The homo-negativity surrounding paedophilia …….

So just three days after a Jamaica Observer article conflicting an alleged case of paedophilia in Kingston where the accused was killed (see Jamaica Observer: Gay vs Paedophile, they seem not to know the difference) another sad story now appears in today’s Star newspaper of another alleged assault on a male teenager. Sadly these incidents are very disturbing indeed for to have any sexual attraction at all for pubescent or prepubescent individuals is a serious condition as stipulated in the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychological and Sexual Disorders (DSM IV) or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V is now being reviewed in draft and is scheduled for release May 2013)  Ephebophilia is not included however in the current DSM IV. Ephebophilia is the sexual preference of adults for mid-to-late adolescents, generally ages 15 to 19. Hebephilia refers to the sexual preference for individuals in the early years of puberty (generally ages 11–14, though puberty may vary). Teleiophile is the opposite where the teen is strongly sexually attracted to an adult which may explain our school girls on buses situation in compromising positions.

Today’s Star News story however read in part:

Boy sexually abused, mother charged

Rasbert Turner, Star Writer

The mother of a 14-year-old boy who was sexually molested has been charged with negligence.

The charge was laid against the woman who is in her 30s on Saturday, a week after a Resident Magistrate (RM) in Spanish Town made the ruling.

The mother is the second person to be charged in connection with the incident.

A 38-year-old man is facing charges of indecent assault, buggery and assault occasioning bodily harm in connection with the matter.

The allegations before the court are that the 38-year-old man took care of the boy for about four years. During that time he reportedly sexually exploited the boy on several occasions.

He also allegedly physically assaulted the boy who revealed everything to the police. The man remains in custody.

The mother has been granted station bail and is to appear in the Spanish Town RM Court later this week.ENDS

My notes

What is important also is that there are differences in the “philias” as stated in the DSM IV The general belief in the stereotype that “Homosexuals are dangerous as teachers or youth leaders because they try to get sexually involved with children” or that “Homosexuals try to play sexually with children if they cannot get an adult partner.” is very real in our scenario.

Ephebophilia vs Paedophilia & Male Homosexuality

Ephebophilia or hebephilia refers to the sexual preference for adolescents around 15-19 years of age. Experts use specific terms for age preferences: ephebophilia to refer to the sexual preference for late adolescents, hebephilia to refer the sexual preference for pubescent persons, and pedophilia to refer to the sexual preference for prepubescent persons. The term pedophilia, however, has also been used colloquially to refer broadly to sexual interest in minors, regardless of their level of physical development.

Ephebophilia is not listed as a paraphilia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), unlike pedophilia, which is categorized as a disorder in the manual.

Pedophilia or paedophilia has a range of definitions as found in psychology, law enforcement, and the popular vernacular. As a medical diagnosis, it is defined as a psychological disorder in which an adult experiences a sexual preference for prepubescent children.According to the DSM, pedophilia is specified as a form of paraphilia in which a person either has acted on intense sexual urges towards children, or experiences recurrent sexual urges towards and fantasies about children that cause distress or interpersonal difficulty. The disorder is frequently a feature of persons who commit child sexual abuse.

Nicholas Groth is a pioneer in the scientific study of sexual offenders against women and children, who has treated over 3000 child molesters over the course of two decades. A former director of the Sex Offender Program at the Connecticut Department of Corrections, Groth is the author of Men Who Rape: Psychology of the Offender, a work widely regarded as a classic textbook on the psychology of sexual violence.

He concurred in a recent debate on homosexuality vs paedophilia that Homosexuality and homosexual pedophilia are not synonymous. In fact, it may be that these two orientations are mutually exclusive, the reason being that the homosexual male is sexually attracted to masculine qualities whereas the heterosexual male is sexually attracted to feminine characteristics, and the sexually immature child’s qualities are more feminine than masculine. . . . The child offender who is attracted to and engaged in adult sexual relationships is heterosexual. It appears, therefore, that the adult heterosexual male constitutes a greater sexual risk to underage children than does the adult homosexual male.

Paedophilia or Pedophilia Definition
Pedophilia is a paraphilia that involves an abnormal interest in children. A paraphilia is a disorder that is characterized by recurrent intense sexual urges and sexually arousing fantasies generally involving: nonhuman objects; the suffering or humiliation of oneself or one’s partner (not merely simulated); or animals, children, or other nonconsenting persons. Pedophilia is also a psychosexual disorder in which the fantasy or actual act of engaging in sexual activity with prepubertal children is the preferred or exclusive means of achieving sexual excitement and gratification. It may be directed toward children of the same sex or children of the other sex. Some pedophiles are attracted to both boys and girls. Some are attracted only to children, while others are attracted to adults as well as to children.

Pedophilia is defined by mental health professionals as a mental disorder, but the American legal system defines acting on a pedophilic urge as a criminal act.

Description
The focus of pedophilia is sexual activity with a child. Many courts interpret this reference to age to mean children under the age of 18. Most mental health professionals, however, confine the definition of pedophilia to sexual activity with prepubescent children, who are generally age 13 or younger. The term ephebophilia, derived from the Greek word for “youth,” is sometimes used to describe sexual interest in young people in the first stages of puberty.

The sexual behaviors involved in pedophilia cover a range of activities and may or may not involve the use of force. Some pedophiles limit their behaviors to exposing themselves or masturbating in front of the child, or fondling or undressing the child, but without genital contact.

Others, however, compel the child to participate in oral sex or full genital intercourse.
The most common overt aspect of pedophilia is an intense interest in children. There is no typical pedophile. Pedophiles may be young or old, male or female, although the great majority are males. Unfortunately, some pedophiles are professionals who are entrusted with educating or maintaining the health and well-being of young persons, while others are entrusted with children to whom they are related by blood or marriage.

