HIV resurges in men who have sex with men

A new analysis of HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men points to a troubling increase in new cases among young men, U.S. health officials reported.

 

Public health experts use the term “men who have sex with men,” or MSM, because many of these men are not strictly homosexual or even bisexual.

 

Between 2001 and 2006 maile to male sex was the largest HIV transmission category in the U.S., and the only one associated with an increasing number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses, according to a report from Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The jump was highest- an increase of 12.4 percent- among boys and men between the ages 13 an 24 years who had sex with other males, particularly among ethnic minorities.

 

“To reduce transmission of HIV among MSM of all races/ethnicities, prevention strategies should be strengthened, improved, and implemented more broadly, “CDC health officials wrote in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

 

Testing is important, they add, because “after persons become aware that they are HIV positive, most reduce their high risk sexua behavior.”

 

The report describes trends in diagnoses of HIV/AIDS in 33 states that have confidential, name-based HIV case reporting.

Of 214,379 diagnoses during the study period, 46 percent were among MSM. The rate of new diagnoses declined in all other transmission categories- injection drug use, high risk heterosexual contact, and other routes of transmission.

 

Among all MSM, theestimated annual increase in the number of diagnoses among MSM was highest among Asian/Pacific Islanders at 12.1 percent, following by a 3.6 percent rate among American Indian/Alaska Natives; however; these two groups accounted for fewer than 1 percent of all diagnoses made during the study period.  The annual increase was 1.9 percent among Caucasians.

 

In MSM younger than age 25, African Americans bore the greatest burden with 7,658 new diagnoses (annual rate of change of 15 percent), followed by 3221 new cases among Caucasians (9 percent annula increase) and 2422 new cases among Hispanics (8 percent).

 

Inspiration struck!

I just found this awesome quote to keep me going when all else seems to fail me with peer pressure and my values are challenged by others; it’s by Dante Alighieri, “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.”

My Depression

I learned a major lesson the other day.  I had been waiting for several months for a gentleman to come and visit me from out of state to see if we would work out and perhaps be together in a relationship.  Prior we had talked online for a number of years.  I sent him roses to is workplace.  I sent him a star of david as a gift to remind him of me and I have been left with nothing but a broken heart.  He wants to move to Miami, FL and I just moved to Baltimore, MD to start out my career a year ago.  I explained I could not afford another move in such a short period of time, especially when we hadn’t met yet in person.  He is pretty idealistic and romanticizes a lot.  I am a realist and there was a clash in each other’s understanding.  He decided he was moving to Miami, FL without me.  He didn’t even give me a chance and I feel so childish for waiting for him for so long and having put so much faith into the matter.  Go figure it would back fire on me.  I am reasonably depressed about the whole situation and have become quite abrassive towards other guys interested in me because I don’t need another heart break.  I have too many issues to deal with at the present time to have emotional anxiety on top of my mass of work and responsibilities.  I do want to find love at some point though.  I talked with a fellow friend and he said I am far too young to think in the long term relationship status.  Why is it so wrong to look for a lasting relationship at my age?  I have a stable career and an overall happy life but I wish to share it with someone that I love at age 23.  I have talked with other guys and the usual thing happens.  We talk, go on a date, and the question pops up…, “You want to go back at my place…?”  and you can gather where that is going when they ask that.  Sex, Sex, Sex is on all the guy’s minds.  It is virtually impossible for anyone to look beyond the sex aspect and look at my personality.  What am I doing wrong and I can’t believe I am thinking about this and questioning myself but should I compromise my virtue of ethics and self respect by giving in to what may either turn out to be a one night stand or a series of sexual based relationships?  As much as it is in me not to want to give in, there seems to be no other opptions in the foreseeable future for me.  I am lonely and want to be loved and want to love back but is there such thing out there for me as a gay man?  Sex runs the gay man’s dogma.  Looks, materialism, and greed seem to be the grounding works of what makes the typical gay man work.  Am I wrong or am I reading people wrong?  I’m confused and trying to see where I fit in this whole sceme of activities within the gay dating scene.  What do I do?  A broad question but valid never the less.  Oh well maybe people are right when you don’t look for love is when it does come.  I will learn another lesson in patience then…  

Hispanic and Black gays/Bi’s on the Rise with HIV/AIDS

The stigma associated with homosexuality may inhibit some men from identifying themselves as gay or bisexual, even though they have sex with other men [38, 39]. Some men who have sex with men and with women don’t identify themselves as gay or bisexual [40]. Research among black men has shown that even if these men do not identify themselves as gay or bisexual, they do not engage in risky behavior more often than the men who do identify themselves as gay or bisexual [41]. This research suggests that elevated rates of STDs and undetected or late diagnosis of HIV infection may contribute to higher rates of HIV infection among black MSM.

Black and Hispanic MSM are less likely than white MSM to live in gay-identified neighborhoods [42]. Therefore, prevention programs directed to gay-identified neighborhoods may not reach these MSM.

