ER Visit & Averting Pneumonia
After three days of being sick with a few ailments, I can now blog about what's been going on with my health.
I went to the emergency room at Davies hospital in the Castro yesterday morning, to have the medical staff determine what was causing nasty coughing, night sweats and aches all over. Numerous test results showed I was suffering from bronchitis and the flu.
The attending physician, after looking at my extensive medical history, said she was putting me on antibiotic and wanted me to keep taking my AIDS cocktail. Acting more like a big sister than an ER doctor, she told me to not only take all those meds but to avoid going out of the house for the next couple days to avert contracting pneumonia again.
When I said a bit of pricking from acupuncture needles would do me much good, especially with my breathing problems, the doctor said if I had the energy to get to my acupuncture clinic to take advantage of some alternative healing.
Let me say thank you to the ER doctors and two nurses for their care and concerns. Oh, and it really helped that both nurses made me laugh when I didn't notice the ER hallways, exam rooms and bathroom had been redecorated since my last visit.
"Guess this means my 'gay card' for 2013 won't be renewed," I said between coughs.
Between the drugs and alternative healing, including laughing, I hope the worst of this multi-sickness episode is behind me.
Reports, proud muckraking, photos, videos and musings from the veteran LGBT and AIDS human rights advocate Michael Petrelis. Based in San Francisco since 1995. Contact: MPetrelis_at_AOL_dot_com. Vote Petrelis for BART Board District 9 in November!
Sunday, January 06, 2013
Weekend Woof Hiatus
This was not a good week for my pulmonary system, so my doctor recommended staying at home to avoid exposure to people with the flu. He could hear my wheezing over the telephone.
After the bout with pneumonia in the spring that put me in the hospital, my doctor and I want me to get through the cold season without contracting the flu. I wasn't able to get out and about like normal to run errands for Mike and I, and snap photos of handsome men, so my Weekend Woof series is on hiatus this weekend.
Hope you're also avoiding the flu and staying warm, during this wet and cold time in San Francisco.
This was not a good week for my pulmonary system, so my doctor recommended staying at home to avoid exposure to people with the flu. He could hear my wheezing over the telephone.
After the bout with pneumonia in the spring that put me in the hospital, my doctor and I want me to get through the cold season without contracting the flu. I wasn't able to get out and about like normal to run errands for Mike and I, and snap photos of handsome men, so my Weekend Woof series is on hiatus this weekend.
Hope you're also avoiding the flu and staying warm, during this wet and cold time in San Francisco.
Saturday, January 05, 2013
EU Report Slams Turkey's Anti-Gay Record
A leader with the Turkish LGBT group KAOS, Ali Erol, issued an alert about a newly released assessment by the European Union regarding Turkey's request to join the EU because the report highlights the country's deplorable queer human rights record.
Ali writes that the Minister of EU Affairs, speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and their ruling AK Party, dismissed the report as "subjective, biased, unfounded, and contained bigoted attitudes. The EU has damaged its own credibility with the Turkey report".
KAOS pointed out that "although the government of Turkey claims they have prepared their own report that allegedly takes into account the EU’s previous criticisms and recommendations; it is sadly understood our government doesn't take into account the EU Commission’s yearly repetitions for elimination of discrimination against LGBTs in Turkey."
By the way, let's all congratulate Ali, pictured, for receiving the David Kato Vision and Voice Award back in November for his decades of human rights activism and writing. Thanks, Ali, for your service to the global gay community and informing us of the EU slamming Turkey's gay rights record.
Excerpted from the EU 2012 Turkish progress report:
The relevant parliamentary committee amended the draft to remove references to discrimination on grounds of sexual identity or sexual orientation. The current legal framework is not in line with the EU acquis. There is discrimination against individuals along ethnic, religious, sexual identity and other lines . . .
However lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons continued to suffer discrimination, intimidation and were the victims of violent crime. LGBT employees and civil servants have been fired on the grounds of sexual orientation. Other reported spheres of discrimination against LGBT individuals include access to housing and to health services (especially in the case of transgender persons).
Violations of the right to life, torture, ill-treatment and cases of sexual assault that occurred against LGBTs in Turkey during 2011 have been reported . . .