Causes and symptoms

Causes
A variety of different theories exist as to the causes of pedophilia. A few researchers attribute pedophilia along with the other paraphilias to biology. They hold that testosterone, one of the male sex hormones, predisposes men to develop deviant sexual behaviors. As far as genetic factors are concerned, as of 2002 no researchers have claimed to have discovered or mapped a gene for pedophilia.

Most experts regard pedophilia as resulting from psychosocial factors rather than biological characteristics. Some think that pedophilia is the result of having been sexually abused as a child. Still others think that it derives from the person’s interactions with parents during their early years of life. Some researchers attribute pedophilia to arrested emotional development; that is, the pedophile is attracted to children because he or she has never matured psychologically. Some regard pedophilia as the result of a distorted need to dominate a sexual partner. Since children are smaller and usually weaker than adults, they may be regarded as nonthreatening potential partners. This drive for domination is sometimes thought to explain why most pedophiles are males.

Symptoms
A pedophile is often very attractive to the children who are potential victims. Potential pedophiles may volunteer their services to athletic teams, Scout troops, or religious or civic organizations that serve youth. In some cases, pedophiles who are attracted to children within their extended family may offer to baby-sit for their relatives. They often have good interpersonal skills with children and can easily gain the children’s trust.

Some pedophiles offer rationalizations or excuses that enable them to avoid assuming responsibility for their actions. They may blame the children for being too attractive or sexually provocative. They may also maintain that they are “teaching” the child about “the facts of life” or “love”; this rationalization is frequently offered by pedophiles who have molested children related to them. All these rationalizations may be found in pornography with pedophilic themes.

Demographics
Pedophilia is one of the more common paraphilias; the large worldwide market for child pornography suggests that it is more frequent in the general population than prison statistics would indicate. Together with voyeurism and exhibitionism, pedophilia is one of the three paraphilias most commonly leading to arrest by the police.
The onset of pedophilia usually occurs during adolescence. Occasional pedophiles begin their activities during middle age but this late onset is uncommon. In the United States, about 50% of men arrested for pedophilia are married.

The frequency of behavior associated with pedophilia varies with psychosocial stress. As the pedophile’s stress levels increase, the frequency of his or her acting out generally rises also.
Pedophilia is more common among males than among females. In addition, the rate of recidivism for persons with a pedophilic preference for males is approximately twice that of pedophiles who prefer females.
Little is known about the incidence of pedophilia in different racial or ethnic groups.

Diagnosis
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,fourth edition text revised, the following criteria must be met to establish a diagnosis of pedophilia.
Over a period of at least six months, the affected person experiences recurrent, intense and sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges or actual behaviors involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child or children aged 13 or younger.

The fantasies, sexual urges or behaviors cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of daily functioning.
The affected person must be at least age sixteen and be at least five years older than the child or children who are the objects or targets of attention or sexual activity.
A diagnosis of pedophilia cannot be assigned to an individual in late adolescence (age 17 to 19) who is involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with a 12- or 13-year-old person.
In establishing a diagnosis of pedophilia, it is important for a mental health professional to determine if the patient is attracted to males, females or both. It is also important to determine whether incest is a factor in the relationship. Finally, the doctor must determine whether the pedophilia is exclusive or nonexclusive; that is, whether the patient is attracted only to children (exclusive pedophilia) or to adults as well as to children (nonexclusive pedophilia).

More from GLBTQ Jamaica (Blogger Edition)

The problem is when stories of this nature are put out there persons walk away blaming consenting adult homosexuals as wanting to get into boys pants.

Peace and tolerance

H

Radio program “Love & Sex” on Sexual Identities & Transgenderism (Were you born in the wrong body?)

December 1st, World AIDS Day the Jamaican transgender community got a chance to voice their concerns through representative “Jane” on a radio program aired on Newstalk 93FM

named :Love and Sex” hosted by Jamaican Clinical Sexologist of The Caribbean Sexuality Research Group (CSRG) Dr. Karen Carpenter and co-host Gavin Walters. Sexual identities were the broader subject of the discussion as other variants and orientations were also examined. It is not very often the local transgender community gets an opportunity on the airwaves to share real information on their lives and to dispel the misconceptions about their community and the mix up with the Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay lifestyles.

Host Dr. Karen Carpenter made mention of Cuba’s lead in public education on sexual identities and their interventions with the various groups. She highlighted the outreach there as providing jobs and overlooking the packaging of persons but more so seeing people as people.

Dr. Marilyn Volker famed international Sex Therapist who has worked with transsexuals in the United Stated as well was also a guest on the one hour and forty two minute discussion touched on the possible causes of transgenderism to sexual orientations and identities.

(photo from GIRES) Gender Identity Research and Education Society UK

The opening dialogue before the interview also dealt with the differences between Transgender, Transvestite and or Cross dressers. Being the qualified person that Dr. Carpenter is she simply defined the differences.

• Transgender – seems themselves as a different gender than the one they were born as physically also known as body dysmorphia or born in the wrong body. The person is unable to conceptualize themselves as the sex they are physical in. Sexual re-assignment surgery is used to make the changes for the individual.
• Transvestite – Persons who like to dress in clothing of the opposite sex mostly for entertainment.
• Inter sexual – persons born with undefined genitalia or sexual organs.
• Drag Queens – Dr. Carpenter referred to famed diva Rupaul or males who wear female clothing either for entertainment or just comfort.

