HIV/AIDS & Young Women: What You Can Do to Fight For Young Women's Lives on World AIDS Day

On December 1st, the world will remember almost 60 million people have been infected with HIV and 25 million people have died of HIV-related causes since the beginning of the epidemic. Today, in many parts of the world, including the U.S., women have become the face of the disease. Women make up an increasing proportion of adults (ages 15–49) living with HIV/AIDS.

Young adults, ages 15–24 account for approximately half of new adult HIV infections and 28% of the global total of adults living with HIV/AIDS. Most young people living with AIDS are girls (62%), including 76% of HIV-positive young people in sub-Saharan Africa. In some countries, infection rates are up to six times higher among young women than young men.

These statistics are shocking, but real.

Sadly, the U.S. has been a strong proponent of abstinence-only funding for HIV/AIDS prevention programs around the world. These programs have been proven ineffective and continues the spread of the disease.

Based on recent studies, much of US aid for global AIDS relief administered under the Bush Administration was given to conservative, faith-based organizations (FBOs) that strongly promoted abstinence as a prevention method and demonized condom use. This type of "proselytization" of what is deemed as appropriate sexual behavior reverses the efforts to fight AIDS and continue its spread. Though a lot has changed in favor of comprehensive HIV/AIDS relief for young women under the Obama Administration, the fear of the continued trend of supporting conservative, anti-choice FBOs is very real. As a matter of fact, many FBOs that have partnered with the U.S. up to 2008 have provided AIDS relief in many developing countries with a special focus on abstinence-only in youth prevention programs. This (as well as lack of access to condoms) is directly tied to the continued rise of HIV transmission among young people.

Young feminists across the country are needed now more than ever! We can make a difference! We can collectively change the way our government makes foreign policy and who it gives our funds to. On this World AIDS Day, advocate for women's sexual and reproductive rights and sustainable AIDS relief on your campus by:

• Contacting members of Congress, the Obama Administration, and the United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon via letter-writing campaigns, call-ins, fax-ins, or emails and demand that the U.S. end its support of abstinence-only funding for HIV/AIDS prevention.

• Pressing our government to meet the MDGs' 2015 deadline by increasing international sexual and reproductive health care funding to $3 billion which would provide universal access!

• Not just waiting on World AIDS Day, but get an early start in this "lame-duck" session to petition members of Congress to ratify the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and pass the International Violence Against Women Act. These policies can curb the epidemic significantly by ending violence against women. Contact the Campus Team at campusteam@feminist.org if you'd like to screen FMF's short documentary "CEDAW: The Secret Treaty". Remember, we only need 67 votes in the Senate!

• Writing op-ed's and campus newspaper articles about the dangers of supporting abstinence-only funding for global HIV/AIDS prevention and the need to support comprehensive sex ed in schools.

• Coordinating with student health services and nearby bars and restaurants to distribute free male and female condoms with HIV/AIDS facts.

• Creating a mural/collage display of various photos, letters, drawings, etc. representing the many "faces of HIV/AIDS" and their many walks of life. This disease affects everyone and we should continue to dispel the myths of who HIV/AIDS affects.

• Sponsoring a benefit theater production or music concert where the proceeds go to a local HIV/AIDS organization or campus HIV/AIDS program.

• Collaborating with your university's public health, nursing, medical, international affairs, and public policy schools/programs and student health services to host a discussion or seminar on the gendered-based effects of HIV/AIDS globally.

• Collaborating with international student organizations and environmental campus groups to create a poster and flyer campaign that shows how poverty and the results of climate change, like depleting water sources, impact young women living with HIV/AIDS.

There's so much we all can do to take action in the fight against AIDS. Remember, you can make a difference in saving the lives of young women and girls around the world. Fight for women and girls on World AIDS Day!

Few action ideas courtesy of Minnesota's Department of Health "How to Plan World AIDS Day Activities 2010: Universities/Colleges Tips".

This post is part of the November 2010 ezine. To subscribe to the monthly ezine, click here.

New method of protection against HIV/AIDS/HSV-2 for women!

Earlier this week my Mother told me about a new product that curbs the risk of HIV infection. At first I was skeptical, I thought her story was too good to be true. I went home later that day and did some research to try and confirm if what my Mother heard on the radio was the real deal.

