A Smattering Of Hostility

I am just filled with rage today. Honestly, it's mostly due to things work related, but it's just spilling over into everything else. So when I opened my RSS reader over lunch to see what's going on in the world… well, I suppose I should have just left the damn thing alone and just read some more of the Sookie Stackhouse books.

If you don't read Joe.My.God, you need to check out his weekly articles on Holy Crimes. While the religious right continues to attempt to defile us queers as vile, predatory freaks, it's even more interesting to note the child molestors, child pornographers and outright scoundrels Joe brings to light every week. For people that are so obsessed with making the gays look bad, they should really take a few moment to look at their own damn people.

A new study popped up that scared the living crap out of me. 17% of gay males in Chicago are HIV-positive. Half of those men don't even know it. Why? Because they are too damned scared to go get tested. Man up. Go down to Howard Brown and get yourself tested. There is absolutely no excuse for being a sexually active gay man and not getting tested every few months. You can get free testing and you can get it confidentially. But most importantly, take care of yourself people! Be smart, wear condoms, practice other forms of sex. Sure, we may not have to live through another generation like the 80's, but you will still die from HIV and AIDS. You will still be broke from the cost of treatment and medication. You will still have a hard time getting insurance. You will still be stigmatized.

The senate, or at least one senator, is considering a bill that would repeal DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act that prevents same-sex marriage recognition at the Federal level) that would not do the same for Domestic Partnerships and Civil Unions. It's not even clear if this bill would truly afford same-sex couples federal marriage benefits, other than the right to have your marriage in one state recognized in another state. Truly, this is D.C. at it's finest: A gesture that doesn't mean a damned thing, that you have to work twice as hard to get passed, but at the end of the day makes you look like you did something good while not solving anything.

Good news for the day: Kentucky asshat Jim Bunning will not be running for office again. Good for you! Now, lets see which asshat will take his place…

Oh, and gays smoke more than straight people. If you're a LGBT person and hadn't made that casual observance yet, you need to open your eyes. Again, take care of yourselves people!

I think that's enough to raise my blood pressure to unhealthy levels for today...

Yep, Warren Is Still An Ass

Towleroad has a great article up about the Warren fiasco and why he should not be left off the hook simply because he supports AIDS charities in Africa. You should absolutely read it.

First, let's just clear the air here about AIDS charities in Africa, and this includes the Bush support of the same. AIDS in Africa is largely considered a straight problem. It's not a gay disease because gays are murdered or chased out of whatever area they live. So to say that they are helping AIDS relief in Africa is not to say that they are supporting anything pro-gay whatsoever. It is nice to see charitable work going toward such a cause, but when you consider the next part...

AIDS work in Africa is largely tied to religious organizations. Just like Bush's support, Warren's support of AIDS work in Africa revolves around avidly Christian groups. Groups that will force someone to accept Christianity as their religion or they don't get treatment. Very Christ-like...

Warren worked with one Christian ass-hat leader in particular, who, it turns out, is just a sweet heart:

"With safe sex advocates on the run, Warren and Ssempa trained their sights on another social evil. In August 2007, Ssempa led hundreds of his followers through the streets of Kampala to demand that the government mete out harsh punishments against gays. 'Arrest all homos,' read placards. And: 'A man cannot marry a man.' Ssempa continued his crusade online, publishing the names of Ugandan gay rights activists on a website he created, along with photos and home addresses. 'Homosexual promoters,' he called them, suggesting they intended to seduce Uganda’s children into their lifestyle. Soon afterwards, two of President Yoweri Museveni’s top officials demanded the arrest of the gay activists named by Ssempa. Terrified, the activists immediately into hiding."

So, to put this plainly, the man Warren supports in Africa to run his AIDS charity work is directly responsible for the persecution of LGBT folk in Africa. Warren bankrolled his operation. He is just as responsible. And Warren is the man our future President has asked to bless his Presidency and our country in 12 days. I Can't wait...

Alive And Not-So-Well

I first heard about the group Alive and Well AIDS Alternatives when I read that one of my favorite bands supported the organization. At the time, I was very torn about what to do. Foo Fighters remains one of the best bands to emerge from the 90's, yet I don't support Alive and Well's message. Alive and Well is an organization that believes that HIV doesn't lead to AIDS, and that HIV meds either cause AIDS, lead to AIDS, or inhibit your life by sucking away your money needlessly. Instead, they promote a "healthy alternative" to HIV treatment, advocating exorcise, proper diet, and vitamins can manage HIV and prolong the life of a person afflicted by the disease.

Recently, one of the biggest proponents of the group died at the age of 52. While her death due to complications of AIDS is tragic enough, the true tragedy comes to light when you understand that she was HIV positive when she had her daughters, and refused to test her daughters for the disease because she did not believe that HIV could be spread through the womb or during birth.

It saddens me a lot when I hear this kind of story, because it seems to me that this woman was so full of hope… but it was, sadly, misplaced hope that ultimately led to her's and her daughter's death. She believed so strongly in this alternative that she refuted science and science's proven methods to extending the life of an HIV/AIDS victim. I have to wonder how much more of a positive affect she would have had if she had continued to placed her energy toward promoting AIDS research and funding and the legislation that surrounds it.

I don't know what to make of these groups and people that support them though. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a victim of such a horrible disease, but I also can't truly imagine looking proven realities in the face and saying "You're Wrong!" You don't get the chance to bargain with nature, so pushing a line doesn't work. It's not political. No amount of protesting or arguing or law-making will change the fact that HIV leads to AIDS, and without proper treatment, it will kill you.

So, when my boys in Foo Fighters support such an organization, I have to question my loyalty to the band. There was a time when a new Foo Fighters album was a no-brainer purchase for me. But now I'm not so sure about that. I expect those in celebrity positions, people that can influence others for good or for worse, to understand what they are backing before they do so, and I'm not really sure Dave Grohl and friends get it. Maybe they were misinformed about the whole deal, but misinformation still does not wash the blood off your hands when it leads to unnecessary deaths.