Posted by Melanie Nathan, June 23, 2013. Nelson Mandela’s health has deteriorated and he is now in critical condition, the South African government said Sunday. The office of President Jacob Zuma said in a statement that he had visited the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader at a hospital Sunday evening and was informed by the medical team … More Mandela Critical
By Rev. Canon Albert Ogle – SDGLN Contributor As 100 countries celebrate IDAHOT today, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is calling for greater education to reduce the stigma and discrimination experienced by almost 50 million people living in countries (from a total 1.5 billion) where it is still illegal to be LGBT. In his … More Rev. Canon Albert Ogle gives three amazing reasons to celebrate IDAHOT
By Melanie Nathan, Sunday April 07, 2013. So while there are probably many health issues we should be considering and on more days than once per year, here is what we can think about today- it may save your life. The World Health Organization (WHO) theme for World Health Day in 2013 is high blood … More Today is World Health Day | focus high blood pressure and salt
SF Pride is looking for medical volunteers By Melanie Nathan, April 04, 2013 In an announcement naming Rock Medicine a partner in services to San Francisco Pride this year, organizers noted that this June, San Francisco Pride will need as many medical volunteers as possible because they will be expecting an increase in Pride attendees … More San Francisco Pride expects bigger crowd due to SCOTUS Prop 8 and DOMA decisions
By Melanie Nathan, April 02, 2013. (Washington, D.C., March 29, 2013)—Last week, several national LGBT groups and a cooperating attorney filed an administrative challenge to Medicare’s ban on medically necessary healthcare for transgender patients. Medicare, which provides healthcare to Americans ages 65 and older and younger people with certain qualifying disabilities, currently prohibits all forms … More LGBT Groups Challenge Medicare’s Refusal to Provide Healthcare to Transgender Patients
Will HRC put its money where its mouth is? By Melanie Nathan, April 1, 2013 Thousands of LGBT community members and allies showed up at the steps of SCOTUS this past week to support marriage equality, and many were there because of the extraordinary organizing efforts of a coalition of LGBT organizations under the title, … More After the Apology demands that HRC be all inclusive on all issues
See the must watch Video – Criminalization of Homosexuality Kills – The link is made between increase in HIV/ AIDS in countries that criminalize homosexuality – Homophobia causes higher HIV/AIDS rates. By Melanie Nathan, March 14, 2o13. Yesterday Conservative Peer Lord Black of Brentwood, led a debate on Criminalization of Homosexuality and how it has caused … More House of Lords calls for decriminalization of homosexuality in Commonwealth because of higher HIV rates
Melanie Nathan, February, 17, 2013. Thanks to Michael Petrelis it has come to my attention that British actor Stephen Fry has been tweeting about his arrival in Uganda. Fry describes himself on his Twitter accounts as “British Actor, Writer, Lord of Dance, Prince of Swimwear & Blogger – NEVER reads Direct Messages. London · http://www.stephenfry.com/ … More Lord of Dance Gay Icon Stephen Fry visits Uganda in the same week Kill the Gays on Parliament’s Agenda
“Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry have kindly written to us to celebrate 30 years of our fight against HIV,” notes the Terrence Higgins Trust, beside a heartwarming picture on the charity’s website, reminding of their mother, Princess Diana and how she broke barriers by embracing people with HIV and AIDS around … More Princes William and Harry remind us of HIV/AIDS stigma
Lost-n-Found – A do it yourself homeless queer youth shelter By Cathy Kristofferson, January 29, 2013. Update Feb. 7 2013: Creating Change ’13 Conference session handout. In the fall of 2011 I saw posts online about a new queer youth shelter opening in Atlanta. Local homeless queer youth were being turned away from shelters and … More Atlanta area gay community’s inspiring project to save homeless queer youth
Legal emancipation can give homeless queer youth the tools they need to become independent By Cathy Kristofferson, January 21, 2013. Thinking about a comment I had heard that maybe we need to ‘think out side the box’ for solutions to help with issues of queer youth homelessness I thought of emancipation. It’s not a new … More Homeless Queer Youth – Emancipation, is it really so “out of the box”?
