Florida Agenda

FORT LAUDERDALE – A new report from the Florida Department of Health shows that the rate of infections for HIV/AIDS in South Florida rose last years. The numbers reflect the nation’s worst incidents of HIV/ AIDS in spite of efforts to control its spread.

The rate of new HIV infections was greatest in Palm Beach County, which saw a 30 percent increase from last year, followed closely by Broward County with a 25 percent increase.

Statewide, that number rose more than onein- five, or 21 percent. New AIDS cases rose 6 to 8 percent in Broward and Palm Beach.

Officials say artificially inflated stats reflect part of the increase, the results of changes to the counting methodology now being used by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They likewise note that approximately half of the new reported cases came from MSMs (men who sleep with men).

In Broward County, there were more than 1,000 new reported HIV cases in 2011, which translates to 59 cases per 100,000 people, an increase from about 55 cases per 100,000 the previous year. Since 2008, Broward has had the highest per-capita infection rate in the U.S. Last year, CDC officials met to outline the elements of a major new and well-funded anti-AIDS campaign.

There were 407 new HIV cases reported in Palm Beach County last year or 30.7 per capita. It is one of a dozen metropolitan areas with the highest infection rates. Miami- Dade County has the nation’s second highest rate of infection.

By Rory Barbarossa

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The White House issued a document last week entitled “Two Important Developments that Impact the Health and Well-Being of LGBT People.” The document outlined a revision to the FBI’s definition of rape in order to encourage more comprehensive reporting of rape crimes nationwide, including male victims. It also detailed a major grant by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for high-impact HIV prevention.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced revisions to the Uniform Crime Report’s definition of rape last week.  The revised definition includes rapes committed against men, and encompasses a broader range of sexual acts understood to be rape. This revised definition will be used to collect data from local law enforcement about these crimes and will be published in the Uniform Crime Report.

The CDC announced that it has begun awarding almost $339 million to state and local health departments across the United States to fund HIV prevention activities this year. The awards are a component of CDC’s new approach to HIV prevention, designed to better align resources to reflect the geographic burden of the HIV epidemic, and achieve a higher level of impact with every federal HIV prevention dollar spent.

ATLANTA, GA – US health officials at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that only 28% of the 1.2 million Americans living with HIV have the infection under control increasing the risk that they will spread the disease to others.

The CDC went on to say that a big part of the problem is that one in five US adults infected with HIV do not know it.

People can be infected with the AIDS virus for years without developing symptoms. Of those who are aware, only half receive ongoing medical care and treatment.

To reach groups at the greatest risk, the CDC is launching a new campaign urging regular testing for black gay and bisexual men, a population in which both HIV and syphilis infections continue to rise.

G.O.P. Candidates Sign NOM’s Marriage Pledge

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Three Republican presidential candidates, Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, have signed the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) Marriage Pledge. NOM’s marriage pledge was offered to all serious announced candidates for the G.O.P. nomination. An opportunity to sign the Marriage Pledge will be extended to Texas Governor Rick Perry and other major candidates, if and when they enter the race.

In signing the pledge, the candidates swear to: support and send to the states a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman, defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court, appoint judges and an attorney general who will respect the original meaning of the Constitution, appoint a presidential commission to investigate harassment of traditional marriage supporters and support legislation that would return to the people of D.C. their right to vote for marriage.

Gay Man Wins Right to  Be an Ordained Minister

MADISON, WI – Openly gay Scott Anderson, 56, won the right to be ordained by the USA Presbyterian Church. Anderson is believed to be the first gay person in a long-term same-sex relationship to be approved for ordination by the denomination.

The church’s judicial commission  dismissed a case against Anderson by opponents of gay ordination. Opponents brought the case last year, arguing Anderson could not be ordained because he was in an open relationship with a man. At the time, church rules required clergy members to live in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness. However, a shift in thinking earlier this year happened when a majority of the church’s regional bodies voted to allow openly gay men and women in a same-sex relationship to be orda

ined.