Dr. Marilyn Volker Adjunct Professor with the University of Miami Florida, Florida International University and Diplomat of the American Board of Sexology, Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Sexologists and teacher to Dr. Karen Carpenter was introduced. She also hosted a program Sex with Marilyn. She contributed much to the discussion.
She contributed among other things:

Sexual Identity: consists of four parts, Biology consisting of chromosomes and hormones persons need to look at the brain structure and not the sexual organs to determine the finality. Gender identity is the second part; it’s the brain that determines sexual identity not the genitals. i.e. male, female or in between no matter what sexual organ the person has. The there is gender role that means how persons appear or dress, if we went by what the sexual organs are and not what exist between the ears we may be dressing a child or person of a different gender. We must see children and people with the heart and not by outward appearance. Gender role is on the external, Gender identity is on the internal Sexual orientation is the last no matter what is between the legs of the person, or the brain orientation is who one is attracted to.

So a transgendered person could be right handed or ambidextrous, heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual. It is very complicated at times but bear in mind what’s between the legs and ears doesn’t necessarily match how a person dresses.

Dr. Volker referred to twin studies where pairs of twins have different orientations that suggest there is more than just parenting, social and chromosomal and hormonal structure of each person. A child in as far as identity is concerned that may be born with a vagina may get more male hormones when in the uterus it could develop a masculine brain with feminine private parts.
The term for matches in sync with brain identity versus physical genitalia is CISGENDER transgender is the opposite and doesn’t match. In one in every two to five thousand births there is some difference in chromosomes and hormones. There maybe ambiguous development during birth. When there is a combination of chromosomal hormones in the middle that leads to ambiguous genitalia it is called inter sexuality also called androgyny (outside of entertainment use for rock music). Androgyny comes from the Greek word “Andro” Male and “Gyny” Female suggesting behaviour roles as well identifying with a wide range of activities and feelings excluding biological concepts.

“Jane” the leading local transgendered voice was introduced to the program where she explained she discovered she was trans when she was six years old but never started the process of living as trans female until her late twenties. She explained she was born male growing up she acted effeminate and liked doing girl’s things. “Living in Jamaica one knows that kind of thing is not normal” so she hid it depicting a male persona even becoming a bully at school using it as a shield. She adopted a very macho personality using it as a shield and became in Jamaican terms “a girl’s man” i.e having many girls and hyper masculine or the stereotypical yard man. In doing so she tried to purge the feelings within and the guilt of growing in a Christian home with heathen thoughts. She adopted a destructive cycle while cross dressing in private with suicidal thoughts which temporarily relived the tension. She would often destroy and burn feminine personal possessions only to recycle the same actions all over again. She struggled with the fact that she was still a man; the early morning boner was like “alien appendage” to her. She also had a fiancée while as a man but eventually broke off the engagement; persons were shocked upon discovering her “change” as family shunned her save and except for her father surprisingly as mothers are expected to cope with this better, she has since become accommodating.

Dr. Volker responded by emphasizing doctors are now realising through brain scans, hormonal tests and chromosomal tests to say to parents with children who are possibly transgendered that one may have a child who has a particular genitalia but is the opposite sex in the brain. If many parents and troubled transgendered persons were told as early as birth what the proper diagnosis is then a lot of the problems similar to the ones described by Jane would have been avoided. She also touched on chromosomal issues as in X and Y versus hormonal levels in determination of the baby’s sex, usually in a female it’s XX and a male XY, there are children born XXY born with a penis but an extra female chromosome meaning they could look more feminine or look masculine on the outside with a penis with a feminised brain, things can occur during birth. Usually girls get XX patterns with more estrogen and progesterone while most boys gets XY patterns with testosterone and androgen sometimes there is a mix in the uterus where a mix of chromosomes like XXY leading to less masculine development somewhere. There may even be more testicular tissue in girls where this mix up occurs. The available tests now can see into the hormonal and chromosomal structures. The pediatrician can now ask a parent does the they like to or want to know the chromosomal structure of their child.

Jane continued that she harnessed the power of the Internet as there were few doctors in Jamaica who knew about transgenderism. She sourced her own hormones from the Internet, she looked at the Harry Benjamin principles of care and read where possible medical journals. Dr. Volker noted that several Trans persons have to teach their doctors about the issues. Jane noted her website was down at this time. She is aware of ten individuals in Jamaica living as women some of whom are lost in the gay community due to the lack of education for them. Dr. Volker said the important thing is what the brain is attracted to and not the physical. There maybe a heterosexual female born in a girl who has a penis her brain maybe attracted to a male who maybe mistaken as gay. There maybe need for a serious re-socialization process globally to deal with these new phenomenons. One would have to also go to gender specialists, endocrinologist to get more professional and detailed information.

Jane highlighted she is pre-operative transgender meaning she has not done the full sexual re-assignment procedure so she can father a child now but after surgery cannot have children naturally or get pregnant. She plans to have the surgery as soon as she can find the money.
In answering Dr. Volker’s questions on her orientation Jane responded bisexual. Dr. Volker continued to explain that gender identity and orientation differ in the trans world. She has worked with transgendered who have moved from having a penis while trying to be heterosexual male but their brain was heterosexual female but couldn’t express it as they would look as if they were gay on the outside,” it is confusing to persons going through the issues.” She emphasized the need for support. Jane continued on the lack of support systems in Jamaica except the Internet or possibly contacting JFLAG who may put one on to other transgendered persons.

Dr. Carpenter noted that the Caribbean Sexuality Research Group (CSRG) offers some support to transgender persons and runs a free clinic at the UHWI Psychiatry Unit which has been running for the last month by calling 977-0316 with a small registration fee of $500.00, leave a message for appointments as all calls are answered.

She also remarked on the misconception of homosexuality and paedophilia and the tabloid papers sensationalism creating the homo-negative perceptions over time. “The minute we find out someone’s sexual orientation is different from others we begin to monitor, oh they must be about to hit on somebody which is inappropriate.”
She highlighted that paedophilia happens when there is an economy is depressed and the power differential between the adult versus the young person despite sexual orientation is wide.On the matter of gender variant children from a caller to the program Dr. Volker suggested that the child be monitored by a pediatric endocrinologist or a child psychiatrist who understands gender. Children who present with the mis-match usually the assessment is done in early puberty where hormones may be administered dependent on the case to stop the actions opposite to the physical presentation but the sexual re-assignment surgery is left to later in life in most cases unless they were born with both genitals or intersex. (A practice which is opposed by some intersex activists)Program continues to the end.