Help LGBT Homeless Youth on MLK – Day of Service, 1/21/13 At HRC and Larkin Street Youth Services, we believe that we have a responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of our LGBT youth, who make up 40 percent of homeless and at-risk youth. In our first year participating in MLK Day of Service, … More San Francisco Help LGBT Homeless Youth on MLK Day of Service
By Melanie Nathan, December 18, 2012. Since the Sandy Hook tragedy there has been a dramatic shift in the discussion about guns in America, with some remarkable statistics coming from the NRA, now showing that their membership favors stronger gun control, even though their operatives continue to lobby against. It took twenty dead seven year … More Sandy Hook Brings Families Out of the Mental Health Closet | I am Adam Lanza’s Sister
Three U.S.A. Charities to benefit from sales of The Mandela Red Ribbon Twin Set Editorial, December 01, 2012. In honoring Worlds AIDS DAY on December 01, The South African Gold Coin Exchange (SAGCE) has chosen three renowned charities based in the United States of America, to benefit from the sale of a newly launched Nelson … More World AIDS DAY | South African Gold Coin Exchange Announces Mandela Collectible Coin’s U.S. Beneficiaries
By Melanie Nathan, October 16, 2012. Pastors Michael Kyazze and Robert Kayiira today began their community service sentence as guidance counselors, administering voluntary counseling and testing to the Youth on issues including HIV and AIDS. However while we applaud the guilty findings, the sentences are a joke. The punishment was handed down to three Pastors, … More Ugandans Watch as Shamed Anti-Gay Criminal Pastors Start Ridiculous Sentence
In addition to this BLOG, Editor Melanie Nathan contributes to other BLOGS, such as The Advocate, LGBTQ Nation, GAY STAR NEWS and others; and much of her writing about U.S.A. equality news can be found in her BLOG at GAY U.S.A. the Movie, which she is co-producing with filmmaker Kristina Lapinski. Lapinski can be seen … More GAY U.S.A. BLOG August Updates
South African Gold Coin Exchange, (SAGCE) August 03, 2012 This week, in conjunction with a launch event hosted by The South African Consul General in New York, the South African Gold Coin Exchange (SAGCE) introduced the first ever Nelson Mandela gold and silver Medallions into the United States Market. The special release, launched to commemorate … More Celebrating the Launch of Nelson Mandela HIV/AIDS Medallions in the United States
“We need a new level of openness about how every last dollar is spent by countries, by governments, by NGOs,” Said President Bill Clinton during his closing keynote speech. The Clinton Health Access Initiative through the former president’s foundation in 2010 announced a partnership with the South African government to expand access to HIV testing … More President Bill Clinton AIDS 2012
By Melanie Nathan, July 28, 2012 Thousands of delegates signed the Washington, D.C. Declaration, the official declaration of the XIX International AIDS Conference. The declaration states that we must strive for multi-disciplinary approaches that respect and uphold the human rights and dignity of all people affected by the epidemic and calls for nine concrete actions. … More Watch President Bill Clinton’s Speech at AIDS 2012
While the Question still looms about the criminalization of homosexuality in Africa, Scientific, Political and Community Leaders Call for Collaborative Partnerships and Investments in Research, Treatment and Prevention to Turn the Tide on HIV Melanie Nathan, July 27, 2012 Friday, 27 July 2012 (Washington, D.C., United States) —The global AIDS community concluded its biennial meeting … More AIDS 2012 Ignites Momentum for the Beginning of the End of the AIDS Epidemic
Dr Paul de Lay, Deputy Executive Director of the UNAIDS Programme said “Every individual should have the right to freedom of movement, regardless of their HIV status. UNAIDS is opposed to any restriction imposed on people living with HIV and restricting movement only on the basis of their HIV status. These restrictions are discriminatory.”
… More AIDS 2012 to Discuss HIV and World Travel Bans
World´s leading HIV/AIDS Scientists and Stakeholders to gather in Washington D.C. to discuss Global Alliance on HIV Cure research. … More World´s leading HIV/AIDS Experts to gather in Washington D.C.on HIV Cure
Employee from Country’s Second Largest Blood Bank Joins Call by Sen. John Jerry, Rep. Mike Quigley to End Blood Donation Discrimination- World Blood Donation Day Highlights Need to End Biased Policies Dangerously Limiting American Blood Supply Post by Melanie Nathan, June 13, 2012. WASHINGTON, DC – WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Representative Mike … More Congressmen & Petition Call on Obama Administration to End Unfair Gay Blood Donation Ban
World’s Leading Scientists, President Bill Clinton, South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, philanthropist Bill Gates and humanitarian Sir Elton John to address the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. (AIDS 2012) and Some 25,000 Scientists, People Living with HIV, and Other Stakeholders expected to attend AIDS 2012 Wednesday, 13 June 2012 (Washington, D.C., USA) … More President Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Elton John to Address AIDS 2012 Conference in D.C.
Posted by Melanie Nathan, June 11th, 2012 The European Commission has just published a new report, ‘Discrimination against trans and intersex people on the grounds of sex, gender identity and gender expression‘. With it, the European Commission looks into the situation of trans and intersex people for the first time. The European Commission had already … More New EU Commission Report on Transgender and Intersex Discrimination
Secretariat announces two off-site conference hubs for sex workers and people who use drugs |Record number of abstracts submitted Posted by Melanie Nathan, May 26, 2012/ Thursday 10 May, 2012 (Geneva, Switzerland, and Washington, D.C., USA)— The International AIDS Conference is the largest gathering of professionals working in the field of HIV, including people living … More AIDS 2012 | Preparing for XIX International AIDS Conference Washington D.C.
Melanie Nathan and Pikachu, 03/26/2012 My children have two moms, lesbians! Yesterday my fifteen year old daughter and her friend called me into the bedroom, they were giggling; “What should we tell her mom? Not sure how to handle this, ” they queried. The six year old was playing “Sims” on the computer and trying … More Look Mom The Sims has No Sperm Bank
Allegedly tested for HIV without consent, found positive and subsequently dismissed, detained and deported, a South African journalist is attempting to take his case against Qatar to the International Labour Organization (ILO) to change the country’s HIV travel and employment laws. … More South Africans Outraged as Journalist Deported by QATAR because HIV-Positive
Statement falls short of the truth! Will Susan G. Komen ever be the same? The spin falls short for progressives like me and I will have a hard time trusting their motives again… oh what a shame! by Melanie Nathan, February 03, 2012 Smiling faces, pink T-Shirts and pink balloons and the festive atmosphere of … More Susan G. Komen Cancer Apologizes and now will Fund Planned Parenthood
To include the 2008 Circumcision Plan The Ugandan government has launched a new HIV/AIDS prevention strategy and plan for the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV by 2015. The Program Manager at the AIDS Control Programme (ACP) Zainab Akol said under the plan, measures are to be adopted to include a more cost-effective … More Uganda Embarks Upon Aggressive HIV/AIDS Prevention Plan includes Circumcision
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