Within minutes I found an article which supported her claims and made me really excited! Finally some progress is being made! It is true, scientists have reported that there is a new gel that has proved capable of preventing the AIDS virus!

A study conducted in South Africa report that the gel has the potential to reduce a women's chances of getting HIV and HSV-2 virus from an infected partner by half. And though this is not full protection such news brings great hope for women all over the world.

The gel would be a helpful tool in protecting women whose partners won't use condoms. It would have an even greater impact in African countries which have the highest incidence of rape and child rape. The long-lived belief in the so called “Virgin Cure” make young African girls especially vulnerable to rape and infection. In places like the Congo where girls as young as 2 and women as old as 80 are raped such protection is vital!

The new vagina gel is the first women-initiated and controlled HIV prevention and if confirmed it would help end the AIDS epidemic. Thirty three million people are infected today and over twenty five million people have died due to this disease. The AIDS epidemic is a global issue and it has to stop. I personally have lost someone to AIDS and I look forward to the day when people no longer have to suffer. Though we still do not have a cure for AIDS science has brought women some more options for protection and this is progress!

"Take The Test, Take Control" HIV does not discriminate!

National HIV Get Tested Day Sunday June 27, 2010
The HIV epidemic is still going strong in the United States today and this fact has been masked by the struggles of everyday life such as hard economic times, job loss, oils spills and unpredictable weather patterns. Yet every nine and a half minutes someone is infected with HIV in the United States. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is still very relevant!

It is still fully encouraged that people go out and get tested particularly this weekend! Sunday June 27, 2010 is the National HIV Testing Day. The National HIV get tested day was founded on June 27, 1995 and is organized by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) in partnership with the Center for Disease Control(CDC). The initiative beckons for people everywhere to get tested and know their status. The NAPWA advocates for everyone to know their status but they mainly targets at risk groups like African Americans mainly African American women, Latinas, and gay men. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for African American women in the United States today. African Americans only make up 13% of the U.S population, but they make up 49% of people who get HIV/AIDS. More than one million people are living with HIV in the U.S and approximately one in five of those are unaware of their infection. That breaks down to about 250,000 people who are living with the infection and do not know it. For some people who are HIV positive and do not know, they may not show any symptoms and even if one may feel healthy the HIV is still effecting their body. Early detection in many of cases can be all the difference between life and death, this is why NAPWA encourages everyone to get tested.

Barriers in HIV prevention:
One of the biggest barriers in HIV prevention comes from abstinence only education. Abstinence only until marriage education is taught to the youth all over the country, yet it does not properly equip young people with a comprehensive sex education. Most importantly it does not tell these youth the most important part which is to use a condom. But this is not only a youth issue, Crisis Pregnancy Centers do the same thing with adults. Misleading people by telling them condoms do not work and won’t protect you against HIV.

HIV is just as much a social issues as it is a medical issues, and issues of race and class are overwhelming in who gets infected and how long they survive. So whatever you decide to do this weekend please make time to go get tested, and bring a friend. Afraid of needles? No problem, there are many different forms of HIV testing which include a quick and painless swab of the mouth!

In other news, SC still hates women

If you're tired of hearing me complain about South Carolina, join the club. I would welcome the chance to shower the Palmetto State with praise as a champion for women's rights and opportunity. Alas, SC has other plans. Even the good news seems to come with a price. For example, The SC House recently voted against a provision in the proposed state budget that would have ended health insurance abortion coverage for victims of rape or incest. You might think that such a ban would be a no-brainer but, with a margin of defeat by only three votes, it makes you wonder if SC legislators have a brain at all? Take these two little nuggets of oppression and ignorance from the SC General Assembly in just the past week:

Eliminating the state's entire HIV/AIDS budget: An estimated 14,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in South Carolina, ranked eighth in the nation in new AIDS cases. The proposed budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year would eliminate all money for the state's HIV/AIDS prevention and drug assistance programs. As The State paper reports, "The cut would mean the 2,055 people enrolled in the Drug Assistance Program would no longer get help in paying for their medication and could face dire health consequences." What dire health consequences you might ask? Death for starters.

