FDA Reduces Lifetime Ban On MSM Blood Donations To 1 Year

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency responsible for protecting the United States blood supply has finally issued regulations on changing the discriminatory (and patently offensive) policy on preventing any man who has said sex with another man (MSM) from donating blood. The decades-old policy of a lifetime ban was replaced with a "1-year deferral" for men who have had (any kind of) sex with another man.

From the FDA press release issued today:

As part of today’s finalized blood donor deferral guidance, the FDA is changing its recommendation that  men who have sex with men (MSM) be indefinitely deferred – a policy that has been in place for approximately 30 years – to 12 months since the last sexual contact with another man. These updated recommendations better align the deferral period for MSM with the deferral period for other men and women at increased risk for HIV infection – such as those who had a recent blood transfusion or those who have been accidentally exposed to the blood of another individual. The FDA examined a variety of recent studies, epidemiologic data, and shared experiences from other countries that have made recent MSM deferral policy changes. 

“In reviewing our policies to help reduce the risk of HIV transmission through blood products, we rigorously examined several alternative options, including individual risk assessment,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., deputy director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “Ultimately, the 12-month deferral window is supported by the best available scientific evidence, at this point in time, relevant to the U.S. population. We will continue to actively conduct research in this area and further revise our policies as new data emerge.” 

Several countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, currently have 12-month deferrals for MSM. During the change in Australia from an indefinite blood donor deferral policy for MSM to a 12-month deferral, well-conducted studies evaluating over 8 million units of donated blood were performed using a national blood surveillance system. These published studies document no change in risk to the blood supply with use of the 12-month deferral. Similar data are not available for shorter deferral intervals.

The website fivethirtyeight.com and Williams Institute conducted an analysis on the numerous proposed changes to the lifetime blood ban on MSM donations and these are summarized:

There should be an estimated 2 million more people eligible to donate blood, with 190, 000 of them likely to do so.

However, as the New Civil Rights Movement blog points out, the revised policy still continues the stigma of homosexuality, since a married gay couple who only have sex with each other (even with condoms!) is technically barred from giving blood for a year while a straight guy could be having sex every day for a year with sex workers or other high-risk individuals and the straight person is not bared from donating blood under this policy. This communicates the message that homosexuality is inherently more "dangerous" than heterosexuality.

I applaud the progress from the ridiculously stigmatizing lifetime ban on men who have sex with men but would urge the FDA to consider a policy that is neutral based on the gender of the person the potential blood donor has sex with.

Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Today, February 7th,  is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

CA AIDS Service Organizations Applaud Easier Access To Truvada For HIV Prevention With HIV-Negative Gay Men

For Immediate Release
Friday, April 18, 2014

Phil Curtis
213.201.1623
pcurtis@apla.org

Gil Diaz
323-993-7604
gdiaz@lagaycenter.org

Anne Donnelly
415.558.8669x208
adonnelly@projectinform.org

California Improves Access to HIV Prevention Pill
Important new tool in fighting AIDS, Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
may be up to 99% effective in preventing new infections

Three leading California AIDS organizations -- AIDS Project Los Angeles, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and Project Inform in San Francisco -- today applauded California’s Medi-Cal program for easing access to a well-established AIDS medication that has been proven to prevent HIV infection in at risk individuals.

The action lifts a requirement that doctors complete an authorization request when prescribing PrEP for HIV negative individuals.  PrEP is the brand drug Truvada, an AIDS drug manufactured by Gilead Sciences in Foster City, CA.  The action is effective immediately and will be published in Medi-Cal’s June Provider Bulletin.

Many in the HIV/AIDS community consider PrEP a groundbreaking HIV prevention tool.  The authorization request is considered an obstacle for both doctors and patients. With Medi-Cal’s action, doctors will now be able to prescribe the drug for men and women who test HIV negative and indicate that they are “at risk” of infection through HIV exposure.

“The Medi-Cal ruling is a game changer in HIV prevention,” said AIDS Project Los Angeles Executive Director Craig E. Thompson. “Appropriate access to PrEP through Medi-Cal provides us with another intervention – along with safer sex and condom use – to reduce the number of new HIV infections.”

“Medi-Cal’s action also brings an element of health equity to the program’s low-income beneficiaries,” Thompson said. “Private insurance plans have been covering PrEP for some time, often without prior authorization.”

"Project Inform and other organizations working directly with people at risk of acquiring HIV have conjectured that the slow uptake of PrEP may be more attributable to clinicians' reluctance to provide sexual health services of this type than to patients' lack of knowledge of PrEP or willingness to take it,” said Project Inform’s Executive Director Dana Van Gorder. “Lifting the TAR removes a potential obstacle that may have contributed to providers’ reluctance to prescribe PrEP."

