[Citizen News Service and IRMA are collaborating to amplify rectal microbicide research and advocacy, as well as IRMA-led initiatives, throughout AIDS 2012.] via Citizen News Service, by Bobby Ramakant Most men, women and transgender people who practice anal sex use some kind of a lubricant (lube) ranging from expensive and commercially marketed branded lubes to saliva or Read More >>

via NY Times, by Donald G. McNeil, Jr. Shortly after Michel Sidibé became executive director of the United Nations’ AIDS prevention agency, a court in Senegal sentenced nine gay men, all AIDS educators, to eight years in prison for “unnatural acts.” In one of his first moves as the new chief of U.N.AIDS, Mr. Sidibe flew to Read More >>

Global MSM network calls on policy makers, parliamentarians and advocates to address legal and policy barriers undermining Universal Access to HIV services This World AIDS Day, as the United Nations Global Commission on HIV and the Law draws up its final recommendations, the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) urges national legislators around the world to Read More >>

via The Guardian, by Will Storr Sexual violence is one of the most horrific weapons of war, an instrument of terror used against women. Yet huge numbers of men are also victims. In this harrowing report, Will Storr travels to Uganda to meet traumatised survivors, and reveals how male rape is endemic in many of the world’s Read More >>

via The Washington Post, by Desmond Tutu A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last month has demonstrated that antiretroviral treatment can prevent the spread of HIV, in addition to saving those infected from sickness and death. Armed with this new data, President Obama should lead the world in a massive effort to expand Read More >>

Via the Huffington Post, by Evelyn Leopold. World leaders gathered at the United Nations to mark the 30th anniversary of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and put out a 102-paragraph declaration. Adrienne Germain, the president of the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC), has been working on women’s issues all her adult life and was active in the 1994 Cairo Read More >>

by Aldona Martinka This Sunday was the thirtieth anniversary of the CDC report that would become the first mention of HIV/AIDS. IRMA is commemorating this with a short series on AIDS history. It will explore where we began, where we are now, and where we are going as we continue to battle this disease with hope and determination. This is Read More >>

via The Bay Area Reporter, by George Ayala Many gay men and women have a deep and complicated relationship with the concept of omission. The choice to leave out information about our sexual orientation can be a useful strategy when faced with the potential for an awkward, painful, or violent situation. It placates sensitivities, prevents discord, and Read More >>

“Transgender people experience significant health disparities in this country. In fact, regardless of socioeconomic status, transgender people are the most medically underserved population in the U.S.”– JoAnne Keatley, Director of the CoE for Transgender Health and the lead conference organizer (pictured) via AIDS.gov, by Jennie Anderson and Mindy Nichamin What do empowerment, discrimination, data, and health have Read More >>

via International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), by Sara Perle and John Fisher (New York, November 17, 2010) – The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and ARC International are deeply disappointed with yesterday’s vote in the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly to remove a reference to sexual orientation from Read More >>