Life’s a Beach….Jeremiah’s moving to Miami

The beaches of the Great Salt Lake will no longer suffice for Jeremiah Hansen. Jeremiah has announced that he and his partner Derek will be relocating to sunny Miami, Florida. I post this with a tear in my eye as I will truly miss Jeremiah here at the Utah AIDS Foundation. Jeremiah is a leader in our community and with the assistance of the Village Core Group, his volunteers, has taken the gay men’s health programming of the UAF to never before seen heights. 

The Village also has a new found energy and image and Jeremiah is directly responsible for that. The Utah AIDS Foundation does not want to lose this momentum or disrupt all of the hard work Jeremiah has accomplished. With that said, we know we will never be able to “replace” Jeremiah, but we do need someone to step into his shoes (size 8 ½). 

We are currently seeking someone that loves homos, is comfortable talking about taboo subjects in front of groups of people, is a self-starter, well organized and has a passion for gay men’s health. Interested?  If so, drop me a line (and your resume) to Tyler@UtahAIDS.org or give me a call for more information at 801-487-2323, just ask for Tyler. 

Village Summit Picturepalooza!

Here's a sampling of photos from the 2008 Village Summit, held August 1-3 at the Jewish Community Center. Click here to see the rest of the pics!

Click here to see the rest of the photos. 

Thanks to everyone who helps to organize or support the gay men's health movement in Salt Lake City! If you would like to help plan next year's Summit, please contact Tyler or call (801)487-2323.

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?

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!

Pride Picturepalooza!

From the Pink Party to the Parade, Testing to the Wedding Chapel, the Village and the Utah AIDS Foundation packed Pride weekend with fun and health promoting events! Links to full picture sets below.Click here to see Pride and Wedding Chapel pics.

Click here to see Pink Party pics.

Click here to see Car Wash/Yard Sale pics.

HIV Rates in Utah Up 32%

The Deseret News reports:

HIV diagnoses in Utah were up 32 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, with the majority of cases in Salt Lake City.

"This is what's considered the third wave of the epidemic. People have become complacent," said Beltran. "They're not seeing people die from AIDS because medications are more effective in staving it off, so the fear factor is no longer present. And people are sick of hearing about" HIV/AIDS prevention methods, such as condom use, she said.

Here's the Tribune's take:

A 32 percent spike in Utah's HIV rate this year compared with the same period last year has prompted the Utah AIDS Foundation to forgo federal HIV prevention funds so that it can create a more upfront campaign targeting gay men.

The department has rejected some sexually suggestive ads aimed at gay men, who comprise the majority of HIV cases in the state. Of the 25 new HIV cases in the first quarter of 2008, 83 percent were among gay men. Younger men ages 20-30 are at high risk and represented the majority of infections in 2007.

UAF rejected this year's grant of $87,000 and is asking donors to cover the cost of its new campaign that aims to normalize condom use, "Unleash the Power of the 'C.'" A focus group of gay men held Thursday applauded the approach, said Penfold.

The Utah AIDS Foundation attributes the jump to:

1. Improvements in anti-retroviral drugs that have extended the lives of the
   infected but also lead youth to falsely believe the disease is
   curable.
2. Young men who grew up after the 1980s AIDS
   epidemic think of AIDS as a problem in Africa, not America.
3. The use of methamphetamine and alcohol that contribute to risky
   behavior.

Your thoughts?

Pink Party Part Deux!

Click on image to "embiggen!"