Peace and tolerance.

H

Some cruising challenges ……….

So on Saturday last January 8th a report that a man had to beat a hasty retreat in the downtown Kingston area after a cruising attempt went wrong as the intended target turned out to be not as he anticipated was true I have since gathered that a small mob was hastily put together by the man (the target of the cruiser) from the nearby rural municipal bus park as there are major works being done in that section of downtown Kingston with the new bus park being hastily put together beyond the old park. The downtown area like most other urban centers is a haven for “catching something”  for a quickie or some outdoor action for the more daring MSMs around. Sadly many of these cruisers are not your average gays who frequent gay parties, clubs, interested, exposed or involved in advocacy typed activities or issues hence the actions go unnoticed or grossly underreported as incidents as the persons involved simply move on.

Between Sunday afternoon and up to last evening some of the guys were sufficiently upset at the news of this near miss in downtown that they decided to link all the known cruisers across the downtown and uptown regions and those they could identify to alert them to be cautious, I was quite pleased by this action towards preservation of self showing us that there can be on the ground networking outside of us worrying about persons putting themselves at risk. It is the heightened sense of awareness of their surroundings that was the reason where a recently murdered cross dresser in Kingston ignored when warned by the more experienced heads in the business, bearing in mind this set of cruisers are of a different identity as they operate in stealth and are not easily identifiable as gay as they bear no characteristics of the stereotypes to those of their cross dressing counterparts, for sure some formal work however is needed to engage this mostly invisible group that is not to say other gay and bisexual men do not employ cruising especially given our starchy homo negative environment towards open displays of same sex affection. This particular group of cruisers though that I write of are the more daring and brazen ones who go to the weirdest of spots for hookups and are not into other ways of same sex attracted social behaviours.

The population to my surprise consists of not only MSMs mostly from the lower socio economic levels as is widely assumed but also professionals who prefer a mobile way of “working” for a hookup. Somehow the classes do meet sometimes in a commercial sexual transaction set up, that could probably explain the reasons why the homeless MSMs do indeed garner “business” from not just others at their social standing but way above. There are some who literally park their vehicles and do enter the “fieldwork” as the others on foot do. One particular mobile individual I am personally familiar with says he prefers cruising than engaging someone in any long introductions or fancy fake chat as a way to impress someone before bedding them. He is just out for fun he would park at a safe distance and space and then work his layout he maps in his head or anywhere is leads to. His success rate is fair he concludes as but he complains he wants to see more “new faces” which suggest repetitive sexual contact with the same targets as they all work within or cross territories. One thing is a common thread amongst those persons I was able to talk to they all suggest there are new faces around who are more open and bold in their approach.

This group is also not to be confused with persons who practice exhibitionism or open masturbation in public spaces.

Maybe there is some hypocrisy to this  on one hand seeing that some persons of an uptown persuasion (in mind but not physical address) are very selective about who they knowingly socialize with I assume peers and the intelligencia who on the face of it seem quite far removed from such decadence yet on the other hand they engage in cruising activities outside their comfort zone albeit the danger and the thrills are usually driving factors for a cruiser coupled with the satisfaction of making the hookup that successful in the middle of danger. That could also explain the reasons why so many high profile cases of gay and bisexual Jamaicans of prominence are found dead in the threshold of their own homes. The issues overlap and one post won’t be enough to cover all of it but the Downlow Lifestyles tab as this post is tagged to can begin to help us to unearth some of those concerns.

Certainly this is just touching the surface and we must also realize that not all the information can be shared via the posts on such matters.

Peace and tolerance

H

Tolerance on public Lesbian sex but outrage from the WSW communities ….. STRAP-ON SEX IN HWT – Women caught in heated action

The following story appeared in the Star News January 6th 2011 the first sensationalist piece from the publication for the year, interestingly the women were said to have been caught in the act and one of them looked like a man, also one of the guards who is said to have witnessed the act wanted in on the whole thing as well. Judging from the account they seemed excited about the acts the women were allegedly committing.

Proof  however if one could call it that, that Jamaican men do in fact get titillated by lesbian activity could be derived from the final sentence in the story where it hinted that persons questioned around the area said they would have loved to have seen the action while others suggested the guards should have recorded the happenings. If it were two males however the headline obviously would have read far differently.

Strap on sex between women does in fact occur in certain night spots across the nation if one knows where to look and have the desired cash to see it in some instances maybe that could explain the less angered response from the persons quoted in the piece apart from a wider tolerance of lesbianism.

Meanwhile many lesbians are expressing outrage at the alleged two ladies who it is held as bringing shame to the community as we do not often hear of these kinds of public displays in the tabloid press.

Have a look at the piece and determine your own take on the article.

Crystal Harrison, STAR Writer

The streets of Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, are buzzing with popular talk about two females who were caught red-handed in heated sex in the parking lot of a shopping mall recently.

The incident is said to have happened about 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

THE WEEKEND STAR understands that the two women, one wearing a strap-on dildo, were spotted at the root of a tree by two security officers.

Interestingly, the security officer who first saw what was taking place quickly alerted his other colleague to see the two lovers holding on to the tree.

When THE WEEKEND STAR visited the same morning after hearing about the incident, we were informed that due to the time of the day when the incident happened not many persons knew about it at first. It was said, however, that news started to spread quite quickly after that.

Mi watch dem

“You would think is a man a sort out di girl, me can’t believe weh mi see because only on cable I see these things,” one of the security guards who witnessed the action said. “Mi watch dem for about 45 minutes before mi walk down towards them and seh a my time now and as mi seh dat, a same time di man one push in the dildo in her pants like a living man.”

