Star News story raises lesbophobic temperature: LESBIANS PLAN BIG PARTY WEEKEND - LTI now being advertised for month end story published

Straight lesbophobia (no pun intended on straight) under the guise of a nicely and guardedly worded news story in today's edition I say unapologetically, the event which was first advertised from as early as January of this year had me concerned as to the venue and how were the organizers going to handle this event, bearing in mind it has been advertised quite openly and everywhere that there is a party exposed on the Internet. As the paper was sold members of the public have been reacting and on the streets certainly in Half Way Tree and it's environs persons were very vocal alluding to the lesbians being bright wid it and so forth.

The organizers also have fumbled on the promotion which was usually done underground for these types of events as I have also been apart of promoting private events for over a decade. More care should have been taken here especially given the fact that it augers to be a huge event. Simply emphasising privacy on the page is NOT enough the page itself should have been private and invited guests targeted. I wonder really if it's homophobic/lesbophobic reaction really or just frustration from the sluggish economy etc finding a target to release itself? after all people complaining bout the govt salaries and the sluggish economy plus the poor image of the JLP administration.

People like to vent in these times but that can also lead to all kinds of crap happening, anything is possible these days.

Picture circulating of the event

As at the creation of this post a direct response from one of the organizers was forthcoming where they said they are going ahead as planned with added security measures put in place to avoid any problems.

but on a particular social network page the following terse response appeared:

"If you think your gonna ruin my event you make a big mistake and yes i know exactly who sent this to the star, thank you for the promotion and just so you know, i hope the rest of your events don't fall short cause karma is a bitch, I am not gonna even stoop as low as to even mention the group or the promoters who did this, i have links in the journalism industry too."

Thanks for the promotion and thank the star for contacting me asking me not to cancel the event.....Its still on......INVITATIONS ONLY......and for all you haters out there that tried fucking my shit up, thank you too.

I am not fooled by the way in the which the Star News has been guarded in wording this article and the subsequent request of the organizer not to cancel the weekend, let us not forget the Star News has always been sensationalist in its reporting of LGBTQI issues over these many years, more than a decade, a trend that has gone unchallenged by the advocates JFLAG and by extension the rest of us and that has cemented our homophobic and hetero-normative culture so to see this entry as if they are unbiased is not convincing enough to me. With the response on the streets by reports and my own traversing parts of uptown during my lunch break the reactions are certainly not good with threats of violence to the event itself and suggestions of anyone who looks suspicious, the typical profiling that accompanies tabloid stories that grab national attention. The Star never made it their headline I feel in a bid to present a softer tone towards LGBT issues but I and some others are not fooled.

Meanwhile here is the article:

LESBIANS PLAN BIG PARTY WEEKEND - LTI now being advertised for month end

There was the RTI weekend and ATI, now make way for Lesbian Temptation Isle (LTI). A new party series catering to lesbians is being planned in Montego Bay, St James, at the end of this month.

Scheduled to take place from June 30 to July 3, LTI will be held in Ironshore, Montego Bay. The weekend is being advertised on popular social networking site Facebook.com as, "The biggest lesbian party weekend ever!" and "It's not just a party. It's a lifestyle."

According to the weekend's Facebook page, which was founded last year, LTI will have four parties over two days. The parties include: 'Ocean Temptation (Under The Influence)', 'Lost Planet (Extreme Conditions)', 'Lez Glow (All-White)' and 'Master and Mistress (Dominatrix Affair)'. The season band, which includes entry to all four parties, is $8,000 with each party being $2,500. VIP bands are $13,000. According to the group's page, there are 300 season bands available, and 100 bands per individual party.

The site, since its inception, has 550 'likes' on Facebook and has a 'secret' group where persons can join and learn more about the event. When THE WEEKEND STAR called the numbers advertised on the page, the group and weekend were described as being extremely private.

bands going fast

Sales for the party are seemingly going fast, as seen by a comment from the organiser on the page which said: "I never knew the season bands would have been going so fast, thanx for the support people. Bands start selling on June 1, you can call to reserve like everyone else. We courier every armband to the respective buyer. Thanx again, this weekend will be hotttt!!"

Persons have been commenting on the page saying, "This is going to be awesome' am loving this page so far and as for the party' I can't wait for it to really happen. Straight people have ATI, I think it's full time the gay community has something for ourselves where we don't have to worry about men looking us or putting argument to us. We can actually be around friends who we share a common interest in; FEMALES! I am so digging this event and its page/profile."