Articles of the Turkish Criminal Code on ‘public exhibitionism’ and ‘offences against public morality’ and also articles of the Law on Misdemeanours were widely used to discriminate against and to impose fines on LGBT people. The repeated application of the principle of ‘unjust provocation’ in favour of perpetrators of crimes against transsexuals and transvestites is a major concern.
The internal rules of the Turkish armed forces continue to define homosexuality as a ‘psychosexual’ illness and to declare homosexuals unfit for military service. Substantial government efforts are still needed to effectively protect vulnerable groups, including women, children, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals from societal abuse, discrimination and violence.
(In December, members of KAOS protested the murder of an unidentified transgender woman in Istanbul.)
A leader with the Turkish LGBT group KAOS, Ali Erol, issued an alert about a newly released assessment by the European Union regarding Turkey's request to join the EU because the report highlights the country's deplorable queer human rights record.
Ali writes that the Minister of EU Affairs, speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and their ruling AK Party, dismissed the report as "subjective, biased, unfounded, and contained bigoted attitudes. The EU has damaged its own credibility with the Turkey report".
KAOS pointed out that "although the government of Turkey claims they have prepared their own report that allegedly takes into account the EU’s previous criticisms and recommendations; it is sadly understood our government doesn't take into account the EU Commission’s yearly repetitions for elimination of discrimination against LGBTs in Turkey."
By the way, let's all congratulate Ali, pictured, for receiving the David Kato Vision and Voice Award back in November for his decades of human rights activism and writing. Thanks, Ali, for your service to the global gay community and informing us of the EU slamming Turkey's gay rights record.
Excerpted from the EU 2012 Turkish progress report:
The relevant parliamentary committee amended the draft to remove references to discrimination on grounds of sexual identity or sexual orientation. The current legal framework is not in line with the EU acquis. There is discrimination against individuals along ethnic, religious, sexual identity and other lines . . .
However lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons continued to suffer discrimination, intimidation and were the victims of violent crime. LGBT employees and civil servants have been fired on the grounds of sexual orientation. Other reported spheres of discrimination against LGBT individuals include access to housing and to health services (especially in the case of transgender persons).
Violations of the right to life, torture, ill-treatment and cases of sexual assault that occurred against LGBTs in Turkey during 2011 have been reported . . .
Articles of the Turkish Criminal Code on ‘public exhibitionism’ and ‘offences against public morality’ and also articles of the Law on Misdemeanours were widely used to discriminate against and to impose fines on LGBT people. The repeated application of the principle of ‘unjust provocation’ in favour of perpetrators of crimes against transsexuals and transvestites is a major concern.
The internal rules of the Turkish armed forces continue to define homosexuality as a ‘psychosexual’ illness and to declare homosexuals unfit for military service. Substantial government efforts are still needed to effectively protect vulnerable groups, including women, children, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals from societal abuse, discrimination and violence.
Greek Gays Excluded from Hate Crime Decree
Andrea Gilbert, an American expat living Greece is a spokesperson for the Athens Pride organization and she is circulating a news release detailing how LGBT citizens are excluded from taking advantage of resources to combat hate crimes.
The Athens Pride releases mentions that one anti-gay attack was spurred on by a member of the rightwing political party New Dawn who also retains a seat in parliament. New Dawn's leaders have exploited the economic crisis to stir up racism and xenophobia across Greece.
Let's wish the Greek gay community all the best in forcing their government and police forces to take hate crimes against us seriously, and work with LGBT leaders to create bodies and policies that protect gays.
From the Athens Pride release:
Greek lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender persons who suffer homophobic and transphobic attacks will have no access to the new specialized Hate Crime Units, because Greek lawmakers have willfully omitted all reference to sexual orientation and gender identity from the new “anti-racist” Presidential Decree, contravening European Union recommendations.
Drafted by the Minister of Public Order and Citizen Protection Nikolas-Georgios Dendias and signed by the President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias, on 12 September 2012, the Decree establishes specialized hate crime units for addressing racist violence within the General Police Directorates of Attica and Thessaloniki and relevant offices within police stations with a mission to prevent and investigate such crimes.
However, as stated in Article 1 of the Decree, these agencies will handle only “offenses committed against persons or group of persons exclusively and solely because of their racial or ethnic origin or their religion.” . . .
