G0Ys

When one of my co-worker ask me if he can forward an email to me in regards to what he read, I was so excited but then he said, “let me know if you need therapy” and now I’m more curious about it.

I click the website www.g0ys.org and starting to read. It is a new term out there defined as: G0YS (Spelled with a ZER0) are guys who find men physically & emotionally attractive, but (for whatever reason) are offended with the stigmas that currently defining the 'gay community' in the public psyche. G0YS recognize that the prominent facets of the "gay-male" community tend to embrace every gender-bending act, fetish & affectation; --And include those things in the general specter of the image that "gay" projects publicly.

Behaviorally: Anal-sex is innately shunned by g0ys - as it represents the ultimate form of sexual disrespect whether male/male or male/female. Other distasteful stereotypes include (but are not limited to): Effeminate behavior, extreme passivity (like cowardice) & drag. G0YS don't call other men "girl", "bitch", "queen", etc. You probably get the idea.

What G0YS embrace is masculinity in its purest forms. Many G0YS are GAY, or (usually)-BI identified men (who might wear those labels IF they were not aware of the G0Y movement). Many G0YS are STRAIGHT identified (involved in marriage or exclusive relationships with women) also - but have these deep feelings for masculine affection nonetheless (whether ever acted upon or not). Many of these men have had 1 or more sexual encounters with other men (not anal) & lack the language to describe those feelings & relationships. The term "gay" simply encloses too large a group & offensive associated stereotypes. G0YS place friendships at the top of their proverbial "list". Some of those friendships deepen to a level that is so intimate & personal that sexuality often becomes an element; -- & strong, invisible cords of love, respect & extreme-discretion cover what is an intensely personal thing. The reputation of the flamboyance, promiscuity, filth & bizarre cross-culture of the term "gay" - is seen as an affront to g0y relationships.

This was the same article I read “Rub me the right way” by Shocka Zooloo about the term “frot” from the term Frottage is simply the good old-fashion “grind”. It is the same concept but have different label.

G0Ys is growing out there and we found out they have different websites, social net workings like facebook, myspace etc.

I want you to check it out and find what G0y means to you. Again the website is www.g0ys.org. Now I would like to take that therapy please.


Contributed by Carl Navales and from the amazing ideas of Josh Newbury.

The Village Yoga

The Village Yoga is back and we are doing a 6 weeks course in Salt Lake Main Library - Conference room B level 1. The dates are: April 5th, April 19th, May 3rd, May 10th, May 17th and May 24th.

Josh Newbury will be instructing and it is a good way for the our Community to enhance the Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health thru Yoga. This is FREE and limit to 25 people only due to the space so reserve your place now by calling Carl at 801-487-2323 or by email thru thevillage@utahaids.org.

Gay men want sexually explicit internet-based health promotion information, US study finds

Edward J. Bernard, AIDSmap News

The largest-ever survey to assess the health promotion information that gay men who use the internet to meet sexual partners in the United States would like to see has found that sexually explicit materials are not only acceptable across a diverse range of demographics but are preferred to non-visual, non-explicit and technical communication when describing HIV risk between men.

The survey, recently published online in the journal, AIDS and Behavior, targeted more than 2,700 users of the US gay social networking site, gay.com, and also found that gay men also wanted information covering much broader topics than HIV prevention, encompassing diverse sexual and mental health concerns.

Even though a significant number of gay men are now using the internet to meet sexual partners, the concept of using internet-based approaches to HIV prevention with gay men is relatively new, and, accordingly there is little evidence-based information on which to base these interventions. (See this news report from the 2006 International AIDS Conference in Toronto for a discussion of the various types of interventions that currently exist).

To rectify this, investigators from Pennsylvania State University and the University of Minnesota conducted an online needs assessment over three months in 2005 to help answer four questions:


**To what degree should internet-based HIV prevention interventions include sexually explicit materials?

**What content areas are of most interest?

**Do different groups of men who use the internet to look for sex with men differ significantly on issues of acceptability of sexual explicitness and content priorities?