Another person added: "Yep, dis party can't miss me and wifey, you said it all, so need I say more?"

The privacy of the event is emphasised on the page, which states: "An invitation will be sent to persons with a security code once you've purchased your armband. The invitation will be used to collect your armband on the day of the event. Please be advised that this is to ensure that only persons within our community are attending this event."

A special guest celebrity appearance is also being hinted to take place on the final night of the event. There will also be a Sexiest Stud and Sexiest Femme competition.

ENDS

See what you make of it folks but I have urged the organizers to be cautious and not underestimate the national temperature on this issue, albeit that same gender loving women never normally receive this kind of reception nationally speaking although there have been sharp increases in lesbophobic attacks for the past two and a half years with corrective rape and displacement the main types of problems.

Peace and tolerance.

H

Cuban(s) enjoys new benefit of free sex-change operation

Matanzas, Cuba (CNN) -- On the job, Juani Santos is just another one of the guys.

He inspects recycled canisters for flaws at a gas tank factory in western Cuba and cracks jokes with the other workers. Short and stocky, he has a deeply lined face and thick mustache.

But Juani was born a girl.

It was only two months ago that the 61-year-old transsexual underwent gender reassignment surgery.

"I'm not an alien or a delinquent," he told CNN during an interview in his tiny two-room apartment in the central Cuban city of Matanzas.
"I'm a person who feels and suffers like anybody else. I didn't want to be born like this. Every since I was 5 I've known I was a boy."
Forty years after being diagnosed a transsexual, he has benefited from a gradual but far-reaching transformation in Cuba.

At the beginning of Fidel Castro's revolution, gays and transsexuals were locked up or sent to labor camps. Even a decade ago they were regularly harassed by police.
Now it's Fidel's niece Mariela Castro who has launched a nationwide campaign to battle homophobia.
As president of the National Sexual Education Center, she's pushing for same-sex unions.
"I want to live in a socialist society where there is absolute justice," she recently told CNN. "So there can't be discrimination of any kind."

More radical yet, Cuba has begun to provide sex-change operations.
The financing and the medical specialists come from Belgium, which has a long-standing partnership with Cuban medicine in this area.

Juani is among some 15 transgender patients operated on so far.
He has worked hard to overcome machista (chauvinist) attitudes at home and work.
Although his parents were fairly understanding from the time he was young, his older brother used to burn Juani's clothes when he dressed like a boy.
"But he was clever," Fernando Santos said. "As soon as I left the house, he would just wear my clothes."

The brothers now live together, with Fernando taking care of most domestic duties while Juani works at the factory and tinkers with his motorcycle at home.
Juani said the most difficult moment of his life came when a woman fell in love with him.
"I had to sit her down and tell her who I was" he said. "She accepted it at first, but after six months, her family convinced her to leave me. I haven't had any relationship with any woman since."
In the 1980s, he was finally allowed to legally change his name to Juani, which can be either feminine or masculine in Spanish. He won't even mention the name he was born with.
"It gave me half the freedom I was looking for," he said.
In fact, Juani was initially turned away from the factory where he now works because his appearance just didn't match the name on his ID.

But they eventually gave him a chance and now his co-workers are his closest friends and supporters.
"I'm really happy for him, this was his dream," Lazaro Maredo said during a break on the factory floor.
When asked what he wants out of life now, Juani smiled.

"To find a partner and live what's left of it in the company of a woman."

meanwhile have a look at some options for MTF Reassignment surgery

pic owned by Sex Reassignment Surgeries Thailand

Thailand is still viewed as the place to be for reassignment surgeries many preoperative trans individuals locally have serious doubts about going to Cuba even though it is far cheaper to have the procedure and pre/post treatment done there.

Peace and tolerance

H

Both Viread and Reyataz Lead to Greater Bone Density Loss says researchers

Truvada (tenofovir plus emtricitabine) was associated with greater bone loss than Epzicom (abacavir plus lamivudine), according to a studypublished in the June 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases. The same study found that Reyataz (atazanavir) was associated with greater bone loss than Sustiva (efavirenz), and that these differences held up even when accounting for classic risk factors for changes in bone density.

Reduction in bone mineral density (BMD)—called osteopenia when it is mild and osteoporosis when more severe—has been reported at higher rates in people living with HIV than in their HIV-negative counterparts in multiple studies. This is particularly true of younger HIV-positive men.