By blatantly disregarding the problem of homophobic and transphobic crimes in Greek society, the public agency mandated to protect all its citizens is essentially denying the personhood of some of its most vulnerable members. This is particularly disgraceful given the recent spate of documented assaults on LGBT persons and groups, at least one incited by a Golden Dawn parliamentarian.
The actual number of assaults is impossible to estimate because gays, lesbians and transgender persons overwhelmingly refuse to report hate crimes to the police.
Andrea Gilbert, an American expat living Greece is a spokesperson for the Athens Pride organization and she is circulating a news release detailing how LGBT citizens are excluded from taking advantage of resources to combat hate crimes.
The Athens Pride releases mentions that one anti-gay attack was spurred on by a member of the rightwing political party New Dawn who also retains a seat in parliament. New Dawn's leaders have exploited the economic crisis to stir up racism and xenophobia across Greece.
Let's wish the Greek gay community all the best in forcing their government and police forces to take hate crimes against us seriously, and work with LGBT leaders to create bodies and policies that protect gays.
From the Athens Pride release:
Greek lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender persons who suffer homophobic and transphobic attacks will have no access to the new specialized Hate Crime Units, because Greek lawmakers have willfully omitted all reference to sexual orientation and gender identity from the new “anti-racist” Presidential Decree, contravening European Union recommendations.
Drafted by the Minister of Public Order and Citizen Protection Nikolas-Georgios Dendias and signed by the President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias, on 12 September 2012, the Decree establishes specialized hate crime units for addressing racist violence within the General Police Directorates of Attica and Thessaloniki and relevant offices within police stations with a mission to prevent and investigate such crimes.
However, as stated in Article 1 of the Decree, these agencies will handle only “offenses committed against persons or group of persons exclusively and solely because of their racial or ethnic origin or their religion.” . . .
By blatantly disregarding the problem of homophobic and transphobic crimes in Greek society, the public agency mandated to protect all its citizens is essentially denying the personhood of some of its most vulnerable members. This is particularly disgraceful given the recent spate of documented assaults on LGBT persons and groups, at least one incited by a Golden Dawn parliamentarian.
The actual number of assaults is impossible to estimate because gays, lesbians and transgender persons overwhelmingly refuse to report hate crimes to the police.
84 Violent LGBT Murders in Honduras Since 2005
In October, a courageous gay Honduran leader named Erick Martinez spent a few weeks in California on a speaking tour educating LGBT and progressive political audiences about the problems facing LGBT citizens in his country.
At town halls, Erick presented an informative PowerPoint overview of Honduran politics since the democratically elected government was overthrown by rightwing military forces on June 28, 2009, and the links between gay activists, labor and peasant farmer organizers and moderate politicians resisting the coup.
Erick educated audiences about the situation using an array of slides that drove home key points about life since the coup, especially for LGBTI people. Since returning to Honduras, Erick has kindly shared with me all of his slides, which are posted here. Muchas gracias, mi amigo!
This slide shows statistics from 2005 through October 2012 for violent murders of 84 gay, lesbian and transgender persons, the majority of which have not been investigated by the police and no persons were charged, prosecuted or sentenced over the killings.
Among the murdered are five lesbians, 35 gay men, 35 male-to-female transgenders and 9 persons of unknown sexual identity.
In this slide, Erick reminded us one of the gay men behind the statistics was his friend and colleague Erick Avila. He was murdered in Tegucigalpa in May and after he was killed, his corpse was left in a ditch as seen on the right.
Another slide was illustrated with photos, left, of an unnamed transgender woman who was brutally assaulted and survived the attack, and murdered later on.
On the right is the late Walter Trochez in photos taken while he was still alive and active fighting for liberty and justice.
Speaking on behalf of Gays Without Borders, which has staged many solidarity actions with the LGBTI people and their allies in Honduras, I again salute the work of Erick Martinez and everyone resisting the rightwing government and demanding prosecutions in the murders of LGBTI people and labor and peasant organizers.
In October, a courageous gay Honduran leader named Erick Martinez spent a few weeks in California on a speaking tour educating LGBT and progressive political audiences about the problems facing LGBT citizens in his country.
At town halls, Erick presented an informative PowerPoint overview of Honduran politics since the democratically elected government was overthrown by rightwing military forces on June 28, 2009, and the links between gay activists, labor and peasant farmer organizers and moderate politicians resisting the coup.
