A cross-section of articles we've read this week about HIV/AIDS, STIs and a wide cross-section of structural and systemic factors impacting HIV/AIDS in Black communities.
MSM
FDA Issues Draft Policy for Gay Blood Donors
As it announced it would in December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a "draft guidance" on Tuesday reiterating an earlier proposal recommending that gay and bisexual men abstain from any same-sex sexual relations for one year before being allowed to donate blood.
Prevention
Injectable PrEP: The Next Order of the Day
"The goal [for HIV prevention] is more choices," said Raphael Landovitz, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Medicine at the UCLA Center for Clinical AIDS Research and Education. "Injectable PrEP is the next order of the day."
Science
Hunt for AIDS Cure Accelerates as GSK and U.S. Experts Link Up
LONDON, May 11 (Reuters) - Britain's GlaxoSmithKline , which decided last week to retain rather than float off its HIV drugs business, is to collaborate with U.S. scientists in developing a cure for AIDS.
Miscellaneous
The Bold Gender Politics of The Prancing Elites
The Prancing Elites hail from Mobile, Alabama, and they're a forceful reminder that in the era of "just do you," it can be a radical - even dangerous - proposition to do just that. Wherever they go, the Elites, as they often call themselves, arouse visceral reactions from local residents, of both disgust and admiration. In that same scene, the cashier tells them, "I got your back. Don't worry." From the outset, the captain of the Elites, Kentrell Collins, says what they're doing is similar to what Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks did during the civil-rights movement. It's a lofty comparison but not off-base. Instead of leaving for New York or San Francisco, they choose to stay in Alabama, a state that abandoned its sodomy law in 2014, more than a decade after the rest of the country. The Prancing Elites threaten these mostly white, presumably Christian crowds - not necessarily because of their sexuality but, more specifically, because of their gender politics.
Brittney Griner marries fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson
Just two weeks after WNBA star Brittney Griner and fianc�e Glory Johnson were arrested on assault and disorderly conduct allegations, the couple tied the knot in a ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona. Griner and Johnson have been engaged since last August.
Former College Wrestler on Trial for Exposing Partners to HIV
Michael L. Johnson, 23, is facing six felony charges for exposing multiple partners to the AIDS virus without their knowledge.
Indiana Officials Hopeful HIV Outbreak May Be Nearly Over
A top Indiana health official says the dwindling number of new HIV cases in a rural southern county could mean the state's largest-ever HIV outbreak is ending.
Obama Administration Snubs Rick Scott Proposal
MIAMI (AP) - The Obama administration rebuffed Florida's Gov. Rick Scott's proposal to extend federal funds for hospitals that treat the uninsured, increasing the pressure on states that have refused to expand coverage for low-income people under the president's health care law.
On Uplifting Voices, Social Justice and Listening to HIV Criminalization Accusers
The trial of Michael Johnson, who faces charges for HIV nondisclosure in his home state of Missouri, has begun, and tensions are high in the HIV community. Some people feel Johnson's case has gotten a disproportionately high amount of attention -- from a well-reported piece in BuzzFeed, to a commentary on that piece in Gawker -- while the payoff from that exposure seems to be very little. The "Justice for Michael" GoFundMe page raised only $1,270 from 20 donors after nine months of activity and has been taken down.
Taking Back My Future
An HIV-positive mother on delivering her second HIV-negative child.
UPDATE: Assurant Health Insurance Reverses Decision to Stop Covering Truvada as PrEP
Assurant Health, a national company specializing in health insurance coverage for individuals and small businesses, has reversed its decision to no longer cover the med Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent contracting HIV.
Why LGBT Adolescents Are Still More Likely To Face Bullying, Including Social Exclusion And Physical Harm
(Reuters Health) - Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adolescents are more likely to be bullied and victimized throughout elementary and high school than heterosexual students, according to new research.
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