For Hispanic MSM, unique cultural factors may discourage openness about homosexuality: machismo, the high value placed on masculinity; simpatia, the importance of smooth, nonconfrontational relationships; and familismo, the importance of a close relationship with one’s family

You guys are so funny.

So I added a blog about gays and anonomous sex.  That seemed to be a rather popular blog of mine lol.  I also saw that some of you guys checked out the link cruisingforsex.com lol.  Hope you find what you are looking for.  Nasty but what can I do about it?

Gay and doing my Mitzvah as one

So I admit I am one of those that worries about their looks constantly.  I am constantly primping but I’m not ghetto and do it in public like some.  Before I leave the house for a days work I make sure my suit is nicely ironed and match with the latest fashion and of course best quality name brands.  Yes I admit Neman Markus is a Needless Markup but is still a sacred word in my vocabulary.  It only comes second to synagogue for me.  I go and have my hair done at a fashionable Jewish American Princes salon in Pikesville, MD where all the rich Jews go lol.  I have my eye brows done perfectly to the tea.  Fashion is next to Torah and just as much of a mitzvah to me in my book.  I’m so gay that my mazzuzahs on my door posts of my home must be the best and matching with the theme of the room.  My Torah has a cover, of course only from Neman Markus.  My Judaica are even the best quality to and show a bit of my pretentious side.  My fashion goes to show I am like all other gay men when it comes to materialism.  GQ, and Vogue magazines everywhere scattered like salt and pepper all over my apartment.  I even have a few Out magazines laying around.  At least no porn!  It’s Not kosher you know. 

I wonder though sometimes what it would be like to live a much simpler life without the worries of competition with the Jones, Bill and  Adam Jones, the nice middle aged rich gay couple with three BMW’s and a McMansion with their small pure bred dog, that is?  What would it be like to not have to constantly primp myself to look half as good as the models you see on the gay magazines so that I can fit in with the norm of the LGBTcommunity? 

So Gay Pride is coming up here and first thing first I am going to synagogue then hitting the town to party it up within reason at pride.  Granted there will be a lot of pretentious and lust filled behavior and promiscuous activities going on but regardless I am comfortable in knowing that I have self worth and self respect and ethics I stand by and am not letting anyone there interfere with those mentioned and will have some kosher fun with friends.  Wish me luck   I might find myself a nice Jewish young man.  You never know lol.  laters.

What is DL I didn’t know until now… and ewww !

What is the “Down Low” or “DL”?

Men who discreetly have sex with other men while in sexual relationships with women are said to be on the “down low” (or “dl” for short). Often these men do not consider themselves gay or bisexual and their female partners are not aware that they have sex with other men, thus the term “down low” or “in hiding”.

Where did the down low phenomenon come from?

The issue of men having sex with other men, unbeknownst to their wives and girlfriends, captured wide media attention in the early 2000’s after several articles on the subject were reported in major newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. These reports explored the perceived link between the spread of HIV to heterosexual African-American women by their down low partners.

Men on the down low were further exposed in 2004 when J.L. King, author of On the Down Low appeared on Oprah to talk about his life on the down low. Since, numerous books, articles, TV specials and movies have explored the phenomenon and continue to link the down low with African-American men and HIV.

Are down low men the cause of the spread of HIV among heterosexual women?

According to HIV/AIDS Guide Mark Cichocki, “For years, experts have attributed the high rate of HIV among African American women to a behavior that has been called ‘being on the down low’. The basic contention is that African American men have sex with other men then come home to their wives or girlfriends and infect them with HIV, never having told them that they have unprotected sex with other men.”

However, Dr. Chandra L. Ford of Columbia University in New York City urges caution when assuming down low men are the primary cause of high African-American HIV infection rates:

“Part of what has happened as a result of that initial burst of stories reporting the ‘down low’ is that those stories often tied the down low to high rates of HIV infection among African-American women, which was not supported by epidemiological data.” Ford added, “There were a lot of assumptions, there were a lot of leaps of faith that led to that.”

Is the down low only an African-American issue?

In her article titled “Down low” myth distorts HIV research, prevention, author Anne Harding talks about Dr. Ford’s research and the misconceptions that the down low is an exclusive African-American issue.

Harding writes, “The practice of straight men secretly having sex with men is seen across all ethnic groups. While black men and women have higher rates of HIV infection than other ethnic groups, they also report fewer risk behaviors, suggesting researchers should look elsewhere to understand the disparity. For example, having a bacterial sexually transmitted infection can increase the risk of both transmitting and contracting HIV, and it is possible such infections may be more common among blacks than whites due to poorer access to health care. The view of black sexuality as deviant and diseased has deep roots, Ford noted, pointing to the way the public and the medical community viewed syphilis in the early 20th century as a disease of the black community.”

Are all closeted men on the down low?

Not all men in the closet are on the down low. However, most men on the down low are in the closet. Men on the down low are usually in heterosexual relationships while secretly engaging in sexual activity with other men.