Multiple studies have also shown that most people with HIV have minor to moderate bone loss (between 2 and 6 percent) in general within the first two years of starting antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, but this loss is not generally progressive after the first two years. Although several studies have suggested that the tenofovir in Viread, Truvada and Atripla may cause a greater degree of bone loss than other drugs from the same class, no studies have compared Reyataz with Sustiva—both popular first-line treatment options in combination with Truvada or Epzicom—in terms of bone density changes.

Grace McComsey, MD, from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and her colleagues set out to do just that. They compared bone density scans—called dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans—from 271 HIV-positive people enrolled in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) 5202 study. ACTG 5202 was a four-way comparison of four different ARVs: Viread, Ziagen, Reyataz and Sustiva.

All four groups were similar in terms of their demographics and health. Most of the participants were in their late 30s, and roughly 60 percent were male. All four groups were racially diverse and were of normal body weight. About one quarter had osteopenia of both the spine and waist before starting treatment. On average, less than 8 percent had osteoporosis of the lower spine, and less than 2 percent had osteoporosis of the hip.

On average, loss of bone density was generally mild to moderate, with an average loss of about 3 percent during the first year. There was a slight rise in bone density after the first year, so that over the course of two years, the average loss had diminished to 2.3 percent.

The team found, however, that those taking Truvada had a significantly greater loss of bone density in the spine than those taking Epzicom (3.3 percent versus 1.3) and also in the hip (4 percent versus 2.6 percent). As for Reyataz and Sustiva, loss of bone density in the hip was similar between the two treatments, but those taking Reyataz had greater loss of bone in the spine (3.1 percent versus 1.7 percent). Overall, when Sustiva or Reyataz were paired with Truvada, those participants had a greater degree of BMD loss than those whose Sustiva or Reyataz was paired with Epzicom.

While these losses of bone density may not seem large, the authors note that “the degree of BMD loss [overall, and the difference between treatment groups] should not be perceived as clinically insignificant. Indeed, these decreases are similar in magnitude to the BMD losses sustained during the first [two] years of menopause.”

McComsey and her colleagues hypothesize that the cause of the BMD loss on treatment likely differs between nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (for example, Truvada), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (such as Sustiva) and protease inhibitors (such as Reyataz). The researchers conclude: “Studies investigating the mechanisms behind the bone loss with ART initiation are needed.”

Poppers and gay sex .....

What Are Poppers?

Poppers is slang for a variety of alkyl nitrites, particularly amyl nitrite. Poppers are available over-the-counter and come in small bottles. Amyl nitrites are generally used in air fresheners and video head cleaners, but are used as a recreational drug to increase sexual arousal. Poppers used to come in small capsules that popped when they were broken, thus the name "poppers."

Do Poppers Make Sex Better?

Poppers relax muscles such as the sphincter of the anus, which can make anal sex less painful. Poppers also cause blood vessels to dilate, which drops blood pressure and increases heart rate (amyl nitrite was originally used to treat angina and cyanide poisoning). As a result, users experience a flush feeling and increased sexual arousal. The effect lasts for only a few minutes. Side effects can be headaches or sudden changes in blood pressure.
Taking Viagra Before Sex

What Are The Side Effects?

The side effects of poppers are headaches, decreased blood pressure and potential loss of arousal after a few minutes.

Are There Any Risks?

Poppers enlarge blood vessels and increase blood flow. They can impair judgment, leading to unprotected anal sex. A tear or fissure in your rectal walls during anal sex, combined with unprotected sex and increased blood flow can increase the risk of transmitting HIV. In addition, poppers combined with Viagra (which also lowers blood pressure) can be fatal.

Are The Sexual Benefits Worth The Risk?

Although poppers provide a rush during sex, the effect only lasts a few minutes. The headaches, which are common side effects, can be ruin the mood for some people. And since poppers often impair judgment, leading to unsafe sex, the risk of contracting HIV is much greater. So, you may want to think twice before opening the little brown bottle. Ask yourself, are the risks worth the temporary feeling?

Sir Thomas Lauder Brunton (March 14, 1844–September 16, 1916), a Scottish physician, famously pioneered the use of amyl nitrite to treat angina pectoris. Brunton's clinical use of amyl nitrite to treat angina was inspired by earlier work with the same reagent by Arthur Gamgee and Benjamin Ward Richardson. Brunton reasoned that the pain and discomfort of angina could be reduced by administering amyl nitrite to dilate the coronary arteries of patients, thus improving blood flow to the heart muscle.

