HIV
People living with HIV at higher risk of dying from COVID-19
A new study out of the World Health Organization has determined those living with HIV have a significantly higher risk of dying of COVID-19. The WHO’s report is based on clinical data from 37 countries and almost 270,000 people. The researchers examined the risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes in people living with HIV (PLHIV) hospitalised …
Big Aussie study shows incredible effectiveness of daily PrEP against HIV
Over 9,000 gay and bi men in New South Wales who took HIV prevention pill PrEP over three years had an HIV transmission rate 90% lower than otherwise expected, researchers say. PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a once-daily pill that dramatically reduces the risk of HIV transmission for HIV-negative people. A new research study from …
Push for Australia to follow UK’s new policy for gay blood donors
Australia’s blood donation authorities should follow the lead of their UK counterparts and lift blanket bans on gay men donating blood, LGBTIQ advocates say. On Monday, the UK began new blood donation rules assessing the risk of donors individually. The new policy replaces blanket restrictions on gay and bisexual men. Under the rules, male donors …
How the first AIDS cases were officially reported 40 years ago this month
This month, the world is marked 40 years since the first five cases of AIDS were officially reported in the United States. On June 5, 1981 the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) included a now-historic report in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). It described five cases of rare Pneumocystis carinii …
‘No more stigma’: Actor Billy Porter shares he’s living with HIV
Pose actor Billy Porter has shared that he has lived with HIV for 14 years in a powerful new interview. The 51-year-old actor, who plays queer ballroom MC Pray Tell on the drama, opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about receiving the diagnosis in 2007. Porter said he received the news during a doctor’s checkup …
Tributes flow after death of Cairns Indigenous artist Arone Meeks
Cairns’ LGBTIQ and arts communities have mourned the death of Indigenous artist Arone Meeks, who passed away last week. The Cairns Indigenous Art Fair director died peacefully in hospital last Wednesday (May 5) after a short battle with cancer. Meeks was 64. The Kuku Imidiji man grew up in the Cape York town of Laura. …
Vale Patrick O’Connell, AIDS activist and father of iconic red ribbon
Patrick O’Connell, an AIDS activism icon who is widely credited with creating the iconic red ribbon symbol, has died. He was 67. O’Connell passed away on March 23 in a New York hospital, four decades after receiving a HIV diagnosis in the 1980s. Active in the New York arts community at the time, he and …
Federal Labor’s ‘watered down’ LGBTIQ policy pledges slammed
LGBTIQ advocates have criticised federal Labor for “weak and diminished” commitments to LGBTIQ+ equality in its new draft policy platform. Labor is holding their national conference virtually on March 30 and 31. Over 400 delegates will get a say on the new draft platform during the conference. However responding to the latest draft, just.equal spokesperson …
‘Too much pleasure’: It’s A Sin toned down threesome scene
The director of It’s a Sin says he had to tone down Ritchie’s threesome scene because censors complained there was “too much pleasure”. The British AIDS crisis drama, from creator Russell T Davies, was released last month to rave reviews and viewer acclaim. The series is streaming in Australia on Stan. The five-part series follows …
What Australia’s new blood donation rules mean for gay and trans donors
Australia’s Red Cross Lifeblood service has eased long-standing blood donation rules for gay, bi and transgender donors across the country. Gay, bi and some trans donors are now permitted to give blood if they have been celibate for three months. The new rule is a reduction from the previous waiting period of 12 months, which …