Historical distortions, achievements & claims of firsts

While it is not LGBT history month yet as carried on this blog and sister blog GLBTQJA I was forced in a sense to address this issue of ‘firsts’ by some of my older readers who are reading such claims made elsewhere and are asking where are the previous achievements? Persons have been picking their memories on occurrences prior. Whenever we are not interested in being guided by our history we are bound to make mistakes repeatedly and make claims of first in ignorance or misnaming said claims; how many times have we heard the old adage a people who do not know their past are doomed in the future or should use said past to inform their future. While it is commendable to a certain extent to see the push for visibility and continued work the recent claims of firsts is where I am going in terms of the pride week activities by our good friends JFLAG, someone placed on Facebook and elsewhere the claim that they hosted the first ever LGBT sports day which as it turns out is not necessarily true. In the nineteen year history of the entity of which I was apart for over some 16 years we have had some sort of sports days involving lesbian football teams, a table tennis tournament with cash prizes paid out to winners, male netball teams who play in parish tournaments with the combined teams playing overseas as well, interest also came from the Sunshine Girls in a previous dispensation of not only playing with the boys but also training with them as it aided the ladies in tightening their game.

Trouble is we are not very good at properly documenting our journey, an issue I have always had a problem with and continue to, hence this entry. It flies in the face of the aforementioned participants and their role in the slow raising of the visibility of LGBT people in Jamaica; I can recall the backlash the male netballers received when the major dailies paid some attention to them; upon winning a major championship in Trinidad the press did not want to interview them, the local parish championships at the arena fields had it share of issues, there was no social media around then to do their own press so the photos and cut outs of articles were archived somewhere are near lost or forgotten. Speaking of archives to show the lack of appreciation of journeys past and how we got here just think back to the Gay Freedom Movement archives and how they were (mis)treated; after much quarrels they were finally reposed to the co founder Larry Chang, who is also a co-founder of JFLAG. Sadly when requested of previous members of the netball teams or even the cheerleaders they either cannot find the photos or cannot be bothered to go hunting them down; then we wonder why their own legacies are being effectively white washed.

also see:

LGBT History Month: Gay Freedom Movement archives properly re-posited overseas

from the archives Gareth Henry (left) in the male netball team uniform at the Stadium east field with members of the public and LGBT populations watching

some male netballers note that all are gay in this photo

The infamous matches at the Lela Robinson netball courts or the national arena east field courts back in the day were legendary as neighbouring basketball matches would come to a stop in some instances to watch, tease, throw homophobic remarks or just express surprise at men playing netball and doing it damned good. Even school coaches would join in, in recruiting players to guide their young female teams and some former players also sojourn into coaching with one main face that is almost a fixture on quality netballing in Jamaica. The contributions of the late Steve Harvey to the coaching aspect of the sport is also not to be outdone

art display from Pridefest 2011

Then there is the issue of the claim of first Pride in 2015, a claim that rubbed some folks the wrong way in the community as what should have been the clarification is the first ‘public’ pride; to say first pride ever suggests no such activity took place prior and is a slap in the face to event planners and even JFLAG itself when previous programs managers such as Emily Paul had pride events though low keyed were marketed to the LGBT populations with various events. Under Gareth Henry’s tenure the legendary Harmonica Sunbeam performed in Jamaica to a sold out crowd in 2004 during the gaycipation weekend as we termed it then. Then there was the Pridefest initiative by the now defunct Couture Elements team of which loads of photos are available thankfully. Pridefest combined business alongside the arts and identity themes successfully; JFLAG ironically was invited to set up a booth there to which they snubbed much to the surprise of many including the organizers.

It is important that folks claiming firsts do their research ever so carefully and not end up distorting the journey as if only their tenure matters and everyone else’s part is of no moment, with heightened visibility also via social media platforms older individuals need to also tell their stories which is not being done in a large scale. The separation of community based events versus publicly done events must be defined carefully so as to present the movement of the journey if not struggle. But with bloggers with older blogs deleting said blogs as well they clearly do not understand their own contribution by that act to the distortion and only attaching themselves to present activities as if nothing happened before. We better think on these things, what timeline do we want to leave behind, one of embellishments or one of truth?