Another Indian Tribe Approves Same-Sex Marriage

SEATTLE, WA – A second American Indian tribe has adopted a law recognizing same-sex marriage. The Suquamish Tribal Council of Washington state voted to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. The new law gained the support of more than 100 tribal leaders in their most recent meeting.

The law permits the tribal court to issue a marriage license to two unmarried people, regardless of their gender, as long as they’re at least 18 years old and one of the people is a member of the tribe.

Same-sex marriage is illegal in the State of Washington, but the state legislature has approved a measure stating they will recognize same-sex marriages that took place in other jurisdictions and other nations. The legislature has also approved a bill called “Everything But Marriage,” which grants same-sex couples many of the same rights as married couples except for using the word “married”.

The Coquille Indian Tribe in southern Oregon is the only other tribe that recognizes same-sex marriage.

New Data Shows Annual HIV Infections in U.S. Relatively Stable

ATLANTA, GA – The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)’s first multi-year estimates from its national HIV incidence surveillance find that, overall, the annual number of new HIV infections in the United States was relatively stable at approximately 50,000 each year between 2006 and 2009.  However, HIV infections increased among young men who have sex with men (MSM) between 2006 and 2009, driven by alarming increases among young, black MSM – the only subpopulation to experience a sustained increase during the time period.

The new estimates were published online in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.  The incidence estimates are based on direct measurement of new HIV infections with a laboratory test that can distinguish recent from long-standing HIV infections.

“More than 30 years into the HIV epidemic, about 50,000 people in this country still become infected each year. Not only do men who have sex with men continue to account for most new infections, young gay and bisexual men are the only group in which infections are increasing, and this increase is particularly concerning among young African American MSM,” said CDC Director Thomas Frieden, M.D. “HIV infections can be prevented. By getting tested, reducing risky behaviors, and getting treatment, people can protect themselves and their loved ones.”

Warner Brothers Sets November for Release  of J. Edgar

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Warner Brothers Studios has set November 9th as the release date for the film, “J. Edgar,” a biopic on the first director of the F.B.I. being produced by Clint Eastwood. The motion picture completed filming in February.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and was written by Dustin Lance Black; the timing of the release will make it eligible for nomination for next year’s Academy Awards. In addition to DiCaprio, the cast includes Armie Hammer (from The Social Network) as Hoover’s assistant and closeted lover, Clyde Tolson; Josh Lucas as aviator Charles Lindbergh; Ed Westwick as Agent Smith, an operative gifted with writing skills; Damon Herriman as Bruno Hauptmann, the man convicted of kidnapping and killing the Lindbergh baby; Judi Dench as Hoover’s mother; Naomi Watts as Helen Gandy, a Justice Department file clerk who ended up being Hoover’s personal secretary; Ken Howard as lawyer and jurist Harlan F. Stone; Jeffrey Donovan as Robert F. Kennedy and Stephen Root as Arthur Koehler, a wood specialist at Forest Product Laboratories who uses his expertise to help Hoover investigate the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby by tracing the origins of the ladder used by the perpetrator.

Major Psychology Group Comes Out to Support Gay Marriage

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The policy-making body of the American Psychological Association (APA) voted unanimously to approve a resolution to support full marriage equality, a move that observers say will have a far-reaching impact on the debate. This was the world’s largest organization of psychologists’ strongest stand to date in support of same-sex marriage and cited new research in their decision.

The group, with more than 154,000 members, has long supported full equal rights for gays, based on social science research on sexual orientation. Now, the nation’s psychologists, citing an increasing body of research about same-sex marriage, as well as increased discussion at the state and federal levels, took the support to a new level.

The resolution points to numerous recent studies, including findings that many gay men and lesbians, like their heterosexual counterparts, desire to form stable, long-lasting and committed intimate relationships and are successful in doing so.

Rupert Murdoch to Cash in on Gay Marriage

NEW YORK, NY – According to Gay City News, Rupert Murdoch’s New Corp is ready to cash in on same-sex marriage with a new magazine, Wedding Pride: The Magazine for Gay and Lesbian Wedding Planning. The first issue will hit newsstands this September with an initial 35,000 copy run, which will likely remain confined to the gay-friendly communities of Chelsea, Park Slope, Fire Island, Montclair, South Orange and Asbury Park.

