Love Letter to Lube

Where would we be without modern lube? Crisco? Methinks Crisco belongs in the kitchen with Pam. Plus it eats through condoms! KY Jelly? Its like dipping your junk in rubber cement. Jergens? Maybe if you are twelve and need some alone time. No thanks, not when the wonders of sexual science have blessed us with silicone delights of Eros Bodyglide, Swiss Navy, and ID Millenium.

It might take a good scrubbing in the shower to get off, but silicone lube goes and goes and goes, and is REALLY great for reducing your risk of tearing your rectum when engaging in bum fun. Thanks lube, for making sex slippery-er and safer.

Enjoy these Lube factoids from our Bar-B-Queer:

(Correction: As one of our readers pointed out, the manufacturer of Elbow Grease removed the ingredient Nonoxynol-9 from its product line in 2002 at the request of the CDC.) Those last two are a bit controversial. Care to comment?

Summit Details

The Village Summit is just two weeks away! Here's some highlights of the weekend:

Friday Night
Special appearance by Dottie Dixon of KRCL.
Opening session with Kilo Zamora, from the Inclusion Center.
Cuisine Unlimited catered Appetizers.
Square Dancing with Ross Lopton of the Temple Squares!
Queereoke.

Saturday

Workshops

Sushi for Dummies-Massage-Dating and Relationships-Yoga/EDGU-Get ProActive in Utah Politics-Spicy Sex Tips-Ask a Doc-Queer Sports 101-Gay Cops-Monogamy vs. Manhunt-Cardio Boot camp-Sexaliciously Single in Salt Lake-HIV and Substance Use-Build Your Own Religion-Gay Rags in Utah-Learning Mindfulness from Rent: the Musical-Creative Journaling-10%, An American History-Self Defense

Free HIV Testing!

Paradise Pool Party

Cuisine Unlimited Catered BBQ

Attack of the Cyber Sluts!

Sunday

Yoga/EDGU

Poolside Brunch with the Spicy Dinner Group

The cost for everything: $30 if you register here before July 25th. After that the price jumps to $45. The Village Summit is the perfect opportunity to elevate your pride in yourself and our gay community. We hope you'll join us!

Bar-B-Queer Pics!

Enjoy some pics from our 2nd Annual Village/QUAC Bar-B-Queer! Over 150 attended and a good time was had by all. You can see the rest of the photos here.

Photos by David Daniels and John Wood. Thanks to everyone who volunteered! You can see the rest of the photos here.

Gay Men and Public Parks

What do Memory Grove, Sugarhouse Park, and Fairmont Park all have in common? They've all been the subjects of local news stories on cruising, usually during sweeps weeks in the spring or fall.

So who cruises the parks? Ask any of the police officers of the GLBT Public Safety committee and they will tell you that the majority of guys caught with their pants down are married, and often Mormon. They see cruising parks as their only option if they want to stay in the closet.

There are several gay groups in town that are reclaiming the parks as a place where gay men can have fun without getting arrested. Utah Pride is the ultimate example, encouraging participants to come out of the closet and celebrate their sexuality, instead of feeling guilty about it. Flag Football, Pride Softball, Ultimate Frisbee, and other gay sports groups meet at the parks weekly and often draw a crowd of spectators.

This past Sunday, QUAC and The Village held our 2nd annual Bar-B-Queer at Fairmont Park. For the volunteer planning group here at the Village, the purpose was two-fold: strengthen the community by bringing a diverse group of guys together, and promote open discussion about safer sex.

Lube was the theme. We hung lube-themed posters all over the bowery and gave away big bottles of lube (thanks ID Glide for donating it all!) to everyone who participated in lube wrestling. A couple of the volunteers acted out a humorous safer sex skit. We tried to take back the park in a fun, safe and sexy way.

There has been some controversy surrounding our methods. Some people have said that lube wrestling is not an event that the Utah AIDS Foundation should be sponsoring, and that its not an appropriate activity for a public space. What do you think? Did we succeed in encouraging safer sex, or was the message lost in the lube? Are public events like the Pride parade and Bar-B-Queer giving gays a bad name or helping us to reclaim the parks from closeted cruising?

New Gay Online Soap Opera

The City of West Hollywood has helped to fund a new show called In the Moment. This is the first episode and I'm interested to hear what you think of it. Watch at home as its probably not safe for work. Does it relate at all to Salt Lake's gay scene or would you say we are more conservative? I hear a lot of stories about guys being pressured not to use condoms in (and out) of relationships.


Find more videos like this on In The Moment

Super+Hero

In honor of the new Batman movie, Coffee Talk will focus on the life achievements of... superheroes. An 'incredible' and 'fantastic' conversation is sure to be had as we discuss our favorite superheroes, sinister villains, and of course, 'if you could have one super power....' Jeremiah will buy tickets to Batman: The Dark Knight for anyone who dresses in a FULL superhero costume!* This is our last Coffee Talk in July so be sure to bring friends and sidekicks.
* May not be true...

Coffee Talk

Wednesdays @ 7pm

SL Roasting Co.

Where old friends and fresh faces discuss pertinent gay topics.

Flag Football Pool Party!

You should know the drill by now. Everyone's invited and $20 gets you 2 drinks, some good bbq, a chance to show off your swimsuit, and baby-hugs. It's all leading up to the Gaybowl in October. Come support our team, and we won't forget you when 400 hot-super-manly athletes fly in for the Gaybowl.

Hosted By: Cooper and Anthony! 1643 South Wasatch Drive Show map

When: Saturday July 19 @ 3pm-9pm
Phone: 801-897-2211

Dustin Does Drag!

Click on image to "embiggen"

Northern Utah Steppin' for Life

Do you live in Northern Utah? Grab your walking shoes and wallet and bring friends to help raise money and awareness for HIV prevention and services in Northern Utah!

Here in Salt Lake we often forget about the difficulties facing people with HIV living outside of the city. The Northern Utah Coalition works hard to educate the community, offer testing, and provide support for people with HIV.

Garden Concert!

Ron Thurber, the wonderful host of our Village Cowboy Kickoff, invites you to the first of his summer potluck garden parties. Great music, food, and a relaxing summer vibe.

Welcome Back, Tyler

Tyler Fisher has been a long-time volunteer, employee, and friend of the Utah AIDS Foundation. After a two-year hiatus, he has returned as the Programming Coordinator.

Tyler began as a volunteer at the Utah AIDS Foundation in 1992 (he was just 14!) and was eventually given responsibility over our test site. He was instrumental in the implementation of rapid oral HIV testing, replacing blood samples.

Tyler left the organization in December of 2006 and had the opportunity to explore HIV from different provider perspectives including Salt Lake Valley Health Department and the Harm Reduction Project.

He is looking forward to working at the Utah AIDS Foundation again because it is “strong in the community” and because “...[UAF] looks at the big picture as it moves toward the future.”

Welcome back Tyler!