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By Laura Schmidt, Special to CNN

Editor’s note: Laura Schmidt and her colleagues, Robert Lustig and Claire Brindis, are the authors of “The toxic truth about sugar.” To read the full commentary, visit the science journal Nature.

(CNN) — I am a medical sociologist, which means I study the health of whole societies. I’ve spent more than 20 years studying the best possible ways to address alcohol problems in societies — what works and what doesn’t to protect people from harm.

I work as a professor in the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and at the UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute. This allows me to connect with other scientists who come from very different backgrounds but who want to work together on big problems — think of a Manhattan Project, only one focused on protecting health through the collaboration of scientists who study everything from tiny cells to entire societies.

So three years ago, a pediatric endocrinologist named Rob Lustig walks into my office and asks for my help. Rob tells me that he’s finding many connections between the metabolism of fructose (sugar) and ethanol (alcohol) in his work on metabolic functioning, liver damage and the obesity epidemic.

Rob runs the obesity clinic at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, where he spends his days trying to help morbidly obese kids who feel hungry all the time. One of the saddest effects of sugar overconsumption is to dampen the natural hormones that tell kids’ bodies when they’ve eaten enough, leading them to feel hungry even as they overeat.

Rob says he’s also seeing that too much sugar in these kids’ diets causes severe liver damage — they have even started doing liver transplants on some of the kids in his clinic.

Fast-forward to today, and here’s what we’ve learned:

– More people on the planet Earth are dying from chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes than anything else. This is even true for developing countries that have turned a critical page on health: People in those countries are now more likely to die from the “diseases of affluence” than from the “diseases of poverty” like malaria and cholera. Major risk factors in chronic disease, of course, are alcohol, tobacco and junk food consumption.

– Many of the health hazards of drinking too much alcohol, such as high blood pressure and fatty liver, are the same as those for eating too much sugar. When you think about it, this actually makes a lot of sense. Alcohol, after all, is simply the distillation of sugar. Where does vodka come from? Sugar.

– We may be thinking about obesity and chronic disease in the wrong way. Most experts are worried about sugar because it’s “empty calories” that make people fat. But what leads to chronic disease is actually something called metabolic syndrome, which can be caused by the toxic effects of sugar.

– Added sugar at the levels consumed by many Americans changes our metabolism — it raises blood pressure, critically alters the signaling of hormones that turn hunger on and off, and can damage the pancreas and liver. Worldwide consumption of sugar has tripled over the past 50 years, and along with that has come an obesity pandemic. But obesity may just be a marker for the damage caused by the toxic effects of too much sugar. This would help explain why up to 40% of people with the metabolic syndrome — what leads to diabetes, heart disease and cancer — are not clinically obese.

What should we do about all this?

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Despite advances in the treatment of HIV, one huge challenge still lingers in the medical community: getting people tested in the first place.

The stigma associated with being tested and potentially exposed in a public clinic has prompted scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre to evaluate the efficacy of an oral HIV self-test, a method they believe can serve as an effective but much more private alternative to clinical testing.

Compared to a traditional blood screening, the saliva test OraQuick HIV1/2, the only oral fluid test approved for use in a health-care setting by the Food and Drug Administration, was 99 percent accurate in detecting HIV antibodies in high-risk populations and about 97 percent in low-risk populations, according to study findings published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

To evaluate this saliva test’s potential for worldwide use, researchers analyzed real-life field research data from five global databases. High-risk groups include injection drug users, men who have sex with men, and people who have unprotected sex.

Much like home pregnancy tests, researchers believe that oral HIV self-tests can serve as an effective preliminary method of diagnosis.

“Getting people to show up for HIV testing at public clinics has been difficult because of visibility, stigma, lack of privacy and discrimination,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, said in a release announcing the study findings. “A confidential testing option such as self-testing could bring an end to the stigmatization associated with HIV testing.”

Read more.

New HIV and STI Resource Launch in Vancouver, British Columbia!

With the resources for sexual health on the internet being numerous, its hard to know where to go.  Well now HIM has a one-stop shop for gay men’s sexual health information.  The site bundles a host of HIV and STI testing resources together; those who visit www.checkhimout.ca/testing are invited to learn their own “number” – that is, how many times per year they should be testing for HIV, based on their level of risk.

 Hate the Gays? Imagine the World Without Us

by Kergan Edwards-Stout

Author, ‘Songs for the New Depression’, and an HRC 2011 Father of the Year

In our current political discourse, right-wing politicians continue to demonize the LGBT community in sad and desperate attempts to rally their base. While, happily, their efforts have not been as effective as in the past, any attempt to make gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people feel anything less than equal can lead to devastating consequences, as the ongoing string of youth suicides so painfully highlights.

