Health Archives

FDA Considering Easing Restrictions on Blood Donations for Gay & Bisexual Men

1Dec

By Ernesto FernandezNo Comments

Health

FDA Considering Easing Restrictions on Blood Donations for Gay & Bisexual Men

The F.D.A is considering replacing its current prohibition of blood donations by men who have had sex with men in the last three months by implementing a new system that would utilize a personalized risk assessment to determine a person's eligibility to donate blood. Agency officials have revealed that the potential shift comes as the U.S. is suffering through a blood shortage. In a statement made on Wednesday, the F.D.A announced that new data from recent studies would support this transition. The Food and Drug Administration began its prohibition of gay & bisexual men donating blood in the 80’s due to fear of HIV transmission. Gay & bisexual men have been able to donate blood since 2015 as long as they haven’t had sexual contact with other men in the previous year. The period...

Texas Judge Rules That Denying Gay Men HIV Preventive Care Is Religious Freedom

8Sep

By Sara BanksNo Comments

Health

Texas Judge Rules That Denying Gay Men HIV Preventive Care Is Religious Freedom

The Affordable Care Act’s process for determining what kinds of preventive care insurers should cover has been found unconstitutional by a federal judge in Texas. The decision means insurance policies no longer must cover pre-exposure prophylaxis also known as PrEP, a drug that has been proven to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus. Judge Reed O’Connor of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas' ruling puts other preventive care services such as cancer screenings and alcohol abuse counseling in jeopardy as well. The ruling says that the Preventive Services Task Force, a group of volunteer experts that recommends which preventive care services should be covered by law, is unconstitutional. This because the group of experts isn’t appointed by the pre...

LGBTQ+ Suicide Helpline Targeted by Far-right Trolls

5Sep

By Sara BanksNo Comments

Health

LGBTQ+ Suicide Helpline Targeted by Far-right Trolls

Far-right trolls flooded the Trevor Project’s anti-suicide hotline in an orchestrated attack that sought to get young LGBTQ+ people to kill themselves last Tuesday. By inundating the helpline with fake calls, far-right trolls hoped that delayed waiting times would result in young LGBTQ+ people taking their own lives. The Trevor Project’s phone line is specifically designed to help connect young LGBTQ+ people with trained counselors that can talk them through whatever they’re going through. The organization had to put up a banner on their website to warn users of their prolonged waiting times during the attack. Reports indicate that the attack was orchestrated on a message board called 4chan which is popular among far-right extremists. Media Matters’ senior researcher, Alex Ka...

50% Of Gay & Bi Men Have Reduced Their Sexual Activity Due to Monkeypox

23Aug

By Ernesto FernandezNo Comments

Health

50% Of Gay & Bi Men Have Reduced Their Sexual Activity Due to Monkeypox

A new survey released by the CDC shows that nearly half of all gay and bi men in the U.S. have reduced their sexual activities as a response to the monkeypox outbreak. The data shows that 48% of gay & bi men have reduced sex partners, 50% have reduced one-time encounters and 49% have reduced sex with people they’ve met on apps or at sex venues. In an online survey of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men conducted during August 5-15, 2022, respondents reported changing their behavior because of the #monkeypox outbreak. For more data on the 2022 U.S. monkeypox outbreak, visit https://t.co/QpblepCma5 pic.twitter.com/kZld53MB96— CDC (@CDCgov) August 22, 2022 While efforts have been made to contain the outbreak, it was reported yesterday that the virus has been ...

Monkeypox Outbreak Disproportionately Affecting Men of Color

18Aug

By Ernesto FernandezNo Comments

Health, US

Monkeypox Outbreak Disproportionately Affecting Men of Color

The monkeypox outbreak is hitting men of color the hardest as Black and Latino men now account for more than half of U.S. cases. A statistic that experts claim mirrors the HIV epidemic and exemplifies the long standing racial inequities in America. In San Francisco, Latino men account for about 30% of monkeypox cases, almost twice their share of the population. While in Santa Clara county, 41% of monkeypox cases were among latino men, who only make up 26% of the county’s population. Black men account for 82% of monkeypox cases in Atlanta but only make up 61.4% of the population. Although monkeypox isn’t a sexually transmitted disease and can be passed to anyone through close contact, the World Health Organization has revealed that 99% of reported monkeypox cases are among men and at...

Report: Conservative Media Using the Monkeypox Crisis to Vilify Gay Men

12Aug

By str8darNo Comments

Health, Media

Report: Conservative Media Using the Monkeypox Crisis to Vilify Gay Men

Right-wing media personalities are using the monkeypox emergency to fuel the anti-vax movement and to attack gay and bisexual men, according to a report from Media Matters that was published today. The report argues that conservative pundits are using anti-vax talking points alongside “AIDS-era rhetoric” in an effort to stigmatize men that have sex with other men. Framing the spread of the disease as a result of gay mens promiscuity rather than recognizing the community’s victimization by the outbreak. The Biden administration declared a public health emergency on August 4. This after the U.S reported the fastest rise and highest number of monkeypox cases globally in the last week of July. Although native to certain African countries, the virus had until now been rare in Europe a...

30% of LGBTQ+ College Students Suffer From Suicidal Thoughts

9Jun

By str8darNo Comments

Community, Health

30% of LGBTQ+ College Students Suffer From Suicidal Thoughts

Recent research has revealed that nearly one-third of LGBTQ+ college students felt suicidal in the last year. With more than 1 out of 4 responding that they have contemplated abandoning their studies due to mental health related issues. Published on June 9, 2022. The BestColleges study surveyed LGBTQ+ college students and discovered alarming stats. For instance, nearly a third of all respondents had suicidal thoughts during the last year. Almost doubling the suicide rate of straight college students. Proving that young adults in the LGBTQ+ community need society to pay more attention to their mental health. In fact, 92% of LGBTQ+ college students responded that their college experience has been tainted by their mental health. Additionally, the research reveals that more than a thir...

5 Superfoods That Can Enhance Your Sex Life

30May

By Sara BanksNo Comments

Food, Health

5 Superfoods That Can Enhance Your Sex Life

It’s becoming increasingly popular to turn to chemical supplements for stronger erections. So why not use try nature has to offer? Check out these 5 superfoods that have the ability to increase your testosterone, improve the quality of your sperm and make you go harder! Oysters Known accross the world as a natural aphrodisiac. Oysters are rich in zinc, a mineral that helps maintain testosterone levels and aids in the production of sperm. Making it one of the most popular superfoods for enhancing ones sex life in history. Pistachios Aside from being delicious snack that you can anywhere, anytime. Pistachios contain complex B vitamins & vitamin E along with other important nutrients. Therefore leading experts to believe it helps improve blood circulation to the peni...