Thursday, March 10, 2011

[Peckers_Pics] Model Wars, PICS; Mar 11, 2011-Safe PICS For All Ages



Model Wars, PICS; Mar 11, 2011
Safe PICS For All Ages / Support Keith Olbermann who will be on "Current TV"

Moderator Note: I am in the middle of moving - out of state.  From now through the next 10 days, I may not be posting as much.  During a period from Sunday, Mar 13 through Thursday, Mar 17, 2011, I will not be posting at all.  Posting may be slow prior and after those dates as I am packing and need to unpack (once i arrive at my new home). Please keep posts down to a minimum.  Thank you ....Jake

Updates on Keith Olbermann  @ ObamaBiden2008 (Update: Keith joined "CURRENT TV").  Check with your cable provider to see if you have "Current TV".  Current TV's website has option for you to request service from your cable provider.   Current TV's founder is Al Gore.  Charter Cable does not carry "Current TV".  Please Contact Charter now!  Keith is a man who stuck his neck out for progressives, as well as the LGBT community.

Updates on slain gay activist - David Kato of Uganda @ ObamaBiden2008

Boycott: "Chick-fil-a" as they are against gay marriage and donate to anti-gay causes.

Consider joining:

Diet & Fitness:

  • Reminder: Did you complete your Diet Journal today?
  • Did you do any physical activity?  If not, make a point of it by tomorrow! 
  • Perhaps our male fitness photos shall inspire you to get Fit!
Health - Wellness - Exercise - Reflections:
U.S.: Mississippi Policies Fuel HIV Epidemic

March 9, 2011 / Huffington Post / By Megan McLemore, senior health researcher at Human Rights Watch

Jackson, Mississippi) - Thousands of Mississippians are at risk for HIV, and many who are infected are denied lifesaving measures and treatment because of counterproductive state laws and policies, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Mississippi has resisted effective approaches to HIV prevention and treatment and instead supported policies that promote stigma and discrimination, fueling one of the nation's highest AIDS rates, Human Rights Watch said.

The 59-page report, "Rights at Risk: State Response to HIV in Mississippi," documents the harmful impact of Mississippi's policies on state residents, including people living with HIV and those at high risk of contracting it. Mississippi refuses to provide complete, accurate information about HIV prevention to students and threatens criminal penalties for failing to disclose one's HIV status to sexual partners. At the same time, Mississippi provides little or no funding for HIV prevention, housing, transportation, or prescription drug programs for people living with HIV, and the state fails to take full advantage of federal subsidies to bolster these programs. In Mississippi, half of people testing positive for the virus are not receiving treatment, a rate comparable to that in Botswana, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.

"Many people living with HIV in Mississippi can't get to clinics, can't afford treatment, and can't keep a roof over their heads, while young people can't get essential information about how to protect themselves," said Megan McLemore, senior health researcher at Human Rights Watch. "These are public health failures that threaten fundamental rights to life and health of all Mississippians."

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 65 people in Mississippi for the report, including people living with HIV and AIDS, AIDS service organizations, and public officials throughout the state.

In Mississippi, the highest rates of HIV exposure are among men who have sex with men, while heterosexual women are the second-largest group affected by the disease. Young people in Mississippi are becoming infected with HIV at increasingly high rates, and racial disparities in HIV and AIDS infections are dramatic. African-Americans constitute 37 percent of the population but 76 percent of new cases of HIV.

"HIV is taking a devastating toll on African-American communities in Mississippi," McLemore said.

One husband and wife interviewed by Human Rights Watch are both HIV-positive. He is in a wheelchair, debilitated from AIDS, and they live in constant fear of eviction as their limited income is barely sufficient to pay the rent. Despite evidence that housing is critical to the ability of individuals with HIV to maintain their health, and the state's own estimate that 3,500 people with HIV will have unmet housing needs in the next five years, Mississippi provides no funds for housing for people living with HIV and AIDS.

"We survive by the grace of God but not much else," Sheila R. (a pseudonym), told Human Rights Watch about their daily struggle to meet basic needs.

Mississippi is among the poorest of all U.S. states, which entitles it to substantial federal funds that could support HIV/AIDS housing and health care services. Yet it has consistently failed to take full advantage of these funds. The state recently sued to block national health care reform legislation that would expand Medicaid eligibility for many people living with HIV, with the cost borne primarily by the federal government. According to the report, Mississippi's unwillingness to accept federal support for its residents with HIV contributes to death rates from AIDS that are far higher than the national average.

Mississippi also clings to failed approaches to sex and HIV education, Human Rights Watch said. Mississippi has some of the nation's highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, sexually transmitted diseases that can significantly increase an individual's risk of becoming infected with HIV. Yet the state legislature has repeatedly refused to approve programs that provide complete, accurate information about HIV and pregnancy prevention, insisting on ineffective abstinence-only curricula in the public schools. The result, Human Rights Watch said, is the denial of potentially life-saving information to adolescents, putting them at unnecessary risk of HIV infection.

Mississippi's laws and policies contribute to the extreme stigma associated with HIV, which for many people is more frightening than the disease itself, Human Rights Watch said. One woman told Human Rights Watch that she threw out her AIDS medications when staying with relatives for fear that they would discover her HIV status.