In addition, the light alkyl nitrites cause the formation of methemoglobin wherein, as an effective antidote to cyanide poisoning, the methemoglobin combines with the cyanide to form nontoxic cyanmethemoglobin. First responders typically carry a cyanide poison kit containing amyl nitrite, such as the popular Taylor Pharmaceutical Cyanide Antidote Kit.

TIME and the Wall Street Journal reported that the popper fad began among homosexual men as a way to enhance sexual pleasure, but "quickly spread to avant-garde heterosexuals" as a result of aggressive marketing. A series of interviews conducted in the late 1970s revealed a wide spectrum of users, including construction workers, a "trendy East Side NYC couple" at a "chic NYC nightclub", a Los Angeles businesswoman "in the middle of a particularly hectic public-relations job" (who confided to the reporter that "I could really use a popper now"), and frenetic disco dancers amid "flashing strobe lights and the pulsating beat of music in discos across the country."

User surveys are hard to come by, but a 1988 study found that 69% of men who had sex with men in the Baltimore/Washington DC area reported they had used poppers, with 21% having done so in the prior year. The survey also found that 11% of recreational drug users in the area reported using poppers, increasing to 22% among "heavy abusers," with an average age of first use of 25.6 years old. Both survey groups used poppers to "get high," but the men that had sex with men were more likely to use them during sex. It was reported that this group reduced usage following the AIDS epidemic, while the drug-users had not. A 1987 study commissioned by the US Senate and conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services found that less than 3% of the overall population had ever used poppers.

Use by minors is historically minimal due, in part, to the ban on sales to minors by major manufacturers for public relations reasons and because some jurisdictions regulate sales to minors by statute. A paper published in 2005 examined use of poppers self-reported by adolescents aged 12–17 in the (American) 2000 and 2001 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse. In all, 1.5% of the respondents in this age group reported having used poppers. This figure rose to 1.8% in those over 14. Living in nonmetropolitan areas, having used mental health services in the past year (for purposes unconnected with substance use treatment), the presence of delinquent behaviours, past year alcohol and drug abuse and dependence, and multi-drug use were all associated with reporting the use of poppers. In contrast to these low rates, a survey in the North West of England found a rate of 20% self-reported use of poppers among 16-year-olds

In The Life: A Message of Hope

June Pride is an opportunity to celebrate one's authentic self. IN THE LIFE features stories of gay and lesbian people who bring their whole selves to church and to work, creating real change within their communities.

As we continue to look at more grassroots indepth analyisis of LGBT issues up north this month's entry is welcomed indeed, on my other blog Gay Jamaica Watch I decided to repost last year's entry on Pride month with some modifications as not much has helped to make us collectively be really proud about, the disparities and segregations within the LGBTQI communities are disturbing to say the least.

Have a read here:

June is Pride Month ... but sadly last year's post still seems befitting

meanwhile

A Message of Hope: Gospel Music About HIV & AIDS (00:13:57)

Messengers of Hope is a gospel choir from Oakland, California that engages African American churches in conversation about HIV and AIDS.

"This is what HIV looks like; strong people, people of faith, black people." - Ernest Larkins, Messengers of Hope

Bringing Your Whole Self to Work (00:14:07)

There is no uniform federal law in the United States on discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace. In the absence of protective laws, progress has come from a surprising source, corporate America.

"The company sees the benefits of supporting LGBT employees. We're a basic chemical business in middle America. If we can make it work, any company can." - Bill Hendrix, Dow AgroSciences

Celebrate yourselves none the less but also bear in mind the collective

Peace and tolerance

H

Remember this?

The Wrath of a Bishop

Administrative Bishop for the New Testament

Church of God in Jamaica and The Cayman Islands,

Wellesley A. Blair

In a Jamaica Gleaner article published February 28, 2007, Administrative Bishop for the New Testament Church of God in Jamaica and The Cayman Islands, Wellesley A. Blair, said he is totally against legalizing homosexuality.

And he didn’t stop there. He’s also against abortion, and lesbianism, and he intends to fight against the acts with every “fiber of his being.”

"The amount of legislation that is being asked for in the area of abortion, in the area of homosexuality and to legalize anal sex. I want to state categorically and firmly, with every fibre of my being, that I am totally, scripturally against it," declared Bishop Blair.

