Survey: Greater acceptance of homosexuality in more secular, affluent countries

LGBTQ Nation reported that:

Homosexuality is broadly accepted in North America, the European Union and much of Latin America, but widely rejected in predominantly Muslim nations andAfrica, as well as in parts of Asia and Russia, according to a survey of 39 countries released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.

This survey is the first in a series focused on LGBT issues that the center will release in the coming weeks ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage. The series will include a detailed survey of the American public and the center’s first-ever survey of the LGBT community.

The view that homosexuality should be accepted by society is prevalent in most of the EU countries surveyed, with 88 percent in Spainsharing this view. Outside of Europe, it is accepted by about three-quarters or more in Canada (80 percent), Australia (79 percent), Argentina (74 percent) and the Philippines (73 percent). A smaller majority (60 percent) believes homosexuality should be accepted in the United States.

In sub-Saharan Africa, at least nine-in-ten in Nigeria (98 percent), Senegal (96 percent), Ghana (96 percent), Uganda (96 percent) and Kenya (90 percent) believe homosexuality should not be accepted by society.

Overwhelming majorities in the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed also say homosexuality should be rejected, including 97 percent in Jordan, 95 percent in Egypt, 94 percent in Tunisia and 93 percent in the Palestinian territories.

Elsewhere, majorities in Russia (74 percent), South Korea (59 percent) and China (57 percent) also say homosexuality should not be accepted by society.

In most countries, attitudes about homosexuality have been fairly stable in recent years. The exceptions are South Korea, the United States and Canada, where the percentage saying it should be accepted has grown by at least ten percentage points since 2007.

The survey, conducted from March 2 to May 1 among 37,653 respondents in 39 countries, also finds:
There is far less acceptance of homosexuality in countries where religion is central to people’s lives, but there are some notable exceptions.

Russia and China receive low scores on the religiosity scale, but just 16% of Russians and 21% of Chinese say homosexuality should be accepted by society. Conversely, Brazilians and Filipinos are considerably more tolerant of homosexuality than their countries’ relatively high levels of religiosity would suggest.

In many countries, younger respondents are more likely than older ones to say homosexuality should be accepted by society. Age differences are particularly evident in South Korea, Japan, and Brazil, where those ages 30-49 are less accepting than those younger than 30 but more accepting than those ages 50 and older. Solid majorities across age groups in Africa and predominantly Muslim countries say homosexuality should be rejected by society.

In most of the countries surveyed, views of homosexuality do not differ significantly between men and women. But where there is a gender gap, women are considerably more likely to say homosexuality should be accepted by society. In Japan, Venezuela and Greece, where about six-in-ten women say homosexuality should be accepted, fewer than half of men share this view.

The full survey is available here.

Study reveals 57 percent of population tolerant of homosexuals in Trinidad

A study of general attitudes of local citizens towards homosexuals has found that more than half — 57 percent of the persons polled, were tolerant, or accepting of gays. Thirty six percent were “potentially homophobic” while eight percent were unsure.

According to director of Caribbean Development Research Services (CDRES) Peter Wickham, “Tolerant means they tolerate homosexuals, accepting means they are accepting that most of us can distinguish between someone who says I deal with you and distance, and someone who says I want to embrace you.”

He said the information gathered suggested that TT was not a homophobic society.

“It is a society in which the level of acceptance of homosexuals is greater than rejection.”

CDRES Inc, which is based in Barbados carried out the survey earlier this year. It involved a sample of just over 1,000 persons representative of the population in sex and age.

The findings were revealed yesterday at a press briefing at the All Saints Anglican Church Hall, Woodbrook on the eve of today’s observance of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. It found that people with gay family, or friends, were less likely to be homophobic. According to the data — 73 percent reported having gay friends, 68 percent had gay family members while 51 percent had no gay friends, and 56 percent no gay family members.

Wickham said, “a driver of acceptance and tolerance is the extent that people had gay friends or family members.” Less Trinidadians admitted to having gay family members but the number with gay friends was “quite high.”

The research found the 75 percent of people considered violence against gays, or sexual minorities to be discrimination. Wickham found this was striking, considering that the level of acceptance was not close to 75 percent. Another noteworthy observation was that while the majority of persons opposed the decriminalising of criminal sanction against homosexuality, they opposed violence, and supported human rights. On the question of the political impact of a gay stance, persons were asked to state which political party they supported, and if the party changed its stance on gay issues, if this would affect their vote.

