide with the Eurovision Song Contest. Previously, the government had said that the streets would not be safe for LGBT people during this time, and made no promise to protect them.
Today, the Russian Police arrested dozens of activists -- including Peter Tatchell (who was beaten at the 2007 even while Russian police stood by -- he has been released, according to his Twitter account). There's a live blog from Moscow detailing the ongoings. Apparently, activists are being charged with "disobedience to police."
Here's the story from Gays Without Borders:
Sources from Moscow have reported that police have used violent and oppressive tactics to break up the peaceful Slavic Pride march in the city.The march had been outlawed by Moscow city authorities, but permission had been given for counter-demonstrations by far right ultra-nationalists.
Between 35 and 40 Russian LGBT activists have been arrested, including British human rights activist Peter Tatchell and Chicago LGBT activist Andy Thayer. Pride organiser Nikolai Alekseev was held down by 5 fully armed riot police and arrested.
European Embassy diplomats witnessed the violence are said to be planning a joint diplomatic action.
And one more video:
French Government removes transgenderism from list of mental disorders !By on May 16, 2009 2:21 PM | 1 Comment
Sorry to clutter up the blog with all these news from France, but there is another great news today, and a historical one : French Minister of Health, Roselyne Bachelot, has just decided to remove transexualism from the list of mental disorders.
Why now? In 2005, my dear friend (and ex roommate) Louis-Georges Tin (who was also the editor of a wonderful Dictionary of Homophobia that has been translated into English in 2008) launched an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) that is celebrated every year on May 17th (because it was on May 17th, 1990 that homosexuality was removed from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems by the World Health Organisation - the ICD is an international equivalent of the US DSM -- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). This event is being celebrated in more than 50 countries and has been officially recognized by several governments.
I must confess to having been sometimes skeptical about the advances that might result from an emphasis on "phobias" of any kind, rather than on "pride." Yet, I must also admit that I was wrong and that yesterday's decision of the French Minister of Health is a clear outcome of this International Day. Indeed, every year, Idaho picks up a specific topic and the 2009 one was transphobia. Therefore there is not the slightest shadow of a doubt that French Minister's decision, which was announced two days before May 17th, is related to the event. So, to Louis-Georges and the many activists who run this celebration : CONGRATS!
(For those of you who may be interested in my criticism of some French gay association's reaction to this news, just go to my blog... It is French stuff maybe of little interest for US readers)
Poppers 101By on May 16, 2009 12:49 PM | 1 Comment
After Rostom's entry, I realized that many folks still don't know what "poppers" are -- so I thought I'd post a little 101 info for the uninformed. "Poppers" is a slang term for a variety of inhalant substances in the alkyl nitrate family -- most popular among them is amyl nitrate (but also butyl nitrate, isopropyl nitrate, and isobutyl nitrate). They're sold in small bottles (see image above) and when you want a hit, you remove the cap, put the bottle to your nose, and take a deep breath -- many folks prefer to do a hit in each nostril.
Okay so that's the "how," but what do they do? A lot of people I think are rather scared of poppers because they've been labeled a "drug," but the effect is generally short-lived (perhaps 30 seconds, depending on how much is inhaled) and relatively mild -- though quite wondrous. Alkyl nitrates are vasodilators, meaning that they dilate the blood vessels in smooth muscle (most notoriously your asshole). This results in an immediate increase in heart rate and blood flow, creating a sense of heat and excitement. Quite simply, poppers makes your lovemuscle relax, making receptive anal sex much more pleasurable and "easy" -- so to speak.
The one word of caution here: Never mix poppers with Viagra. That can result in a dangerous drop in blood pressure that has resulted in some deaths. But really, this is the only typical scenario where poppers can equal danger. They are a fabulous sexual accessory, and I find that they can take sex to new levels of pleasure and wonder. In most states in the US, you can pick them up at most chochki stores in urban gay neighborhoods, and a number of sex stores. Or just buy them online.
My recommended brands: Jungle Juice Platinum, Iron Horse, Blue Boy, or Amsterdam. Oh, and keep them in the freezer when you're not using them. This helps keep them fresh for much, much longer.
