Free Republic

As government schools continue to show their commitment to promoting sex and gender ideology to children, Austin Independent School District is preparing to host its annual “Pride Week” pushing teachers and kids to “celebrate LGBTQIA+ students, staff and families.” Austin ISD said the event, set for March 18-23, will “highlight the district’s commitment to creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment.” According to the district’s website, each campus will receive a guide of suggested resources and activities staff can put on for students. Staff are advised to reach out to coordinators of their campus Genders and Sexualities Alliances (formerly known...

— Unsanitary conditions resulted in infections in three people; investigation still ongoingFive cases of HIV infection associated with cosmetic platelet-rich plasma (PRP) microneedling, known as a "vampire facial," were linked to one spa in New Mexico, according to a report from CDC investigators. From 2018 to 2023, four former clients of the spa and one sexual partner of a client were diagnosed with HIV, reported Anna Behar, PhD, MPH, of the CDC, at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infectionsopens in a new tab or window. Although few in number, the cases are important because HIV transmission through cosmetic injection...

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is spending millions on encouraging “racially diverse trans women” in New Orleans to take PrEP, a HIV prevention medication. HHS pledged approximately $2 million to Public Health Foundation Enterprises, a public health nonprofit based in California now known as Heluna Health, to “develop, implement and measure the impact” of a social media campaign aimed at increasing the awareness of HIV-prevention medications among “trans women” in New Orleans, according to a federal grant listing. The goal of the program, which will include a year-long test run serving 200 “trans women,”, is to “adapt...

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the State of Tennessee and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The department previously notified Tennessee and the TBI that they violated the ADA by enforcing the state’s aggravated prostitution statute against people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). That letter of findings detailed the minimum remedial measures necessary to address the discrimination. The department’s investigation found that the state and TBI subject people living with HIV to harsher criminal penalties solely because of their HIV status, violating Title II of the ADA. Tennessee’s...

The Biden DOJ just sued Tennessee for making it a crime to knowingly transmit AIDS and HIV.They claim it violates disability rights.No, I am not kidding.(see link below)https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-tennessee-enforcing-state-law-discriminates-against-people-hiv

As Sean finishes filling out the paperwork for today’s visit, he reads the date back to himself: 1/19. “Dolly Parton’s birthday, right?” he asks. He’s lying on a plastic-covered donor chair, clipboard balanced on his leg as he initials his consent. The phlebotomist who is preparing to take his blood pauses. “Oh, is it?” she asks. “I didn’t know that.” “Yeah, yeah. All gay men know that,” Sean laughs. He’s asked WPLN News to use only his first name. At 49, it’s Sean’s first time giving blood. Last year, the FDA ended a 40-year rule that prohibited gay and bisexual...

Since 2000, up to 104 people have been charged with an HIV-related crime in Maryland, according to a new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. The state’s HIV-related criminal laws are disproportionately enforced based on gender and race. Black people, and Black men in particular, are overrepresented in HIV-related crimes. Black people make up 30% of Maryland’s population, 71% of people living with HIV, and 82% of HIV-related criminal cases. Black men comprise 14% of the state’s population and 44% of people living with HIV. However, they make up 68% of people accused in HIV-related criminal...

Fox News audio and sports reporter Matt Napolitano has died at the age of 33 after a long battle with an autoimmune disease. Napolitano died from an infection, his husband, Ricky Whitcomb announced on social media. “With a heavy heart I have to share that my husband @MattNapolitano passed away yesterday morning. He loved his job and he loved bringing the news to your radios and televisions.” “An honest journalist who truly cared about facts. You can thank him for the last minute Jets win today.” Napolitano worked as a writer for the SiriusXM channel Fox News Headlines 24/7 and...

Russian President Vladimir Putin bizarrely refused to stand within 70ft of Britain's new ambassador to Moscow at a diplomatic ceremony yesterday - blaming 'sanitary reasons'. In awkward scenes that resembled the height of the Covid pandemic, Putin insisted on keeping a huge distance between himself and other diplomats at the Kremlin event which saw him accept the diplomatic credentials of several new ambassadors to Russia, including Britain's new man in Moscow Nigel Casey.