There were equal numbers of persons from the political parties saying they would or would not change. Fifty-six percent said it would not make a difference on their vote.

meanwhile:

The Trinidad Express reported

A little more than half of the local population is tolerant or accepting of gay persons and tackling a gay agenda may not actually be a death knell for political parties, a Caribbean Development Research Services Inc (Cadres) survey has suggested.

Cadres has conducted a poll of just over 1,000 citizens on behalf of the Coalition Advocating for the Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO), that the latter hopes will shed some light on the local attitudes towards homosexuality and engender more interest in the rights of such persons by the State.

The survey, which CAISO said it has tried fruitlessly in the past to have done with support from the State, has shown that 56 per cent of citizens are either tolerant or accepting of the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) community.

Thirty-six per cent of those surveyed were homophobic and eight per cent were not clear of their positions on LGBT persons and issues.

The results of the poll were disclosed at a CAISO press conference at the All Saint’s Anglican Church, corner of Woodford and Marli Streets, Port of Spain, yesterday.

Colin Robinson, the head of CAISO, said the poll has shown that Trinidad and Tobago is not the homophobic country that it is commonly perceived to be and the results confirm that it is possible for all people to be part of developing the nation.

Peter Wickham of Cadres said while it is expected that some persons may have chosen to fabricate their responses, it is felt that the results are largely representative of an existing overall view.

Interviews for the poll were conducted face-to-face and candidates were asked to self-identify their sexual orientation.

Candidates were also asked their political preferences and were asked whether a political party’s decision to tackle gay issues would affect their decisions at the polls.

Wickham admitted, however, that candidates were not asked whether they would be swayed for or against.

The results among those with an allegiance to any of the existing parties showed 49 per cent saying their chosen party’s position on gay issues would make a difference, while 51 per cent said it would not.

Wickham said it is also felt that voters, who appear to vote largely on the basis of race, were unlikely to cross racial lines to be swayed by a party’s gay agenda.

Possibly the inaugural survey of its kind, Wickham said no previous data could be found for the sake of comparisons on changing attitudes but the recently concluded survey will be important to building such data.

The poll was conducted here and in Guyana with sponsorship from the British High Commission, while it was conducted in Barbados with the assistance of the State.

The poll showed that 73 per cent of candidates in Trinidad have gay friends that the Christian community appears to be more tolerant.

However, support for the LGBT community came yesterday from head of the Indian Women’s Organisation, Pandita Indrani Rampersad, who said religious groups, of all of society’s sectors, should be the ones to find the compassion and strength to stand up for and support fellow humans who are being vilified and oppressed.

“If we can’t support our fellow humans, then what are we?,” Rampersad said.

Same sex marriage is good for gay & lesbian health says study

Scientists have known for decades that married people are healthier and live longer lives than their single counterparts.1However, virtually all of the research conducted to date has focused exclusively on the health benefits associated with heterosexual marriage. Given that more and more countries have extended marriage rights to same-sex couples, has there been any effect on the health of gays and lesbians? Two recent studies have documented some positive health changes among sexual minorities.

First, a 2012 U.S. study found that in the state of Massachusetts, there was a significant decrease in the number of visits made by gay and bisexual men to healthcare providers for both medical and mental health issues in the year after same-sex marriage was legalized.2 This effect was not specific to men in relationships—rather, there seemed to be an across-the-board health benefit for all sexual minority men, perhaps because legalized same-sex marriage reduced stigma and stress for the entire gay and bisexual community (for more details on this study, see here). However, this study did not look at women and only looked at effects over a one-year period.

A brand new study out of Denmark addressed these limitations by tracking mortality rates of 6.5 million adults in that country between the years 1982 and 2011.3 Researchers examined how living arrangements (single, cohabiting, married) and sexuality were associated with death rates over nearly three decades. Denmark is a particularly interesting country for a study of this nature because they have provided at least some legal recognition of same-sex relationships since 1989.