Another security guard said that he had to try his luck at the Cash Pot betting game, as he thought he was getting a supernatural sign that he would have won some money.

“Me buy Cash Pot until mi weak. Mi buy number two fi lesbian, and number 20 for disgrace. Di two girl dem nuh shame because after we approach dem fi a piece of the action and dem jus walk off as if nothing never happen,” he said.

He further stated they were having rough sex. “Mi want to know a weh di two of dem a come from so early in the morning. Mi did have to laugh.”

One man who also spoke with THE WEEKEND STAR said that he heard that one of the female lovers was very attractive. “Mi hear seh dat one of di woman dem look like living man, dress like man and her hair trim like man but mi also hear that the girlie one sexy like hell and she did have on a sexy piece of shorts.”

While on location, we received mixed reaction from men who were chatting about the incident. All of them, however, said that they would have loved to have seen what took place or were disappointed that the security guards didn’t tape the action.

Circumcision Cuts HPV Risk for Both Sexes says US Study

By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today Published: January 06, 2011 Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Male circumcision can reduce the risk that female partners will acquire human papillomavirus (HPV), researchers reported.   Women in two large trials of circumcision had a lower incidence and prevalence of HPV if their partners got the procedure, according to Aaron Tobian, MD, of Johns Hopkins University, and colleagues. But protection was only partial so other safe sex practices remain important, Tobian and colleagues reported online in The Lancet. The findings come from two parallel but independent trials in Rakai, Uganda, whose main purposes were to establish the effect of circumcision on the risk of men catching HIV in one case and the risk of transmitting the virus to their partners in the other. The researchers separately contacted partners of trial participants who were married or in a long-term relationship and asked them to take part in a follow-up study looking at the effect of circumcision on the prevalence and incidence of high-risk strains of HPV. Earlier studies had shown that the procedure reduces both prevalence and incidence in men, and observations had suggested it might have a beneficial effect in women, Tobian and colleagues noted. To find out, they enrolled 648 partners of men in the circumcision group, and 597 partners of men in the control group between 2003 and 2006. The women were asked to provide vaginal swabs for HPV testing at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months. At the two-year follow-up, data were available for 544 women in the intervention group and 488 in the control group. Of those, 151 women in the intervention group (27.8%) had a high-risk HPV infection, defined as one or more of the genotypes 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68. In comparison, 189 women in the control group (38.7%) had a high-risk HPV infection, leading to a prevalence risk ratio of 0.72 (95% CI 0.60 to 0.85, P=0.001). Incidence of high-risk HPV infection during the trial was also lower in the intervention group than in the control group — 20.7 infections per 100 person-years versus 26.9, yielding an incidence rate ratio of 0.77 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.93, P=0.008). Given that persistent high-risk HPV infection is a recognized cause of cervical malignancies, the finding “accords with observational studies that show lower rates of cervical cancer associated with male circumcision,” the researchers argued. But the study did not assess cervical neoplasia directly, they noted. Tobian and colleagues cautioned that men and women in the study were in stable relationships and did not have HIV at baseline, so the results may not apply to other populations. The analysis may also have underestimated incidence, they cautioned, because infections acquired and cleared between the yearly follow-up points would have been missed. An estimate of protection against cervical disease as a result of circumcision can’t be made, according to Anna Giuliano, PhD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and colleagues. But the results do add weight to programs that promote circumcision in countries without cervical screening programs, Giuliano and colleagues argued in an accompanying commentary. The procedure offers limited protection against most high-risk types, they noted, while the HPV vaccine is highly effective, but only against a limited number of genotypes. “The two interventions are likely to have important synergistic effects,” they concluded. The study was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the NIH, and the Fogarty International Center. One author reported a financial link with Roche Molecular Diagnostics, which makes the HPV genotyping test used in this study. All other authors declared they had no conflicts of interest. The commentary authors reported financial links with Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Roche.

Primary source: The Lancet Source reference: Wawer MJ, et al “Effect of circumcision of HIV-negative men on transmission of human papillomavirus to HIV-negative women: A randomised trial in Rakai, Uganda” Lancet 2010; DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61967-8.

 

Vitamin D Deficiencies Linked to Diabetes in People With HIV

HIV-positive people with vitamin D deficiency were far more likely to also have type 2 diabetes than people who were not vitamin D deficient, according to a study published online December 20 in the journal AIDS.

Poor vitamin D levels in people with HIV have become a prominent concern among AIDS researchers in recent years. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a number of health conditions in HIV-negative people, including: poor bone strength and density, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

A number of recent studies have also consistently found that vitamin D levels are deficient in a significant number of people living with HIV in the Northern Hemisphere. What remains unclear, however, is whether HIV and its treatment are solely responsible for the increase in diseases such as diabetes and CVD seen in HIV-positive people, or whether low vitamin D levels also contribute in a meaningful way.

To begin answering these questions, Zsofia Szep, MD, from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in Philadelphia, and her colleagues tested vitamin D levels in participants enrolled in the Modena HIV Metabolic Clinic Cohort in Italy. Their aim was to determine whether vitamin D deficiency was linked to either type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome involves having a large waist circumference and problems with cholesterol and triglycerides and blood sugar control, and it is a significant risk factor for diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.
Among the 1,405 participants in the study, most were male and the average age was 44. About 45 percent were also infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), but few were taking vitamin D supplements.

Overall, Szep and her colleagues found that 62 percent of the study participants had vitamin D deficiency—defined as blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D less than 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml). An additional 20 percent had vitamin D insufficiency—blood levels of vitamin D of at least 20 ng/ml but less than 30 ng/ml.