Gays and Anonomous Sex

Anonymous sex usually takes place in public or semi-public spaces and appears to be an almost exclusively male phenomenon. Many men who engage in anonymous sex with other men don’t even consider themselves to be gay or bisexual. Their sexual orientation is beside the point. It’s about sex. It happens in rest areas, state parks, truck stops, gyms, parking lots, adult bookstores, bathhouses and the back rooms of gay bars. There’s even an Internet website (www.cruisingforsex.com) that will tell you where to find anonymous sex in various areas of the country.

In a recent edition of the southern nightlife guide Eclipse, syndicated gay columnist Kirk Read contributes an article about anonymous, public sex detailing his exploits from age 16 to the present. Read calls cruising for sex a “fetish.” He pretty much ignores the psychological ramifications a lifetime of anonymous sexual encounters might have on someone. Even when he’s smart enough to observe that “cruising is by nature a very solitary activity,” he can’t seem to grasp the significance of the isolation. He never questions why a man would prefer sex in a public space with a stranger. Intimacy issues? He doesn’t seem even remotely aware that it can be a compulsive behavior or an addictive behavior. His sole nod to the danger of such activity is that you can get busted. His bottom line? “Be aware that cruising is an outlaw activity with the potential for delightfully erotic experiences and unspeakably horrible legal troubles.” Isn’t outlaw a cute word? Kinda makes you think you’re watching a Bonanza rerun, doesn’t it? Read would have you believe those so-called legal troubles ultimately pale in comparison to all the delightful erotic experiences waiting for you in the bathroom at Sears or that rest area 65 miles away from your house.

Get real. Any sane person knows a fifteen-second orgasm with a total stranger is hardly worth risking “unspeakably horrible legal troubles.” In his article, Kirk Read even suggests you “know and assess your legal risks.” Is this guy naive enough to believe men into anonymous, public sex assess anything more than their chances of getting or giving a blowjob?

Men, especially gay men, should stop glamorizing and romanticizing anonymous sexual encounters. If this was a truly satisfying sexual expression, a man wouldn’t be cruising his 357th trick in a parking lot or a rest area. There is a desperate need at work here. That need is groin-centered, fairly often dehumanizing and sometimes dangerous. It is a need that promotes quantity over quality, encourages getting off and moving on, and hardly separates us from dogs in heat. Show it to me. I don’t need to know your name. You wanna do me? Hurry up. Thanks, buddy. See ya ’round.

I want to hear from you!

I am gay but am looking for others in the LGBT community that share the same views about the LGBT political left wing arm that drives the overall gay culture.  I personally don’t understand how we as gays can sit and allow this growing and strong movement from within take over with their agenda and lump all of us in the LGBT community into one category and endoctorinate us in their views of what it means to be gay and their dogma.  I don’t understand how  we can endorse sexual promiscuity and we have brought this reputation apon ourselves in large part because religion and ethics don’t seem to be a major interest to the LGBT community.  We suffer the consequences of depression, drug abuse, and STD’s because we have no movement that promotes a grounded foundation of ethics.  Go figure that manogomy would be so taboo to young gays of today and largely of the past too.  I have had some within the gay community say they don’t want other’s ethics to be imposed on them.  Understandably I would agree to some degree but what is so wrong with a manogamous relationship and what is right in glamorizing the party life that is shallow and materialistic and anonomous sex and barebacking and endorsing all that are in the LGBT community to do the same?  I fear this is a severe case of Those in misery want to have others to be in misery to advocate their sexual lusts and emptiness.  Let me be “gay” (happy) without the “gay” agenda judging me for my character and ethical stances.  For those out there that endorse such free spirited behaivors of sexual promescuity, I want to hear from you too to better understand what the ground works are involved and the philosophy that drives this general LGBT movement.

My Judaism verses Me being Gay

I am in such conflict with my Judaism and my ethical stance as a Jew and the gay culture. I trust my fellow Jew far more than my brothers in the gay community. I often feel I am alone in this fight and feel I am insane to insist on keeping on fighting this battle of faith. On top of that I feel lonely in this world without anyone to share my love for another man. The spirit of depression sinks its teeth deep into my neshema. Why does it seem that my faith in Hashem and His words of wisdom and encouragement of self respect in Torah seem to be in such conflict with my need for love in the world? At face value it seems that the gay culture is so free but can’t seem to comprehend how ruthless, shallow, and heartless they are to each other with no conscience. There is no room for love but only the want for lust. It is a bitter sweet blessing to be an outsider looking into what makes the gay scene tick. I want to be excepted as is natural for me to want to be but their lifestyles are so alien to that of myself. Granted I put up a front that I am strong but deep inside it hurts to see love does not seem to be within my grasp simply because love is so scares and misunderstood in the gay man’s world. I just want to give my love to share with another without compromising my ethics and self respect but it is becoming quite apparent that my bretherin in the gay world will have none of it. Hashem hear my plea and give me the strength. Calm my mind and my neshema. I could easily give in to the temptations of the worldly ways of the lusts and typical desires of the general gay culture but I fear I would not get out in one piece and by then would be too late. Let my evil inclinations be subservient to you Hashem. All I ask is blessing on the people of Israel and to rest my mind in your peace of spirit and Torah. Can I offer this to you Hashem?