Blair believes that gays and lesbians only have one of two rights.

"A homosexual only has one of two rights. It is either he changes his life or accepts the just punishment of God, as He did in Sodom and Gomorra," he said.

Bishop Blair also made it clear that God did not make any homosexuals or “create any Sodomites,” as they (Sodomites) made themselves that way, at least according to his interpretation of the Book of Romans chapter one.

He added that those who are talking about the setting up of a gay church in Jamaica, must remember that there are a few God-fearing, Holy Ghost, holiness preachers who are still around and who are very adamant that they will do everything legally and spiritually in their power to bar that.


What he really was saying is that if you set up a church that accepts gays and lesbians, watch your back.


Bishop Blair said that “Sodomites who are caught should be beaten. I believe that when the court orders lashing, some of those Sodomites who are caught and some of the criminals, should be brought in the square of Half-Way Tree and be lashed and send them home.”

Blair said he will be monitoring what goes on inside Gordon House, Jamaica’s Legislature, to see who would dare to vote for the passing of gay-friendly legislation. He said he will try to influence the Christian community to target politicians in the next election.

"If the legislation to legalize sodomy and lesbianism passes in Jamaica and it is signed into law, and God does not do something about it, God would have to wake up Sodom and Gomorra and beg them pardon," said Blair.

Last week, three gay men were beaten in the streets of Jamaica by a mob of 2,000 for being gay. Last year two lesbians were found murdered in an apparent hate crime. In recent years, gay hate crimes in Jamaica have skyrocketed to all time high numbers proving that Jamaica could quite possibly be the most homophobic place on Earth.

ENDS

Pity that a church man finds this necessary to say about persons of whom his main task as a religious leader is to win souls for the Kingdom, whatever the condition and whomever the soul maybe, it is NOT his job to be judging and issuing a kind of fatwa as how same gender loving persons should be treated. This one was published before the life of this blog so I thought I'd share it and bring us up to speed with all the damning things said of us.

Please be safe out there and vigilant as well.

Peace and tolerance

H

Homosexuality in schools in St. Lucia

Coming on the heels of our own so called concerns raised about same sex issues in schools a news item was carried on St. Lucian television where the matter seemed to have been dealt with far more maturely than our educators have done in creating a kind of panic of sorts here see if you agree with the section of the interview where the interviewer said sometimes children experiment with in same sex intimacy.

See the post below for the local perspective or go HERE:

Here is the video on the subject:

Discussions on homosexuality should be included as part of sex education on the island's schools, so says former chief medical officer, Dr. Stephen King. Dr. King says that students are constantly grapple with issues of homosexuality and need to be educated on the issue. The statement comes as Dr. King says that a health study conducted by the Pan Health Organization (PAHO) indicates that many children have homosexuality tendency and confusions during puberty.

Students are struggling with issues of homosexuality and need education and guidance on the matter. That’s according to former Chef Medical Officer, Dr. Stephen King. As a result – he believes sex education should include conversations on homosexuality as it is part of human sex behavior. The statement comes weeks after a female student was allegedly sexually assaulted by three other females at a secondary school on the island.


Dr. Stephen King says findings from health surveys show many children engage in homosexuality and conversation on the matter would actually lessen confusion on the issue. The pathologist by profession added that discussions at schools would also help to reduce stigma and discrimination and stop the violation of human rights against gay individuals.

The President of the Principals Association sees things differently. She believes introducing homosexuality discussions in school would just compound the uncertainty of students.

Recently the US state of Tennessee passed a "Don't Say Gay Bill," The law makes saying gay or homosexuality, let alone discussing the matter, illegal in Tennessee schools.

There is nothing wrong with including discussions on homosexuality as part of sex education in schools, so says Education Minister Arsene James.
The Minister was responding to calls for discussions on the topic to be included in the sex education curriculum to help student's grapple with issues of sexuality. Former Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Stephen King and the National Aids Program Secretariat have also supported the call.
However it has been fiercely opposed by some quarters.

Meanwhile A veteran local educator and former President of the Saint Lucia Teachers Union has come out in support of the introduction of homosexuality as a curriculum subject for discussion in schools. But Mrs. Virginia Albert-Poyotte, who is also the local representative for Education International believes authorities are too scared to tackle what they consider to be a very sensitive subject.