When Szep’s team accounted for a number of factors that can contribute to type 2 diabetes—such as sex, age, body mass index and HCV coinfection—vitamin D deficiency remained strongly associated with type 2 diabetes. In fact, vitamin D deficiency predicted the presence of type 2 diabetes more than any other factor, and people with vitamin D deficiency were 85 percent more likely to have diabetes than people who weren’t deficient.

As far as metabolic syndrome, there was a trend toward association—people with vitamin D deficiency were 32 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome—but this did not reach statistical significance. This means that the difference was small enough that it could have occurred by chance.

The authors acknowledge that the study design, which involved a snapshot of people’s health at a single point in time, can’t establish whether vitamin D deficiency causes diabetes or whether the link is coincidental. However, they note that maintaining good vitamin D levels is associated with reducing blood vessel inflammation in HIV-negative people. Given that HIV itself significantly increases inflammation—a precursor to diabetes and CVD—it is possible that HIV levels and vitamin D levels are synergistically contributing to these health problems.

“Future studies should examine whether vitamin D supplementation can prevent or treat type 2 diabetes mellitus in HIV and possibly reduce complications associated with HIV infection and its treatment,” the authors conclude.

Abstract

Background: Metabolic complications, including type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome, are increasingly recognized among HIV-infected individuals. Low vitamin D levels increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and vitamin D supplementation has been shown to decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients without HIV infection.

Objectives: The primary objective was to determine whether vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hyrdoxyvitamin D <20 ng/ml) was associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus among HIV-infected patients. Our secondary objective was to determine whether vitamin D deficiency was associated with metabolic syndrome in HIV.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among participants enrolled in the prospective Modena (Italy) HIV Metabolic Clinic Cohort. Clinical and laboratory data, including history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, fasting blood glucose, components of metabolic syndrome, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, were obtained for all participants.

Results: After adjusting for vitamin D supplementation, sex, age, body mass index, and hepatitis C virus co-infection, vitamin D deficiency was associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.85; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-3.32; P = 0.038]. The association between vitamin D deficiency and metabolic syndrome was not significant after adjusting for vitamin D supplementation, sex, age and body mass index (adjusted OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.00-1.75; P = 0.053).

Conclusions: Our study demonstrates an association between vitamin D deficiency and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Clinical trials are needed to better characterize the association between vitamin D deficiency and type 2 diabetes mellitus in HIV infection and to evaluate whether vitamin D is able to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

(C) 2011 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

Lesbian activity on stage in Linstead club raises concerns

What’s in my club stays in my club!

Jackass sey de worl’ no level. Jackass sey im affi laugh wen im see wan tory inna de STAR ’bout one go-go club inna Linstead an ow man an man a grieve ova de man an ooman dem weh flock it.

Bway me a tell you, country really different from town. Yeah man. The same cable run, the same Wii play, the same car park up a gate and Jacuzzi inna house, but country different from town. If you think I a lie you, read the story about ‘Exotic club angers residents’ in yesterday’s STAR – again, causen Jackass know that all you loyal STARsuss and sketelisha lovers have read it long time.

go-go club

Now, when Jackass read the headline, he thought that here is a case where the people did not want a go-go club in their community. The headline was ‘Exotic club angers residents’, so Jackass thought the case was pretty much cut and dried. But as the story went on, it said that one person who was rushing from the club in disgust said “God is going to shock somebody to death very soon, as the things are just not right inside there”. Now, how somebody can hold any great moral stance coming out of a go-go club is beyond Jackass, because people go there to see naked flesh in the first place (and maybe get some lap dances – or more), but you two-footers are so strange.

So when Jackass read further, it was a woman-and-woman-on-stage thing and many woman and woman visiting the place. Of c ourse, to many a town person, the lesbian thing around go-go clubs is like waaaayyyy normal, so much so that the men know that if they have no cash to flash, they better stay waaaaayyyyyy in the back, cause is big spenders get front row seat.

complainants

But how the world is really un-level was revealed unto Jackass when he read a part where the complainants said “di man dem too friendly wid dem”. Yeah, certain man and man love it. And it is a curious thing, which has been going on in Jamaica for a long, long time, where men are very tolerant of two women but would burn fire and gash lightning and draw machete, at a strong hint of two men.

Yeah man, let it even be whispered that a ‘man and man’ business was happening in the same club and that bun down flat, ‘men’ have to run away and police have to protect and serve those who remain, so they don’t get mobbed and killed.

And it works the other way ’round as well, where many women are really palsy with gay men, rapping with them like it is just one of the girls, while man burn fire and breathe fire and sometimes want to light fire. Jackass has always thought, though, that with the great man shortage that so many women complain about, they should be quite cross at gay men, who not only are off the market but some of whom would not mind taking a few straight men off the market while they are at it.

But is so earth run, very un-level.

Jackass sey de worl’ no level. Jackass sey Linstead no see nutten yet, if a kiss an gyrate pan an heavy breedin’ dem a bawl bout!

ENDS

The activity spoken of in this club is not new and the writer is on point when showing the hypocrisy that if it were males together on stage something bad would have happened already, thus touching the homo negative component of it. It is no secret that men out there like public lesbianism in exotic clubs and there are a few clubs that allow lesbian patrons open access to their services as it is said lesbians consume more alcohol per head in a mixed club environment than straight men do.