French Court quashes the ban on poppers!By on May 16, 2009 12:06 PM | 1 Comment | 1 TrackBack
On May 15th, a sort of French Supreme Court (I am sure many lawyers would sue me or kill me for that comparison !) named Conseil d'Etat (State Council) has quashed the legal ban on poppers.
The decree banning poppers dated back to November 22, 2007. It provided that both the making and the selling of poppers were forbidden. As you can imagine, this decree gave rise to a deluge of mourning among gay men! (Of course, we still had the option of ordering them online from other countries : sometimes globalization is really a blessing, isn't it?)
However, before that decree, most (and best !) poppers were already illegal, because they were too strong. Jungle Juice, Blue Boy, and the like were only available online, and you had to order them from other countries.
So the good news is that poppers are legal again in France, although I am not sure which poppers are going to be legal. The decision issued yesterday explicitly says that if there are dangers associated with the inhalation of poppers, they are rare and happen only when the poppers are consumed in unusual ways; therefore, Judges said, the French Prime Minister's banning them was obviously a disproportionate decision, and he failed to prove that nothing but a total interdiction would solve the problem !
Let us send some bottles to the judges: they deserve them, don't they?
My Kylie Minogue Tickets!!!!By on May 15, 2009 10:06 PM | No Comments | 1 TrackBack
OMFG! This is the summer of concerts! I'm so EFFING excited I could just spit!
As you surely know by now, Kylie Minogue is going on tour later this year in the United States and in Toronto, Canada. Billed as her "First North American" tour, she'll be hitting up a number of big metro areas across the US. Sadly, she's not coming to Detroit (no shock there, really) -- so I knew I had to prepare for a pilgrimage! Chicago's concert was schedule for a Wednesday, while Toronto was scheduled for a Friday - so me and my friends opted to head to Toronto for a weekend.
Tickets went on sale today, but snatch if I wasn't fast enough to get them directly from Ticketmaster. So I waited a bit and then explored the options on Ebay, finding four Center Floor tickets around the 20th row! I made an offer to the seller (via Ebay's neato "Make an offer" feature), they accepted, and bingo the tickets were mine! They were a bit pricey, but not particularly more expensive than they would have been if I had gotten them directly from TM (especially given their outrageous fee schedule). All in all, not a bad deal for such fabulous seats.
I'm already getting pumped to see No Doubt in a few weeks here in Detroit (got floor seats to that show too!). And now, Kylie! Wow! Wow! Wow! This October, I will be barely more than 20 rows away from KYLIE! Holy canoli.
I'M SO EXCITED!
User ProfilesBy on May 15, 2009 3:21 PM | No Comments
I've worked very hard to get online a plugin for Movable Type to make User Profiles a reality for TrevorHoppe.com users / readers. When you sign-in to comment, you'll see a link that says "Welcome, Your Name. (Edit Profile)." If you click Edit Profile, you can upload a 50x50 thumbnail picture of yourself that will soon be posted when you post a comment. You can also enter a variety of information for your profile under "Extended Profile" that will show up under your user profile -- which is linked to through your name when you comment.
It's embarrassing how much work it took to get his plug-in online, but I'm thrilled to have it up and running FINALLY. :)
Happy Fridays, people.
Twitter Sign-InBy on May 14, 2009 5:54 PM | No Comments
Thanks to a new plug-in, you can now sign-in via your Twitter account to post comments. Hurrah!
New Pet Shop BoysBy on May 14, 2009 4:33 PM | No Comments
Catchy and cute! Maybe not life-changing, but solid.
Craigslist Caves to Moral Panic, Closes "Erotic Services" BoardBy on May 14, 2009 3:49 PM | No Comments
It's outrageous how far this has gone. A few weeks ago, I commented that referring to the murder of Julissa Brisman as the "Craiglist murder" was nothing short of a moral panic. I said it back then, and I'll say it again: Craigslist is the scapegoat here, not the cause. It's clear that the murder of an escort by a client he/she met on the street would receive exactly zero press coverage (which also says something about the value pop culture attaches to their life and the newsworthiness of that alternative narrative).
But we get so scared at the big, bad boogeyman called the Internet. It's destroying our children! It's singlehandedly adulterating our precious, pure culture! As if! It's a convenient sideshow to let legislators do what they do best: Stir up a sex panic that distracts from the real news. It's pure technological moral panic backed by exactly zero empirical evidence. It's ridiculous that this kind of ignorant mob mentality has forced Craigslist's hand on this matter, moving them to shutter their "Erotic Services" bulletin board.