Consistent with previous research, being involved in a heterosexual married or cohabiting relationship was associated with a longer life than being single, widowed, or divorced. Although persons in heterosexual marriages also had longer life expectancies than persons in same-sex marriages, same-sex marriage was linked to some health benefits. First and foremost, as more time has passed since Denmark started recognizing same-sex relationships, death rates for persons in same-sex marriages (both male and female) have dropped. And this was not because death rates were dropping for every group—in fact, death rates increased for certain groups (e.g., single and divorced men).

The researchers also found that among men over age 50, those who were in same-sex marriages lived longer than guys who were single or divorced. So, being in a same-sex marriage seems better for a man’s health than no relationship at all, but the health benefits do not appear to be as strong as they are for men in heterosexual marriages.

What about women? Among women over age 50, those in same-sex marriages actually had shorter lives than women who were single or divorced. This seemed largely attributable to the fact that women in same-sex marriages had elevated rates of breast cancer and suicides. Why was that the case? Unfortunately, we cannot say with any degree of certainty.

The Denmark study tells us that same-sex marriage has been good overall for the health of persons who have taken advantage of it. However, there remains an important health disparity between persons involved in same- and other-sex marriages, and it appears that this disparity is even larger among women. Although more research is needed to understand why this disparity exists, there is now compelling evidence from several sources that same-sex marriage appears to offer a range of health benefits to the gay and lesbian community.

1Ross. C. E., Mirowsky, J., & Goldsteen, K. (1990). The impact of the family on health: The decade in review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 1059-1078.

2Hatzenbuehler, M. L., O’Cleirigh, C., Grasso, C., Mayer, K., Safren, S., & Bradford, J. (2012). Effect of same-sex marriage laws on health care use and expenditures in sexual minority men: A quasi-natural experiment. American Journal of Public Health, 102, 285-291.

3Frisch, M., & Simonsen, J. (in press). Marriage, cohabitation and mortality in Denmark: National cohort study of 6.5 million persons followed for up to three decades (1982-2011).International Journal of Epidemiology.

Very Early HIV Treatment May Limit "Seeding" of Latent HIV Reservoirs, Study Finds

Early HIV treatment, specifically during acute HIV infection, can limit the virus from forming HIV reservoirs in central memory CD4+ cells, according to study results presented at CROI 2013 in Atlanta, Ga.

Researchers in Thailand screened 52,767 patients for HIV using both nucleic acid tests (NAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. Only 89 were identified as having acute HIV infection. Of these, 75 were enrolled in the study within three days and then started on antiretroviral therapy within an additional two days.

Lead author Jintanat Ananworanich, M.D., presented findings on the first 68 participants. The median age was 29 and 91% were men who have sex with men. The median duration of infection at baseline was only 15 days.

The patients were separated into three groups by Fiebig stage:

There were 24 patients characterized as Fiebig 1, meaning they tested positive for HIV RNA within 15 days of infection, but negative for p24 antigen and negative on a third generation ELISA test.

Only 7 patients were characterized as Fiebig 2, meaning they tested positive for HIV RNA and p24 antigen within 20 days of infection, but negative on a third-generation ELISA test.

The majority, 36 patients, were characterized as Fiebig 3, meaning they tested positive for HIV RNA and p24 antigen, as well as positive on a third generation ELISA test, within 25 days of infection, but negative on a Western blot.

At the time of diagnosis, Fiebig 1 patients had the lowest levels of median HIV DNA compared to the Fiebig 2 and 3 groups. "As the Fiebig stage progresses, there's more seeding of the reservoir," Ananworanich stated. Notably, 92% of the Fiebig 1 group had undetectable integrated HIV DNA in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), compared to 29% of Fiebig 2 and 53% of Fiebig 3.

By week 12 after starting treatment, the median HIV DNA levels of those in the Fiebig 3 group mirrored levels seen in patients who have been on treatment for five years. By week 48, the Fiebig 3 group had HIV DNA levels similar to elite controllers. Interestingly, the Fiebig 1 group had HIV DNA levels similar to elite controllers throughout 96 weeks of treatment. In terms of integrated HIV DNA, 93% of all groups achieved undetectable levels by week 48.

To attempt to determine where HIV established and maintained its reservoirs, the researchers ran additional tests, including leukapheresis, a procedure that separates white blood cells from blood samples. After 24 weeks of treatment, integrated HIV DNA was detected in CD4+ cells, but not PBMCs, B cells or CD8 cells. 