24-Hour Waiting Periods and Referrals to Fake Clinics: This one is a double whammy. After much debate and many failed attempts, the SC Senate finally passed a bill that will require women seeking an abortion to wait 24 hours after receiving an ultrasound. Many states across the country have successfully passed similar legislation that adds an undue burden and expense to women seeking an abortion and speaks to the misguided notion that women take choice lightly and flippantly decide to terminate a pregnancy.

What's particularly egregious is the support of so-called crisis pregnancy centers (CPC). The waiting period begins after the patient receives information about the procedure or receives an ultrasound. If the patient elects to receive an ultrasound she is referred to a so-called crisis pregnancy resource center for an ultrasound.

This news is equally laughable and terrifying. These fake clinics are not staffed by medically trained professionals and employ delay tactics and intimidation to deceive women from receiving comprehensive medical care. A Congressional investigation of CPCs revealed that 87% provided false or misleading information about the health effects of abortion and grossly misrepresent the medical risk of abortion by telling women that having an abortion could increase the risk of breast cancer, result in sterility and lead to suicide and "post-abortion syndrome."

By passing legislation that not only supports these fake clinics but will now refer women to receive these "services," SC legislators are implicitly endorsing the deceitful tactics and lies of fake clinics and have turned their backs on the women of SC and scientifically proven strategies to reduce unwanted pregnancies.

Want a reason not to flee the state? The House must still vote on the 24-hour waiting period bill and the elimination of all HIV/AIDS funds is only in the proposed budget and still requires a vote, as well. Translation? There is still time to speak out against these measures. Call your representatives, write a letter to your local paper and organize your neighbors against these horrendous policies in Columbia. Speak out against the disproportionate affect that these policies will have on low-income residents and those who are underinsured or uninsured. You must stay, stand up and fight back! And if they still won't listen to us? Perhaps we'll just run for office ourselves.

Help your neighborhood women's orgs!

The thermostat is finally registering winter, which means a) holiday/finals madness and, more importantly b) baby it's cold outside. Consequently, it's an important time to keep supporting your local women's organizations!

Here in DC, the lack of an autonomous government has profound human consequences. To make things worse, the District of Columbia slashed social services funding this fall, which has left DC organizations scrambling to keep their doors open. Direct service organizations that assist women need your help to continue providing critical resources for DC's most vulnerable women and families.

The domestic violence nonprofit Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE) ran a successful 10-day campaign this September to raise $85,000 so WEAVE could stay open. But WEAVE still needs support and volunteers to continue providing their services. Check out this list of ways you and your groups can help!

House of Ruth, a housing and shelter program for homeless women and families (many of whom are DV survivors), has been promised DC funding but does not have a dedicated funding stream to make up the $500,000 cut in their grants.

The Women's Collective, a well-regarded HIV/AIDS prevention and counseling organization, continues to lose DC funding while poorly-managed HIV programs receive millions. This, in a city with the highest HIV rate in the nation. This, in a city Congress singles out to attack needle-exchange programs that reduce the transmission of HIV.

'Tis the season to fight patriarchy and help a sistah out. Your friendly FMF campus organizers are hosting a holiday party to benefit Bread for the City. This week and next we're collecting food, used clothes, and items for the BFTC wish list. If you are interested in joining forces, drop us a line at campusteam@feminist.org. Or plan a drive or event to benefit your favorite progressive cause.

Want to donate to FMF and help us advocate for women in the US and around the world? You can do so online or with a good old-fashioned check payable to the Feminist Majority Foundation. Checks can be sent to FMF at 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 801, Arlington VA, 22209. Call us at 703-522-2214 if you need more info!

Let us know how you're getting active this winter! Stay warm and happy activism!

PEPFAR Returns to Common Sense HIV Prevention

Good news! On World AIDS Day we wrote about the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has long relied on the ineffective ABC (abstinence, be faithful, and as a last resort use condoms) program as a means to prevent HIV and AIDS. Thanks to the tireless work of human rights activists around the world, the State Department announced major positive changes to PEPFAR this week!