Murdoch’s News Corp. is most famous for its other publications, such the New York Daily News and its cable Fox News Channel.

“Glee” Star to Replace Daniel Radcliffe in  “How to Succeed”

NEW YORK, NY – The producers of the 50th anniversary production of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical comedy “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” announced last week that Darren Criss, of Fox’s Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning hit television show, “Glee,” will make his Broadway debut as J. Pierrepont Finch, performing a strictly limited three week engagement from January 3, through January 22, 2012. He will replace Daniel Radcliffe, who will play his final performance on Sunday, January 1, 2012.

Criss plays Blaine Anderson, Chris Colfer’s love interest on “Glee”.

Esurance Donates $50K  to The Trevor Project

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Esurance, the online car insurance company, announced that the company donated $50,000 to The Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBT youth.
Esurance recently launched the charitable giving campaign on its Facebook page. For each new “Like,” the company donated $10 to The Trevor Project to help support the Trevor Lifeline, a 24/7 crisis intervention phone hotline offering free and confidential suicide prevention counseling to youth nationwide.

With Twitter and Facebook support from The Trevor Project itself, and the mentions from celebrities such as Perez Hilton, Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block, and others spreading the word, Esurance quickly reached its stated goal of $50,000.

Ann Coulter to Serve  as Honorary Chair of GOProud’s Advisory Council

WASHINGTON, D.C. – GOProud, a national organization of gay conservatives, announced that Ann Coulter was joining the organization’s Advisory Council as Honorary Chair. Coulter’s official title will be “Honorary Chair and Gay Icon”.

“Ann Coulter is a brilliant and fearless leader of the conservative movement, we are honored to have her as part of GOProud’s leadership,” said Christopher Barron, Chairman of GOProud’s Board in a written statement. “Ann helped put our organization on the map. Politics is full of the meek, the compromising and the apologists – Ann, like GOProud, is the exact opposite of all of those things. We need more Ann Coulters.”

Coulter responded with “I am honored to serve in this capacity on GOProud’s Advisory Council and look forward to being the Queen of fabulous.”

Coulter joins Margaret Hoover, Grover Norquist, Andrew Breitbart, Liz Mair, Chuck Muth, Lisa De Pasquale, Christian Josi, Roger Stone, Andrew Langer, Kathryn Serkes and Bob Carlstrom on the GOProud Advisory Council.

Coulter is the author of “Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America,” as well as seven other New York Times bestsellers: “Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America,” “If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans,” “Godless: The Church of Liberalism,” “How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must),” “Treason: Liberal Treachery From the Cold War to the War on Terrorism,” “Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right” and “High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton”.

By SAM KNEW, MSW

If there’s one word that pervades gay communities around the country its “PRIDE.” It’s symbolized with rainbow flags, public displays of affection among our love ones and the occasional parade down Main Street. But oddly enough there is one place gay and bisexual men are neglecting to show their true colors – their doctor office. New York’s Center for Disease Control (CDC) released a study showing that 4 in10 gay men were not out to their doctor. It identified minorities at the top of the list, contributing to them being less likely to be tested for infectious diseases and other illnesses.

As discussed in my recent article, “Save the Tatas: Male Breast Cancer,” when it comes to any illness, early detection is key. However, patients and doctors share this responsibility. The CDC recommends that doctors make screening for specific infections regular practice – and it’s not all about HIV/AIDS. Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention at the CDC, shared with the New York Times that other infectious disease, such as syphilis and gonorrhea are a “major threat to gay and bisexual men’s health.” One study showed that more than a third of men who tested positive for gonorrhea, were initially missed due to the fact doctors did not test patients from all potential points of infection (throat, genitals and rectum).

In some of these cases doctors may have been more vigilant if patients had shared their sexual practices. Fair or not, gay and bisexual men are at greater risk of some infections. 17% of these men are more likely to develop anal cancer. Additionally, contraction of human papillomavirus (HPV) (a sexually transmitted infection) increases those risks, especially for individuals with already weakened immune systems.

