Gay Movie Night! Beefcake!

2 for 1 tickets! Food and prizes after the film!
Sponsored by Mountain West Flag Football.

What Happens in Vegas.....Doesn't Always Stay in Vegas.

Hey boys...Going on vacation is suppose to be about getting away from it all, leaving our stress and worry behind...right? I'm all about letting my hair down and getting my groove on when out of town. An ad campaign I ran across recently is really HOT, and gave me something to think about for my next vacation.

Last year Swiss health officials did a study to find out why people put themselves at risk for HIV; especially when they know how to protect themselves. What they found out is that many of us are taking the idea of vacationing, to get away from it all, a little too far. Their study found a proportionate number of people who were recently infected with HIV had their only risk for HIV occur on a business trip or holiday.

I think on some level we have known this for sometime here in the states. This is evident when you look at programs in gay vacations hot spots; like Camp Safe in Rehoboth Beach. Camp Safe's entire focus is helping people "get off" while on vacation and not taking home any unwanted visitors. Kinda cool....

To increase awareness about taking condoms on vacation and wrapping it up while you're there, the Swiss put out a sexy and somewhat racy ad campaign. The campaign shows people having sex in odd locations, in the jungle, in a cave and even on Mars. The visuals remind people to pack a little something extra when leaving town...condoms.

What about us Utah boys though...what if we never go to a gay hot spot? Last October in Puerto Vallarta I never came across anyone in a boy scout uniform on the beach handing me a condom. I was just going down to relax and drink too much with friends...it never occurred to me, in my wildest fantasy, that my boy and I would end up with some random boy from Seattle naked in our room.

Just something to think about when your packing for your next trip out of town. Throw in a box of condoms...they'll help stop any unwanted souvenirs.If you would like to check out the website for the Swiss campaign you can visit http://www.stopaids.ch/.

Tyler Fisher has worked for the Utah AIDS Foundation, SLVHD, Harm Reduction Project, and Project Reality. Have a question about sex? E-mail him.

Gay Mormons to meet with LDS Church Officials

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- After decades of silence, LDS church officials have agreed to meet with a gay Mormon support group that has sought to forge understanding between the faith's leaders and its gay members.

"We're pleased the Church is opening up the possibility for dialogue," said Dave Melson, Affirmation's assistant executive director. "Affirmation has tried 5 or 6 times over the past 31 years to meet with church leaders. This is their second response. The first resulted in platitudes and nothing more."

Among the specifics Affirmation wants to address: the historical treatment of gays by the Church, including recommendations for aversion therapies to "cure" homosexuality; recommendations for more effective counseling methods; ways to avoid family break-ups; and a change in the honor code at church-owned Brigham Young University that can result in expulsion for sexually active gay students. The same standard applies to straight students.

"None of this requires a change in doctrine," said Melson. "They're good for both gays and the Church."

Your comments? Read the full story here.

Flag Football is back!

Click on the image to "embiggen!"

Mountain West Flag Football is starting its new season this Thursday! Open play runs from April 10-June 5 and is open to guys (and the ladies) of all experience levels. This is an easy way to get to know the game, learn the rules, and meet new guys. League play begins June 12th.

When: Thursdays @ 6pm

Where: Sugarhouse Park softball field

Click here for more info.

Queer Village Wins FAABULOUS Award!

Queer Village has been voted 'Most Faabulous Social Group' in Q Salt Lake's Annual Fabby Awards Poll, voted by ballot and turned in by Q Salt Lake readers! Check out the full list of award winners when the April 10th edition hits newsstands.

The award ceremony, with food and a cash bar will be held at The Trapp Door on Friday, April 11th, from 7PM to 8:30PM. Hope to see you there!

What Do Gay Men Need?

I'm Joshua Newbury, and this is my blog post. Hmm, I sound like I'm at an AA meeting.

What do gay men need?

That's the question I put forward at last week's Coffee Talk. What could everyday life be like if we lived in an 'ideal' society? The responses I got centered around several needs:

• Equality-gay men want the same rights as straight men, No more, no less. That includes freedom from discrimination because of our sexual orientation, freedom to marry the man we love, and little things like being able to hold hands in public without fear of being gay bashed.
• Family-we want to be able to experience love and relationships in an open and affirming environment. We need to feel like we belong in our family and we want to create our own families.
• Heroes-we need positive gay role models in our life, from older men who can share their experiences from the school of hard knocks, to athletes with the balls to come out before they retire, to "out" gay politicians and leaders from both polical parties. We also need media representations that move beyond gay stereotypes and portray being gay as simply one part of who we are.

Once we know what we need - more or less - how can we get it. We have to ask ourselves what we can change and what we are willing to achieve those changes. Do we need to run for public office? Risk our bodies or comfort? Do more of us need to come out of the closet? We have to think about what action we can-or are-taking to secure the things we need to be happy and healthy. That's social work 101, champs.

Josh is a student at the U of U and leads Village Coffee Talk discussions on Wednesdays @ 7pm @ SL Roasting Company.

The Eyes of Babylon

Friday, April 4th @ 8pm

Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center

Steven Fales (Mormon American Princess) has been kind enough to donate 10 free tickets to Friday's performance of THE EYES OF BABYLON, Iraq Veteran Jeff Key's award-winning, critically acclaimed autobiographical one-man play. The play, and Jeff, were the subject of the documentary SEMPER FI, which was shown at last Monday's Gay Movie Night.

If you would like a ticket, RSVP Jeremiah. First come first served. Click here for reviews.