However, even within the CD4+ cell subset, only two out of five patients had detectable levels.

The researchers looked even further into the subsets of memory CD4+ cells to possibly identify the reservoir location. They found that central memory T cells had low infection frequencies when compared to transitional memory and effector memory T cells. 

Anaworanich pointed out that in chronically infected HIV patients, the central memory T cells show higher frequencies of infection and typically rank first or second as a reservoir site. 

Her team's finding that the reservoir in the Thai patients, after early treatment, is actually in the transitional memory and effector memory T cells could lead to new strategies in reservoir eradication, she said.

While these results are promising, Anaworanich noted that the sample size was small and that they had yet to determine the levels of replication-competent virus in these patients. The next steps could include analytical treatment interruption to identify correlates of a functional cure or a therapeutic vaccine.

HIV rates among MSM in the US & St Lucia are up .......

download the Report HERE

The findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detail the most recent HIV/AIDS numbers in the United States. They show that in 2010, there were 47,500 people who were newly infected with HIV, down from 2007's number of 53,200. The authors of the report noted that the rate of new HIV cases in the U.S. has stayed at around 50,000 each year since the '90s.

From 2008 to 2010, black women experienced a 21 percent decrease in new HIV infections (from 7,700 to 6,100). But overall, African Americans are the racial group most affected by HIV (with an HIV rate almost eight times higher than white people), comprising 44 percent of all the new infections in 2010.

The report also showed that young men who have sex with men experienced a 22 percent increase in new HIV infections during the same time period (from 7,200 to 8,800). Men who have sex with men -- a term used by researchers to focus on behaviour and bypass issues of sexual identity -- comprised about 78 percent of new HIV infections in men in 2010, and 63 percent of total new HIV infections in both men and women that year, the report said.

Young people were the most likely to be newly infected, with 31 percent of new infections occurring in people between ages 25 and 34. Twenty-six percent of new infections occurred in people between ages 13 and 24, and 24 percent of new infections occurred in people between ages 45 and 54. People ages 55 and older made up five percent of new infections.

Earlier this year, a report from the United Nations Program on AIDS showed that North America had around 1.4 million people with HIV in 2011, and about 20,000 people on the continent died from the disease that year, Reuters reported. And in 2011, there were a little over 34 million people with HIV around the world.

Meanwhile in St Lucia the National AIDS Program Secretariat, NAPS is reporting today that the rates are up especially for those who do not disclose their preference or are on the downlow. 

This was the same group who called for the repeal of the buggery law in August last year.

St Lucia like Jamaica grappled also with homosexuality in schools and while not going the route we did with out Home and Family Life curriculum and the suggestions of reparative therapy for supposed abusive lesbians in schools earlier this year they seem to have taken a more mature approach based on reports:

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 behaviour  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.

See more HERE: Homosexuality in schools in St. Lucia 

UPDATE December 24, 2012

Cell Damage Caused by Application of Certain Personal Lubricants Does Not Increase Risk of HIV Infection in Tissues Exposed to HIV in a Laboratory, According to a New Study

The use of certain water-based, over-the-counter personal lubricants can dry out and irritate vaginal and rectal tissue, but does not appear to increase susceptibility to HIV in vaginal tissues exposed to HIV in a laboratory setting, according to a study published today in PLoS ONE. Even so, say study authors affiliated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), more research is needed to fully understand the safety of personal lubricants and their effect on epithelial tissue, the layer of mucosal cells that acts as the body’s first line of defense against sexually transmitted HIV.

“We tested several kinds of personal lubricants [IN THE LABORATORY] and those that did the most damage to cell tissue were hyperosmolar,” said lead study author Charlene S. Dezzutti, Ph.D., associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and principal investigator of the MTN Network Laboratory.

“While we know there is cellular toxicity associated with hyperosmolar lubes, the damage did not appear to make cells more vulnerable to HIV infection,” Dr. Dezzutti explained.

Hyperosmolar lubricants contain more salts, carbohydrates and proteins than are typically found inside cells of the vagina or rectum. This imbalance causes epithelial cells to lose water and, as a result, dry out. They are different from iso-osmolar lubricants, which contain the same amount of salts and other ingredients as do the cells.