Erick educated audiences about the situation using an array of slides that drove home key points about life since the coup, especially for LGBTI people. Since returning to Honduras, Erick has kindly shared with me all of his slides, which are posted here. Muchas gracias, mi amigo!
This slide shows statistics from 2005 through October 2012 for violent murders of 84 gay, lesbian and transgender persons, the majority of which have not been investigated by the police and no persons were charged, prosecuted or sentenced over the killings.
Among the murdered are five lesbians, 35 gay men, 35 male-to-female transgenders and 9 persons of unknown sexual identity.
In this slide, Erick reminded us one of the gay men behind the statistics was his friend and colleague Erick Avila. He was murdered in Tegucigalpa in May and after he was killed, his corpse was left in a ditch as seen on the right.
Another slide was illustrated with photos, left, of an unnamed transgender woman who was brutally assaulted and survived the attack, and murdered later on.
On the right is the late Walter Trochez in photos taken while he was still alive and active fighting for liberty and justice.
Speaking on behalf of Gays Without Borders, which has staged many solidarity actions with the LGBTI people and their allies in Honduras, I again salute the work of Erick Martinez and everyone resisting the rightwing government and demanding prosecutions in the murders of LGBTI people and labor and peasant organizers.
Friday, January 04, 2013
Thursday, January 03, 2013
IRS 990:
NRA ED's Pay Fell 45% in 2011
As part of my effort to sunshine the National Rifle Association, I blogged here about how it does not post any IRS 990s or annual reports on its site or that of the NRA Foundation, and here about the latter's 2011 annual report and the lack of black people in the photos or among the leadership circles.
Rick Tedrick, the chief financial officer for the NRA, denied my request to provide me via email with digital copies of the 2011 tax filings for the group and its foundation. He snail mailed me the filings and I've scanned and posted the two-pages of keen interest to me.
The first page, above, for the NRA's 2011 IRS 990 reveals revenue that year was at $218.9 million compared to $$227.8 million the previous year, while running a deficit of $12 million in 2011 and $15.7 million in 2010.
The NRA's nest egg assets were listed at $149.8 million in 2011, down from $163.7 million in assets the previous year.
Pay attention to the date it was accepted by the NRA's treasurer and submitted to the IRS. The date was November 7, nearly two months ago. Federal law requires tax exempt organizations to make their latest 990s available for public inspection on the day they submit the filing to the IRS. That is the reason why Tedrick had to share the 990s with me.
The second page I've scanned listed the pay of the top officers and directors of the organization. It shows that Kayne B. Robinson, the executive director of the NRA received $593,880 for his services in 2011.
However, in 2010 Robinson was compensated $1,079,185 according to the filing for that year. Click here to read that filing, no registration required, thanks to the Foundation Center. The salary info is on page 27.
That compensation reduction for Robinson of $485,297 means the percentage drop was a whopping 45%.
What about the public face of the NRA and its chief executive officer, Wayne LaPierre, and his compensation?
In 2010 LaPierre was paid $970,300 and during 2011 received $972,000 for his leadership and service. He took home an additional $1,700 or 0.17% more in compensation last year, which means he didn't keep pace with the rate of inflation.
I asked Tedrick some questions - would the NRA immediately post the 2011 tax filings to their sites, why the steep drop in Robinson's pay and a very minor increase for LaPierre, how about linking to the filings at the Foundation Center or GuideStar - and hoped to have a conversation with him about these fiscal transparency matters.
Tedrick replied:
The NRA has provided you more than all the necessary information as required by law. The questions posed . . . are beyond that threshold.
You can contact him here, RTedrick@nrahq.org, and request that the IRS 990s be snail mailed to you. Anyone in San Francisco who has the resources to scan and share hundreds of pages of the two 990s and two annual reports, should contact me so we can make arrangements for me to get you the documents.
NRA ED's Pay Fell 45% in 2011
As part of my effort to sunshine the National Rifle Association, I blogged here about how it does not post any IRS 990s or annual reports on its site or that of the NRA Foundation, and here about the latter's 2011 annual report and the lack of black people in the photos or among the leadership circles.
Rick Tedrick, the chief financial officer for the NRA, denied my request to provide me via email with digital copies of the 2011 tax filings for the group and its foundation. He snail mailed me the filings and I've scanned and posted the two-pages of keen interest to me.