From the Boston Globe:
Craigslist, after weeks of mounting pressure from law enforcement officers nationwide, said yesterday it eliminated its erotic services section and promised to manually review every ad posted to a new adult services section it has created.The manual screening - the first in the website's history - comes after Boston University medical student Philip Markoff was charged with the April killing of masseuse Julissa Brisman. Police said Markoff met Brisman through the erotic services section on Craigslist. Markoff has pleaded not guilty to charges that include armed robbery and murder.
As of Tuesday night, Craigslist stopped accepting erotic services listings for US cities, and all remaining ads will expire within seven days. The new adult section bans ads suggesting or implying an exchange of sexual favors for money, and nude pornographic images or images suggestive of an offer of sexual favors are also prohibited.
If anything, the move to online organizing for escorts has made the business SAFER - not more dangerous. The murder of one escort linked to Craigslist is not sufficient evidence to warrant its closure.
So how long before the new free bulletin board service for escorts arrives? Oh right. There are already dozens of alternatives. All we have to do is wait to see which one takes over in Craigslist's absence.
Mika's Not-So-Secret GigBy on May 14, 2009 10:51 AM | No Comments
Pretty adorable. Can't wait for the new album! Woot!
Study: 68% Of New MSM HIV Infections from Primary PartnersBy on May 13, 2009 11:33 PM | 1 Comment
A new study modeling results from other data sources indicates that well over half of new HIV infections in five major metro areas (Baltimore, LA, Miami, San Francisco, and NYC) among men who have sex with men can be linked to their primary partners (e.g. boyfriends, lovers, husbands, etc.).
Here's the basic 411:
Methods: We modeled HIV transmissions, using data from MSM in five US cities from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System, the HIVNET Vaccine Preparedness Study, and other published data. Annual HIV transmissions were estimated by partner type (main or casual) and by sex type (receptive anal intercourse, insertive anal intercourse, or oral sex).Results: Sixty-eight percent [95% confidence interval (CI) 58-78) of HIV transmissions were from main sex partners because of a higher number of sex acts with main partners, more frequent receptive roles in anal sex with main partners, and lower condom use during anal sex with main partners. By sex type, 69% (95% CI 59-79) of infections were from receptive anal intercourse, 28% (95% CI 19-38) were from insertive anal intercourse, and 2% (95% CI 0-5) were from oral sex. The model-based estimated HIV incidence rate was 2.2% (95% CI 1.7-2.7) per year. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated estimates of transmission from main sex partners as low as 52% (95% CI 41-62) and as high as 74% (95% CI 68-80).
Conclusion: According to our model, most HIV transmissions among MSM in five US cities are from main sex partners. HIV prevention efforts should take into account the risks of HIV transmissions in male partnerships, and couples-based HIV prevention interventions for MSM should be given high priority in the US HIV prevention research portfolio.
We've known for sometime that a great deal of HIV transmission risk can be located not just within anonymous partners (as the sex panic around HIV would indicate), but also within their primary relationships. I talk to many men who engage in short-term, serial monogamy and opt out of condom use very quickly in the relationship. I didn't find it in my quick read of the article, but it's not immediately obviously how "main partner" got defined as they use it -- e.g. how long a relationship would qualify.
Also of note here is the grave disparity between RAI (receptive anal intercourse) risk and IAI (insertive AI) risk -- 69% of infections were the result of RAI, while 28% were the result of IAI. Obviously, reporting is a concern here (stigma may push some to report IAI instead of RAI) -- but it's worth noting the chasm between the two. Although as someone mentioned in the discussion on CHAMP's listserv, this disparity isn't as a gross as we might expect it given the data we generally rely on that says that the risk disparity is more like a factor of 10 difference.
In any case, we should seriously consider implications for this data in the way we approach prevention in the US. Australia started doing couple prevention eons ago (the famous "Talk. Test. Test. Trust." campaign), and the US is quickly catching on -- there are numerous efforts being developed or already underway. But data like this highlights that the epidemic doesn't neatly fit many people's preconceived notions that link STI's with unabashed promiscuity.