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

LGBT History Month: Pride Fest 2011 The First Full Community Introspective

Pray the Gay Away from Tell Me Pastor yet again, this time to a lesbian or bi woman

Here comes the latest in the long line of Pastor Aaron Dumas' take on homosexuality in his column and blog, although he is a psychologist and also a pastor he simply refuses to stick to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual's DSM guide on such matters. Again I think the latest letter and response were embellished as well.

Here is the letter and his response:

I have been fighting with the church and my feelings and it has been going on for a while now.

I am the daughter of a pastor and I have dated a number of guys in the past, but I have fallen in love with a young lady.

All my life I have seen couples being happy and so in love, and I have been searching for that kind of love in my previous relationships, but always ended up feeling empty inside, until this girl came along.

This love happened in the span of less than two days and it has caused me to wonder if this is really love, obsession or infatuation.

She and I have been praying fervently about the situation, but each day we grow to love each other more and more. It has gotten to a stage where she has given up a promising future with an affluent man and is being rejected by her family and friends because of me.

We have been planning our lives and futures together. However, we are very concerned about our Christian lives, and indeed, our afterlives.


DEPRESSING

The situation is quite stressful and depressing, as we are confused as to why God would allow us to have such strong feelings for each other if it is such an abomination unto Him.

Why is it that we can get no concrete answer to our prayers? We really need an answer from you, Pastor.

A.R.

Pastor's answer:

Dear A.R.,

Are you blaming God for allowing you and your friend to be doing something which the Bible describes as unnatural?

Before you started to pray and became intimate with this young woman, you were aware that the Bible condemns all form of homosexuality, whether it is between two men or two women.

I know that whenever I quote the Bible in dealing with a matter such as yours, some people curse me and accuse me of condemning gays.

I am not condemning you, but I have to tell you that I cannot encourage you to do what you have written to me about.

Therefore, I must remind you that God is not pleased with such a conduct.

20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error." (Romans 1:20-32 NIV)

DELIVERANCE

I want to assure you that nothing is impossible with God and I believe that if you were to cry out to God and ask others to help you pray, God can deliver you. You were not born gay, you loved men, but they have hurt you. Yes, my exhortation to you may sound stupid to some, but I believe in a powerful God. Nothing is impossible with him. If you lay your life on the altar and turn away from your girlfriend, you will be delivered.

You say that you and your girlfriend are praying about the situation in which both of you are involved. Continue to pray, but separate yourself from her.

You may consider making an appointment to see a Christian family counsellor or psychologist who would help you to deal with your depression. I am sure that what you are suffering is a result of the relationship that you are having with this young woman. God knows what you are going through, but remember you cannot do whatever you please and expect God to bless you.

Pastor

ENDS

When oh when is this an going to get the message on his head and also follow the guidelines of the DSM whilst it is so difficult to bring him to account on his pronouncements it seems.

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Suspected gay man booted from church ..... another case from GJW

News From the 2016 International AIDS Conference

The 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa (AIDS 2016), held July 18 to 22, featured numerous pivotal presentations on HIV science. Conference goers absorbed cutting-edge information about antiretrovirals (ARVs), including treatment for the virus, treatment as prevention (TasP) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), as well as the effort to test and treat the global HIV population, HIV among women, and the search for a vaccine and a cure.

Below is a recap of the major scientific findings presented at the conference. To read more about any of these studies, click the hyperlinks. To see a newsfeed of all AIDS 2016 reporting from POZ, click here or on the #AIDS2016 hashtag at the bottom of any article, including this one.

Vaccine:

Following a pilot study’s promising findings of an HIV vaccine’s ability to spur the immune system, researchers intend to begin enrolling participants into the Phase IIb/III HVTN 702 vaccine trial in southern Africa this fall. This will be the seventh major HIV vaccine efficacy trial. The vaccine under investigation is a retooled version of the one that in 2009 showed some success in preventing HIV among Thai participants.

Long-Acting HIV Treatment:

A long-acting injectable version of the ARVs cabotegravir and Edurant (rilpivirine), dosed every four weeks, will enter Phase III trials during the latter half of 2016, with initial results coming two years later. The Phase IIb LATTE-2 trial tested injections of the treatment given every four and eight weeks and found that the more frequent dosing schedule suppressed HIV more effectively.