The first page, above, for the NRA's 2011 IRS 990 reveals revenue that year was at $218.9 million compared to $$227.8 million the previous year, while running a deficit of $12 million in 2011 and $15.7 million in 2010.
The NRA's nest egg assets were listed at $149.8 million in 2011, down from $163.7 million in assets the previous year.
Pay attention to the date it was accepted by the NRA's treasurer and submitted to the IRS. The date was November 7, nearly two months ago. Federal law requires tax exempt organizations to make their latest 990s available for public inspection on the day they submit the filing to the IRS. That is the reason why Tedrick had to share the 990s with me.
The second page I've scanned listed the pay of the top officers and directors of the organization. It shows that Kayne B. Robinson, the executive director of the NRA received $593,880 for his services in 2011.
However, in 2010 Robinson was compensated $1,079,185 according to the filing for that year. Click here to read that filing, no registration required, thanks to the Foundation Center. The salary info is on page 27.
That compensation reduction for Robinson of $485,297 means the percentage drop was a whopping 45%.
What about the public face of the NRA and its chief executive officer, Wayne LaPierre, and his compensation?
In 2010 LaPierre was paid $970,300 and during 2011 received $972,000 for his leadership and service. He took home an additional $1,700 or 0.17% more in compensation last year, which means he didn't keep pace with the rate of inflation.
I asked Tedrick some questions - would the NRA immediately post the 2011 tax filings to their sites, why the steep drop in Robinson's pay and a very minor increase for LaPierre, how about linking to the filings at the Foundation Center or GuideStar - and hoped to have a conversation with him about these fiscal transparency matters.
Tedrick replied:
The NRA has provided you more than all the necessary information as required by law. The questions posed . . . are beyond that threshold.
You can contact him here, RTedrick@nrahq.org, and request that the IRS 990s be snail mailed to you. Anyone in San Francisco who has the resources to scan and share hundreds of pages of the two 990s and two annual reports, should contact me so we can make arrangements for me to get you the documents.
NRA Annual Report:
Whites Only, No Blacks in Photos
(Cover of the 2011 NRA Foundation's annual report. The photo on the left in the bottom row is Sharon LaPierre, wife of Wayne LaPierre, who is the co-chair of the group's Women's Leadership Forum.)
On Monday, I blogged about lack of even minimal fiscal transparency at the National Rifle Association and the NRA Foundation, and today I turn my attention to two documents snail mailed to me by Rick Tedrick who's the chief financial officer for both nonprofits.
By the way, my post on the NRA executive director's pay falling 45% in 2011, according to the new IRS 990 for the group, is here.
Because nonprofits are not required under any federal statutes to post their annual reports, the NRA does not make the documents open to public inspection in a few clicks, and this means only a handful of Americans are familiar with the documents. That needs to change.
The NRA's annual report is full of financial statements and contains a single photo, that of their headquarters in Virginia.
But the latest annual report for the NRA Foundation is bursting with color photos and primarily of women leaders of the groups or ordinary members, and sheds light on other parts of the gun empire.
There's a three-page spread on the Women's Leadership Forum and reading it I learned that the co-chair is Sharon LaPierre, who is married to the chief executive officer and public face of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre. Who knew he was married and that his wife worked for the NRA?
She is featured above with the photo and quote on the bottom of the page.
The other members of the women's forum are shown in slightly smaller photos, three to a page. Racial diversity does not appear to be part of the NRA agenda in terms of who runs the group and its various components.
More women leaders of the NRA and no black women among them. Heck, photos of black people are completely omitted from the report. No, it didn't surprise me to not see a single African-American man or woman in the many photos because I see the NRA as a branch of the Tea Party-influenced Grand Old Party, and we all know how white the Republican leadership circles are.
The Firearms for Freedom page is illustrated with an image of a smiling mother, who donated her late husband's firearms to the NRA, along with her grinning daughter.
On the Golden Ring of Freedom page, there's a mix of photos showcasing addition NRA members and they're all white. Notice how the executives are in dark suits while the Golden Ring of Freedom folks are all wearing golden jackets.
Even if there were African-Americans among the NRA leadership or included in the dozens of photos in the annual report, I'd still have major differences with the organization and their outsized influence on our nation's gun policies.