**What sources of information are most credible and desired?

A total of 2,716 gay men completed the survey after they had clicked on a banner advert on gay.com. To be eligible, participants agreed that they were male, over 18, resident in the US, and had sex with men. Participants were paid $10 on completion; this rose to $20 in the third month in order to speed recruitment.

The participants were racially and ethnically diverse, with approximately three-quarters identifying as non-white: 25.1% were Latino; 18.9% Asian-American; and 16.4% African-American.

A high proportion (42.7%) were aged 18-24, but older men were also included: 26.7% were aged 30-39, and 11.8% were aged over 40. Almost all had at least a high school education, and 29% were still higher education students.

Of the 2,322 men who answered the question, 20% admitted to more than one act of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) in the previous six months. However, the vast majority (95.6%) of all of the survey respondents reported being HIV-negative.

Coffee Talk "MSM who BB, PnP & PSS" 3/11/09

Last week at coffee talk, Josh led us all on a discussion about fantasies. We are in world where sex is all around us through various forms of media and with that our minds can create our own sexual or intimate fantasies in which we may want to further explore. We question if the fantasies can be turned into reality, how that can affect us. In your fantasies are you being safe? Do you use lube or wear condoms? The truth is, most people would not go into that much detail in a fantasy. If being safe isn’t acted out in your fantasy, will it be acted in that passionate moment when fantasy turns into reality?

contributed by David Castillo an active Village member and The Village Core Group

Report: DC has nation's highest HIV/AIDS rate

Report: DC has nation's highest HIV/AIDS rate

Posted using ShareThis

By The Associated Press
03.16.2009 9:03am EDT

(Washington) A new report by D.C. health officials says that at least 3 percent of residents in the nation’s capital are living with HIV or AIDS and every mode of transmission is on the rise.

The findings in the 2008 epidemiology report by the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration point to a severe epidemic that’s impacting every race and sex across the population and neighborhoods.

Scheduled to be released today, the report says that the number of HIV and AIDS cases jumped 22 percent from the nearly 12,500 reported in 2006.

Almost 1 in 10 residents between ages 40 and 49 are living with HIV, and black men had the highest infection rate at almost 7 percent.

The report says that the virus is most often transmitted by men having sex with men, followed by heterosexual transmission and injection drug use.

Our YouTube of the Month selection

Do you feel you have these experiences before? Well it might not be as "and they lived happily ever after" and for some of us are still in the verge of searching. So in the meantime, Use barriers all the time.

Gayme Night

Come and play with us!
When: Saturday, March 14th @ 7pm
Where: Ray Middlesworth's Apartment
174 N Canyon Rd #4, SLC, UT (near by Memory Grove)
What: Board Games, Card Games, Fun times with your new and old friends and a fun way to meet guys outside of the clubs. We'll have some snacks and drinks, but feel free to bring something to share. Questions? Email thevillage@utahaids.org or call Carl @ 801-487-2323.

Coffee Talk "X OBjectify" 3/4/09

I hear footsteps! A new arrival soon approaches the second story loft of the Salt Lake Roasting Company. A few heads glance over to critique the fresh meat (yes, including mine). I think to myself; “Is he cute?” or perhaps “Is he the one?” Whether it’s a fellow coffee house patron, a passer-by at the gym or self-talk in the mirror; at some point in time we’ve all objectified or been objectified. “Everybody doing it..” so does it become unhealthy? Where do we draw a line? Like any behavior, too much of anything can cause harm to yourself or others. If you haven’t guessed it by now, our coffee talk discussion was on objectification. Having admittedly arrived late and with some disruption; I might add. I apologize in advance for any views I may have missed. Give me a nice non-objectified spanking the next time you see me.