Research modeling shows Truvada may be up to 99 percent effective in preventing new infections, depending on adherence and whether the drug is used in conjunction with safer sex counseling, provision of condoms and other prevention services.

“By making it easier for people at-risk of HIV infection to get access to medicine that has been proven to prevent HIV infection, California has set an important precedent for the rest of the nation,” said L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Chief of Staff Darrel Cummings. “This collaboration between Medi-Cal and community advocates will move California closer to the comprehensive response that is needed to help end the HIV epidemic.”

The policy change resulted from discussions with Medi-Cal’s Pharmacy Policy Branch Chief, Mike Wofford, his staff and representatives from APLA, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and Project Inform. The discussions focused on provider knowledge of PrEP, possible side effects associated with long-term use of Truvada, and community acceptance of the intervention.

Previously, Medi-Cal patients asking for Truvada could have been asked to meet several conditions outlined in the TAR for “high risk” individuals. Some of these conditions could have required the provision of condoms and monthly HIV testing – not necessarily real world conditions.

“There is a reason the AIDS community is talking about ending the epidemic,” Thompson said.  “We have three successful medical interventions to reduce new infections, including PrEP. What we need now is broad community and provider education on these interventions to increase acceptance and utilization.”

The three interventions include: PrEP for at risk HIV negative individuals, post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP for people who know or suspect they have been exposed to HIV, and HIV anti-retroviral treatment as prevention (TasP) for those living with HIV (HIV/AIDS drugs can bring viral load -- the amount of virus in the body -- down to undetectable levels in people who are HIV positive, reducing the likelihood that they will be able to transmit the virus to sexual partners).

# # #

FILM REVIEW: Dallas Buyers Club

Thanks to being a member of Outfest, the organization that puts on the Los Angeles Lesbian and Gay Film Festival every summer, I was invited to attend a special preview screening of Dallas Buyers Club, a movie about what life was like at the heart of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, before there were any effective treatments at all. The film stars Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof, Jared Leto as Rayon and Jennifer Garner as Dr. Eva Saks. 

The story follows Woodroff, a Texas good ol' boy who is partying hard in 1985 until he finds out that he has tested positive for HIV and is given 30 days to live. Woodroof does not take the news well and tries to continue his dissolute lifestyle but soon discovers that the stigma again AIDS in 1985 was universal, especially among the straight, white rodeo-attending construction workers that made up Woodroof's primary social circle at the time.

McConaughey's Woodroof is difficult to watch; he looks at least fifty pounds underweight, with a skeletal frame and sunken eyes that brings to mind the uncomfortable memories of the 1980s. However, the physical transformation is just the most notable but not the most significant aspect of his performance in Dallas Buyers Club. That would be the level of humanity and emotional resonance he brings to a little-known story that has a built-in level of pathos and tragedy hard to match. In addition to McConaughey's Woodroof, Leto's Rayon is another revelatory performance. Leto has undergone a similarly dramatic physical transformation, looking as gaunt and unhealthy as McConaughey, but he raises the stakes by also being transgender. Woodroof's reflexive homophobia and Rayon's sassiness combine to produce some of the best scenes in the film, and their (non-sexual) chemistry together is palpable.

Ultimately the story is about one man's fight against The Man. When Woodroof finds out that there is only one drug being actively considered by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to fight AIDS called AZT and the hospital where Garner's Dr. Saks works is running clinical trials he tries to finagle his own personal supply. Woodroof is not one who lives his life obeying rules and he's certainly not going to face death obeying them. He finds out (by doing research in a public library with microfiche, before the Internet or Google!) that there are other drugs that are used in other countries to fight AIDS but the FDA is the primary obstacle to him (and other desperate Americans dying from AIDS) getting access to them. So, he goes off to Mexico and finds out that the drugs are cheaper and they alleviate his symptoms and save his life (or at he very least postpone his death). Always someone quick to recognize a get-rich scheme Woodroof realizes that he could bring back these Mexican drugs and sell them to desperate people with AIDS. The film depicts his struggle to interact with the gay men and intravenous drug users in Dallas in order to sell them medication which he honestly thinks will save their lives. This is where he connect with Rayon and the two go into business together, only to earn virulent opposition by the FDA and the local medical establishment. Woodroof is equally emphatic in his opposition to AZT, which he calls poison and actively encourages Rayon and others not to take it. Eventually they figure out a loophole to the FDA's drug importation regulations; they form a buyer's club where members pay a steep membership fee and membership earns you access to free drugs. When the FDA seizes his drugs at the Mexican border, Woodroof flies all over the world (Japan, Europe, Asia) to get access to the drugs that foreign governments are using to fight AIDS. Eventually the FDA relents to allow dying Americans to get access to drugs that are not formally approved through a compassionate use program. Woodroof still sues the FDA in federal court for preventing him access to unapproved drugs (like peptide T) that has been instrumental in prolonging his life. Dr. Saks eventually joins forces with Woodroof when she realizes that even though his methods are unorthodox, in his own way he is doing the same thing that she is doing: fighting AIDS and giving dying people the hope they need to survive.