So what’s a guy to do? How do you find the right

doctor and how do you identify yourself as a card-carrying member? For starters, when looking for a general practitioner ask your friends for referrals or your local GLBT community center. You can also contact your insurance provider and ask them for a list of gay-friendly doctors. Many physical and mental health professionals will make this information available. It also may be easier to ask the tough questions before you make an appointment by phone. When you contact the office ask, “Does your practice have any GLBT patients?” One benefit of this is that you don’t have to give any personal information. But most importantly, know what to ask your doctor.

Gay/Bisexual men have unique needs. You should be able to talk with your doctor openly about your sexual practices. This includes sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention techniques to routine medical practice, such as undergoing anal pap smears. If you’re uncomfortable asking these questions directly consider e-mailing your doctor ahead of time, or create a list you can hand to the doctor. Aside from having a healthier, more open relationship with your doctor, these practices also may relieve increased levels of depression and anxiety. Gay and bisexual men have been shown to be at higher risk of mood disorders – also putting them at greater risk of suicidal behavior, by a whopping 16% greater than their straight counter parts. That behavior can manifest beyond the traditional concepts – such as taking one’s life. In some cases, individuals participate high-risk sexual practices, purposely contracting and spreading infections.

The numbers alone can – and do – scare us away from the doctor. Some individuals suffer an onset of increased blood pressure just walking into the office (usually referred to white-coat syndrome). We also have our own cultural misconceptions; such as if you go to the doctor you’ll get sick. Additionally, there’s the fear of being discriminated or denied service. These are no easy hurdles for potential patients, but make no mistake – your well-being depends on overcoming them. And that’s something you can take real pride in.

Sam Knew, MSW is an educator and local counselor. He can be reached at SamKnewMSW@gmail.com

CDC issues report warning of spike in new infections

By BOB KECSKEMETY & JEREMY JONES

Charles Martin, (photo) chief executive officer of SoBAP, cautions community about syphilis.

South Beach AIDS Project (SoBAP) has issued a syphilis alert that affects Miami- Dade and Broward counties. The alert, which was posted to SoBAP’s website, singles out South Beach, Liberty City and the Wilton Manors/Fort Lauderdale areas. It comes just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report stating that syphilis and chlamydia infection rates are on the rise.

The CDC report, “Trends in Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the United States,” states that syphilis cases continue to rise among homosexual men and young African-American men. Overall, syphilis cases continue to spiral upward. There were 5 percent more syphilis cases in the past year and a whopping 39 percent more cases since 2006.

Gonorrhea infections, however, are at their lowest since the CDC started tracking the disease in 1941.

In South Florida, the STD infection rates are alarming. Of those being tested for syphilis, more than 65 percent were co-infected with HIV/AIDS. As of June 2010, there were 141 reported cases of syphilis among gay men, and of those men, 61 percent were co-infected. In Miami-Dade, 251 gay men tested positive for syphilis, and 65 percent of them were co-infected. Additionally, 65 percent of minority gay men in the Miami/South Florida market are co-infected with syphilis and HIV.

“These are pretty daunting statistics for gay men in Miami and Fort Lauderdale,” says Charles Martin, chief executive officer of SoBAP. “Minority gay men bare a higher burden of co-infection of syphilis and HIV.”

Primary and secondary syphilis cases among young black men aged 15 to 24 continue to increase significantly — indicating a concerning new trend. Between 2005 and 2009, the primary and secondary syphilis rate among young black men aged 15 to 24 tripled (from 19.3 per 100,000 in 2005 to 58.2 in 2009). This trend, the CDC said, may also be contributing to disproportionately high rates of HIV among young black men.

While these numbers are worrisome, Martin says the statistics are actually higher since a lot of people don’t know they are infected with syphilis. And that’s due to the lack of symptoms, which can take years, if ever, to surface. Miller says that a recent STD report indicates that more than 56 percent of people are unaware they have syphilis.

