pozmagazine:

N.Y. High School to Give Away Free Condoms After Prom

Administrators at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Preparatory High School in Brooklyn, New York, are continuing a national trend by making condoms available to students at the prom, MSNBC.com reports. The principal of the high school said that he wanted teens to have the option to take condoms as they leave. The prom night policy is in line with the school’s existing sex education initiatives, which distribute free condoms. Other New York City high schools allow students to request free condoms as part of HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

Thoughts? I want to stop by Bedford after work and shake this mans hand. I don’t care when and where you give teens condoms as long as they’re available. And they’re available here.

The state budget must be finalized tomorrow. We’ve just received word that the Illinois House Human Services Appropriations Committee has released their proposed budget, and the $4 million, 50% funding cut to HIV services is still in the bill. We need you to call your elected officials now and demand they oppose these cuts!

A 50% funding cut for HIV services would break the back of our state’s HIV prevention and care system. The human consequences are dire:

•    More than 100 additional HIV infections would occur next year alone, adding $40 million in lifetime health care costs;

•    255 formerly incarcerated people with HIV will end up back in prison because they will lose case management services (costing Illinois $5.6 million next year alone);

•    114 HIV-positive individuals will lose access to housing and could become homeless; and

•    563 people with HIV will lose medical care, mental health services, and other vital support.

Springfield needs to hear from you now!

Before you say gay, use this chart.

(via fuckyeahfeminists)

Come to the Ball this weekend: Chicago House meets House of Infiniti

This Sunday night, the Chicago House is sponsoring the 2nd Annual Memories of a Mini Ball, an event that promises to be legendary in more ways than one.

For the uninitiated, the “Ballroom community” is a historically a dynamic LBGT subculture in which people can compete for prizes and respect by “walking” or “vogueing.” The Mini Ball is also an opportunity for HIV prevention outreach. In collaboration with the Legendary Mother Solomon Infiniti, who is hosting and promoting the event, Chicago House will be distributing condoms and lubricant, and offering HIV testing.

It’s part of a growing trend of community-based organizations reaching out to the ballroom scene in an attempt to “meet people where they’re at,” said Liz Thompson, HIV coordinator for the Chicago House.

The event is from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Captain Hardtimes, 436 East 79th Street. Lois Bates, a beloved transgender health worker and HIV activist who died last year, will be honored at the event along with other legendary figures in the ball community.

johnhearts:

I designed this infographic guide to safer sex through barrier protection. Wrap it up and keep it covered, kids.

thestigmaproject:

We all know HIV is complicated. The news and sciences of the virus are continually evolving, yet minds are not. People living with HIV today are not in the same situation as they were in 1984. It’s time to update our knowledge on HIV. It’s time to EVOLVE. #LiveHIVNeutral

pozmagazine:

The Stigma Busting Event of the Century

What if sports athletes around the world went out and got an HIV test and then shared the results with the world?

Think of the oohs and aahs as the results came in. It would make HIV the talk of the town. And at the end of the day, a whole bunch of people would know their status and be able to take appropriate next steps. Click here for more.

(via socialworky)

Stories of HIV Advocates who traveled to Springfield with FCAN

“If the choice is her medication or our housing, we will be homeless.”

That was an actual quote from an HIV-negative man who was speaking on behalf of his HIV-positive wife last week in Springfield. He was one of a diverse group of advocates who comprised the Families’ and Children’s AIDS Network (FCAN) action team. The group’s mission was to speak with legislators, tell their stories and urge lawmakers to oppose cuts in HIV funding and Medicaid. Read more by clicking the link above.

mommamayhem:

Ryan Wayne White, born December 6, 1971  was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States, after being expelled from middle school because of his infection. He became infected with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment and, when diagnosed in December 1984, was given six months to live. Doctors said he posed no risk to other students, but AIDS was poorly understood at the time, and when White tried to return to school, many parents and teachers in Kokomo rallied against his attendance. A lengthy legal battle with the school system ensued, and media coverage of the case made White into a national celebrity and spokesman for AIDS research and public education due to the prejudice he experienced. Surprising his doctors, White lived five years longer than predicted and died on April 8th 1990, one month prior to his high school graduation [x]

(via socialworky)