Study investigators tested 14 brand-name over-the-counter and mail-order water-, lipid- and silicon-based lubricants. Lubricants selected were identified as those most commonly used during anal sex in a survey, conducted by IRMA, of more than 6,300 respondents. Results indicated that hyperosmolar water-based lubricants caused the most damage to the epithelium taken from the vagina and rectum compared to iso-osmolar water- and silicon-based lubricants.

When the researchers applied the lubricants to tissue taken from the vagina and then exposed the tissue to HIV, they found that the lubricants did not increase the tissue's susceptibility to HIV infection.

Other studies are seeking to address HIV susceptibility with rectal tissue.

Of the lubricants tested in the lab, Good Clean Love and PRÉ, both water-based iso-osmolar lubricants, were shown to be least harmful to epithelial tissue, along with two silicon-based lubricants, Female Condom 2 and Wet Platinum. Lubricants that were most toxic to the epithelial tissue (Gynol II, KY Jelly and Replens) also tended to damage “good” bacteria called lactobacillus, which is needed to maintain a healthy genital tract.

“Much more work needs to be done to explore the safety of lubes,” said Dr. Dezzutti. “This was an early study and the jury is still out as to whether hyperosmolar lubes cause damage to the epithelium that in conjunction with other processes, like inflammation, could increase susceptibility to HIV.”

“The most important point for people to take away from this study is that condoms are still the best way to protect against HIV and that lubes should always be used with compatible condoms.”

In addition to Dr. Dezzutti, authors include Elizabeth R. Brown, Ph.D., Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle; Bernard Moncla, Ph.D., Julie Russo, Marilyn Cost, Lin Wang, Kevin Uranker, Ratiya Kunjara Na Ayudhya, Kara Pryke, Lisa C. Rohan, Ph.D., with the MTN and the University of Pittsburgh; and Jim Pickett and Marc-André LeBlanc, with International Rectal Microbicide Advocates, Chicago.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institute of Mental Health and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, all components of the NIH.

Additonal reading:

Topical strategies to prevent vaginal HIV transmission.

Metrosexual ............ the term

Erynn Masi de Casanova

Assistant Professor
Romance Languages and Literatures - Affiliate Faculty
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies - Affiliate Faculty
Sociology - Tenure-Track Faculty
1015 Crosley Tower
513-556-4707
erynn.casanova@uc.edu

Erynn Masi de Casanova, of the University of Cincinnati, presented her new research (although it is a very small sample) at the recent American Anthropological Association conference in San Francisco earlier this month. I decided to look at this issue a bit after seeing an article excerpted below from sciencecodex, an online publication.
Extinct or Passé? New Research Examines the Term, 'Metrosexual' (November 13, 2012)

Did the "metrosexual" male come into being and die out with the last decade, or has he become the new normal? Erynn Masi de Casanova, a UC assistant professor of sociology, presented truly irrelevant research about the label at the 111th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association in San Francisco.

Casanova's research consisted of interviews with men in three major metropolitan cities and the interviews led to the belief that men in general were taking more interest in a well-groomed appearance and that they felt the term, "metrosexual," was a stereotype that had run its course. Some men who were interviewed indicated that they preferred dressing up and looking sharp – especially on weekends – even though many American businesses now promote workplace casual dress codes. This was prominently reported in New York.

So was ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" sung by metrosexuals? Was Fred Astaire a metrosexual?

Casanova based her presentation, "Is the Metrosexual Extinct? Men, Dress and Looking Good in Corporate America," on interviews with 22 men in which the word, "metrosexual," came up in the conversation. The men were white-collar workers in three major U.S. cities: New York, San Francisco and Cincinnati - a midwestern liberal city bookended by coastal liberal cities.

"I was really interested in finding out how individual men think about social categories, such as metrosexual," says Casanova. "It's a word that's out there, but do men really think about it – does it mean anything to them?"

Probably not, it was just a marketing designation. Casanova rightly notes the label was coined by British journalist Mark Simpson to describe a single, young, heterosexual man with a high disposable income, who worked in the city.

"I found out that people had contradictory opinions about what being metrosexual was. Sometimes one person would reveal both negative and positive connotations about the word," says Casanova. She says the majority of the men referred to the aesthetic aspect of the stereotype – men who were well-dressed and well-groomed.