This new plan includes a shift away from ABC and towards scientific, common sense methods, integrating "HIV prevention, care and support, and treatment services with family planning and reproductive health services, so that women living with HIV can access necessary care, and so that all women know how to protect themselves from HIV infection." PEPFAR will now emphasize condom distribution and safe sex, a proven method of HIV prevention.

This is tremendous news for feminists everywhere, as women make up approximately half of all people living with HIV worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, women make up an estimated 57% of adults living with HIV, and three quarters of young people living with disease there are young women aged 15-24.

As you observe International Human Rights Day on December 10, celebrate this victory! There is always more work to be done and we thank you for your tireless efforts in support of women around the world.

In Honor of World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day.

Around the world, women continue to be denied their basic human rights: violence against women, poverty, lack of access to education and basic health care services. This denial makes women more susceptible to HIV/AIDS.

A few weeks ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a landmark study which identifies "AIDS-related illnesses as the leading cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age in low and middle income countries, particularly in [Sub-Saharan] Africa."

The report also stated that around the world, unsafe sex is the single leading risk factor contributing to deaths among women of reproductive age.

Women make up approximately half of all people living with HIV worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, women make up an estimated 57% of adults living with HIV, and three quarters of young people living with disease there are young women aged 15-24.

The US, the largest funder to global health programs, has a $48 billion dollar AIDS initiative called PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) which notoriously promotes the ABC (abstinence, be faithful, and as a last resort use condoms) prevention program in Africa.

This has widely been proven to be an ineffective strategy in preventing HIV/AIDS transmissions. It is harmful and simply does not work. The ABC program places condom distribution and usage, which is the most effective barrier method against the disease, at a low priority.

Moreover, to change US policies which needlessly harm women and girls around the world, we must take action!

Here is what you can do:

• Raise awareness on the emphasis of ineffective abstinence and fidelity prevention programs in PEPFAR.
• Educate your campus about its harmful impact on young women.
• Demand that the US change its policy to promote safe sex practices, access to comprehensive reproductive health and rights services, and sex education.
  

Take Action on World AIDS Day, and every day, to save women's lives around the world.

Ditch the candy, this Halloween sign yourself up for some good ol' fashion fear mongering!

Everyone has their own Halloween traditions. In his documentary Hell House, director/ producer George Radliff shows the not-so-common Halloween traditions of a town on the outskirts of Dallas, where the production of "Hell House" is annually held.

Hell House is a haunted house-style play focused on decisions that will exempt a person from the pearly gates. Teens and parents alike try out in large numbers, hoping to play "rave master" or"school shooting kid."

During Halloween season, "those who dare enter" watch a series of five-minute skits, showing what each character did to get in Hell. There's the boy who "chose the gay lifestyle" and became HIV positive; the woman who cheats on her abusive, alcoholic husband; the girl who took the abortion pill and died from blood loss, the boy who was so fed up with teasing that he commits suicide in front of his class and (can't forget this one!) the girl who goes to a rave, gets drugged and raped and commits suicide because of her guilt!

After seeing the characters tortured and burned in the final "Hell" scene, the audience is taken to calm room. Here, a person asks the group if they know where they would go if they were to die that night. Those who would like to go to heaven are offered entrance into a room where they can pray with church members.

This is where I sat on my couch, watching and thinking "WHAAAAAT! WAY TO BLAME THE VICTIM!"

This movie put things in the most disgusting terms: It's not the rapist who goes to hell, its the poor survivor. It's not the abuser or the mean students, it's the abused and the taunted.

It's time to identify this as what it is: fear mongering! They are showing extreme situations as scare tactics to sway their audience towards their unrealistic cause. To find out more about Hell House, rent it!

UNESCO International Guidelines on Sexual Education

At what age do you think it is appropriate to talk about sexuality and how should it be discussed?

This question has been floating around the global community, especially due to the ever-growing HIV crisis and its links to sexuality.

The United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) gave us their take by drafting the International Guidelines on Sexual Education, presented this June at the 19th World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) Conference.

The goal was to provide a comprehensive, systematic approach to sexual education, covering everything from love and relationships, orientation, pleasure, family planning and HIV/STD prevention options in an evidence-based, health-focused, culturally sensitive way. The curriculum is categorized in age-appropriate lists, teaching sexuality in digestible doses.