The movie is based on a true story so one basically knows going in that it doesn't have a happy ending, but even so the story itself is very compelling, if sometimes difficult to watch, especially as a gay man. However, since there are so few depictions of stories with LGBT characters Dallas Buyers Club is still an important addition to the genre, and an effective illustration of the power of the human spirit in the face of tragedy.

Title: Dallas Buyers Club.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée.
Running Time: 1 hour, 57 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for pervasive language, some strong sexual content, nudity and drug use.
Release Date: November 1, 2013.
Viewing Date: October 20, 2013.

Writing: B.
Acting: A.
Visuals: A.
Impact: B.

Overall Grade: A-/B+ (3.50/4.0).

STUDY: Gay Men Having Fewer Sex Partners

There is a new report out indicating that men who have sex with men, i.e. MSM (which is a larger set of people than self-identified gay men), are reducing the number of partners. In "Temporal Trends in Sexual Behavior among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States, 2002 to 2006-10," researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyze results of two telephone surveys of Americans (ages 15-44) reporting their sexual behavior from 2002-2006 and 2006-2010.

A nice summary of the results presented in the article is:

Between the two polls, the mean number of reported male sexual partners dropped significantly from 2.9 to 2.3, and fell from 2.9 to 2.1 for men younger than 24. The drop reached statistical significance, meaning the finding was not the result of chance, among men whose incomes were below 150 percent of federal poverty level, who reported a respective 3.0 and 2.1 partners, as well as among men in suburban metropolitan areas (3.2 to 2.1). Those living in urban areas reported 2.6 male partners in both surveys.

Condom use remained unchanged, with 57 percent of the men in the first survey reporting they had not used a condom for the last time they had sex, and 58 percent in the second.  

The proportion reporting an HIV test in the past year also remained unchanged, at a respective 41 percent between both surveys.  Thirty-eight percent of the men reported receiving a sexually transmitted infection screening in the past year in the 2002 survey, compared with 39 percent in the 2006 to 2010 survey. However, the rate of those who reported never having had an HIV test dropped from 25 to 15 percent.

The average number of approximately 2-3 sex partners per year seems sort of low to me, doesn't it? Apparently there were 197 MSM surveyed in the first survey and 272 in the second. That would mean the margin of error on the percentages are  quite large.

hat/tip to Queerty

WARNING! Deadly Meningitis Virus Now In Los Angeles County

Bad news from Los Angeles today. The deadly strain of meningitis which has led to the sudden deaths of multiple gay men in the New York City area and resulted in calls for all sexually active gay men in NewYork State to get vaccinated has now appeared in West Hollywood, the main gayborhood of Los Angeles.

Karen Ocamb reports about the death of Brett Shaad, a 33-year-old gay man, at her LGBTPOV blog:

Brett Shaad died of bacterial meningitis Friday afternoon, April 12. The 33 year old West Hollywood resident was a lawyer, a real estate broker and very popular among his friends, many of whom surrounded his bed at Cedar Sinai Hospital in shock and disbelief. 

“Last weekend I was with him at a local restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard,” said West Hollywood Councilmember John Duran at a news conference about the meningitis scare. “He was tall and muscular, robust, looking as fit as a fiddle and we notified on Wednesday he was at Cedars and then yesterday, he was in a coma. And now he’s going to be removed from life support.” 

[...] 

Duran said that there is no evidence yet to connect this particular strain of meningitis to the strain in New York City that has resulted in 22 cases since 2010, with seven deaths.  However, the prevalence of the disease is the same – it is hitting sexually active gay and bisexual men and men who have sex with men. 

“Here, in the City of West Hollywood, we obviously have a very large number of gay men in our city and our community. We’re very concerned that two weeks ago, the White Party gathered about 10,000 gay men in the city of Palm Springs – including [gay men] from New York.” 

[...] 

But, Duran suggested, West Hollywood itself is a large gathering of LGBT people who, by nature or design, enjoy hugging, kissing, dancing in a way that produces sweat, and having close contact often without thinking. 