Most Americans think of metrosexuals as wearing black suits one size too small, though. Incredibly, the men in the surveys had heard the term despite it having its 15 minutes of fame in 2004, mostly to insult Presidential candidate John Kerry when he spoke French. The men also said that the term was being used less and less – that it was likely a buzz-word that was fizzling out, or that now it has just become a label, as more men pay more attention to their appearance. "One of the interviewees said it's just a new word for who used to be called a 'pretty boy,'" Casanova says.

Casanova's interviews also found that the metrosexual moniker opened up a way for heterosexual men to enjoy fashion without being stereotyped as gay, although others considered the term a more polite way of calling someone gay. Some men, says Casanova, saw the interest in fashion as a possible way to bridge gaps between gay and straight men. Some of the heterosexual men interviewed admitted taking fashion advice from gay men.

"As many men confirmed, this bridge seems to be a relatively new – and still somewhat tenuous – development," Casanova says.

Of the 22 men interviewed, half were from New York, 41 percent were from Cincinnati and nine percent were from San Francisco. The majority of the interviewees identified as white; three identified as African American; one as Indian and one as "Afro-Caribbean."

The men held a variety of positions in the corporate world, from sales/marketing to finance, recruitment and architecture/design. The average age of the men interviewed was 36. The youngest was 24 and the oldest was 58.

Funding for the current research project was provided by the University of Cincinnati Taft Research Center and Casanova says the research is part of a larger study that she plans to publish as a book.

ENDS

Given Jamaica's recent sojourn into this realm by popular culture predominantly dancehall with the once vilified "tight pants" as worn by major acts now and who themselves were strongly opposed to such and the skin lightening or bleaching phenomenon that is so normative older folks like myself wonder sometimes if we are in the same Jamaica where men would have been beaten literally if they ever tried such things just five years ago. 

Most major clothing stores these days of the informal commercial importers (higglers) have some sort of Euro designed Jeans or pants that are deliberately form fitting as "big clothes" are considered outdated, male students go as far as to adjust their uniforms to match how the adult males dress with ass/boxer showing and more in some instances.

popular bleaching creams used today 

Yet despite the aesthetic changes and the vain scale turned up or as we say "tun up" in colloquial terms homophobia as expressed in flat out rejection of same gender love displayed publicly of any form of remote effeminacy is promptly opposed yet gay for pay accusations fly about for men (as masculine as they are in attitude) who present as metrosexual, tight pants, bleached skin and ass crack showing to include form fitting boxers which females find attractive at certain socio economic levels complete with full body tattooing now, a practice that was also revered only to uptowners or foreigners. Controversial dancehall star Vybz Kartel (photo below) has become the poster child for male bleaching and subsequent metrosexual modes of dress in as far as the dancehall arena is concerned despite his legal woes.

More polished and conservative dressing and attention to detail have also been seen in white collar males and if one should visit particular barber shops despite the barbers being all male personal services are delivered that involve rather intimate contact such as tweasing, facials and mani/pedicures as well, practices once frowned upon when offered or done by males that female staffed barber shops were opened to respond to that bias but now who cares for the most part? as shops diversify due to economic realities and holding customers while meeting the ever changing trends lately in Jamaica. Did I mention pink as well where men are so comfortable with the "gay colour" that it is hardly noticed in a negative way. 

But how do we bridge the gap between the heterosexual fashion conscious male versus the already held notion that overly picky men in fashion are gay or are we looking in the wrong places?

Questions left to be answered I guess given our peculiar circumstances of extreme homophobia on one hand and extreme attention to detail in grooming once viewed through stereotypical lens as homosexuality expressed through style.

Nuff to think about.

Peace and tolerance

H

Scientific U-Turn: Male Bisexuality Is Real

This information though a bit dated is needed as we here in Jamaica are hardly guided by any proper recognition and discussion on bisexuality and to link it to homophobia and homo-negativity. The chronic issue of bi-erasure and bi-invisibility is disturbing as the leading agency forget most times than not the "B" in the LGBT community that they say they represent committing bi-phobia by default.