Treatment as Prevention (TasP):

Three major studies underlined the considerable power of HIV treatment to prevent the spread of the virus, adding greater scientific heft to the notion that it may in fact be impossible to transmit HIV with a fully suppressed viral load.

In 2011, interim results from the HPTN 052 trial found that starting HIV treatment early rather than delaying was associated with a 96 percent reduced risk of transmission among mixed-HIV-status heterosexual couples. Now, final results from the study have showed that there were no transmissions within couples when the HIV-positive member was on ARVs and had a fully suppressed virus.

Interim results from the PARTNER study, which included both heterosexual and male-male mixed-HIV-status couples, also found no transmissions between partners when the virus was fully suppressed.

Also, the Partners PrEP study examined the effect of providing mixed-HIV-status heterosexual couples Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for the HIV-negative partner as a “bridge” to the HIV-positive partner being on ARVs for at least six months. This protocol slashed HIV risk by 95 percent.

PrEP:

Gilead Sciences, manufacturer of Truvada, conducted an analysis of data from 80 percent of U.S. retail pharmacies and found that nearly 80,000 people had filled at least one prescription for the drug’s use as PrEP between January 2012 and December 2015. (If all sources of PrEP prescriptions could be accounted for, this number would likely be quite a bit greater.) Between the fourth quarters of 2012 and 2015, quarterly new PrEP prescriptions rose 738 percent, from 1,671 to 14,000, largely among men. This upward trend shows no signs of abating.

The IPERGAY study of an intercourse-based PrEP dosing protocol among men who have sex with men (MSM) in France and Canada found that the participants used condoms less frequently after they shifted from the trial’s placebo-controlled phase to its open-label portion in which everyone knew they were receiving Truvada. Despite such a shift in sexual risk taking, the men’s HIV rate was low during the open-label phase. The study’s researchers believe they now have enough evidence to support the notion that the dosing protocol itself was indeed responsible for reducing the risk of HIV among the men, rather than the mere fact that men were on average taking Truvada about four times a week. (Previous research has shown that taking Truvada that often offers maximum protection.)

Researchers found that teenagers given PrEP may need monthly monitoring to adhere well to a daily Truvada regimen. (PrEP is not currently approved for minors in the United States, and current guidelines stipulate monitoring every three months.) A separate studyfound that Truvada-related bone loss is reversible after young men stop PrEP and that the drug was not associated with fractures during the study’s follow-up period.

Another study found that among black MSM receiving PrEP, men were more likely to adhere to the regimen if they were older than 25, had more than a two-year advanced degree, did not use multiple medications that they were not prescribed and had a primary partner.

Women:

A follow-up of the previously reported MTN-020/ASPIRE study of an ARV-containing vaginal ring found that HIV-negative women who used the monthly ring well had a 56 percent reduced risk of contracting the virus compared with women receiving a placebo ring. Those who used the ring at the highest level cut their HIV risk by 75 percent or greater.

Two studies provided excellent news regarding the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. A nationally representative study found that just 4 percent of children born to HIV-positive women in South Africa contracted the virus by 18 months of age. Another trial found that HIV treatment could practically halt the transmission of HIV through breast feeding.

A collection of three studies provided new insight into why HIV rates among young women in South Africa are so high. In one study, researchers found that HIV transmission among adolescent girls and young women is driven by their sexual relations with men who are an average of eight years older. Two other studies suggest that particular bacteria in women’s vaginas may facilitate transmission.

Cure:

Researchers have developed a consortium to help develop and study stem-cell transplant cures for HIV that would replicate the success of the pair of such transplants that cured the famed Berlin Patient while also treating his leukemia. They already have a few transplant recipients who, while still taking HIV treatment, show very small amounts of the virus in their viral reservoirs. These individuals would need to stop taking ARVs for researchers to determine whether they may have been cured of the virus.

A study found that treating HIV within 15 days of infection prevented the development of antibodies to the virus among a group of South African women. Such early treatment also preserved their immune function. The study’s ethics committee believes the women should remain on treatment for two to three years before researchers may discuss with the participants the possibility of taking them off treatment to see whether the virus rebounds.

On the subject of viral rebound after a treatment interruption, an experimental treatment with the HDAC inhibitor (a kind of cancer drug) vorinostat, the immunosuppressant hydroxychloroquine and the ARV Selzentry (maraviroc) had no effect on viral rebound after an HIV treatment interruption.