“We’re seriously concerned because every weekend in the City of West Hollywood, we host in the neighborhood of 200,000 LGBT people who come here for our nightclubs and night life – so we want to place the community on high alert that we may have an issue,” Duran said.  “We’re going to be monitoring this very closely. I asked the personnel here – including [LA County Health Dept. Area Director] Dr. Liggins upstairs: when does an outbreak become an outbreak?  I was given the explanation that with the Ebola Virus, one case is an outbreak. With this particular case, we have one reported case here now. We’re hearing from a physician in town there may be one reported case in Palm Springs – so we’re very closely monitoring what’s happening. If we start to hear that there is another case or another case, we’ll be right back on the phone with Dr. Liggins to say, ‘OK, now if we have 2 or 3 cases in the West Hollywood community, do we have an outbreak yet?” 

Duran also raised concern about the availability of sufficient vaccine to prevent the spread, if requested by people at risk. “We’re going to be working with our partners at the Gay and Lesbian Center, as well as the pharmacies in town, to make sure we have – if necessary – enough vaccines to get it out there to prevent the spread of meningitis. We learned a very tough lesson 30 years ago that we are not going to go through again here in West Hollywood.”

This is scary news, y'all! Bacterial meningitis can kill you in a few days from the onset of symptoms, if not treated right away. However, there is a vaccine which should inoculate you from contracting the disease.

According to Karen, the medical director of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center has sent a letter to the L.A. County department of health requesting that they provide vaccines to all gay men who request them (they cost $100-$200, and HIV-positive men need a double dose). I'm not sure what the status of the request is, but I will try to cover more details of this story as more is known. You should also check Karen Ocamb's coverage at Frontiers L.A..

hat/tip to Karen Ocamb

Pentagon Grants DP Benefits to Same-Sex Couples

Outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced on Tuesday that the Department of Defense will extend as many benefits as it can without violating the Defense of Marriage Act to same-sex couples who register as domestic partners with the Pentagon.

Statement from Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta on the Extension of Benefits to Same-Sex Partners

            “Seventeen months ago, the United States military ended the policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  We have implemented the repeal of that policy and made clear that discrimination based on sexual orientation has no place in the Department of Defense.
            “At the time of repeal, I committed to reviewing benefits that had not previously been available to same-sex partners based on existing law and policy.  It is a matter of fundamental equity that we provide similar benefits to all of those men and women in uniform who serve their country.  The department already provides a group of benefits that are member-designated.  Today, I am pleased to announce that after a thorough and deliberate review, the department will extend additional benefits to same-sex partners of service members.  
            “Taking care of our service members and honoring the sacrifices of all military families are two core values of this nation.  Extending these benefits is an appropriate next step under current law to ensure that all service members receive equal support for what they do to protect this nation.
            “One of the legal limitations to providing all benefits at this time is the Defense of Marriage Act, which is still the law of the land.  There are certain benefits that can only be provided to spouses as defined by that law, which is now being reviewed by the United States Supreme Court.  While it will not change during my tenure as secretary of defense, I foresee a time when the law will allow the department to grant full benefits to service members and their dependents, irrespective of sexual orientation.  Until then, the department will continue to comply with current law while doing all we can to take care of all soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and their families.
            “While the implementation of additional benefits will require substantial policy revisions and training, it is my expectation that these benefits will be made available as expeditiously as possible.  One of the great successes at the Department of Defense has been the implementation of DADT repeal.  It has been highly professional and has strengthened our military community.  I am confident in the military services’ ability to effectively implement these changes over the coming months.”

The organization OutServe SLDN has a very cool list of frequently asked questions which documents the exact list of benefits that are being extended as well as the likely date that they will  go into effect (by October 1, 2013).

An interesting question is what impact this move will have on the ongoing litigation over the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act in United States v Windsor. It can't be lost on the Supreme Court that there are actual servicemembers who are being negatively impacted by the existence of DOMA, since the Secretary of Defense is clearly saying that DOMA is limiting what benefits the Pentagon would like to extend to the men and women who are fighting and dying to protect our country while that very same country is treating their loved ones like second-class citizens.

England Declares Free HIV Treatment For All

Good news! Legislation went into effect on October 1st which makes treatment for HIV/AIDS free to all residents (citizens and immigrants) in England.The announcement of the change in policy actually dates back to more than 6 months ago, according to the BBC.

aidsmeds.com summarizes the change:

HIV treatment is now officially free for all who need it in England, including undocumented migrants and non-United Kingdom citizens, as per legislation that went into effect today, October 1, and has been reviewed in detail by aidsmap. Other countries of the U.K may still technically charge for HIV treatment, depending on immigration status. However, this this hasn’t been actively pursued in Scotland or Wales in recent years; in Northern Ireland, charges for HIV treatment have sometimes been rigorously enforced.

