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Mayoral candidate calls for putting HIV status on driver’s licenses & more

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Mayoral candidate calls for putting HIV status on driver’s licenses

D.C. mayoral candidate Leo Alexander startled some attendees of an Aug. 11 candidates’ forum focusing on HIV/AIDS when he said he’s considering pushing a requirement that the HIV status of D.C. residents be disclosed on their driver’s license.

“We have to treat this as an epidemic and do what’s necessary to address it,” he said.

Mayor Adrian Fenty did not attend the forum and City Council Chairman Vincent Gray, Fenty’s main rival, arrived at the forum a few minutes after Alexander mentioned his HIV driver’s license proposal. Two other mayoral candidates present when Alexander raised the issue, Sulaimon Brown and Ernest Johnson, did not comment on the proposal.

About 100 people attended the forum, which was organized by local HIV/AIDS groups D.C. Fights Back and AIDSvote.org. It was held at the Eastern Market on Capitol Hill.

Christine Campbell, vice president for national advocacy and organizing for AIDS group Housing Works, and Ron McInnis, an official with the International AIDS Society, moderated the forum and asked the candidates questions before opening the event to questions from the audience.

“That’s scary,” said Campbell after the forum, in discussing Alexander’s call for placing a person’s HIV-positive status on their driver’s license. “He seemed to be very serious about that.”

Existing city law prohibits the Department of Health from publicly disclosing tests results for any sexually transmitted disease, including HIV.

All four candidates present, including Gray, expressed strong support for strengthening the city’s programs combating AIDS.

When one questioner asked the candidates how they would implement the city’s participation in President Obama’s recently released National HIV/AIDS Strategy, Johnson said, “I don’t even know what it is, but I will make it better in D.C.”

Saying he would find out what the Obama strategy is all about, he added, “I know people appreciate honesty.”

Gray said he would build on the D.C. HIV prevention and testing strategies developed by Dr. Shannon Hader, director of the city’s HIV/AIDS Administration under Fenty, saying the epidemiological “tracking” Hader developed for HIV in the District has worked well.

Hader resigned from her post earlier this year, triggering speculation that she had irreconcilable disagreements with the head of the city’s Department of Health, Dr. Pierre Vigilance, and that Fenty sided with Vigilance. Hader has said she left the AIDS agency to take a new job with an international health foundation. Hader attended the Aug. 11 forum but didn’t speak.

“I feel that the candidates, while they know some about HIV and AIDS, that there is no real depth and they don’t have a lot of plans,” Campbell said.

“I think that Vincent Gray was probably more well versed in the issues simply because he has had to deal with it in some of his previous positions,” she said, noting that Gray has worked in the city government’s health-related areas in the past, including his current post as City Council chair.

Mendelson could face 2nd gay challenger

It’s widely known that D.C. City Council member Phil Mendelson, a longtime supporter of the LGBT community, is being challenged by Clark Ray, the gay former director of the city’s Department of Parks & Recreation in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary.

But in a little-noticed development, Mendelson could face yet another gay challenger in the November general election. Darryl Moch, an ordained minister and assistant pastor at D.C.’s gay-oriented Inner Light Ministries, is one of two candidates running for the at-large seat in the Statehood Green Party primary.

If Mendelson wins the Democratic primary and Moch defeats rival David Schwartzman in the Statehood Green primary, the two will go against each other in the general election. No Republican candidate is running for the seat.

Moch told the Blade earlier this month that he’s running as an openly gay candidate with a focus on his party’s longtime mission: to secure congressional voting rights and eventual statehood for the District of Columbia. He said he would be an aggressive supporter of LGBT issues on the Council and is a strong backer of the city’s same-sex marriage equality law.

“Overcoming the divisions that exist among religious, social and cultural groups is paramount,” Moch says on his campaign website, darryl4dc.com. “I believe that bridging those divides will improve the quality of life for everyone and ultimately, the disadvantaged residents within a community.”

Moch also serves as executive director of the Labor Heritage Foundation, a D.C.-based non-profit group.

In addition to Ray and Moch, three other out gay candidates are running in the Sept. 14 primary. D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) is considered the favorite to win in the primary and the November general election. Gay Republican Marc Morgan, who is running unopposed in the GOP primary in September, is expected to face an uphill fight against Graham in the November general election.

Gay Republican Timothy Day is running unopposed in the GOP primary in Ward 5. He is expected to be the general election rival of incumbent Ward 5 Council member Harry Thomas, who is considered the favorite in the Democratic primary.

Meanwhile, gay D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At Large), who isn’t running in the primary, is considered the favorite to win re-election to his at-large seat in November.

Kwame Brown takes gay bar tour, attends drag show

D.C. City Council member Kwame Brown (D-At Large), who is running in a hotly contested race for the Council Chairman’s seat, took his campaign on a gay bar tour Aug. 14 with campaign adviser and longtime gay activist Phil Pannell at his side.

Brown began his tour at Nellie’s Sports Bar on U Street, N.W., and made visits to the D.C. Eagle downtown; Remington’s, Phase One and Bachelors Mill on Capitol Hill; and Ziegfeld’s in Southwest before going to Lace and Delta Elite in Northeast.

With Pannell and other campaign workers seated beside him, Brown watched Ziegfeld’s drag show, with female illusionist Donnell Robinson, who performs as Ella Fitzgerald, leading a group of drag performers. At least two of the performers had “Kwame Brown” stickers attached to their sequined gowns.

“It’s great to get out in the community and visit our local businesses that provide jobs and support the community, every community,” Brown said.

