The Food and Drug Administration has relaxed its 32-year ban on blood donations from gay men. The ban was originally introduced in 1983 to protect people receiving blood transfusions from people infected with HIV.
We’re taught to fear HIV and AIDS like plagues — inevitable death sentences upon diagnosis.
But that’s simply not true, and it’s taken an unexpected source to point out the gaps and inaccuracies surrounding how we talk about HIV — actor and all-around controversial figure Charlie Shee
Professor Roy Chan, who is on the governing council of the International Aids Society and president of Action for Aids, told The Straits Times: “(The virus) infects and multiplies in a variety of organs – these include the brain, lymph nodes, genital tract and gut. These organs are reservoirs of HIV that are not treated and cannot be eliminated by conventional antiretroviral treatment…
One of the reasons he disclosed the news about his health, said Sheen, was to stop others from extorting money from him. He would not disclose how many people he was paying for their silence, but said the payments reached into the millions of dollars to people he once considered in his inner circle.
Once he wrote a note to me. He wrote, “Mom you have to rescue me” “They want to beat me”. I was so angry that I went to the school to argue. Because I called the teacher several times they never paid attention to it at all.
Genoya was developed particularly for people with HIV who have experienced side effects like bone loss and kidney problems on other HIV meds, or poz people who had those issues prior to starting HIV treatment
I refer to this week’s Talking Point, “When kids think of suicide”. Studies across the world have proven that one group with a higher risk of suicidal behaviour is LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) youth.
Research in the United States shows that these youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide as their heterosexual peers; nearly half of young transgender people have thought seriously about suicide, and one-quarter report having attempted it.
The survey also found that such abuse and discrimination led to a significantly higher incidence rate of having suicidal thoughts or attempts. This is alarming.
Thankfully, the Health Promotion Board has published a FAQ on sexuality on its website that validates the humanity of LGBT persons.
However, it removed links to LGBT-affirmative counselling hotlines, which makes access to support for LGBT persons more difficult.
School leaders should pay attention to fostering safe, healthy school environments.
For example, micro-aggressions, which are everyday encounters of subtle discrimination marginalised groups face, towards LGBT persons can cause depression, psychological distress and even cardiovascular issues.
Using words such as “faggot”, “sissy” or “ah gua” as insults or jokes is an example of micro-aggression towards LGBT persons, even if the words are not directed at them.
In a study published in the Journal of LGBT Issues in Counselling, LGBT and queer participants said they felt depressed, anxious and even traumatised when they experienced micro-aggressions.
We have much to do to make Singapore a safe place for all children.
First Published on Today
By BRYAN KWA JIE WEN
PUBLISHED: 4:16 AM, APRIL 29, 2015
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The number of homosexual and bisexual cases has risen from 166 in 2009 to 247 last year. Action for Aids says the rise could be due to the availability of effective anti-retroviral medication and a degree of “condom fatigue” in Singapore. — ST FILE PHOTO – See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/health/story/worrying-rise-hiv-cases-among-gay-men-20140605#sthash.jGH56AcL.dpuf
The number of new cases of HIV and Aids in Singapore fell slightly last year to 454, 15 less than in 2012.
However, the Action for Aids (AfA) group here said there has been a “worrying” rise in infections among homosexual men.
The Ministry of Health revealed the figures yesterday, which also showed that the number of homosexual and bisexual cases has risen from 166 in 2009 to 247 last year.
In contrast, the number of heterosexual men infected fell from 241 to 157 in the same period.
First Published: Straits Times