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July / August 2011
Features
Sisters Act
by Regan Hofmann and Willette Francis
Of the 50 states, New Jersey has the highest proportion-one out of three-
of people living with HIV/AIDS who are women. And while women of color
comprise only one third of New Jersey's adult female population, they
constitute more than 83 percent of the state's women with HIV/AIDS. Through their stories, three African-American New Jersey women shed light on the drivers of this crisis-and suggest some ways to solve it.
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The Anal Dialogues
by Trenton Straube
Rectal microbicides-topical gels, ointments and lubricants laced with
drugs to block HIV-could help stop the spread of the virus. So why is it taking so long to develop them? For one thing, an unwillingness to talk about sex-especially anal sex. Given the potential of microbicides' protective power, it's time we loosen our tongues in order to start saving lives.
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From the Editor
Ass-Backward
by Regan Hofmann
Years ago, when I went to my first HIV doctor’s appointment, he reviewed a list of specific sexual activities in an effort to ascertain how, exactly, I had contracted the virus.
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Feedback
The POZ Q+A
Volunteer Mission
by Oriol R. Gutierrez Jr.
 Carlton Rounds, the founder of Volunteer Positive, empowers people with HIV/AIDS to serve abroad. (Watch video.)
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What You Need to Know
Kramer Makes Hearts Pound on Broadway
by Cristina González
The Normal Heart, a semiautobiographical play by Larry Kramer, iconic AIDS activist and one of the founders of Gay Men’s Health Crisis and ACT UP, made its Broadway debut in April 2011, more than 25 years since its critically acclaimed 1985 off-Broadway opening.
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Angels Travel on Horseback in Southern Africa
by Cristina Gonzalez
In Lesotho, a Southern African country the size of Maryland, health workers on horseback are transporting blood tests, drugs and medical supplies between
urban hospitals and rural mountain health clinics.
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Showcasing HIV Stigma in China
by Cristina González
Gu Changwei’s new film ’Til Death Do Us Part, explores how HIV/AIDS affects a rural Chinese village.
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HIV Is (Officially) a Disability
by Cristina González
New regulations from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission clarify that impairments of major bodily functions, such as being HIV positive, qualify as disabilities under law.
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96 Percent
by Cristina González
A National Institutes of Health study has confirmed that taking antiretroviral
drugs and maintaining an undetectable viral load reduces a positive person's risk of transmitting the virus to HIV-negative sexual partners by 96 percent among heterosexual couples.
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We Hear You
Lips Unsealed
by Willette Francis
Given the stigma and discrimination often faced by HIV-positive people, disclosing your positive status can be daunting. In her POZ Blog entry "My First Disclosure" (March 19), our anonymous blogger shared what it was like to tell a potential romantic partner that she's living with HIV.
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What Matters to You
Treatment News
Help for Peripheral Neuropathy
by Laura Whitehorn
Peripheral neuropathy (PN), nerve damage that affects many HIV-positive people, often causes a throbbing, burning pain.
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Isolation Hurts Health
by Laura Whitehorn
The University of California at Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research found that on the whole, older (age 50 to 70) gay people, both HIV-positive and -negative, suffer worse health than their heterosexual peers—and that isolation likely contributes to their poor health.
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New and Improved Treatment for Hep C
by Laura Whitehorn
In the mid-1990s, protease inhibitors and combo therapy revolutionized HIV treatment, making it more effective and easier to take.
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MRSA Monster Tamed
Remember the deadly "superbug"-multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA-that haunted people with HIV (and got mass media attention) a few years ago?
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Too Little Vitamin D Might Hurt Your Heart
by Laura Whitehorn
Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco found that more than half the HIV-positive people they tested had low levels of vitamin D.
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IL-7
by Laura Whitehorn
Cure Watch
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Comfort Zone
Between the Covers
by Cristina González
Opening the cover of a book can immediately transport you into another realm.
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POZ Heroes
Each One, Reach One
by Willette Francis
Barbara Joseph contracted HIV in 1984 when she was given blood during surgery.
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North of Bangkok, Baan Gerda is the only facility in Thailand that fosters and cares for children living with HIV. (Watch video.)