I wonder how long it will take for a similar policy to exist in the United States?

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

WATCH: Obama Reacts To Healthcare Ruling

U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Health Care Law!

The United States Supreme Court has apparently upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare or health care reform law! Chief Justice John Roberts voted with Justices Sotomayor, Ginsburg, Breyer and Kagan to uphold the individual mandate under the taxing power of Congress. Justices Kennedy, Thomas and Alito joined Justice Scalia's relatively polite dissent.

Hepatitis C Deaths Now Outpace HIV/AIDS Deaths

Well, this is somewhat surprising news. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced recently that in 2007 there were more Americans who died as a result of complications due to Hepatitis C than who died as a result of complications of AIDS/HIV.

In a study in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine (abstract here), U.S. Centers for Disease Control researchers analyzed causes of death on more than 21.8 million U.S. death certificates filed between 1999 and 2007. Rates of death related to hepatitis C, a viral infection that causes chronic liver disease, rose at an average rate of .18 deaths per 100,000 persons per year. More than 15,000 people died from hepatitis C in 2007. HIV-related death rates declined .21 deaths per 100,000 people per year — 12,734 people died from HIV in 2007. Rates of death related to a third infection, hepatitis B, remained more or less constant over the study period, falling .02 deaths per 100,000 people per year to just more than 1,800 deaths in 2007.

Reuters provides some more details about this development.

Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by a virus of the same name that is usually passed through contact with infected blood. An estimated 75 to 85 percent of infections become chronic, which can eventually cause serious diseases like cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancer. 

[...]

Of the estimated 3.2 million Americans with chronic hepatitis infection, about half of them don't know it, according to the CDC.

That's because the initial infection causes no symptoms in most cases. Instead, the virus silently damages the liver over the years, and people may only discover they are infected when they develop irreversible liver cirrhosis.

Happily, though, with Hepatitis C, there is a cure available. Get tested, especially if you were born between 1945 and 1964.

MI: Governor Signs Bill Ending DP Benefits For Public Employees

Governor Rick Snyder (R) was elected in 2010 and used his  Republican majority
in both houses to strip domestic partner benefits from all unmarried public employees

Wow. This is incredibly horrendous news (especially if you live in, or know anyone who lives in, Michigan). The Republican Governor and State Legislature of Michigan have enacted a law which bans the state (and any local subdivision) from offering domestic partnership benefits to public employees.

AnnArbor.com reports:

Public employees, including state and local government workers and public school teachers, will no longer be allowed to extend their health care benefits to domestic partners.

It is unclear whether the bill applies to state universities, although Snyder asserts that it does not. House Republicans, meanwhile, say it does apply to university employees.

The move is a blow to gay and lesbian activists throughout the state.

"We’re so very disappointed in the governor," Kary L. Moss, executive director of American Civil Liberties Union's Michigan chapter, said in an interview. "This was the moment for him to show real leadership, to rise above what I believe is petty politics, to tell the rest of the country that Michigan is not living in the dark ages and to create an open, inclusive Michigan."

Governor Snyder vetoed a companion bill (HB 4771) which would have applied the domestic partnership ban (HB 4770) to state universities while he signed this bill into law.

Obama Declares "Beginning Of the End To AIDS"

President Barack Obama spoke at an event today marking the World AIDS Day with President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton in attendance where he declared the "Beginning of the End to AIDS."

Below is a snippet of the speech (thanks to Joe.My.God)



Here is the full text of his speech:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release                           December 1, 2011

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

ON WORLD AIDS DAY

George Washington University

Washington, D.C.

10:27 A.M. EST

     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you, Sanjay.  It is an honor to be with you today and to follow President Kikwete and President Bush.  To Bono and Alicia, to the ONE campaign, thank you for bringing us together.  Because of your work, all across Africa there are children who are no longer starving, mothers who are no longer dying of treatable diseases, fathers who are again providing for their families.  And because of all of you, so many people are now blessed with hope.

We’ve got members of Congress who have done so much for this cause who are here today, and we want to thank them.  Let me also thank President Bush for joining us from Tanzania and for his bold leadership on this issue.  I believe that history will record the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief as one of his greatest legacies.  And that program -- more ambitious than even the leading advocates thought was possible at the time -- has saved thousands and thousands and thousands of lives, and spurred international action, and laid the foundation for a comprehensive global plan that will impact the lives of millions.  And we are proud that we have the opportunity to carry that work forward.