After getting wind of the draft, conservatives jumped. Feeling uncomfortable with “teaching masturbation to five year olds,” the protests began. Parents complained that it is inappropriate for teachers to and Focus on the Family’s vice president Chong Cheh Hoon said that the Guidelines are like “telling…kids not to smoke and yet providing them with cigarette filters.”

UNESCO employee Mark Richmond defended the Guidelines saying, “At the moment, education is the best weapon we have for dealing with these issues… Evidence tells us that by and large, young people do not have access to the knowledge that could help them make informed decisions and thereby avoid tragic consequences.” The agency is certain that the youth are interested and deserve to know the facts.

The draft was given a second chance at the Sex and Relationships Education Conference on September 7th-9th. UNESCO stood by its goals, but reworked some areas with attending specialists.

A finalized version is said to be out by the end of this year.

While this has been debated for some time, now is the time to sit up and pay attention! Read the June 2009 guidelines to decide what you think and keep your eye out for the final draft!

photo credit to lamont_cranston on flikr

Advocates for Youth accepting applications for Great American Condom Campaign!

Advocates for Youth is now accepting applications for Great American Condom Campaign (GACC) SafesSites! The GACC is a youth-led grassroots movement to reduce unintended pregnancies and the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections by normalizing condom use on college and university campuses. Students from across the country apply to become SafeSites, or individual condom distribution points. Once selected, SafeSites receive a box of 500 Trojan condoms to distribute to their peers. Applications are due September 27, 2009. To apply, go to http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/GACCApply. If you have any questions, contact Sarah at gacc@advocatesforyouth.org.

Sex & Hypocrisy

We've all witnessed more than our fair share of the rhetoric surrounding the HPV shot and its fantastic potential to lead young women and girls to sexual promiscuity.... Boo.

If, in our ever-puritanical society, sexuality is still considered BAD (dirty, sinful, et al.), one might assume that the same uproar would ensue when it was announced that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decided to consider "promoting routine circumcision for all baby boys born in the United States to reduce the spread of HIV...."

Such an uproar has yet to be heard. As blogger KJ Dell'Antonia has noted, "If both procedures might make unprotected sex marginally safer, why is the conversation so different?" I am certainly glad to see the general public in support of taking all measures within our realm to reduce/prevent any STI--my concern lies in the fact that "we" are only ok with it if it directly affects men.

If circumcision can help prevent boys and men from contracting HIV/AIDS by up to 50%, GREAT! If a vaccine can help girls and women reduce the risks of multiple types of HPV that may lead to cancer, PHENOMENAL! Why on earth aren't we doing everything in our power to protect ALL of us?!?

Why do we talk about protecting our daughters and sons from chicken pox, from H1N1, from scraped knees and busted lips...but we refuse to offer equal protection when it comes to one of the most natural inclinations of human nature: SEX!

What do we do about the double standard? How can we get beyond it and actually protect ourselves?

Photo courtesy of flickr.com/Zitona

Science To The Rescue

There have been many advances in the area of contraception and STI-prevention since the early days of the first birth control pills and diaphragms. We have oral and injectible medicines, physical barriers, and IUDs that help women (and men) protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and diseases. Although I am not a science person whatsoever, I found this new breakthrough very interesting.

Scientists at University of Utah have designed what they are calling a "molecular condom." This breakthrough was first made in 2006 and has gone through a massive redesign to come to the product that they have presented today.

To use this "molecular condom," a women would insert a vaginal gel that turns semisolid in the presence of semen before sex, trapping the AIDS virus particles in a microscopic mesh so they can't infect vaginal cells.

The goal of this new product is to help in the prevention of the spread of HIV so women can protect themselves without having to try and persuade their partners to do it, like with normal male-use condoms.

Another goal for this product is to target some of the most under-resourced countries like sub-Sahara Africa and south Asia where the rate of infection is as high as 60% in women.

So what does this means for women like you and me? Well the "molecular condom" is still going through testing and clinical trials and probably still has several years before it will be available to the general public. However, this does give women more control over their own bodies and reproductive health, which is another step in the right direction. This new form of protection gives women more option in their arsenal of disease prevention and looks to help out those women who need more protection the most.