Regardless, a good place to start is by defining the process of objectification and what it means to you . The root word “object” is defined as “…anything that is visible or tangible…”(dictionary.com) but to objectify caries additional implications. To objectify someone is to remove all emotional, mental and non-tangible components from an individual. In other words, our perception of that individual is incomplete either by choice or by lack of information. Most of us objectify others during the inception of a new relationship. We lack the necessary information to construct an accurate and complete depiction of an individual. At a subtle level, we may objectify this new acquaintance until more information is acquired. At this level, objectification is completely normal and quite healthy. So rest assured, you haven’t sinned ….yet!

Objectification is in the eye of the observer, right? Twink, Jock and Leatherman! These homoerotic social classes resonate objectification by nature. The innocent onlooker isn’t always to blame, an individual may participate is certain types of behaviors or actions that contribute to his or her objectification. A go-go boy prancing around in his underwear, a Leatherman in a jock strap or drag queen in costume are all exhibits of behaviors that contribute to objectification.

The other day I was flipping through “Genre” a gay men’s magazine. It’s not often I read this magazine and It didn’t take me long to remember why. How can you guys read with those visual enticements on page-after-page. Hairless STUDS bursting with muscles flexing their budging bodies beneath a layer of kin-tight spandex? “Perfection.” A phrased used often by the Borg in Star Trek. Is this what being Borg are all about? If so, where can I sign up? After all, you only have your humanity to lose… As I flip through a few more delicious pages of sweaty jocks and tempting daddies, I think to myself; won’t he blow a seem wearing that? The stage is set and the pressure is building… I can’t take it anymore! I know what’s coming next… (DARLINGS, get your mind out of the gutter!)…Under the pressure, I SNAP! My internal verbiage begins to digress; “Would he find me hot?’ like “…popcorn popper hot, like exhaust pipe hot.” (dirty love) One objectification leads to another, before you know it; I’ve just self-objectified. Sounds kind of dirty, doesn’t it? Self-objectification manifest itself in our internal judgment of physical appearance, behavior roles and sexual activities we chose to participate in..

When used wisely objectivity is something useful, it may help us negate situations in our life. When this trait falls out of balance, we become harmful to ourselves and others around us. I am not in a position to qualify what is right and wrong for you as an individual, however I believe when we open our hearts and mind in greater awareness of each other; we do the right thing. We must be conscious that each individual has a unique history of emotional, philosophical and share experiences which makes them a product of today. In addition, most individuals strive for goodness and the wellbeing of others and a community as a whole. It’s when miscommunication or blatant disregard for other occurs that an individual becomes toxic to himself and society.

Contributed by: Jeffrey A. Wood, new to The Coffee Talk but not new to The Village.

Coffee Talk has a new place!

Starting this Wednesday, March 11th 2009 we will be meeting at the Utah AIDS Foundation Group Room. This will be a test for about a month and we will see if this will be an alternative from Salt Lake Roasting Company. Hope to see you in our new Coffee Talk location.

Quitting Smoking?

Are you planning to quit smoking? Or are you planning to quit smoking soon?

Here are some few helpful websites that can help you quit smoking.

http://utah.quitnet.com

http://www.becomeanex.org

Hope this help on your journey to choose a healthier lifestyle.

The Village Movie Day

We are planning to see "Watchmen" this Saturday, March 7th at The Gateway Megaplex and the show starts at 3:15 PM. Please come early and we will be meeting at the lobby theater around 2:45 PM to purchase the tickets.

It is a great way to socialize and to know more about The Village. See you there!

Note: This is a Rated R movie with a lot of violence scenes.

Outreach Opportunity

We are looking for few good gay men out there who would like to respond to the question: "How can we lower the HIV/STI in Utah???" One of the answer is to be proactive and to distribute safe sex kits to a high risk population.

The Village is proactively distributing safe sex kits to the bars, clubs, social gatherings and many more places to the community but WE NEED MORE HELP!

If you are interested, please email at thevillage@utahaids.org or simply call 801-487-2323 and ask for Carl.

Together we can help reduce the HIV and STI in Utah and YOU can make a difference!