I just want to call attention to who is included or missing from this one NRA report.
My favorite page, because it's all head shots and in glorious black-and-white, is the one for the board of trustees and officers.
One task we need to carry out after the Newtown massacre as the nation debates reducing gun violence and fatalities is to bring sunshine to the leadership of the NRA. To accomplish this, someone with resources larger than I possess needs to contact Tedrick at the NRA, obtain the documents, scan and post them on the web.
Unfortunately, Tedrick denied my request to share the annual reports with me in digital format, which would have made it easy for me to share them their entirety. You can contact Tedrick at RTedrick@nrahq.org.
Whites Only, No Blacks in Photos
(Cover of the 2011 NRA Foundation's annual report. The photo on the left in the bottom row is Sharon LaPierre, wife of Wayne LaPierre, who is the co-chair of the group's Women's Leadership Forum.)
On Monday, I blogged about lack of even minimal fiscal transparency at the National Rifle Association and the NRA Foundation, and today I turn my attention to two documents snail mailed to me by Rick Tedrick who's the chief financial officer for both nonprofits.
By the way, my post on the NRA executive director's pay falling 45% in 2011, according to the new IRS 990 for the group, is here.
Because nonprofits are not required under any federal statutes to post their annual reports, the NRA does not make the documents open to public inspection in a few clicks, and this means only a handful of Americans are familiar with the documents. That needs to change.
The NRA's annual report is full of financial statements and contains a single photo, that of their headquarters in Virginia.
But the latest annual report for the NRA Foundation is bursting with color photos and primarily of women leaders of the groups or ordinary members, and sheds light on other parts of the gun empire.
There's a three-page spread on the Women's Leadership Forum and reading it I learned that the co-chair is Sharon LaPierre, who is married to the chief executive officer and public face of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre. Who knew he was married and that his wife worked for the NRA?
She is featured above with the photo and quote on the bottom of the page.
The other members of the women's forum are shown in slightly smaller photos, three to a page. Racial diversity does not appear to be part of the NRA agenda in terms of who runs the group and its various components.
More women leaders of the NRA and no black women among them. Heck, photos of black people are completely omitted from the report. No, it didn't surprise me to not see a single African-American man or woman in the many photos because I see the NRA as a branch of the Tea Party-influenced Grand Old Party, and we all know how white the Republican leadership circles are.
The Firearms for Freedom page is illustrated with an image of a smiling mother, who donated her late husband's firearms to the NRA, along with her grinning daughter.
On the Golden Ring of Freedom page, there's a mix of photos showcasing addition NRA members and they're all white. Notice how the executives are in dark suits while the Golden Ring of Freedom folks are all wearing golden jackets.
Even if there were African-Americans among the NRA leadership or included in the dozens of photos in the annual report, I'd still have major differences with the organization and their outsized influence on our nation's gun policies.
I just want to call attention to who is included or missing from this one NRA report.
My favorite page, because it's all head shots and in glorious black-and-white, is the one for the board of trustees and officers.
One task we need to carry out after the Newtown massacre as the nation debates reducing gun violence and fatalities is to bring sunshine to the leadership of the NRA. To accomplish this, someone with resources larger than I possess needs to contact Tedrick at the NRA, obtain the documents, scan and post them on the web.
Unfortunately, Tedrick denied my request to share the annual reports with me in digital format, which would have made it easy for me to share them their entirety. You can contact Tedrick at RTedrick@nrahq.org.
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
DPH: 77 People Enrolled in SF/Miami PrEP HIV Trial
The November monthly sexually transmitted disease report from the SF Department of Public Health provides information about their PrEP trial, looking at using Truvada among high-risk HIV negative folks to avert new infections.
So far, 77 individuals in San Francisco and Miami are enrolled in the trial. Looks like a good number, considering there has been less than three-months to recruit and enroll qualified folks.
If it's found that Truvada is a safe and effective drug for prevention purposes, we'll have one additional tool to reduce HIV transmissions.
Click here to access the DPH page for trial enrollment. From the report:
We are excited to announce that San Francisco City Clinic, in collaboration with Bridge HIV, has launched The Demo Project [which] is the first demonstration project in the United States assessing the feasibility, safety and acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation in STD clinics . . .