The study cited: Rosenthal, A.M., et al., Sexual arousal patterns of bisexual men revisited. Biol. Psychol. (2011),

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2011.06.015 can be viewed HERE

A famous study conducted in 2005 proclaimed that male bisexuality is an illusion. Despite study participants claiming to be attracted to members of both sexes, when the subjects were hooked up to genital sensors and shown same-sex male and same-sex female pornography, individuals were only seriously aroused by one type or the other. The results were taken as evidence that, in terms of arousal, men are either gay, straight or lying.

"I'm not denying that bisexual behavior exists," Michael Bailey, a psychologist at Northwestern University and senior author of the 2005 study, told the press at the time, "but I am saying that in men there's no hint that true bisexual arousal exists."

Now, he and his colleagues are saying quite the opposite. They've conducted a new study, published online in the journal Biological Psychology, called "Sexual arousal patterns of bisexual men revisited." Upon this visit, they found more than just a hint of male bisexuality.

The bisexual pride flag. Public domain image.

Much more stringent criteria were used to recruit bisexual male study participants this time around. "Last time, they got their guys from an ad in an urban newspaper read by a hipster crowd," Allen Rosenthal, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology and the lead author of the new study, told Life's Little Mysteries. This time, instead of relying on self-reporting of sexual orientation, men only qualified as bisexuals if they had had sex with at least two members of each sex and had carried on a romantic relationship of at least three months with a member of each sex. [Why Do We Have Sex? ]

The participants were subjected to the same genital-sensor-and-porn test as in the 2005 study. (Responses to same-sex male and same-sex female porn are used for comparison rather than same-sex male and heterosexual porn, because researchers have previously found that men of any sexual orientation can be aroused by heterosexual porn. "With using a hetero stimulus, you don't know who they're focusing on," Rosenthal said.)

The results: "Bisexual men in the present study demonstrated bisexual patterns of both subjective and genital arousal," the authors wrote. Another not-yet-published experiment, Rosenthal said, found that bisexual men are significantly more aroused by bisexual porn — porn showing sex between two men and one woman — than are straight or gay men. [What If There Were More Than Two Sexes? ]

Rosenthal believes his new results will be validating to a lot of bisexual men who had heard about the earlier research and felt misrepresented or misunderstood by science.

However, the authors believe that the new results don't completely invalidate the old. "I think that both studies are correct, but about different populations of bisexual men. I'm confident in what they did last time; the reason why we have different results is that we used different recruitment methods," Rosenthal said. Some self-reporting bisexual men aren't aroused by both of the sexes to which they claim to be attracted. Others really are. "The big open question is which results are more representative of your average bi guy on the street."

If they can generate funding for such an experiment, the Northwestern psychologists will scale up their study in order to profile bisexual males of all types.

California's Governor to ban Reparative Therapy ........... critics are upset

Jerry Brown’s Decision to Ban Conversion Therapy in Ca. Upsets Critics

Starting January 1, 2013, sexual conversion therapies, also called reparative therapies, will be outlawed in California for minors. Governor Brown calls this therapy unscientific with no basis in science or medicine, and they will now be “relegated to the dustbin of quackery.”

The law states that licensed mental health providers ”shall not provide minors with therapy intended to change their sexual orientation including efforts to “change behaviors or gender expressions of to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.”



Often run by religious groups with names like Journey Into Manhood or People Can Change, these pray-away camps appeal to Christian thought that homosexuality is sinful. Conservatives, opposed to gay marriage and the “gay lifestyle” defend these organizations that believe that homosexuality is a “choice” and can be overcome. Is the theory political or scientifically based?

Wayne Besen, the director of Truth Wins Out, a gay advocacy group, believes that reparative therapy is junk science being used to justify religious beliefs that homosexual urges can be banished.

Nature vs. Nurture

Although the American Psychological and Psychiatric Associations disapprove of reparative therapy, it is still practiced by a handful of therapists who believe that homosexual desires result from early childhood wounds.