Human Rights Watch found that Mississippi laws and policies contribute to the problem by promoting prejudice and discrimination against those vulnerable and perceived to be vulnerable to HIV. Numerous legal provisions, including constitutional amendments, discriminate against homosexuals, and state sex education laws marginalize lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. In some instances, state public health workers have been found to harass and threaten people testing positive for HIV.

Human Rights Watch also described the negative consequences of Mississippi laws that criminalize the potential exposure of another person to HIV. Domestic and international health organizations have urged the rejection of such laws because they undermine HIV prevention efforts. Such laws promote misinformation about HIV transmission, for example, by including behaviors such as spitting and biting that are not associated with spread of the virus. They also threaten the health and safety of women living with HIV, who may fear violence or other negative consequences if they disclose their status. These laws also penalize those who know their HIV status, providing an incentive for people to avoid HIV testing.

Mississippi's HIV epidemic is growing fastest among men who have sex with men, a population that remains largely underground and out of the reach of public health services. The report finds that Mississippi laws prohibiting adoption by homosexuals, constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, and other anti-gay laws and policies contribute to the problem by fostering prejudice and stigma. One man told Human Rights Watch, "Being gay with HIV in Mississippi is a terrible curse."

"Mississippi's approach to AIDS is not working," McLemore said. "Mississippi needs to update its policies, ensure adequate funding, and respect human rights."
Take Action:

And Now, Model Wars!

This group is called "Peckers Pics."  The English -  slang definition of "pecker" is to pluck at the truth. Therefore, we peck at items such as Gay Men's Health, Male Fitness, Gay (LGBT) Politics & Issues.  In this section you may peck at each photo in order to decide the winner of the "war of the fittest!"   Whereas, who is the model that may inspire you to exercise and "get fit?"  Warning: This may stoke you!
 
Your participation in discussion of health / news articles - appearing in this message is greatly appreciated.
Mehcad Brooks
American Actor/Model
 
VS
Michael Lewis
Israeli Model
 
You Decide!
Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras / March 5, 2011
Stoked?
Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras / March 5, 2011
Gillibrand pushes anti-bullying legislation for gays, transgenders
WXXA-NY / Amelia Waters / March 10, 2011

A New York senator is looking to better protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students from bullying.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is joining with a coalition of 21 Senate colleagues to introduce the Student Non-Discrimination Act. It comes after President Obama addressed anti-bullying in his visit to Massachusetts.

The legislation is to protect LGBT students from harassment, bullying, and violence at school.

"While at school to learn, some students are forced to endure harassment, violence, bullying, and intimidation because of their sexual orientation. This is completely unacceptable. Our laws ensure that all students have access to public education in a safe environment free from discrimination, and these laws must guarantee these same protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students," said Sen. Gillibrand.

The Nationwide Children's Hospital finds LGBT youth are bullied two to three times more often than others.

"Like so many others this past fall, I was shocked and saddened by all the reports about young LGBT people taking their lives after facing relentless bullying in schools," said Glennda Testone, Executive Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. "We see hundreds of LGBT youth each week who are seeking a welcoming home."

The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) would protect LGBT students against discrimination in public schools. It will also forbid schools from discriminating against LGBT students or ignoring harassing behavior.
"Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."
....Jake
 
 
Important Notice: Our ObamaBiden2008 Group works hand - in - hand with Peckers PICS (Both groups were co-created to work with each-other).  To prevent duplication of articles and questions, all members of this group MUST Join ObamaBiden2008. It is unfair for members that belong to both groups to hear members of just Peckers PICS (only) to make statements when the ObamaBiden2008 has covered such topics in detail.  Therefore, members must join ObamaBiden2008  as of today - as I am going through our member list and removing any member that does not belong to both groups. This shall clear up communications and confusion.  The LGBT cause is too important and beyond 1 person's need to just look at pictures.   Therefore, recommend you join ObamaBiden2008 now.  No you don't have to read every article! But, it covers the LGBT community and includes updates on Health insurance; LGBT boycott list; Westboro Church; and the end of DADT, etc...Also, updates with state gov't war against unions and people with disabilities.  The group is created for you!  There are gay teen suicides going on. There are Hate crimes against gay people.  There are gays who are fired over their sexuality.  There are gay people who died for our cause! You always reserve the right to remove yourself from all my groups.  I have done everything I can and now it is time for you to step up!  If my hard work is unappreciated, than you have the option to leave all my groups now (before you are deleted).  My Groups are for Yahoo members who sincerely care about LGBT rights and Gay Mens Health!   Please Join Now!
 
 

 

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All members of "Peckers PICS" are requested to join our "Obama Biden 2008" group as it runs in conjunction to this group.  Both groups shall not repeat articles from one group to another.  However, to gain full knowledge of Gay rights, members must belong to the Obama group as well as this group.  Therefore, please accept your invitation to join. 

To join the Obama group please click (or copy and paste the link into your browser) @  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ObamaBiden2008/join

Thank you!
 

"Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."

...Jake (Moderator)



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