CROSSING OVER (An anonymous writer’s reflection on drug culture)
When I was in high school my poodle got tick bite fever and because we lived on a farm we kept pet meds in the fridge. The hardest thing for me to do was to puncture her skin and inject the Phenamidine. I knew if I didn’t she would die. So I saved her life. […]
WHO: HOMOSEXUALITY-RELATED ‘DISORDERS’ SHOULD BE DROPPED
A World Health Organisation (WHO) working group has called for the scrapping of so-called “homosexuality-related psychological disorders”. While homosexuality itself is no longer recognised as a psychological disorder, a number of “disorders” deemed to be related to homosexuality have remained in WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD). This includes, for example, a person’s confusion around […]
NOVEL HOME-BASED STD TEST LAUNCHED
Many of us fear the embarrassment or possible rejection of discussing our sex lives with doctors and nurses. That often means that we suffer in silence, living with possible STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) instead of getting tested and treated. Now, a new home-based STD test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, which can be ordered online via […]
OUT ADVISES GAY AND BI MEN ON USE OF PrEP
A local LGBT health group says not all gay and bisexual men should necessarily use HIV prevention medication, although it could be a highly effective option for some. OUT Well-being, the Tshwane-based LGBT organisation, has sought to offer clarity on a recent international recommendation that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men […]
LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX BABY, LET’S TALK ABOUT HIV…
One of my favourite sitcom quotes comes from Will & Grace when Karen tries to coax Jack into sleeping with Beverly (Lesley Jordan) for money. “Oh you’ll do it. You’ll do it the same way any self-respecting woman does. Get on your back, point your heels to Jesus and think of handbags.” Don’t know about […]
WHO: GAY MEN SHOULD TAKE HIV PREVENTION MEDICATION
For the first time, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that gay men and men who have sex with men should take preventive antiretroviral medication as an additional method of preventing HIV infection, alongside the use of condoms. Known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the medication, if taken consistently as prescribed, has been proven to dramatically […]
HEALTH4MEN MAKES CONDOM ART IN CAPE TOWN
Taking the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) to new heights, Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute, in collaboration with digital agency Native VML, recently created three giant tactical installations of condoms spelling HIV, Syphilis and Herpes. Health4Men condoms were recently attached to three prominent walls in Cape Town, in essence creating “condom art”. […]
HEALTH: COMING OUT OF THE DRUG CLOSET
Life in the closet can be suffocating, but there are many reasons that force people to remain secretive: prejudice, discrimination, internalised homophobia, fear of rejection. Yet coming out of the closet is generally a liberating experience for most people once the first step is taken. But it is a process and often it is one […]
STUDY: RELIGIOUS ‘HELP’ LINKED TO GAY SUICIDE
A US study has found that seeking help from religious or spiritual sources when coming out could be very bad for your health. According to the unsettling research, getting help from health care providers doesn’t seem to make much difference as to whether lesbians, gays and bisexuals (LGBs) attempt suicide. But even more disturbingly, the […]
US ENDORSES HIV PREVENTION DRUGS IN GAY ADS
America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a controversial new HIV prevention campaign aimed at gay men. The ‘Start Talking, Stop HIV’ national campaign encourages gay and bisexual men to talk openly and honestly to each other about HIV before they have sex. “It’s time to turn the volume up on HIV […]