So much for slow integration eh

Peace and tolerance

H

2010 The Year that was …. Entertainment Perspective part 2

See 2010 The Year that was …. Entertainment Perspective part 1 here

Community Events, Parties etc

(Names of Promoters and some events changed to protect their identities)

Last year was one of the most vibrant years yet in as far as entertainment offerings were concerned where everything from Uber fierce vogue femme themed parties to the more decadent and discriminating gigs catering to the ever expanding market and in between were the drag queen shows and the Miss World LGBT and Oscar competitions. Not to be outdone were the all girl events as well. A whole new set of party promoters pushed their products in stiff competition with sadly some amount of  under handed deeds leveled at one particular promoter who has been around for some 6 plus years. So many are there now in the arena that there is bound to be a party somewhere on the rock for one to attend if it matches ones taste and pocket every weekend, certainly the price tabs have gone up exponentially. The once $500 gig is almost dead save and except for the newly added “Just Fine Sundays” at the new spot in Kingston known as the Loft. Most if not all other events start at $1000 each and upwards to $6000 for all inclusives.

The biggest event for the year no doubt was the Alter Ego female owned group, produced and presented “Fierce the Anniversary” which effortlessly attracted more than a thousand patrons at the lovely venue in north central Jamaica, though the technical sound difficulties that plagued the event towards the end was a damper it still was good by standards in today’s offerings. The Alter has also made their mark in the all girls category

Couture Elements, the two woman team made sure they leveled up with their events served with cuteness and were and are the only promoters to successfully re-introduce professional body painting themes and patron participation which was a problem over the years to get persons to “buy into” the themes for events. The now infamous chocolate fountain idea with marsh mellows etc has been copied by other promoters as well definitely proving the CE are trend setters in their own right. That is not to say we have not had similar typed offerings in days gone by but not with the fierceness the CE manged to pull off. The CE has also made their mark in the all girls category as well keeping true to their motto “Level Up”

the Girls Gone Wild pool event was their signature piece in July 2010 they are presently working on new packages and ideas to be brought to the fore soon to also include some advocacy interwoven with entertainment. “Switch” held in November was their last offering for 2010 incidentally held on the same night as Club Heavens’ Oscar Awards 2010 show both events were well supported proving that the market is big enough for everyone to massage for patronage.

The reliable Club Heavens of which I am resident DJ was on point with it’s offerings of cabaret lip syncing performances, impersonations and outrageous drag shows satisfying that section of the market, the complaints however continued through to 2010 about the length of shows and the quality of some of the performers themselves were brought into question. The ailing sound systems also was a sore point for two events but overall the offerings were pleasing. The Club had lost some of its faithful following during the year as a result and with stiff competition from Club Antraxx just a couple of miles down the road from Heavens offering similar packages with lower entry fees and more relaxed setting such as seats for patrons and morning tea the management of KUSH (Heavens) has decided to revamp to regain some of the market share lost and to capture new faces on the scene. They now intend to have VIP serviced booths, multi-level dance floors and much more. The original introduction was to have taken place on December 24th 2010 but was postponed due to another rival event’s hard push for that night so it is until January 21st 2011 we will see what is to come, the new name for the spot is now KLUB KUSH. We are hoping for bigger and better things.

Invariably their main draw card is safety with no neighbours to call the cops or passers-by to pry into the affairs of the happenings but with the cost of travelling almost half way across the country for Kingston patrons and to be asked to pay $1500 they may have to offer real good packages and themes to win patrons both old and new. The three events that stood out for Heavens in 2010 was Hasso’s Bashment which brought out all the old faces and some hot new ones with a head count of 700 plus while Miss World LGBT 2010 was also a smash in terms of packaging and presentation.

The brand Oscars party and presentation was also good. Above is one of the envelopes and statuesque used with the nominated persons printed as held on October 17th.

The Loft in Kingston run by the two-man team of Sankofa Events opened its doors to the community with very good support from the start technical difficulties however continue to plague the events especially the sound quality but they have been working on it I must add as the last two events I DJed for them were clean. A work in progress is how the two-man team describes the venue as they always seem to be adding more and more and again stiff competition which is good for patrons in the long term is forcing promoters out of complacency and to become creative. The Loft certainly now has the enviable reputation of offering “Big Boys” for their strip shows as patrons are asking for more following the first two in 2010. The management has promised more decadent male entertainment of this type in the future. Sankofa have taken the title a second year in a row for New Years events from production house “We Welcome Fierceness” I am sure WWF will be coming back with a bang soon as the competition ensues.

Other veteran promoters were quiet this year certainly Miss V, We Welcome Fierceness and Lady I where with Lady I pulling off two events at the Golf Academy then retreating.

TON-A-FLUFF productions was also somewhat quiet this year but came back with a bang in the all female category with the All White Heavens Ball (the female offering of the rainbow village as promoted)

at the Green Goblet in Kingston at the end of the year which attracted a cute mix of femmes, butches, aggressives and everything in between, only three males as patrons were allowed in this all lesbian meltdown, myself, the main DJ for the night DJ Buckaroo and a certain popular roots play character who provided some animated entertainment for the night. The same night the Lofty offered the all male version to Heavens nearby, both events were well supported. TAF suffered a setback of sorts in February when an event they were hosting in Kingston was picketed by angry neighbours who protested the type of party being held in their community. Unfortunately there was an incident the week before that attracted unnecessary attention to the venue with TAF suffering the consequence.

See more here: High Drama as Homophobes attempt to disrupt and picket party

G.A.P Promotions (Gay and Proud Promotions) made a dent in the action recovering with their cute party on the K Heights Hill which had everyone dancing all night with three of the main DJS rocking it. It was in September that the three woman team had a lesser supported event at that Golf spot as the same night Couture Elements had their smash event, competition at work friends, but they learnt from the mistakes and came back swinging. This team caters to a more swaggerific type of patron who is looking for a little of everything. Their deliberate selection of DJs Howie, Shelly and Buckaroo tells you exactly why as all three operate on their own strengths. Their events is where one sees the rare occassion of lesbians dancing to house music and vogue femme tracks. DJ Shelly by the way is the only lady DJ rocking it on the circuit and I must say she has certainly stepped up her game.