90-90-90:

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has called for, by 2020, getting 90 percent of the world’s HIV population diagnosed, 90 percent of that group on treatment for the virus, and 90 percent of that group virally suppressed. Achieving the 90-90-90 targets would mean that, of all people living with the virus, 90 percent would know their status, 81 percent would be treated and 73 percent would be virally suppressed.

Research suggests that nations are advancing toward these targets, with 17 million people on treatment in 2015. One intervention in particular has surpassed the targets in certain rural Ugandan and Kenyan communities. But UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibé raised serious concerns at AIDS 2016 that a retreat of major donor commitments from paying for HIV care and treatment worldwide could stymie such progress.

An analysis of spending by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) found that foreign aid dollars go disproportionately to epidemics more generalized across a national population than to those concentrated among MSM or injection drug users (IDUs).

In another wrinkle, the first major study of the public-health effects of programs to aggressively test and treat HIV found that, in South African communities receiving such an intervention, providing immediate treatment rather than following national guidelines was not associated with any difference in the rate of new HIV cases.

8 Commandments for dating BTQIA+ peson

more so suggestions than commandments but I like!

1. Remember that your partner doesn’t represent the whole of their community.

Often when allies come into discussions about their partner’s sexuality/gender, they use their partner as the sole example and source for various topics and issues. While this is okay because personal experience does have a lot of influence, it can be detrimental to the others in the community. If your partner defines their label with a personal definition, that in no way means the community as a whole defines the same label that way. Approaching various issues this way can be harmful to some important discussions.

For example, your partner may be okay with you using certain language (slurs, phobic and abrasive remarks, etc.) but the rest of the community won’t always be comfortable with that. As a partner of a BTQIA+ individual, understand that you still need to listen to other members of their communities on how to approach topics, issues, and language use.

2. Ask questions, but do your own research, too.

When you have questions about the LGBTQIA+ community, it’s okay to ask your partner. Then can often tailor answers in a way that will make it easier for you to understand. But realize that your partner may not always have the energy to answer these questions or address certain issues. This is when it becomes your job to research independently. Not only will this bring you one step closer to being able to more effectively communicate with your partner, but it will show your partner that you have a willingness to learn more about them.

3. Correct and educate your friends and family members.

This step is one of the hardest, especially in families that are not exceptionally friendly to LGBTQIA+ individuals. It may result in a few uncomfortable conversations, and you could lose some friends, but it’ll be worth it for you and your relationship. Whenever a friend or family member makes an ignorant/prejudiced statement, or uses a slur, or uses the incorrect pronouns (only correct this with your partner’s permission), simply correct them. Your family and friends may not mean ill by it, they may just not understand what they are saying, so take the opportunity to educate them on why what they’ve said is wrong.

This also applies to any friends and family that are LGTBQ+ themselves. A surprising amount of prejudice towards BTQIA+ identities come from within the community. Just because your aunt is a lesbian, doesn’t mean she should be excluded from being called and corrected on her biphobic remarks. You may feel awkward and fearful about correcting family and friends, but keep in mind how awkward and fearful your partner might feel around them because of the ignorant/prejudiced things they say.

4. Go to Pride events with them if they ask you to, but respect them if they would rather go alone.

Many of the BTQIA+ community will date people who are considered allies (straight, cisgender people). If you are considered an ally, you need to understand that pride events could prove to be stressful for your partner. It’s often hard for BTQIA+ people to find acceptance at pride events when bringing their ally partner, and because of that, they may choose not to bring you — which is a sad reality many of us are still fighting today.

Another reason your BTQIA+ partner may opt out of bringing you to pride is the idea of having a safe space for them to validate themselves, experience their community, or simply have fun with those that share their experiences. Some may feel more comfortable doing this without their ally-partner coming along with them. You may feel excluded, but respect that pride holds a lot of meanings and a lot of special places in the hearts of LGBTQIA+ people. If your partner wants to experience it alone, or with their fellow LGBTQIA+ support groups, try to accept that this isn’t a dig at you or your relationship. It can be an attempt to hold on to their BTQIA+ identity, to laugh and love with their fellow LGBTQIA+ community, or, unfortunately, an attempt to “prove” that just because they’re dating an ally/cisgender and heterosexual person they still belong in the community.