The Demo Project will enroll up to 300 HIV-uninfected gay and bi men and transgender women at the San Francisco City Clinic, and an additional 200 participants at a Department of Health STD clinic in Miami, Florida.
The project launched at the end of September and to date we have enrolled 57 participants in San Francisco and 25 in Miami. HIV negative gay and bi men and transwomen interested in participating in the project should call (415) 487-5537 to schedule a PrEP screening visit or inquire about the project at their next City Clinic visit.
The November monthly sexually transmitted disease report from the SF Department of Public Health provides information about their PrEP trial, looking at using Truvada among high-risk HIV negative folks to avert new infections.
So far, 77 individuals in San Francisco and Miami are enrolled in the trial. Looks like a good number, considering there has been less than three-months to recruit and enroll qualified folks.
If it's found that Truvada is a safe and effective drug for prevention purposes, we'll have one additional tool to reduce HIV transmissions.
Click here to access the DPH page for trial enrollment. From the report:
We are excited to announce that San Francisco City Clinic, in collaboration with Bridge HIV, has launched The Demo Project [which] is the first demonstration project in the United States assessing the feasibility, safety and acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation in STD clinics . . .
The Demo Project will enroll up to 300 HIV-uninfected gay and bi men and transgender women at the San Francisco City Clinic, and an additional 200 participants at a Department of Health STD clinic in Miami, Florida.
The project launched at the end of September and to date we have enrolled 57 participants in San Francisco and 25 in Miami. HIV negative gay and bi men and transwomen interested in participating in the project should call (415) 487-5537 to schedule a PrEP screening visit or inquire about the project at their next City Clinic visit.
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
San Francisco Lost 5 Movie Screens in 2012
Best wishes to everyone for a prosperous and healthy and happy new year, as lucky 2013 begins.
And as 2012 draws to a close, I wish mark the end of the year by remembering the three movie theatres in San Francisco that either closed or no longer offer programming.
The Landmark Theatres chain shuttered the single-screen Bridge Theatre out on Geary Boulevard last week and back in September, the chain closed the three-screen mini-plex Lumiere Theatre on California near Polk Street.
The fifth screen to go dark was at the New People Cinema under the direction of the San Francisco Film Society. For just over a year, Bay Area cineastes enjoyed daily programming at this state of the art theatre on Post Street in Japantown.
But the audience simply didn't materialize for the small films from the festival circuit, and I'm proud to say I made it to several screenings and promoted the venue, urging readers and friends to catch a film there.
Besides missing such challenging and rewarding fare as "The Turin Horse" and "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia", and supporting the Film Society's worthy foray into regular programming, I'll also miss the films playing without 15-20 minutes of loud and obnoxious coming attractions.
Let's all play a role in keeping our remaining single-screen and art house theatre alive and thriving. Take in a movie at the Castro or the Roxie or the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Screening Room or the Vogue and Clay venues in Pacific Heights or the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley or the Rafael Film Center up in Marin County, and bring a friend.
Best wishes to everyone for a prosperous and healthy and happy new year, as lucky 2013 begins.
And as 2012 draws to a close, I wish mark the end of the year by remembering the three movie theatres in San Francisco that either closed or no longer offer programming.
The Landmark Theatres chain shuttered the single-screen Bridge Theatre out on Geary Boulevard last week and back in September, the chain closed the three-screen mini-plex Lumiere Theatre on California near Polk Street.
The fifth screen to go dark was at the New People Cinema under the direction of the San Francisco Film Society. For just over a year, Bay Area cineastes enjoyed daily programming at this state of the art theatre on Post Street in Japantown.
But the audience simply didn't materialize for the small films from the festival circuit, and I'm proud to say I made it to several screenings and promoted the venue, urging readers and friends to catch a film there.
Besides missing such challenging and rewarding fare as "The Turin Horse" and "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia", and supporting the Film Society's worthy foray into regular programming, I'll also miss the films playing without 15-20 minutes of loud and obnoxious coming attractions.
Let's all play a role in keeping our remaining single-screen and art house theatre alive and thriving. Take in a movie at the Castro or the Roxie or the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Screening Room or the Vogue and Clay venues in Pacific Heights or the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley or the Rafael Film Center up in Marin County, and bring a friend.
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