Today is a remarkable day.  Today, we come together as a global community, across continents, across faiths and cultures, to renew our commitment to ending the AIDS pandemic once and for all.

Now, if you go back and you look at the themes of past World AIDS Days, if you read them one after another, you’ll see the story of how the human race has confronted one of the most devastating pandemics in our history.  You’ll see that in those early years -- when we started losing good men and women to a disease that no one truly understood -- it was about ringing the alarm, calling for global action, proving that this deadly disease was not isolated to one area or one group of people.

And that’s part of what makes today so remarkable, because back in those early years, few could have imagined this day -- that we would be looking ahead to “The Beginning of the End,” marking a World AIDS Day that has gone from that early beginning when people were still uncertain to now a theme, “Getting to Zero.”  Few could have imagined that we’d be talking about the real possibility of an AIDS-free generation.  But that’s what we’re talking about.  That’s why we’re here.  And we arrived here because of all of you and your unwavering belief that we can -- and we will -- beat this disease.

Because we invested in anti-retroviral treatment, people who would have died, some of whom are here today, are living full and vibrant lives.  Because we developed new tools, more and more mothers are giving birth to children free from this disease.  And because of a persistent focus on awareness, the global rate of new infections and deaths is declining.

     So make no mistake, we are going to win this fight.  But the fight is not over -- not by a long shot.  The rate of new infections may be going down elsewhere, but it’s not going down here in America.  The infection rate here has been holding steady for over a decade.  There are communities in this country being devastated, still, by this disease. 

     When new infections among young black gay men increase by nearly 50 percent in 3 years, we need to do more to show them that their lives matter.  When Latinos are dying sooner than other groups, and when black women feel forgotten, even though they account for most of the new cases among women, then we’ve got to do more.

     So this fight is not over.  Not for the 1.2 million Americans who are living with HIV right now.  Not for the Americans who are infected every day.  This fight is not over for them, it’s not over for their families, and as a consequence, it can’t be over for anybody in this room -- and it certainly isn’t over for your President.

     Since I took office, we’ve had a robust national dialogue on HIV/AIDS.  Members of my administration have fanned out across the country to meet people living with HIV; to meet researchers, faith leaders, medical providers and private sector partners.  We’ve spoken to over 4,000 people.  And out of all those conversations, we drafted a new plan to combat this disease.  Last year, we released that plan -- a first-ever national HIV/AIDS strategy.

     We went back to basics:  prevention, treatment and focusing our efforts where the need is greatest.  And we laid out a vision where every American, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socioeconomic status, can get access to life-extending care.

And I want to be clear about something else:  Since taking office, we’ve increased overall funding to combat HIV/AIDS to record levels.  With bipartisan support, we reauthorized the Ryan White Care Act.  And as I signed that bill, I was so proud to also announce that my administration was ending the ban that prohibited people with HIV from entering America.  (Applause.)  Because of that step, next year, for the first time in two decades, we will host the international AIDS conference.  (Applause.)

So we’ve done a lot over the past three years, but we can do so much more.  Today, I’m announcing some new commitments.  We’re committing an additional $15 million for the Ryan White Program that supports care provided by HIV medical clinics across the country.  We want to keep those doors open so they can keep saving lives.  We’re committing an additional $35 million for state AIDS-drug assistance programs. 

The federal government can’t do this alone, so I’m also calling on stategovernments, and pharmaceutical companies, and private foundations to do their part to help Americans get access to all the life-saving treatments.

This is a global fight, and it’s one that America must continue to lead.  Looking back at the history of HIV/AIDS, you’ll see that no other country has done more than this country, and that’s testament to our leadership as a country.  But we can’t be complacent. 

I think this is an area where we can also look back and take pride that both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have consistently come together to fund this fight -- not just here, but around the world.  And that’s a testament to the values that we share as Americans; a commitment that extends across party lines, that’s demonstrated by the fact that President Bush, President Clinton and I are joining you all today.

Since I took office, we’ve increased support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.  We’ve launched a Global Health Initiative that has improved access to health care, helping bring down the cost of vaccines, and over the next five years, will help save the lives of 4 million more children.  And all along, we kept focusing on expanding our impact.

Today, I’m proud to announce that as of September, the United States now supports anti-retroviral treatment for nearly 4 million people worldwide.  (Applause.)  Four million people.  And in just the past year, we’ve provided 600,000 HIV-positive mothers with access to drugs so that 200,000 babies could be born HIV-free.  (Applause.)  And nearly 13 million people have received care and treatment, including more than 4 million children.  So we’ve got some stuff to be proud of.