HIV came from a type of virus in chimpanzees called the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). It likely spread to humans after they came into contact with the blood carrying the infection after hunting chimpanzees for food.

Just diagnosed... I have 20/40 or 20/50 in the eye... They are advising a Vitrectomy with Membranectomy... and som laser on perimeter lattice to avoid retina tear in the future... If anyone has had this done, please let me know your thoughts... Prayers for discernment welcomed as well...

10 December 1981: Cases of a virus that weakens the body’s disease-fighting system have been reported across the US

Monday, October 23, to Sunday, October 29, marks PrEP Aware Week 2023, a public health campaign to boost awareness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV. “The theme for PrEP Aware Week 2023 is ‘PrEP is for Every Body,’ which references two social movements: sex positivity acknowledging that all consensual sexual activities are fundamentally healthy; and body positivity, celebrating all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities,” explain the campaign’s organizers on PrEP Aware’s website PrEPforSex.org.

In recent weeks, we have seen a troubling trend develop. Five million Americans have been removed from Medicaid rolls, and many millions more are on the verge of losing coverage as a result of the Medicaid enrollment cuts. This represents the single greatest threat to our progress toward ending the HIV epidemic in years. During the pandemic, Medicaid enrollment grew by an estimated 20 million people, contributing to the uninsured rate dropping to the lowest level on record in early 2022. But, after a three-year period during which states provided continuous enrollment in exchange for enhanced federal funding, some states...

Residents of Palm Springs, California, are a bit butt-hurt over a proposed AIDS memorial sculpture looks suspiciously like a human anus. The design, which is meant to honor individuals who have lost their lives to HIV and AIDS, is facing backlash for its “inappropriate connotations,” according to KESQ. Palm Springs residents are not fully convinced that this should be the artistic representation of these deadly diseases, according to the outlet. Mock-ups of how the Downtown Park installation might look show a nine-foot-tall wheel of limestone with striations converging on a hole in the center. The donut-shaped sculpture by Phillip K....

A proposed AIDS memorial sculpture in Palm Springs is at the center of a heated debate with its design sparking concerns in the community. The controversial sculpture, meant to honor those who lost their lives to HIV and AIDS, is facing scrutiny for its abstract design and perceived inappropriate connotations. The sculpture, standing at nine feet tall, features a round limestone structure with concentric carved circles, symbolizing the diverse impact of AIDS on the community. Its design is intended to evoke feelings of connection, reflection, and hope. However, not everyone is on board with this artistic vision. "It's really strained....

More than four years ago, then-President Donald Trump declared an ambitious goal that had bipartisan support: ending the HIV epidemic in the United States. Now, that Trump program is one of several health initiatives targeted for substantial cuts by members of his own party as they eye next year’s elections. Pushing a slate of conservative political priorities that also takes aim at sex education for teens, health worker vaccine mandates, and more, Republicans in the House of Representatives have proposed a spending bill that would cut $1.6 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — one-sixth of the...

A group of protesters stormed Kevin McCarthy's office on Capitol Hill on Monday, demanding he reauthorize PEPFAR, the HIV/AIDS relief program. 'McCarthy - pass PEPFAR now,' they shouted and chanted as they seated themselves on the floor.

Other screening questions will remain the same -- for everyone. Potential donors will be asked about risk factors including sexual activity -- whether they have had sexual contact with a new partner in the past three months or had anal sex, which would require them to wait three months before donating. The Red Cross said the decision is supported by decades of data collection and assessments, including the ADVANCE study, which was funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA approved new rules for blood donation in May that eliminated waiting periods on the basis of sexual orientation...

People living with HIV are not more likely to be hospitalized with severe mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) unless they have advanced immune suppression, underscoring the importance of prompt antiretroviral treatment, according to study findings presented at the International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (#IAS2023). To that end, experts recommend that people who present for mpox vaccination, testing or treatment should be tested for HIV if they do not already know their status and linked to care if they are not on antiretroviral therapy. “For individuals with unknown HIV status, mpox testing can be an opportunity for HIV testing,...