“There are lot of factors at play here, including lack of protection and the fact that the I-95 corridor makes it easier for people to party between Miami and Fort Lauderdale and spread the infection. We have some of the worst and highest numbers in the country” said Martin.

Syphilis was nearly eliminated in Broward County in 1998 and officials were hopeful for total elimination within two years. However, since that year, syphilis rates have skyrocketed with officials pointing to bareback parties organized online as a major reason for the rise. An official from the Broward County Health Department did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment on the spike in infections.

Since 2000, the largest increase in syphilis cases has been among men who have sex with men. In 2009, MSM accounted for nearly two-thirds of syphilis cases, up from just 4 percent in 2000.

Blue Mannix, the testing initiative manager at the Pride Center/GLCC, said that the center does not test specifically for STDs but is aware that syphilis is on the rise.

“When we do our HIV testing to those with high-risk behaviors,” said Mannix, “we tell them they can also be exposed to gonorrhea and syphilis, and so we do recommend getting tested for STDs. Hopefully in the future we will be able to do free STD testing at the center but we do not have the funds right now.”

SoBAP, according to Martin, is hoping to offer free syphilis testing beginning early next year. That would be in addition to the free HIV testing it already offers.

“FOR EVIL TO TRIUMPH, LET GOOD MEN DO NOTHING.”

I read the editorial “Confessions of an Ex-…” in the 9/30/2010 edition of Florida Agenda. During the Regan administration I was living in San Francisco. As AIDS appeared, and reached epidemic proportions, the reports in the daily press and conversations with friends became more and more personal as friends, colleagues and other people I knew kept getting sick and dying. Medical researchers in San Francisco and doctors did what they could but there was no help from Washington and no extra funding for the CDC or NIH.

Kindly ask Mr. Kecskemety if he was straight, uninformed, naive or just uninterested in what was going on at the time. During the entire Reagan administration, as friends were dying, his beloved President did absolutely nothing. Private research both here and in France were desperately looking for a cause and cure, but our President and his wealthy “kitchen cabinet” were not interested. The only gay people we saw in the White House were Nancy’s decorators and hairdressers. As a lifelong republican, maybe he can be excused for voting for Reagan the first time, but the 2nd time?

I realize that the gist of the editorial was the fact that his political direction has changed, but someone said “For evil to triumph, let good men do nothing.” He admits that he did more than do nothing. He actually voted for these anti-gay homophobic leaders. Everyone is entitled to their political beliefs, and supposedly his beliefs have changed. Personally, I’ll find other things to read besides the editorials in your publication. – JOEL COLBY

A “FORMER GAY DEMOCRAT”

I am Gay and I have spent nearly half a century as a thoughtless “liberal” gayclone, believing everything the gay ghetto and my labor union has told me. I have blamed the decimation of gay men dying of AIDS on Reagan, Bush, Cheney, Rove and Gingrich. I have dutifully voted Democratic in almost every election since John F. Kennedy. I have called for a “French Revolution” in America and preached the socialist gospel of European superiority to anybody who would listen. But I have changed! What brought about this change? In one word: Obama!

His taxpayer bailouts of the incompetent rich contradicted his beautiful rhetoric of condemning the rich when he campaigned for President. His healthcare reform is a farce and does not control costs for any age-group. His star has faded, his luster is diminished, just as millions of people have lost their homes and their employment. He blames Bush, but unemployment used to be almost half of what it is in today’s Obamaworld.

He has left us so deeply in debt that China, our primary creditor, is almost certain to become the world’s most powerful economy. Even Europe is telling Obama he is going in the wrong direction.

He implores us to vote for Democrats; and if we don’t, there will be no funding for AIDS. Yet Bush spent hundreds of millions on AIDS, as did Reagan and Gingrich. I no longer believe Gay propaganda and Gay editorial writers. I am tired of being expected to blindly follow a Democratic Party that usurps my Gayness to raise millions, only to raise my taxes and to promote bogus fear of Republicans to extort even more money from my friends and me.