Photo courtesy of ynse on flikr.com

Good News

Last Friday, the House Committe on Appropriations Subcommitte on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies passed their bill and eliminated traditional sources abstinence-only programs! Talk about awesome news!

Research, and common sense, says that ab-only education is ineffective in reducing unwanted pregnancies and the transmission of STIs, HIV, and AIDS. Ab-only education has been recieving millions of dollars in federal funding for years, despite evidence that it was not actually doing what it claimed to do. It is not clear what funding ab-only programs will recieve or if that funding will go to comprehensive sex education programs.

In addition to this, the bill also removed the ban on syringe exchange programs that reduce the spread of HIV. The ban was instated because of false ideas that the programs actually increased the spread of HIV.

Hopefully these changes will signal a progression towards actaully reducing the rates of unwanted pregnancies and the spread of STIs, HIV and AIDS. Oh, and a move towards honesty and openness about sexuality.

Photo courtesy of www.flickr/foreverdigital

Newsday Tuesday: July 7 Edition

I hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. I know I definitely did. It was so exciting to be in the nation's capital for the anniversary of our nation's Independence. I spent my 4th of July evening watching the spectacular fireworks display from the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Georgetown with some of the fellow FMF interns. Even though it was a holiday weekend, the news did not stop happening. So let's catch up with this week's events!

LGBTQ Rights

• The big news in DC is that today, the District will begin recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples performed in other jurisdictions. However, this does not mean that the District will begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
  

• Tuesday, the DC Superior Court rejected a proposed referendum that aimed to overturn recent legislation that would recognize marriages of same-sex couples performed in other jurisdictions. The DC Board of Elections and Ethics rejected the same proposal for a referendum in June stating that it "would authorize discrimination prohibited by the Human Rights Act" and would "strip same-sex couples of the rights and responsibilities of marriage that they were afforded by virtue of entering into valid marriages elsewhere."
  

• The Delhi High Court in India on Wednesday ruled that sexual activity between consenting same sex partners was no longer a criminal act. After 8 years of proceedings and campaigning from gay rights activists, this decision makes homosexuality legal for the first time since the British colonial era.

• In the case of Diane Schroer, the Department of Justice chose not to appeal a decision in which a US District Judge ruled that the Library of Congress violated the Civil Rights Act. Schroer, a former U.S Army colonel and a transgender woman, was offered a job from the Library of Congress only to have the offer rescinded when she told her employer she was in the process of transitioning.

Abortion Access

• The Planned Parenthood in El Paso, Texas, is closing after 72 years due to financial difficulties. The closure announcement comes just one month after the location discontinued services for HIV/AIDS patients, also because of funding issues.

• The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is again asking an Arizona court to stop Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio from preventing female inmates from accessing abortion services. Arpaio allegedly began requiring women to pre-pay for security and transportation costs associated with acquiring an abortion.

Election Update

• On Tuesday, Minnesota's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Democrat Al Franken was the winner of November's Senate race after denying Republican Senator Norm Coleman's appeal. Franken's victory helps to reinstates Minnesota's full representation in the Senate and gives the Democrats and the Independents a 60-seat majority in the Senate.
  

Immigration

• On Thursday, the US Department of Health and Human Services released proposed regulations that would repeal a ban preventing HIV-positive foreigners from entering the country. The 1987 ban prohibited foreign nationals with HIV from obtaining visas for travel to the US and prevented them from becoming legal permanent residents.

Global

• Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree last week that increased the penalty for honor killing from a one year maximum sentence to a minimum prison sentence of two years. Women's rights groups in Syria are acknowledging the new law as a small step in the right direction, while maintaining that it does little to discourage honor killing.

Photo courtesy of mikbor @ flikr.com

International Stage Making Breakthroughs for Women

Though many of us are a little bummed out with the loss of one of the world's greatest entertainers and a true global humanitarian, MJ's legacy in advocating for change in this world is not in vain. How so you might ask? Well lets take a look at some recent breakthroughs for women in the world:

Last week, Marrakech, one of Morocco's biggest cities and largest tourist sites, elected its first female mayor, Fatima Zahra Mansouri. She out polled incumbent Mayor Omar Jazouli 54 to 35 votes in the municipal council. This makes newly-elected Mayor Mansouri the second woman in the country's history to take up a mayorial seat. The 33-year-old lawyer representing the Party of Authenticity & Modernity (PAM) is looking forward to the challenge of leading one of Morocco's greatest cities and we applaud her strength and courage. ROCK ON MAYOR MANSOURI!!! Thanks for paving the way for women in the world!