Any preventable loss of dignity and human life must be stopped. The question is, “How?”

While prior efforts have focused on the issue of harassment, it is time for the LGBT community to take the dialogue one step further. When you are a teen, simply waiting for your next birthday can seem like an eternity. Telling our youth that life will indeed get better, some years into the future, is not enough. We must instead create a world in which there is no longer any shame in being gay. We must show that each and every one of us has something of value to contribute to this world, period.

The first step is creating discussion with the haters around where their anti-gay beliefs come from, and challenging those beliefs with facts. But we then need to take that dialogue even further and examine more closely what they hope that such convictions will ultimately achieve.

Typically, those who hold negativity toward those who are LGBT can be placed into two main camps: those who believe that being gay is unnatural, going against nature, or those who believe it goes against religious teaching.

With either group, the case can be made to counter such beliefs with facts. For example, those who believe that being gay is unnatural may be surprised to learn that homosexual activity has been observed in close to 1,500 species, and that such scientific certitudes should be spotlighted. For those who believe that homosexuality violates religious principles, pointing to texts such as the Bible as justification, and dialogue around translation issues, intent, and historical context, might be beneficial.

However, in both situations, while factual evidence might change some minds, most will still be unwilling to let go of long-held beliefs. My question to them then becomes, “What do you hope these beliefs will achieve?”

Most have never looked holistically at their views, nor tried to fit their beliefs into a larger framework. They were simply told by others that being gay is less than ideal, for whatever reason, and have not challenged that assumption.

If they truly believe that being gay is a sin or abnormal, what then? Does that mean they support the harassment of LGBT individuals? Do they hope to “convert” LGBT folks to heterosexuality, which no reputable medical or psychological association supports or validates, even going so far as to consider such “conversion therapies” potentially harmful? Do they want us to remain celibate and single, never experiencing love and affection? Do they wish LGBT people would simply disappear? If anything, they are creating an environment where gay youth feel that suicide is preferable to life.

But imagine, for a moment, that there were no LGBT people on the planet. Just what would this world look like?

Imagine the world without the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo, a gay man. Imagine the world without that famous Mona Lisa smile, or the iconic painting of Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper, both by Leonardo da Vinci, another man who was probably gay. Imagine the world without the music of The Nutcracker or Swan Lake, by Tchaikovsky, also gay. More recently, imagine the world without the music of Johnny Mathis, Joan Armatrading, Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, George Michael, or the Indigo Girls, among countless others.

Imagine the world without the plays of Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams, Paula Vogel, or Stephen Sondheim. Imagine how literature would look without the writings of Virginia Woolf, Truman Capote, Alice Walker, or Augusten Burroughs. Imagine sports without such legends as Martina Navratilova, Greg Louganis, Johnny Weir, or Billie Jean King. Imagine the world without the comedic brilliance of Lily Tomlin, or Andy Warhol’s groundbreaking Campbell’s Soup Cans painting, or Roland Emmerich’s smash hit movie Independence Day. Imagine Glee without Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer. Oh, wait — you’re right! There wouldn’t even be a Glee without gay creator Ryan Murphy.

Read more.

More about the author.

Is Marriage the Benchmark for Equality for LGBT People of Color?

Should marriage be the benchmark through which LGBT people of color measure equality?

A new report from the Center for American Progress concludes it will take more than marriage equality alone to effectively address long-standing inequities among black gay and transgender people. The report-”Jumping Beyond the Broom: Why Black Gay and Transgender Americans Need More than Marriage Equality”-specifically examines socio-economic, educational and health disparities among these groups.

The National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that 34 percent of trans people of color have an annual income of less than $10,000. Black LGBT parents have children at twice the rate as white LGBT adults, but they are twice as likely to live in poverty. Only 35 percent of black lesbians had mammograms over the last year, compared to 62 percent of white lesbians.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that new HIV infection rates among black men who have sex with men between the ages of 13-29 rose 48 percent between 2006 and 2009.

In the District of Columbia, more than 7 percent of black Washingtonians were living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2008. Blacks were 52.2 percent of the District’s population during this period, but they comprised 75.6 percent of the total HIV/AIDS cases at the end of 2008. The District’s HIV/AIDS Administration further reported that 4.7 percent of black Washingtonians were living with the virus through the same period.