If you have journal access, you can find the article here in the journal AIDS.
NY House Passes Marriage BillBy on May 12, 2009 10:56 PM | No Comments
From the NY Times:
The State Assembly approved legislation on Tuesday night that would make New York the sixth state to allow same-sex marriage -- a pivotal vote that shifts the debate to the State Senate, where gay rights advocates and conservative groups alike are redoubling their efforts.In a sign of how opinion in Albany has shifted on the issue, several members of the Assembly who voted against the measure in 2007 voted in favor of it on Tuesday.
The final vote was 89 to 52, including the backing of five Republicans.
Supporters of the bill aggressively sought new votes, particularly from Assembly members whose districts lie within Senate districts where a senator's vote is believed to be in play. As a matter of strategy, same-sex marriage advocates said that they hoped to use those votes as a way to leverage support from senators who are worried that supporting the measure could cost them politically.
Winning New York would be a huge deal for the national movement, clearly. Onwards!
MS Word: Knowledge Can't be Plural!By on May 12, 2009 8:11 PM | No Comments
Thought this was funny, given all the postmodernist readings I've been doing lately! I was trying to type "knowledges" for a paper I was writing in MS Word, and Word didn't like that one bit!
xoxo
T
What a Difference Some Paint Can Make...By on May 12, 2009 5:52 PM | No Comments
I am LOVING the new turquoise-blue color I painted my bathroom this past weekend (it looks pretty blue in the photo -- but it's got just a touch of turquoise). It used to be the most godawful color of dead flesh / grey-white nastiness. Ugh. I hated being in my bathroom -- so depressing. So I went out and bought me a quart of paint and got down to business. And my efforts paid off. It looks beautiful! Sigh. God bless color!
Gayboy out --
Trevor
"Lost in the Meritocracy"By on May 12, 2009 4:51 PM | No Comments
A friend posted this link on Facebook to Walter Kirn's wonderful story from Jan/Feb's Atlantic. It's really quite engaging. It's a memoir-style recounting of the author's days at Princeton, becoming adept not at reading critically or understanding the most important works of our time, but rather becoming an expert in scraping by while doing minimal work. Kirn's story rings true for many of my own experiences with Academia: The real skill is not to know the book you're talking about, but to know how to guesstimate to say something clever about the book without ever having read it. It's performativity in action.
Here's a memorable quote from the piece (which you can read in full here):
With no stored literary material about which to harbor critical assumptions, I relied on my gift for mimicking authority figures and playing back to them their own ideas disguised as conclusions that I'd reached myself. The deployment of key words was crucial, as the recognition of them had been on the SATs. With one professor the charm was "ambiguity." With another "heuristic" usually did the trick. Even when a poem or a story fundamentally puzzled me, I found that I could save face through terminology, as when I referred to T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land as "semiotically unstable."Support Lifting the Syringe Ban Today!The need to finesse my ignorance through such stunts left me feeling hollow and vaguely hunted. I sought solace in the company of other frauds (we seemed to recognize one another instantly), and together we refined our acts. We toted around books by Jacques Derrida, and spoke of "playfulness" and "textuality." We laughed at the notion of "authorial intention" and concluded, before reading even a hundredth of it, that the Western canon was illegitimate, an expression of powerful group interests that it was our sacred duty to transcend--or, failing that, to systematically subvert. In this rush to adopt the latest attitudes and please the younger and hipper of our instructors--the ones who drank with us in the Nassau Street bars and played the Clash on the tape decks of their Toyotas as their hands crept up pants and skirts--we skipped straight from ignorance to revisionism, deconstructing a body of literary knowledge that we'd never constructed in the first place.
I came to suspect that certain professors were on to us, and I wondered if they, too, were actors. In classroom discussions, and even when grading essays, they seemed to favor us over the hard workers, whose patient, sedimentary study habits were ill adapted, I concluded, to the new world of antic postmodernism that I had mastered almost without effort. To thinkers of this school, great literature was a con, and I--a born con man who hadn't read any great literature and was looking for any excuse not to--was eager to agree with them.