The director of the largest reparative therapy clinic in the world, Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinical in Encino, California , Joseph Nicolosi, argues that “all people are heterosexual but some have a homosexual problem, and some of these people attempt to resolve their conflict by adopting a sociopolitical label called ‘gay.’” If you unearth family trauma such as a distant father and an overbearing mother or child abuse, you, as sex –gay believers attest, can bring change not only in sexual desire, but maybe even a permanent cure

(see http://”Ex-Gay’ Men Fight Back Against View That Homosexuality Can’t be Changed.” New York Times, 11/1/12)

Last April, conversion therapy was dealt a blow by Robert L. Spitzer, author of a study eleven years old that purported that gays could change their sexual orientation. He said his study was invalid. In June 2012, the president of Exodus International, the largest Christian ministry for homosexuals, Alan Chambers, said that it was futile to try to change same-sex attraction and it seldom works.anyway: “99.9 percent of people Chambers has encountered in twenty years with Exodus were not able to completely rid themselves of same-sex attraction.”

Permanent Cure or Temporary Healing?

Some men who attend these retreats, and partake of reparative therapy, claim the switch works. Says “Jeremy S., 34, a corporate contract officer in Dallas, “ that from his teens until three years ago he lived as a gay man. It wasn’t working for me.” After two years of therapy with Dr. Nicolosi, Jeremy claims his attraction to men was” practically diminishing.” He has not had sex with a man for more than two years and does not think about it more than once a month, adding that his Catholic faith has also deepened.

However, gay rights groups say the therapies cause emotional harm which in some cases has led to depression, even suicide.and certainly anger, hopelessness, and guilt among its patients.

Lawsuits Already Filed: Violation of Free Choice

The lawsuits are being filed on behalf of therapists whose practices include reducing same-sex attraction and changing their sexual orientation, parents who have enrolled their children in reparative therapy as well as the teenagers who are undergoing it.

Does the law infringe on The First Amendment and equal protection rights of individuals to give and receive information that matches their personal and professional beliefs? Will it cause harm to those who claim they need and want the therapy?

What are the long-term effects of subjugating same-sex desires?

ENDS

Seeing local anti gay/buggery advocates such as Reverned Al Miller, Dr Wayne West and others pushing this passion without compromise approach steeped in the belief that gays can be changed and also on the heels of a local study by JFLAG released earlier this year - download the PDF HERE

The study also found many persons believed that conversion therapy of some kind was possible to change homosexual's orientation.

Here is the CVM TV Live @ 7 session on the issue in case you missed it.

We should continue to watch this new development in California given the Prop 8 matter and the US Supreme Court deliberations on the issue of gay marriage as a Federal matter for rights afforded to gay married couples, please see an important post on sister blog Gay Jamaica Watch: The US Supreme Court's Four Most Likely Moves On Gay marriage rights

Another story broke earlier as well that is one to watch

Men Sue Reparative Therapy Center Over Psychological Harm in the US

Four young men have taken the rare step of suing a facility that provides so-called "reparative therapy," and the individuals who run it, claiming that the techniques used to "cure" their homosexuality included ones that inflicted psychological damage. The suit was filed yesterday in Hudson County (N.J.) Superior Court against the organization known as JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing), which is located in Jersey City. The suit charges the organization with falsely claiming to be able to rid the men of their sexual attraction to other men through proven scientific techniques. According to the suit, these techniques were demeaning and emotionally damaging and included having to remove their clothing and beat images of their mothers. One of the defendants, Chaim Levin, now age 23 but 17 when he sought out JONAH's services, told the Jersey Journal, "It was so awful and so degrading and so wrong in so many ways."

Commenting on the suit to Psychiatric News, psychiatrist Jack Drescher, M.D., said, "APA has raised concerns about the potential harm done by trying to change a person's sexual orientation. Anecdotal reports of harm include worsening of depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation—not to mention individuals entering into heterosexual marriages with the unrealized hope that these would lead to conversion. Unfortunately, many of the individuals, like the defendants named in this lawsuit, are unlicensed and not subject to professional regulation or censure. Hopefully, if the plaintiffs' suit is successful, it will have a chilling effect on the proliferation of unlicensed individuals offering false hope to unhappy individuals struggling with their sexual identities." Drescher is president of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry and editor emeritus of the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health.

In late September California passed a law banning reparative therapy in youth younger than age 18.

APA position statements on reparative therapy are posted atwww.psychiatry.org under "Position Statements." For a comprehensive review of mental health issues affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals see The LGBT Casebook from American Psychiatric Publishing. (Drescher is a co-editor of the book.)
Peace and tolerance

Mr H