“All of these statistics together show us is that we need more than marriage,” said CAP’s Aisha Moodie-Mills, who wrote the report. “We need more than marriage because over the last decade, in spite of the number of gains that we’ve had in the LGBT movement in general and the rights of LGBT people, we haven’t seen very much change in these disparities for black gay and transgender folks. So somehow they’re falling through the cracks and there’s something there that’s missing.”

How does the movement effectively ensure that LGBT people of color do not fall through the cracks?

Activists, public policy officials and service providers who took part in a forum that Colorlines.com news editor Jamilah King moderated at CAP’s Washington, D.C., office on Jan. 19 stressed the need for LGBT-specific data that can provide a more accurate picture of the issues that this and other underrepresented groups face. They specifically called for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the U.S. census and other federal, state and local surveys.

“Most data collected from federal agencies-the data sets that I rely on to tell the story and uncover disparities and think about the resources that we need-do not do an adequate job of collecting sexual orientation and gender identity information,” said Nicole Dixon, executive director of the Women of Color Policy Network at New York University. “As a result, we do not know what’s going on in communities and we do not understand the distance we have to go to close the gaps.”

The report acknowledges a lack of data on black LGBT people, but it noted common themes found within existing research. These include health research that largely focused on HIV/AIDS among black MSM and the majority of recommendations to reduce disparities among LGBT people of color centered around marriage equality.

“That’s interesting because when we really dig deep into the statistics, we see that there are a whole lot of issues happening that are related to relationship recognition, but also economic insecurity, educational attainment issues and health and wellness disparities,” said Moodie-Mills.

How can progressive organizations that serve people of color effectively incorporate LGBT-specific issues into their work?

“Reproductive justice and LGBTQ liberation, for us, is very much inter-connected and so we started those core values of bodily autonomy and integrity and self-determination and our membership really helps us to figure out a broader view of what does real justice looks like,” said Kierra Johnson, executive director of Choice USA, a pro-choice organization based in Washington, D.C. “Everyone has an opportunity to have self-determination as it pertains to their ability to create family, their ability to access education, their ability to decide when and if to have sex, when and if to be pregnant, when and if to be a parent.”

Gary Flowers, chief executive officer of the Black Leadership Forum, pointed to hate crimes as an issue on which LGBT and non-LGBT organizations can find common ground.

“Writing nigger on someone’s garage or writing an epithet that speaks to their gayness is a hate crime,” he said. “If we advance our advocacy against hate crimes, than we are closer.”

Read more.

Maryland Bill Proposes to Make HIV Transmission “Attempt” a Felony; State Senator Speaks

by Kellee Terrell
January 18, 2012

via Advocate, by Daniel Vaillancourt

Mikey Rox and Everett Earl Morrow, both now 30, were committed to monogamy when they met and fell in love. That was five years ago.

The legally married couple has had an open relationship for the last two years. “Who wouldn’t want to be allowed to hook up with other guys and have their husband be OK with it?” he asks.

“Isn’t that what most men dream of, and isn’t the limitation of sex with one partner in a marriage the reason why so many people cheat?” Adds Morrow, “As two men, sex isn’t particularly emotional for either of us. That enables us to separate our love for one another from the occasional physical attraction we may have for another guy.”

Matthew and Pablo, married 40-something realtors in Palm Springs, Calif., were monogamous for the first eight of their 15 years together.

“We sort of just fell into our open relationship,” says Matthew. “It’s been a slow evolution. In the beginning, we only played together, which made it feel less threatening.”

They still enjoy the occasional threesome, but for the last few years have increasingly sought sex outside the relationship.

Jelle and Guido, both 44-year-old ground personnel for an international airline in Amsterdam, have been together since 1997.

For 10 years monogamy reigned. But when physical attraction waned, sex fell by the wayside and the relationship soured, eventually hitting rock bottom.

The two figured they had nothing to lose, opened up their relationship, and saved it. “I’m really happy,” says Guido. “It made our relationship stronger. I’m glad he’s my partner, I love him, and I believe it was a wise decision to give each other the freedom we needed.”

Adds Jelle: “There are so many things keeping us together: love, trust, friendship, security, common hobbies and interests, humor, a shoulder to cry on. Much too much to give up for that tiny but oh so important aspect in life that is sex.”

Although no one knows for sure how many gay couples are in open relationships, or whether they are on the decline, it’s certain these men are not alone. “I would feel comfortable saying that at least four out of five long-term gay male couples are not monogamous,” says Beverly Hills sexologist Winston Wilde.

“Monogamy rarely does work for more than two years — for most straight and bi men as well.”
Which isn’t to say that lifelong fidelity is unattainable. Experts agree that couples who are creative and on the same page can absolutely sustain a vigorously exclusive sex life.

