Tag: HIV/AIDS

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40 Years Ago Today In The NY Times

Headline in the New York Times on July 3, 1981 - first mention of what would become the AIDS epidemic Forty years ago today, the New York Times published its first report on a “rare cancer seen in 41 homosexuals” – the first mention of what would become the HIV/AIDS epidemic. According to the author of the piece, Lawrence K. Altman, “gay” wasn’t yet approved by the Times‘ style manual. The cancer was Kaposi’s sarcoma, and until then it had seldom been seen in otherwise healthy young men. We all know what happened next… (h/t Boy Culture)

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News Round-Up: July 2, 2021

Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey

Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey
Tyler Posey (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • NME: Former Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey says he’s still figuring out his sexuality. “I’ve been with everybody under the sun, and right now I’m in the best relationship that I’ve ever been in with a woman, and she’s queer too. She’s helped me realize that I fit under the queer umbrella and that I’m sexually fluid, I guess.” • them: Around 1,000 people made history this week by taking part in the first-ever Pride event at one of America’s most conservative Mormon colleges. On Monday, current and former students of Brigham Young University (BYU) gathered at Provo, Utah’s Joaquin Park before walking a mile to Kiwanis Park, a grassy expanse just east of campus. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ1IlrXhI19/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • PBS: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday that Andrew Bruck would be appointed acting attorney general for the remainder of Murphy’s term. Bruck will be the first openly gay attorney general in state history. • Instinct Magazine: Gilead Sciences is looking to get its ‘once every six months’ HIV inhibitor injection, Lenacapavir, approved by the FDA. • The Advocate: Sha’Carri Richardson, who made headlines recently for thanking her girlfriend after qualifying for the Olympics, will now miss at least part of the games due to a positive marijuana test.

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Free Screening Of HIV Doc ‘5B’ Hosted By Billy Porter

Join Billy Porter for a free viewing of the acclaimed documentary 5B followed by a chat with

Join Billy Porter for a free viewing of the acclaimed documentary '5B' followed by a chat with health experts about the effects and parallels of the AIDS and COVID pandemics
Tony/Emmy/Grammy Award winner Billy Porter
On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the first AIDS diagnosis, the world remains caught in the grips of another frightening health epidemic – COVID. Today, June 24, from 6:00-8:30PM EST, activist and actor Billy Porter – who just recently shared his own HIV diagnosis with the world – will join Michael Sneed, Johnson & Johnson’s EVP of Global Cultural Affairs (which in addition to helping the world fight COVID, is currently working on a HIV vaccine) for a free special screening of the award-winning documentary 5B.  The acclaimed documentary chronicles the stories of the heroic nurses who risked their lives to found the World’s first AIDS Ward. Following the screening, Porter will chat with 5B nurse Alison Moëd Paolercio, and author Rebecca Love RN to discuss the disproportionate toll that epidemics and pandemics take on at-risk communities, the parallels between the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 crises, and the role of nurses in driving healthcare change. People can register here for the webinar. Not able to join the event? Visit 5Bfilm.com to find out where to stream the movie and, after the event, view the archived fireside chat at https://nursing.jnj.com/5B-fireside-chat-with-billy-porter. Here’s the official trailer for 5B:

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News Round-Up: May 5, 2021

LGBTQ streaming platform is launching a new queer-centric news show Culture Q

LGBTQ streaming platform is launching a new queer-centric news show Culture Q
LGBTQ streaming platform Revry is launching a queer-centric news show ‘Culture Q’
Some news items you might have missed: • Revry: On May 6th, global LGBTQ TV network, Revry, will premiere it’s first original weekly news program CULTURE Q, an innovative entertainment, pop culture, lifestyle and politics news series. Emphasizing the queer milieu, CULTURE Q stands to be the leading, weekly forum for boundary-pushing LGBTQ discussions and commentary. • OUT: A gay man in Latvia was reportedly set on fire by a homophobic neighbor and died from the burn wounds that covered over 85% of his body. The man and his roommate had reported the numerous threats they received from their neighbor to police, but to no avail. • Pink News: Patrick O’Connell, a venerable AIDS activist who sought to smash stigma by creating awareness campaigns including the iconic red ribbon, has died. According to his brother, Barry, O’Connell passed away at age 67 of AIDS-related causes. RIP Patrick O’Connell.

• Billboard Music Awards: P!nk will be honored with Billboard’s ICON Award at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards on May 23. The pop star will join the pantheon of previous honorees Garth Brooks, Cher, Neil Diamond, Céline Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey. • New York Daily News: Baseball fans can get free tickets to a Yankees or Mets game if they get vaccinated against COVID at either of the team’s facilities, Gov. Cuomo announced on Wednesday. The doses available outside Citi Field and Yankee Stadium will be the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. • Fox News: After months of being banned from social media services like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, ‘former guy’ Donald Trump has launched a “communications platform,” which will eventually give him the ability to communicate directly with his followers. The platform, “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump” is part of Trump’s official website. Folks, it’s a blog.