During this campaign season, I have attended numerous GOP and “Gay” GOP events. None of the Republican candidates or GOP activists treated me like an alien. All of them welcomed my patriotism and my gayness. Now I realize how much “so-called progressive gay activists” lie and exaggerate about rightwing homophobia.

I am irate at how a once vibrant Florida economy has a higher unemployment rate than traditionally poor, under-developed Southern states like Louisiana, West Virginia, Alabama and Mississippi. Over one million Floridians are out of work, and that includes tens of thousand of Gay people. I am fed-up with being told that because I am Gay, I must vote Democratic! Otherwise, I will hate myself. I am tired of Gay left-wing demagoguery in South Florida.

In 2008, over one out of three Gay voters voted for John McCain in an otherwise dismal year for the GOP. They must have been on to something. I can only hope, for my country and for my unemployed friends and family that even more Gays will vote Republican in November. – PETER RYSKEWECZ

ATLANTA, GA: A new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study showed that 1- in-5 gay and bisexual men in 21 major U.S. cities are infected with HIV and nearly half of them don’t know it. Young men, especially young black men, are least likely to know if they are infected with HIV, according to the study. Researchers studied 8,153 gay and bisexual men.

The men were taking part in the 2008 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Study which looked at prevalence and awareness of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Overall, they found that 19 percent of gay men are infected with HIV.

Latinos Salud operates HIV prevention program for gay Latinos 30 and under

BY DMITRY RASHNITSOV

In a time of budget cuts, shrinking help for non-profits and people with HIV/AIDS being put on a waiting list to receive services finally comes some good news from the Federal Government regarding a highly respected local program.

Latinos Salud (www.latinossalud.org ) has won a $1.3 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to immediately initiate new HIV prevention programs that will serve Broward County’s gay and bisexual Latino communities.

According to the CDC’s newest HIV Surveillance Report, Broward County ranks first in the nation in its rate of news AIDS diagnoses, and second in the nation in its

rate of new HIV infections.

“Broward County is Ground Zero in our nation’s HIV epidemic,” said Latinos Salud’s Executive Director, Stephen Fallon.  “For the health of our communities, we need prevention programs that are delivered by professionals who understand the culture and values of their gay Latino peers.  Latinos Salud will launch two new HIV prevention programs to meet this need.”

All of Latinos Salud’s staff members are Latino, except for Fallon, who speaks conversational Spanish.

According to Fallon, within Broward County, Latinos experienced the highest increase in new HIV infections of any racial or ethnic group, with a 185% jump in reported cases over the past six years, almost all of which were among gay and bisexual Latino males.

“Our ‘Somos’ program has proven that the young, gay Latino community wants to support one another, if they are given the tools they need,” said Rafaelé Narváez, Latinos Salud’s Director of Health Programs. “The ‘Somos’ program has distributed thousands of condoms, and held dozens of safer sex workshops.  Clients have also built community spirit through shared activities like the Stonewall Street Parade, PrideFest, drag contests, outdoor sports, and group meetings to discuss the ups and downs of dating in South Florida.  The new, CDC-supported programs will allow us to serve a larger cross section of the community, from age 18 to 45.”

Somos runs a clubhouse for Latino men at 2051 Wilton Drive, where members and outsiders can come drop in, hang out, use the free computers, watch TV or enjoy a cup of coffee or a snack without any judgment or pressure.

“One of our new programs will recruit leaders from peer groups to start a dialogue that can ultimately change community attitudes about HIV and safer sex,” Fallon said.  “The other new program will provide intensive one-on-one counseling to clients who are having difficulty curbing ongoing risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex with partners of unknown HIV status.”

CDC will fund the agency $1.3M between now and 2015 to implement these programs, and report outcomes back.

Fallon added, “We are excited that the CDC chose our agency to carry out these vitally-needed services.  For the past six years, no Broward-based agency had won CDC funding. Latinos Salud is the youngest of South Florida agency selected for funding.”

Fallon and Narváez founded Latinos Salud in 2008 to address an urgent gap in local prevention services specifically targeting Broward’s Latino gay communities.