“We are not and have never been in an open relationship,” says Doug Hairgrove. He and partner Warren Wood, married septuagenarians also from Palm Springs, have been together 50 years.

They’re still intimate at least twice a week and see sex and love as inseparable. “We do not understand having one and not the other,” says Wood.

John Sovec, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Pasadena, Calif., encourages his clients to form the most powerful and satisfying bond possible. “I believe gay couples have an incredible opportunity to create whatever type of relationship works best for them without the constraints of a societal norm,” he says.

When one partner wants an open relationship and the other does not, “one person has to yield,” says Loren A. Olson, a Des Moines psychiatrist and the author of Finally Out: Letting Go of Living Straight, a Psychiatrist’s Own Story.

Read more.

What’s the ‘gayest’ U.S. city? Not necessarily the most gay friendly

By Stephanie Siek, CNN

(CNN) – Salt Lake City, Utah, is known for breathtaking mountain scenery, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the 2002 Winter Olympics.

But today it was also named the Gayest City in America by The Advocate magazine.

The Advocate ranked cities according to its own admittedly nonscientific criteria, including the number of gay and lesbian bookstores, elected officials who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and some edgier metrics like the number of International Mr. Leather competition semifinalists and the presence of nude yoga classes. This year’s list intended to examine cities that are outside the usual orbit of San Francisco, Boston, Miami and New York, and came up with several surprises – Grand Rapids, Michigan, Knoxville, Tennessee. Even Little Rock, Arkansas, ranked 11 out of 15.

Salt Lake City LGBTQ advocates were pleasantly surprised by the rankings.

“Well, you know, we’re all very proud of our community here, and we’ve done a lot of growing and empowering of each other and our allies in the community,” said Valerie Larabee, the executive director of the Utah Pride Center, but “we probably wouldn’t have a higher ranking if the homework was done … We don’t have naked yoga, or at least none of us know about it.”

(For the record: The Advocate counted one nude yoga class there, and one Mr. Leather semifinalist, too.)

According to 2010 Census data analyzed by UCLA’s Williams Institute, 15.36 out of every 1,000 households in Salt Lake City are headed by a same-sex couple. Salt Lake City ranks 81^st out of 1,415 cities nationwide in its number of same-sex couples per capita.

The same analysis found that Little Rock had 7.51 gay or lesbian couples for every 1,000 households, ranking it 392^nd.

Salt Lake City was ranked higher than several cities many would presume to be gay-friendlier, like Denver, Austin, and Atlanta. But Larabee said that Salt Lake’s top ranking shouldn’t overshadow the discrimination and lack of acceptance that many LGBTQ Utahns still face.

“I appreciate that there’s some humor in the selections, in the indices that were used, but we shouldn’t kid ourselves,” Larabee said. “We, like many of these communities, still have some issues that need to be addressed. While we have a thriving community here, we’re united because we have to be.”

Opinion: Attention Rick Santorum – here’s how to support a gay child

Randi Romo heads the Center for Artistic Revolution in Little Rock, which serves as the state’s LGBTQ organization. She was also bemused by the city’s inclusion.

To see the entire list and read more, click here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TBd-UCwVAY

Australia’s ruling party endorses gay marriage

SYDNEY — Australia’s ruling party voted Saturday <December 3rd> to endorse same-sex marriage, a reversal of its long-standing position that has little practical effect on the chance of gay marriage being legalized in the country.

The impact of the vote at the center-left Labor Party’s annual conference was diluted by the party’s endorsement of a motion by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to allow lawmakers to make a “conscience vote” on bills attempting to legalize gay marriage. That means legislators can vote on the issue according to their personal beliefs rather than being forced to vote in line with the party’s official position.

Gillard’s government holds a wafer-thin majority in Parliament over the conservative Liberal Party — which opposes same-sex marriage — and several Labor members personally oppose gay marriage. So any bill proposing to legalize gay marriage will still face a tough battle.

Recent polls show a majority of Australians favor allowing same-sex marriage, and several Australian states already permit civil unions between gay couples. But Gillard opposes any changes to Australia’s Marriage Act, which prohibits same-sex marriage.

She called the party’s support of the conscience vote “the right decision,” but brushed off questions about its endorsement of the policy change.

“My focus was on the conscience vote and people should be able to vote in accordance with their conscience — and certainly now they will,” Gillard said.

Marriage equality advocates said they were disappointed with the conscience vote, but praised the policy change as historic.

Read more.