If your partner DOES make it clear that they want you to go to Pride/Pride events with them do your part and look into the history of pride. Keep the focus of the event on them. Show them how supportive you are of their identity, and how much you value their identity.

5. Show them support and solidarity, even if they aren’t out.

Your partner may only be out to you, and that’s okay. You need to do what you can to show them that you stand with them, no matter what. If they decide to come out to more people and expand their support system, help them troubleshoot various methods of coming out. If they are out to other people, continue to stand by them and support their pride in who they are. Use their pronouns, listen to their complaints and frustrations, help them combat dysphoria/dyspmorphia, and take part in online discourse when you can — without over-stepping the voices of those within the community.

Keep in mind that some issues may cause extreme stress (shootings targeting LGBTQIA+ people, laws that take away rights from the community, etc) and your partner will need extra support and nurture to get them through. A good rule of thumb; support your partner like you would support any partner, in everything they do.

6. Learn the specific problems of their community.

This is a big one. Every different part of the LGBTQIA+ community has smaller sections: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual and many more. All of these sections have their own issues that they must face every day. Many sections have overlapping issues but still require a different approach.

Here are some well-known issues:

Lesbian and Homosexual individuals experience homophobia and lesbophobia.

Bisexual/Biromantic individuals experience homophobia AND biphobia/erasure.

Transgender individuals experience transphobia.

Questioning individuals experience invalidation from outside and within the community.

Asexual individuals experience erasure and acephobia.

Pansexual individuals experience homophobia, erasure, panphobia, and can experience a lot of biphobia as well.

Note: There are many, MANY identities that experience erasure, phobia, and invalidation. Take time to find out exactly what your partner deals with.

These issues can overlap, creating unique situations for each individual:

A transgender lesbian will experience homophobia, transphobia, and sexism.

A bisexual, fem presenting, nonbinary will experience nonbinary erasure, biphobia, homophobia, and sexism.

Queer People of Color will experience racism as well as any phobias/sexism surrounding their sexual orientation and gender.

And there are even more combinations than that, all resulting in unique crossroads that can promote diverse dialogues, but also create mentally and physically unsafe environments for the individual in question. The more you learn about what your partner and other BTQIA+ people go through, the more you’ll be ready to correct your friends and family and help them understand as well.

7. Promote and take part in open dialogue.

In a BTQIA+ relationship, dialogue is especially important. Open dialogues are particularly essential when dating people with fluctuating sex drives, mental illnesses/traumatic disorders, fluctuating genders, asexuals, or agender individuals. This dialogue will help you understand your BTQIA+ partner’s boundaries, pronouns, symptoms/“triggers”, and allow your partner to communicate with you during any identity changes/moments of self-doubt.

While it may take two, you can help build the trust your partner will have to have in you and begin nurturing the perfect environment for your partner to start opening up. Once you and your partner achieve this, in any way, navigating the relationship will become much easier. Let your partner know that they have the ability to communicate with you on topics like sexual intimacy, mental health, and a continued exploration of their sexual and gender identity. It all may be confusing at first, but if you have a solid grasp of Commandment 2 then your knowledge will grow alongside your partner’s. It will also make self-exploration for your partner easier and your relationship will be less stressful.

8. Understand that they may still be finding themselves, and that’s okay.

Don’t look at this as a verification of the stereotype that all BTQIA+ people are confused. It’s normal for everyone to go through periods of self-discovery throughout their lives. For some people, that might mean a change of opinion on politics, social issues, and lifestyle choices. For LGTBQIA+ individuals self-discovery includes an exploration of identity. If your partner uses certain labels when you are first dating them, and begins to question those labels during your relationship, jump back to Commandment 5 because they’ll need all the support and solidarity you can give. If you have open dialogue, your partner should feel comfortable expressing their exploration with you.

Do your best to show them that you are with them during all of their exploration. You can do this by learning more about the identities they are exploring, and by voicing all concerns and hesitations you might have. It’s better to do this when they first come up, rather than waiting until the last minute and dropping a surprise on them later in the relationship. We know that our explorations may cause stress on our relationships, and we need to know that you will be there for us throughout this. If you can’t be there for your partner, or don’t agree with the direction they are going in, make it clear. Don’t hold anything over their heads, and understand that changes to their identities might lead to changes in your partnership