The agency currently operates an HIV prevention program called “Somos” (which means “We Are!”) for gay Latinos, age 30 and younger.  Funded by the Florida Department of Health, the Somos program offers a safe space for community members to find peer support, and education about reducing risks of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. The group currently has 300 members.

Fallon had previously directed HIV prevention programs at two Broward agencies from 1995 to 2004.  Over the past decade, through his consultancy Skills4 (www.skills4.org ), he has also trained HIV prevention, service and care staff at agencies and health departments in 40 states.  He is co-author of several reports that track the HIV epidemic amongst gay and bisexual males, and author of articles about HIV prevention and treatment best practices.

Beginning in 2001, Narváez first staffed and then managed HIV prevention programs at two Broward agencies, before he and Fallon founded Latinos Salud in June 2008.

Tobacco Use Highest Among Gay Men

BY DMITRY RASHNITSOV

The American Lung Association released its latest health disparity report, Smoking Out a Deadly Threat: Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community, which examines the trend of higher tobacco use among the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Community.

While LGBT people are represented in every part of the American population, the lack of data collection information on sexual orientation and gender identity in most state and national health surveys means trends within the community can go unnoticed.

Nonetheless, current data indicates the LGBT population smokes at a higher rate than the general public.

Gay, bisexual and transgender men are 2.0 to 2.5 times more likely to smoke than heterosexual men, the report states. Lesbian, bisexual and transgender women are 1.5 to 2.0 times more likely to smoke than heterosexual women, the report states. Bisexual boys and girls have some of the highest smoking rates when compared with both their heterosexual and homosexual peers.

“The American Lung Association issued Smoking Out a Deadly Threat: Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community to raise awareness of this health disparity and address the need for additional research specific to the LGBT community and tobacco use,” said Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO. “Like other groups disproportionately affected by tobacco use including African Americans and Native Americans, the LGBT population needs targeted efforts to reduce smoking rates, which will ultimately save lives.”

The data came from researchers reviewing 42 separate studies measuring smoking prevalence in gay, lesbian, and bisexual populations, including those with same sex attraction or relationships.

The Lung Association’s compilation of research found possible contributing factors to the LGBT smoking rate including: stress and discrimination related to homophobia, the tobacco industry’s targeted marketing to LGBT customers, and lack of access to culturally appropriate tobacco treatment programs among various other factors.

“Since the smoking rate within the LGBT community is roughly double that of the general population, more members of the LGBT community are at greatly increased risk of these deadly diseases, as well as other tobacco-related health threats such as heart attacks and strokes,” said Mary H. Partridge

American Lung Association Board Chairman. “Tobacco’s toll on this underserved community is far too great, and with this report, the American Lung Association calls for decisive action to better understand the root causes and find effective solutions to this deadly threat to the LGBT community.”

The American Lung Association is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and all state Departments of Health to include sexual orientation and gender identity questions in public health surveys.  State and local tobacco control programs should work to ensure prevention and cessation programs, materials and staff are culturally competent and inclusive of the LGBT community. LGBT advocacy organizations should advocate for policies to promote tobacco prevention and cessation programs, and identify alternative funding sources to tobacco industry sponsorship.

“I think tobacco products are heavily promoted in the bar/club scene. The same is true in the straight community but I think the difference is more people in the LGBT community rely on the bar/club scene to be social,” said 27-year-old gay man Zeb Smith.

The Smoking Out a Deadly Threat: Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community report is the second in the American Lung Association’s Disparities in Lung Health series, which aims to better understand why specific populations are susceptible to worse lung health.

The American Lung Association has several programs that help tens of thousands of smokers take the big step of quitting each year. Freedom From Smoking  provides a personalized, step-by-step quit plan and is offered online (www.ffsonline.org) or as a group clinic to help smokers work through the problems and process of quitting. The Lung HelpLine (1-800-LUNG-USA) provides smoking cessation counseling and one-on-one support from registered nurses and respiratory therapists. Smoking cessation support, lung cancer treatment information and additional resources are available at www.lungusa.org.