Capitalist Regime (Chocolate Italy) who delivered that awesome Lady GaGa party in February of 2010 have been quietly planning and are to deliver part deux this year as well. The party then was cute with GaGa outfits rocking the spot formerly in Kingston where the party picketed referred to above occurred. The CR (CI) have had more smaller lymes and get togethers for their close allies and supporters and planning to have more events this year, let us see what is in store.

Club Antraxx western Jamaica’s only LGBT spot opened its doors late last year and has been drawing persons from all over the island as indicated in the KLUB KUSH segment of this post. They like KUSH (formerly Heavens) offer impersonations and vogue offerings to a younger and newer crowd and have managed to pull patrons from as far as Portland. They quietly have events on weekends and have staged their own Drag competition with Diva Nastacia Waugh headlining with prize support from JFLAG. There was a rift unfortunately between KUSH promoter Lady Macey and Bebe Borah Lee but that had since died down after a meeting to work out differences. Most promoters had agreed to rotate events so each can get a chance to earn while showcasing their offerings however things have not gone down well with two planners who clashed at an event in Ocho Rios recently proving that there is still work to be done in reaching some level of cooperation.

Real Chile Entertainment is or was a new group with some experienced heads  working alongside it. There were able to pull off three successful events two of which were more geared towards the vogue children as many of their members are practicing voguesters themselves and the last event was a knockout pulling patrons from as far as London, Canada and Germany. There were many old faces present and as for the vogue it was divine as old way voguesters like myself and new way vogue kidz clashed in friendly fashion on the dancefloor throwing shade and uber fierceness while the hot trade boys watched. They (Real Chile) are in the planning stages I gather for more ball typed events for the dancemusic, pussyboi & vogue femme loving populations to be entertained while carrying their other flagship more uptown geared offerings.

Diamond Rainbow is a new quiet entity it seems and they served a new years eve gig at a private location.

Other individual planners have had lesser known and supported events during the year but one thing is certain if you know where to look you can find something to suit your taste and style, problem is to know in time. The dollar value is also of critical concern as more and more LGBTQI party goers are also going to mainstream events and comparing the offerings there as opposed to what obtains now in our expanding LGBTQI entertainment industry. The out of town events have to do far more to get patrons to do a sometimes three hour drive to get there and then asked to pay up to $2,000 for passes is not going down well with some and many have simply stopped travelling so far that often. The shuttle bus systems do not have the required support cooperation needed from some patrons who seem to come up short of funds or refuse to fork out the more than reasonable sums for a round trip and the admission coupled with indiscipline and poor hygiene as some persons are literally described as “smelly” on the buses. Truth is many party goers are not financially well off either. The problem of non paying folks also has raised its head in Kingston but stringent measures have been taken by promoters including that of having presold tickets and no complimentary passes for events.

Indiscipline is slowly making its way back into some spots which shall remain nameless for now but by the looks of it security measures are being revamped to meet those challenges as well.

Peace and tolerance

H

Standing Up For Human Rights

As CARICOM citizens, we are proud that a majority of Caribbean nations stood up in the United Nations General Assembly on December 22 and voted together, in the words of the Rwanda delegation, to “recognise that … people (of different sexual orientation) continue to be the target of murder in many of our societies, and they are more at risk than many … other groups”.

Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada and St Kitts-Nevis joined 85 other nations in voting specifically to mention sexual orientation, in a biennial UN resolution, as one ground of vulnerability for being murdered or executed unlawfully for who you are.

All but one of our Caribbean governments had supported an effort in committee by a bloc of Arab, African and Islamic nations, several of which execute gays and lesbians or would like to, to remove the reference. We appreciate their responsiveness, with the notable exception of Trinidad and Tobago, to our reasoned appeals. We salute the foreign ministries of Belize and Jamaica who communicated with gay and lesbian voters about their December vote, a welcome measure of accountability and transparency in our foreign policy.

Non-discrimination

On the other hand, the St Lucia delegation seems not to have listened to their prime minister’s pledge in Parliament this April to “stand against stigma and discrimination in all its forms” and “guarantee non-discrimination against persons on the basis of sexual orientation”. St Lucia stood apart from CARICOM in voting no.

We, in the Caribbean, have lived largely free of the levels of violence experienced by postcolonial nations like Rwanda . But we continue to harbour a colonial mentality that some groups are more worthy than others; and homophobic killings are a reality several places in the region. We hope that, without the need for atrocity to teach us this lesson, our governments will mature in their understanding that everyone has an essential right to equality and protection because they are human.

The vote is a hopeful sign that in 2011 Caribbean governments may get serious about their commitments to these rights at home.

I am, etc.,

MAURICE TOMLINSON

Montego Bay, Jamaica

on behalf of

Dr Marcus Day & Kenita

Placide, St Lucia

Ashily Dior & Brendon

O’Brien, Trinidad and Tobago

Vidyaratha Kissoon, Guyana

Nigel Mathlin, Grenada

Caleb Orozco, Belize

Daryl Phillip, Dominica

Victor Rollins, Bahamas

ENDS

Some notes:

Commendable the conversations about regional recognition for sexual identities and associated matters, it’s all well and lovely to stand up for human rights, the yadda yadda of grandstanding but it boggles my mind when are we really going to talk about our own inter and intra community stigma and discrimination we so easily meet out to each other and from the very halls of advocacy itself whether they realize it or not. Invisibility and or oversight in many ways towards bisexuality, lesbian lifestyles and transgenderism, the lack of proper interventions and engagement of the lower social classes, yet the constant cry calls for tolerance comes from the emissaries while we can’t stand each other especially if one doesn’t fit the utopic mold of how persons ought to act or be.

Why aren’t there any open conversations about the aforementioned and why are there selected persons drawn to seminars and fora when it involves the entire community’s state of being, so the corporatism in our advocacy structure it seems continues in 2011 or will there be change anytime soon?