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NAPWA prepares for National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Frank Oldham stressed it remains important to honor those lost to the epidemic

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Gay News, Washington Blade, Gay AIDS, Gay HIV

NAPWA President Frank Oldham, Jr. (Photo courtesy of NAPWA)

The head of the National Association of People with AIDS stressed that he feels it remains important to honor those who have lost their battle with the virus.

“We deserve to have our own day because we have to commemorate,” said Frank Oldham, Jr., as he discussed National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day that will take place on Sept. 27. “For me, AIDS has always been the Holocaust for gay men, gay men of color. It doesn’t matter. This for our community is the worst thing that happened to us, so I’m very proud that we have National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.”

NAPWA will mark National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which it first organized in 2008, with a day-long conference at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in downtown Washington on Sept. 28. It will feature panels on gay men and HIV/AIDS policy, the impact that the 2010 health care reform law that President Obama signed has had on those with the virus, dating among those who are positive and other topics. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray is also scheduled to hold a press conference with NAPWA outside the Wilson Building to commemorate National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Oldham noted that NAPWA has also invited Human Rights Campaign staffers, gay doctors with HIV and other HIV/AIDS service providers to participate in the conference. He said his organization has also invited California Congresswomen Barbara Lee and Maxine Waters, Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, gay U.S. Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Dr. Gregory Pappas of the D.C. Department of Health’s HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Disease and Tuberculosis Administration to take part.

HIV/AIDS activists and others will also release balloons in Dupont Circle to commemorate those who were lost to the virus on the day itself.

“This day is important because of our history,” said Oldham, who lived in New York City’s Chelsea and Greenwich Village neighborhoods during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. “It’s as important as Stonewall because it’s a mark on our history.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.2 million Americans were living with HIV at the end of 2008 — and 20 percent of them were unaware of their status. The CDC further estimates that men who have sex with men accounted for 49 percent of people with the virus in the United States during this same period. White and black MSM were the groups with the highest rate of new infections in 2009.

The CDC further noted that the epidemic has killed nearly 594,000 Americans since it reported the first cases of what became known as AIDS in 1981.

Oldham, who tested positive for the HIV virus 23 years ago, said that homophobia, racism and socio-economic status within communities of color remain barriers in preventing the spread of HIV and treating those with the virus.

“That’s a huge barrier, especially for people who are poor and disenfranchised,” he said. “Today we have an opportunity as gay men to talk about homophobia as a barrier, being open, being out and saying to people get tested, know your status. But also we have an opportunity to prevent new infections and we need to be part of the solution.”

Oldham also defended his comments to the Washington Blade ahead of last year’s National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day where he described bathhouses, circuit parties and other gatherings as part of a “beautiful, gay male culture.”

“The bathhouses, the circuit parties, the cafes, the gayborhoods we call home are all part of that culture as well as marriage — the right to get married,” he said. “For two gay men who want to get married, who want to adopt kids, who want to raise a family like that, that’s all part of it. The beautiful thing about gay male culture is that it represents so many different kinds of people.”

Oldham, who lead the city’s response to HIV/AIDS under then-Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly in the early 1990s, further applauded D.C.’s response to the epidemic. He specifically praised the nation’s capital’s treatment-on-demand that connects people with HIV to care and the city’s needle exchange program that has prompted a 72 percent decrease in new infections among intravenous drug between 2007 and 2010.

“We have a city that I think for PWAs [people with AIDS] is one of the best places that you can possibly live—there’s care, there’s compassion. Of course there’s going to be AIDS stigma and homophobia in some places, but having a mayor that takes the leadership in preventing that and is outspoken about that makes a big difference,” said Oldham, who stressed he would like to see D.C. secure additional federal funding to further sustain these programs. “The District has become what I wanted it to become when I was here, the national model for how you deal with AIDS in a major city. And it is to be commended for it.”

Oldham also praised the national HIV/AIDS strategy that the Obama administration announced in 2010.

“HIV for all the tragedy that it has brought, has really forced us to have the opportunity to advance our social justice issues,” he said, noting it specifically calls for the reduction of homophobia and anti-AIDS stigma through culturally competent prevention and treatment programs. “By implementing the national AIDS strategy, you have to enforce the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS so when they get tested, they don’t go to jail. It begins to enforce things like that.”

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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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