This lucky convergence of intellectual fashion and my illiteracy restored my pride and emboldened me socially. Maybe I belonged at Princeton after all. I took up with a moody crowd of avant-gardists, who hung around one of the campus theaters tripping on acid and staging absurdist plays by Sartre, Albee, and Ionesco. One production, which I assisted with, required the audience to contemplate a stage filled with unoccupied metal folding chairs. My friends and I stood snickering in the wings, making bets on how long it would take for people to leave.
Who knew that serious drama could be like this? Who knew that the essence of high culture would turn out to be teasing the poor fools who still believed in it? Certainly no one back in Minnesota. Well, the joke was on them, and I was in on it. I could never go back there now, not with a straight face. It embarrassed me that I'd ever even lived there, knowing that people here on the East Coast (people like me--the new me) had been laughing at us all along.
By on May 12, 2009 3:38 PM | No Comments
From CHAMP, a call to arms to urge your representatives to lift the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs:
Dear CHAMPsters,Journey to the Center of an Essay MillThis is a critical time for all of us to be speaking out to lift the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange. Last week President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2010 budget request. This budget still includes the language that bans the use of federal funding for syringe exchange programs.
This means your calls and letters are more critical than ever, and we still can lift the ban this year!
In the next couple of weeks, the 2010 Labor, Health and Education Appropriations Bill will be written. This is where the actual federal ban language currently exists. We have shown support for lifting the ban in this bill by getting co-sponsors onto HR 179, the Community AIDS & Hepatitis Act. And we've gotten promises on votes from those who have not signed on but would support removing the ban in the Appropriations process.
Our response now is critical!
Congress needs to hear from us that:
1. We support H.R. 179, the Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act of 2009 and we want them to become co-sponsors.
2. We want the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies to remove the ban in the 2010 Appropriations Bill.Step 1: Call your Representative.
Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your Representative. When calling the switchboard, you may give your zip code if you do not know the names of your members of Congress.
When someone answers the phone, tell them:
* My name is [NAME], and I live in [CITY, STATE]. Thanks for taking my call.
* I'm calling to encourage Representative [REPRESENTATIVE'S NAME] to cosponsor H.R. 179, the Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act of 2009.
* [pick one of the talking points below to make your call personal]
* (Give or leave your phone number if you would like a call back.)
* Thank you.You can also send a letter to your Representative here. (To see list of cosponsors, click here)
If your Representative is a co-sponsor, thank them for their support of HR 179!
Step 2: Call for the Labor, Health and Education Appropriations Bill.
Call Rep. David Obey (WI) 202-225-3365, Chair of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
* My name is [NAME], and I live in [CITY, STATE]. Thanks for taking my call.
* I'm calling to encourage Rep. David Obey to take leadership to remove the federal ban on syringe exchange funding in the 2010 Appropriations Bill.
* [pick one of the talking points below to make your call personal]
* (Give or leave your phone number if you would like a call back.)
* Thank you.Talking Points:
* Each year, approximately 8,000 Americans contract HIV/AIDS and approximately 12,000 Americans contract the hepatitis C virus directly or indirectly from sharing contaminated syringes.
* Making clean, sterile syringes available is a simple, cost-effective method of saving lives and providing care to hard-to-reach populations.
* But since 1988, there has been a Congressional ban on the use of federal funds for Syringe Exchange Programs nationwide. Last year, Congress lifted the ban that forbid Washington DC from using its local tax dollars to support syringe exchange in the city itself - now we need the ban lifted on federal funding for the whole nation.
After you make your calls, please forward this to everyone who is ready to see the 20-year ban lifted!
By on May 12, 2009 2:52 PM | No Comments
My fellow Sociology PhD'er Natalie sent over a link to The Chronicle of Higher Education's wonderful video feature that documents how an essay mill works. If you're unfamiliar, increasingly popular online services have popped up that allow students to custom-order papers for their classes. This feature goes through the back-end of one of those websites, where writers log-in and select which orders they're interested in completing. Writers make up to $16 / page for their services on these sites. It's pretty fascinating stuff.
I can't embed the video -- so you'll have to click here to check it out! It's pretty fascinating.