But we’ve got to do more.  We’re achieving these results not by acting alone, but by partnering with developing countries like Tanzania, and with leaders like President Kikwete.

Now, as we go forward, we’ve got to keep refining our strategy so that we’re saving as many lives as possible.  We need to listen when the scientific community focuses on prevention.  That’s why, as a matter of policy, we’re now investing in what works -- from medical procedures to promoting healthy behavior. 

And that’s why we’re setting a goal of providing anti-retroviral drugs to more than 1.5 million HIV-positive pregnant women over the next two years so that they have the chance to give birth to HIV-free babies.

We’re not going to stop there. We know that treatment is also prevention.  And today, we’re setting a new target of helping 6 million people get treatment by the end of 2013.  (Applause.)  That’s 2 million more people than our original goal.

And on this World AIDS Day, here’s my message to everybody who is out there:

To the global community -- we ask you to join us.  Countries that have committed to the Global Fund need to give the money that they promised.  (Applause.)  Countries that haven’t made a pledge, they need to do so.  (Applause.)  That includes countries that in the past might have been recipients, but now are in a position to step up as major donors.  China and other major economies are in a position now to transition in a way that can help more people.  

To Congress -- keep working together and keep the commitments you’ve made intact.  At a time when so much in Washington divides us, the fight against this disease has united us across parties and across presidents.  And it shows that we can do big things when Republicans and Democrats put their common humanity before politics.  So we need to carry that spirit forward.

And to all Americans -- we’ve got to keep fighting.  Fight for every person who needs our help today, but also fight for every person who didn’t live to see this moment; for the Rock Hudsons and the Arthur Ashes, and every person who woke us up to the reality of HIV/AIDS.  We’ve got to fight for Ryan White and his mother Jeanne, and the Ray brothers, and every person who forced us to confront our destructive prejudices and our misguided fears.  Fight for Magic Johnson and Mary Fisher, and every man, woman and child, who, when told they were going to die from this disease, they said, “No, we’re not.  We’re going to live.”

Keep fighting for all of them because we can end this pandemic.  We can beat this disease.  We can win this fight.  We just have to keep at it, steady, persistent -- today, tomorrow, every day until we get to zero.  And as long as I have the honor of being your President, that’s what this administration is going to keep doing.  That’s my pledge.  That’s my commitment to all of you.  And that’s got to be our promise to each other -- because we’ve come so far and we’ve saved so many lives, we might as well finish the fight.

Thank you for all you’ve done.  God bless you.  God bless America.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END                10:41 A.M. EST

CDC Releases New Data on HIV Infections 2006-2009

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released their latest analysis of HIV infections from 2006-2009 today. The full report (pdf) is available online. This is the first time the CDC has been able to estimate HIV infections from actual HIV test data, thanks to the passage of HIV names reporting legislation which has been enacted by several states (including California) in recent years. 2009 is the most recent year for which data is available so far.

A key excerpt from the press release:

According to the new estimates, there were 48,600 new HIV infections in the United States in 2006, 56,000 in 2007, 47,800 in 2008 and 48,100 in 2009.  The multi-year incidence estimates allow for a reliable examination of trends over time.  They reveal no statistically significant change in HIV incidence overall from 2006 to 2009, with an average of 50,000 for the four-year period.  In 2009, the largest number of new infections was among white MSM (11,400), followed closely by black MSM (10,800).  Hispanic MSM (6,000) and black women (5,400) were also heavily affected.   

“While we’re encouraged that prevention efforts have helped avoid overall increases in HIV infections in the United States, and have significantly reduced new infections from the peak in the mid-1980s, we have plateaued at an unacceptably high level,” said Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.  “Without intensified HIV prevention efforts, we are likely to face an era of rising infection rates and higher health care costs for a preventable condition that already affects more than one million people in this country.”

Some of the key take-aways from the report are:

• Overall HIV incidence in the U.S. has been relatively stable, with approximately 50,000 annual new infections

• New infections among young men who have sex with men (MSM) increased 34% between 2006 and 1009

• Young, black MSM (aged 13-29) is the only subpopulation in the U.S. to experience a statistically significant increase from 2006 through 2009
• New HIV infections increased 48% – from 4,400 in 2006 to 6,500 in 2009

• The new data confirm that HIV continues to disproportionately affect MSM of all races/ethnicities
• MSM represent 2% of the total U.S. population, but accounted for 61% all new HIV infections in 2009
• Among MSM in 2009, white MSM represented the greatest number of new HIV infections (11,400), followed closely by black MSM (10,800) and Hispanic MSM (6,000)
  

Read that line again: "MSM represent 2% of the total U.S. population, but accounted for 61% all new HIV infections in 2009." People who says HIV/AIDS is not a "gay" issue don't know what the heck they are talking about!

