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Traffic signals ensure a smooth flow of traffic - equally train signals allow the safe passage of a train from one station to the next. The school crossing lollypop person signals cars to stop so kids can cross in safety. There are all sorts of signals – some that you see and some that you miss. There are also signals that are directed at particular people whether they target individuals or are displayed for a collective subset to notice.
Recent Articles
History is bunk as some wise sage said years ago, but I disagree. History is very much alive and history will happen a microsecond after you finish this sentence! This year in July a very historical event will be celebrated when the Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men’s Health Centre marks its 30th Anniversary of service, support and care for people living with HIV/AIDS in our community.
From time to time, the Staying Negative campaign has received criticism for excluding HIV positive men, and in extreme cases, stigmatising them. Although this criticism is infrequent, it is not insignificant. Let me start by saying that the purpose of the Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men’s Health Centre, as set out in our recent strategic plan, is to reduce HIV transmissions in Victoria by promoting the health of gay men and of people living with HIV.
The needs of carers or partners of people living with HIV (PLHIV) have frequently taken a back seat when planning support programs within the HIV community. In the Loop is a group which seeks to redress this balance.
In a recent workshop for same-sex attracted men, a participant asked the question, “Why do we like to box people?” What he meant by this question is the tendency for us to label people’s sexuality based on who they are having sex with. The most commonly used labels are ‘gay’, ‘lesbian’, ‘bisexual’, ‘straight’ and ‘queer’. Yet, for this particular participant, sexual labels were problematic because he felt human sexuality is fluid. “If we ask people to accept sexual diversity, what’s the point of labels?” he added.
Some of you are familiar with downandirty.org, a website that offers information about different sexual practices and harm reduction when it comes to recreational drug use for sex. The site is taking a step forward and giving you the opportunity to share your sex stories in a new section, Up Close.
There is something we need to talk about. It may not be the best dinner table conversation but cancer, or more specifically anal cancer, is a topic that needs to be discussed.
We all look for something different in the men we choose to date, hook-up with or just chat to and it’s not always the same every time. Much like sampling the flavours of ice cream, there are so many different options to choose from. So how do we decide what we are looking for and how do we convince them that we are is who they are looking for?
Most of us do not consider physical and intellectual abilities when creating a picture of a gay man. This could be caused by lack of media representations of gay men with limited physical and intellectual abilities. Those with able bodies are constantly being constructed, and reconstructed, as the norm. As such, we often forgot that there are gay men (as well as lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and intersex) that are living with limited abilities.
The New Deal is a new website on gay men, sex and hep C, and has recently been launched.
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