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Health

UNAIDS to commemorate Zero Discrimination Day’s 10th anniversary

UN agency urges global action to protect human rights

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A UNAIDS anti-discrimination exhibit at Tocumen International Airport in Panama in 2018. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

As the world marks the 10th anniversary of Zero Discrimination Day; UNAIDS is sounding the alarm on the increasing threats to human rights, calling for renewed efforts to protect the rights of all individuals as a fundamental step towards ensuring health for everyone.

Established by UNAIDS a decade ago, Zero Discrimination Day aims to promote equality and fairness regardless of gender, age, sexuality, ethnicity or HIV status. The progress achieved over the past years is now in jeopardy, however, due to rising attacks on the rights of women, LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima emphasized the critical link between protecting human rights and safeguarding public health. 

“The attacks on rights are a threat to freedom and democracy and are harmful to health,” she said in a press release. “Stigma and discrimination obstruct HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care and hold back progress towards ending AIDS by 2030. It is only by protecting everyone’s rights that we can protect everyone’s health.”

Despite challenges, there has been notable progress. 

At the onset of the AIDS pandemic more than 40 years ago, two-thirds of countries criminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations. They are now decriminalized in two-thirds of countries. An additional 38 countries around the world have pledged to end HIV-related stigma and discrimination, contributing to positive changes that include 50 million more girls attending school compared to 2015.

To sustain and enhance these advancements; UNAIDS urges global support for women’s rights movements, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, economic justice, climate justice and peace initiatives. By standing with communities advocating for their rights, the U.N. aims to reinforce the collective effort towards a more inclusive and equitable world.

Zero Discrimination Day is observed on March 1.

Events and activities that will take place around the world throughout the month will serve as reminders of the essential lesson and call to action: Protecting everyone’s health is synonymous with protecting everyone’s rights.

“Through upholding rights for all, we will be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and secure a safer, fairer, kinder and happier world — for everyone,” said Byanyima.

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Health

New CDC report finds transgender women at higher risk for HIV

More than 1,600 people in seven cities surveyed

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta (Photo courtesy of the CDC)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new study report this week that revealed that restricted by employment and housing discrimination and lack of access to needed gender-affirming healthcare for transgender women increasing the risk of contracting HIV. 

Researchers reviewed data from a 2019-2020 survey, the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Among Transgender Women, which found that the demographics of HIV/AIDS have been disproportionally high, especially among Black and Latina trans women, who had experienced employment and housing discrimination coupled with lack of access to gender-affirming healthcare.

The Jan. 25 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report was based on data studies of more than 1,600 trans women in seven major urban locales. Participants from Atlanta, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle were chosen by referrals from people and community-based organizations who knew or were part of the local population of trans women.

The study’s researchers noted: “Employment discrimination occurs at the overlapping nexus of poverty, homelessness, incarceration, health insurance, disability, food insecurity and survival sex work. These issues are interconnected.”

The study stated that trans women’s inability to access quality healthcare, including gender-affirming treatment or access to PrEP, and can expose them to potential incarceration as many turn to “survival sex work” and violence, which increases the risk of contracting HIV. 

The study’s author’s pointed out: “When economically marginalized transgender women are refused employment, this refusal cyclically contributes to economic hardships. This analysis …demonstrates the importance of transgender women working and living with dignity and without fear of unfair treatment.”

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Health

A Whole New Perspective on Well-Being

The Mather’s team recognizes that everyone’s wellness journey is completely unique to their life experiences and influences.

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The Mather is incorporating biophilic design—a design approach to facilitate access to nature or things that replicate natural patterns.

It’s easy to spot the distinctive, elegant silhouette of The Mather, a Life Plan Community for those 62+ opening this spring in Tysons, Virginia. What is not apparent to the naked eye is The Mather’s unique wellness philosophy, which is literally built into the community. 

The Mather’s team recognizes that everyone’s wellness journey is completely unique to their life experiences and influences.

Nature is one of the important factors that contribute to well-being. So The Mather is incorporating biophilic design—a design approach to facilitate access to nature or things that replicate natural patterns. This can include interior spaces with sightlines to a garden, choosing natural wood and stone as interior materials, or incorporating fragrant flowers and plants indoors to spark memories and provide tactile opportunities such as gardening. 

Residents of The Mather will be able to select from plentiful amenities, programs, and other offerings to target their personal wellness goals and preferences.

“Providing biophilic design within interior settings connects residents to the natural world,” says Mary Leary, CEO and President of Mather, the organization behind The Mather. “Research shows that a connection to nature provides positive benefits to mental states and overall well-being. At The Mather, biophilic design is the intersection of buildings and programs with nature in an urban setting.”

“The Mather is attracting a diverse group of older adults,” says Mary. “As a result, we aim to incorporate wellness practices from around the world, including Wyda movement theory of the Celtic Druids, which helps people achieve harmony with nature and contentment through mindfulness.” This holistic regenerative approach is similar to Qi Gong and yoga, while born in a different part of the world. Mather Institute has a special focus on mindfulness to support older adults’ practice of present moment awareness, which can lead to increased overall well-being, compassion, and joy.

A very different example of a wellness offering at The Mather is the Gharieni Welnamis spa wave bed, which uses computer-controlled vibrational therapy and audio frequencies to train the brain to relax. “The bed increases mindfulness, concentration, and creativity—all of which support our mission of creating Ways to Age Well,SM” says Mary.

These and other personalized ways to wellness will ensure that residents of The Mather can choose from seemingly countless ways to focus on their well-being. In other words, the sky’s the limit!

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