Black Man Perceived To Be Gay Barred From Donating Blood

Aaron Pace, a self-described effeminate straight man, was prevented from
donating blood due to his perceived sexual orientation

I have previously blogged abuut the ban on gay people from donating blood in the United States and have expressed my opinion that the ban should be lifted. The alleged rationale by the Food and Drug Administration is that a man who has had sex with another man even once since 1979 has blood which is riskier than other people's despite the fact all blood that is donated is tested by the American Red Cross for the presence of HIV antibodies and other STDs.

Now a heterosexual man named Aaron Pace, who happens to be Black and describes himself as "effeminate," has been prevented from donating blood in Gary, Indiana.

The story was first published in the Chicago Sun-Times:

“I was humiliated and embarrassed,” said Pace, 22. of Gary. “It’s not right that homeless people can give blood but homosexuals can’t. And I’m not even a homosexual.”

Pace visited Bio-Blood Components Inc. in Gary, which pays for blood and plasma donations, up to $40 a visit. But during the interview screening process, Pace said he was told he could not be a blood donor there because he “appears to be a homosexual.”

No one at Bio-Blood returned calls seeking comment, but donation centers like it, and even the American Red Cross, are still citing a nearly 30-year-old federal policy to turn away gay men from donating.

The Food and Drug Administration policy, implemented in 1983, states that men who have had sex — even once — with another man (since 1977) are not allowed to donate blood.

The policy was sparked by concerns that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was tainting the blood supply. And, back then, screening tests to identify HIV-positive blood had not yet been developed.

Today, all donated blood is tested for HIV, as well as for hepatitis B and C, syphilis and other infectious diseases, before it can be released to hospitals. This is why gay activists, blood centers including the American Red Cross, and even some lawmakers now claim the lifetime ban is “medically and scientifically unwarranted.”

I should repeat what the Los Angeles Times said last year in an editorial that "there were 4 known cases of HIV transmission out of 122 million units of blood donated between 1999 and 2007." Is that infinitesimal risk worth the discrimination against all gay men in the light of a nationwide blood shortage?

I wonder if Marcus Bachmann would be allowed to give blood at Bio-Blood?

Today is 30th Anniversary of AIDS

This weekend is the 30th anniversary of the discovery of what became known as AIDS in Los Angeles, CA in June 1981. The Black AIDS Institute says "30 years is enuf!"

Ha/tip to LGBTPOV

VERMONT: Democrats Enact Single-Payer Health Care!

Peter Shumlin is the Democratic Governor of Vermont

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, individual states have the opportunity to enact their own health care reform policies which suit each individual state. In Vermont, Democrats control the state legislature and the governorship for the first time in a long time. When Republicans gain legislative control they use their power for evil, in Minnesota (putting an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment on the 2012 ballot), in Wisconsin and Michigan (to eviscerate unions and disempower working families), in Ohio and Florida (disenfranchise elderly and minority voters) and in South Carolina and Tennessee (legislatively bully LGBT citizens and deny them equal access to constitutional rights).

Democrats, however, use their power for good, like in Vermont where they are ensuring that all state citizens will have access to health care.

Amy Goodman of TruthDig reports:

Vermont hired Harvard economist William Hsiao to come up with three alternatives to the current system. The single-payer system, Hsiao wrote, “will produce savings of 24.3 percent of total health expenditure between 2015 and 2024.” An analysis by Don McCanne, M.D., of Physicians for a National Health Program pointed out that “these plans would cover everyone without any increase in spending since the single payer efficiencies would be enough to pay for those currently uninsured or underinsured. So this is the really good news—single payer works.”

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin explained to me his intention to sign the bill into law: “Here’s our challenge. Our premiums go up 10, 15, 20 percent a year. This is true in the rest of the country as well. They are killing small business. They’re killing middle class Americans, who have been kicked in the teeth over the last several years. What our plan will do is create a single pool, get the insurance company profits, the pharmaceutical company profits, the other folks that are mining the system to make a lot of money on the backs of our illnesses, and ensure that we’re using those dollars to make Vermonters healthy.”

Governor Peter Shumlin did indeed sign the bill into law. 1 state down, 49 to go. California also has a single-payer health care bill pending in the legislature. MadProfessah has endorsed this legislation.