MI: Book Fair to Support Affirmations in Royal OakBy on May 12, 2009 2:33 PM | No Comments
Thursday the 21st there'll be a book fair in Royal Oak to benefit Ferndale's massive LGBT center, Affirmations. Jon Ginoli, lead singer of the Pansy Division, will be performing at 6:30 PM. Here's the deets:
Thursday, May 21, 5-10 pm at 500 S. Main Street, Royal OakSimply mention Affirmations or hand the cashier your printed voucher prior to making your purchase and Affirmations will receive up to 25% of net proceeds from your sale! Performance by Jon Ginoli, lead singer of the gay punk rock band, Pansy Division at 6:30 pm.
For more information about the Barnes & Noble Book Fair, please contact Carrie Copeland at 248-398-7105.
So get out and buy some books, ladies!
Quotes from People's Profiles: "Need a Lawyer"By on May 12, 2009 1:05 AM | No Comments
My favorite craigslist ad of the day:
So I recently got charged with an OUI and will need to head to court soon. I can't afford a lawyer by any means, but if there are any generous lawyers or really experienced law students out there who might want to help me out please shoot me an email. I'm not gonna have sex with you, but I wouldn't be opposed to fooling around if you're good-looking as well. Send me a picture and stats and I'll send one right back at you. 420 friendly is a plus since it is what my case involves. About me: 5'11, 145lbs, toned and attractive. Help out your fellow gays in trouble lol.
Simply amazing.
It's My Birthday!By on May 11, 2009 2:19 PM | 1 Comment
And what better present than to have my blog back up and running. Thank goodness!
Tonight I get to teach Gayle Rubin's "Thinking Sex" article alongside a chapter from Michael Warner's "The Trouble With Normal" for my Sociology of Sexuality class. Fun times!
Hope your day is as swell as mine!
xoxo
T
Christina Aguilera Fans Crashed My BlogBy on May 10, 2009 5:04 PM | 1 Comment | 1 TrackBack
No, really. It's totally true. It's a long story, but let's begin with the beginning. A few weeks ago, I posted an entry about Lady Gaga's rise to fame, and in the entry I cited Christina Aguilera's use of Gaga's style at an awards show as evidence of Gaga's influence. That entry BLEW UP, getting thousands of hits a day over the past month. It was nuts!
I thought it was all blogging history when I left last Sunday for Puerto Rico to meet my family for a cruise around the Caribbean. Fun in the sun! Alas, I was wrong. I checked my e-mail Tuesday to find that several readers had e-mailed me saying my blog was down, and that they were recieving some kind of error message when they tried to accesss www.trevorhoppe.com. I immediately sent a note to my host, but I had limited e-mail access and I was out of the country, so the timing was terrible. I couldn't do anything while I was down South, so I enjoyed the cruise and decided to deal with things when I got back home.
I flew back Sunday to find an e-mail from my host saying that they had taken the site off-line because it was grossly draining my shared server's resources. I figured it was because of a spike in traffic, and quickly searched for a new host that could handle more bandwith. I signed up for Media Temple's GRID service, which is basically a fancier version (WARNING: Geek talk ahead) of a shared server that can handle spikes in traffic because it's built on a network of powerful servers, rather than on a single system. Sexy! I signed up, and began the transfer.
I ran into a wall when I was trying to restore my blog's Movable Type MySQL database (which houses everything -- comments, entries, templates, etc) from my old server. This led me to - out of curiousity - filter throug the SQL file, where I began reading my Error Log that Movable Type records. I recognized something strange immediately: Before the crash, hundreds of search queries came through in minutes for "Christina Aguilera". I realized that I had been the victim of a DOS (denial of service) attack in the form of search queries.
So it appears some zealous Christina Aguilera fan crashed my site. But they were quite smart about it -- the 100s of requests all came from different IP addresses. It's possible that this is a coincidence, but that's highly unlikely.
In any case, I've moved to a new host that should be better equipped to deal with this kind of influx of traffic. But websites are always vulnerable to this kind of attack. Hopefully, Christina fans will be relieved to hear that I am a HUGE fan of her's and never meant to disparage her name. It's just outrageously funny. I'm quite flattered that they felt my site was worthy of their efforts.
In the end, it's appropriately the gayest attack possible. God bless web geeks. But let's get back to what matters! My sincerest apologies for being offline for such a ridiculous length of time. Had it all happeneded when I was in town, things would have been different. Alas, it was an unfortunate timing of events.
xoxo
Trevor