Next up, in Uganda, the government is currently making plans to reintroduce and promote the usage of female condoms as a critical tool for HIV/AIDS prevention this coming fall. Two US-based organizations, Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) and Global Campaign for Microbicides (GCM) met with some of Kampala's local leaders for "advocacy training targeted at donors and national government to ensure successful reintroduction of female condoms" in the country. Of the participants and those leading the training were Mr. Benard Mujuni of the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, members of the Health Development Partnership Group and UNFPA, and the Ministry of Health.

In 2000, female condoms were first introduced into the country but was unsuccessful in sustaining support for distribution, education, and accessibility. Now governmental officials and local leaders are committing themselves to finding new solutions in promoting acceptibility and usage of female condoms and other methods of prevention. Two snaps and a fist bump for the Ugandan government placing reproductive health and women's rights in the center of their HIV/AIDS prevention efforts!

See, the world can get better...and it will get better--one person at a time.

Peace.

Swaziland "Love Test"

Population Services International (PSI) has started a new HIV testing program called “love testing,” where couples from Swaziland receive HIV testing together, as a couple. Joining forces with UNICEF and UNAIDS, this program has received $3,000,000 from PEPFAR (The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) to act in Swaziland, where the rate of HIV/AIDS is over 26% of the population. PSI spokesman Dominic McNeill explains that the logic behind the campaign is that that HIV testing is wasted if only one member of a sexually active couple is tested. As they say, it takes two to tango, and if one person has been tested for HIV, and the other hasn’t, the tested individual is not free from contracting HIV from their partner. It is important to have all sexually active members tested in order to prevent further spreading of the disease.

By calling it “love testing,” the campaign has had an incredibly effective turn out so far, as PSI has “seen a 25 percent increase in couple testing and a 400 percent in general testing year-on-year" (CNN) However, PSI also explains that men prove more resistant to testing, as a way of protecting their masculinity. PSI has told CNN that they must go to places male presence is prevalent, such as farms, churches, and even prisons. Such voluntary testing is certainly a great step in the right direction towards HIV/AIDS treatment, but of course we all know that the focus needs to be turned to prevention through…bum bum bum…family planning and contraceptives!


If you would like to see PSI's official Love Test Video, click here.

Feminist Friday Funday: DC opportunities!

Good evening, feminists! It's a balmy 85 degrees in Washington, and the rain clouds have temporarily parted.

The District is one of the greatest cities in the world. It is riddled with poverty, cocaine, crime, a broken school system, rampant political disenfranchisement, and an HIV/AIDS epidemic comparable to sub-Saharan Africa. It contains the most powerful government on the planet, powerful advocacy organizations, a thriving academic community, and the most delicious burgers I've ever experienced.

I love Washington.

We're attracted to its power, its opportunities, its chili cheese half smokes. Washington gives so much, and it deserves some TLC in return.

So that brings us to today's word: public service.

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is seeking a DC high school junior to serve as a House page in her office this fall. According to the application, the deadline to apply is Monday, July 13. If you know young women who would be good candidates, encourage them to apply ASAP!

The "Gender and Justice: An International Inquiry" conference will be held June 14-16 at American University's Washington College of Law. The WCL's Women and International Law Program is co-sponsoring the program, which is open to the DC community and free for AU and WCL students.

National HIV Testing Day is Saturday, June 27. An estimated 1 in 20 DC residents is HIV-positive, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies as an epidemic. To counter the spread of HIV, the DC Department of Health HIV/AIDS Administration distributes free condoms to local health and community organizations.

If you are in a student organization at a DC college, please take advantage of this program and distribute condoms on campus. Condoms are expensive, and are sometimes difficult to access at your local drugstore. Online retailers are another cost-effective way to purchase bulk condoms for distribution on campus.

Have a great weekend and see you next week!