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Podcast: The Return Of POSE, Possible HIV Vaccine, Colton Underwood & More

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s episode of The Randy Report podcast: • President Biden appoints an out police chief to head up Customs and Border Protections • A new vaccine shows enormous promise against HIV • Polling shows Americans overwhelmingly oppose anti-transgender legislation • Colton Underwood, star of ‘The Bachelor,’ comes out as gay and gets some backlash • The third and final season of the ground-breaking FX series POSE will premiere in May – click here for trailer • And LGBTQ entertainment critics will have their say on the best in cinema from the past year at the Dorians Film Toast 2021 All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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Elton John Oscars Pre-Party Hosted By Neil Patrick Harris Goes Virtual

Neil Patrick Harris, Elton John, David Furnish, and Dua Lipa

Neil Patrick Harris, Elton John, David Furnish, and Dua Lipa
Neil Patrick Harris, Elton John, David Furnish, Dua Lipa (image – Cisco Webex/Elton John AIDS Foundation)
The 29th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Pre-Party will be hosted by Emmy® and Tony Award®-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris alongside Sir Elton John and David Furnish on April 25, 2021. The virtual event – powered by powered by Cisco Webex – will include a stripped back performance by GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Dua Lipa for the virtual event along with other all-star guests to be announced. For the first time, Foundation supporters worldwide are invited to attend the famed Oscar party by joining a 60-minute Pre-Show Special. “This year, we are bringing our Oscar Party into people’s homes for the first time virtually for an unforgettable evening with David (Furnish), myself, our dear friend Neil Patrick Harris and the incredible Dua Lipa plus many fabulous surprise names,’ says Sir Elton John, Founder, Elton John AIDS Foundation. “Now more than ever, we need to ensure that one pandemic does not override another, and we cannot forget the 38 million people living with HIV globally who need our care, love and support so we hope everyone joins us for this special one of a kind Oscar Pre-Party.” Since the annual event’s inception in 1992, The Academy Awards Viewing Party has supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s efforts to raise millions for their lifesaving work. With its presence across four continents, the Foundation is committed to overcome the stigma, discrimination and neglect that keeps us from ending AIDS. Fans can purchase tickets to the Oscar Pre-Show special for $19.99 via Ticketmaster here. Please visit www.eltonjohnaidsfoundation.org for additional information. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CMuwPAZjZfL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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News Round-Up: March 9, 2021

Pfizer announced its new antiviral pill reduced risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by 89 percent

A new once-a-month pill for PrEP is proving to be ‘extremely potent’ in testing
Some news items you might have missed: • Metro Weekly: Pharmaceutical company Merck has released data from the second phase of trials into its antiretroviral drug islatravir, a once-a-month pill to protect against HIV infection, which has proven to be “extremely potent.” • Billboard: Of the eight Grammy nominees for best new artist, three — CHIKA, Kaytranada and Phoebe Bridgers — openly identify as LGBTQ. • New York Daily News: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said on Monday that she’s “excited” to sign a bill banning transgender girls and women from participating in sports teams that correspond to their gender identity. South Dakota is the second U.S. state this year, after Mississippi, to pass legislation targeting transgender sports athletes. • Amazon Prime: “Love The One You’re With” (2021) is a dramatic comedy from award winning comedian and filmmaker Sampson McCormick that follows a couple, Miles and Avery as they navigate the possible ending of a long term relationship. The story offers surprise twists, lots of laughter and a mind stirring story line.

• The Independent: The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was able to combat a new variant that was rapidly circulating in Brazil, a new study has found. • Des Moines Register: Four months after Iowans voted in record numbers, Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed legislation cutting the state’s early voting period and closing the polls an hour earlier on Election Day. Every Republican present for debate in the House and Senate voted for the legislation. Every Democrat voted against it. #AndSoItBegins • Palm Beach Post: Despite his false claims about mail voting during the 2020 election cycle, Donald Trump requested a mail ballot on Friday for the third time in his Palm Beach County voter history. • Law and Crime: In their bid to get him out of the Grady County Jail in Oklahoma, attorneys for an 18-year-old defendant in the U.S. Capitol siege said another inmate attacked him. They also said their client caught COVID-19 while behind bars. He allegedly assaulted a police officer and was armed with a baton.

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Russell T. Davies Refused To Write ‘Unbelievably Crass’ Scene For ‘It’s A Sin’

Promo photo for the new 5-part drama series 'It's A Sin'

Olly Alexander in It’s A Sin
Russell T. Davies, creator of the acclaimed new queer series It’s A Sin, said in a recent interview his series might have been green lit years earlier if he’d written a scene suggested by a TV exec. But he refused to write the scene that he described as “unbelievably crass.” From Pink News:

“I was told at one channel: ‘What if it starts on an AIDS ward in say, 1990 or 1992, with the machines and people dying – and then went: 10 years earlier,’” Russell T Davies recalled.

“I thought that was unbelievably crass and literally refused to do it.

“My producer said: ‘I know you don’t like that scene. If you just type it out, if you just type one page of that, it might get made.’

“I’d rather die than type that page. It’s the wrong way to tell it. There was a lot of nonsense like that. Then you just wait for the right commissioner. In my experiences, all the bosses will leave their jobs every two or three years. So just sit still and the right person will enter the seat again.”

And five years later, Davies got the go-ahead for the series the way he envisioned it. Hubby Michael and I watched the five-part series over its first weekend it was available in the U.S. on HBO Max, and we loved it. I highly recommend watching.