[Pink Culture] Alter Twitter

Almost a year ago I decided to create a secondary anonymous Twitter account. It started as an experiment in freer expression when it comes to talking about LGBT-related subjects, sex, and of course politics. And the fact that the account is still alive says something, right?

Alter is the local term for such anonymous secondary Twitter accounts that people create for various reasons. The most readily visible use of course is for hooking up and you'll find a lot of headless chest photos asking if people want to Skype or meet up for whatever like an extension of Grindr and other gay dating apps. Then there are just that are deep in the closet and hoping to explore being LGBT without getting into trouble.

There's also an interesting section of the alter world devoted to People Living with HIV (PLHIV) who use the anonymity of the internet to talk about what they're going through, seek help for dealing with the side-effects of medication and basically just find people who understand them. It's more of the somewhat more endearing parts of Alter Twitter, in my opinion. They're really just a lot of people wanting to feel loved and valued despite how society seems to treat the PLHIV community.

There's a lot to be said about the Alter folks and I think I might try exploring that further in future blog posts. How about you guys - do you have an alter? What do you use alter for? Why do you think you need anonymity to say the things you say?

[Health] #WAD2015

As it is every year, today, December 1, is World AIDS Day #WAD2015 and this event feels especially relevant for the Philippines today. The day serves many purposes such as reminding the world that we still haven't found a cure to HIV and that millions of people are living with the virus and need a lot of support to continue to move forward. It's also a time to remember those we have lost to HIV and AIDS and to use their lives as inspiration to push even harder.

In the Phlippines, there are two main parts of thus struggle that are important to remember.

On the one hand, infection rates continue to rise in this country at an alarming rate whereas most other countries seem to have a better grasp on the problem. On average, a Filipino is diagnosed with HIV every hour and this rate of infection only seems to rise. The government still has not undertaken widespread problems to truly deal with this problem given the religious objections raised for prevention methods like condom use.

And then there's the question of how to support those who are living with HIV already. There is a law that generally tries to protect their rights and ensure some legal protections but not all provisions of the law have been clearly defined or put into effect. There's far too much stigma associated with HIV that makes dealing with the condition a moral problem instead of a medical one. People don't need to be condemned for having HIV - they need our support in order to help them have lives that are as normal as possible.

Get tested. Practice safe sex. Treat everyone fairly, regardless of whether or not they have tested reactive. The would could do a heck of a lot better with a little more love in it.

[Technicolor Musing] #HelloPoz Twitter Convo

The monthly LGBT Twitter conversations organized by @PinoyG4M, @MMPride_, @FeistMagazine and @ShakiraSison continue to be an interesting venue for people to talk about topics of interest to the community. And last Thursday the discussion was centered around the hashtag #HelloPoz given it was all about getting to know more about what life is like for people living with HIV. The typical discussion tends to be pretty focused on HIV prevention and not so much what happens for those who have it. And thus this conversation felt pretty important for the community.

As before, the conversation was steered by a series of guide questions for those tuned into the hashtag. In addition, the guide questions were also presented in a way that those with HIV had something to address while those who still test as non-reactive (or haven't gotten tested) also had a variant of the question to think about.

So for those of you who didn't catch the Twitter convo last Thursday, here are the six guide questions for you to think about this afternoon.

[Theater] The Normal Heart (The Necessary Theatre)

I continue to make a conscious effort to include theater in our weekend activity calendar given how much time is invested in the gaming side of our lives together. There's nothing wrong with gaming in itself nor with gaming on a regular basis. However I do want to make sure that we continue to enjoy a diverse enough range of experiences together and that should obviously include our theater dates.

We missed out on the first run of The Normal Heart due to scheduling conflicts and the brevity of the run. This repeat staging was a modest blessing in this regard since it gave us another chance to see the show, although I will note that once again the show has been limited to a rather short run as well. Bummer.

The show in itself is quite powerful and it speaks volumes of the quality of the source material. There's a very powerful story here and the group of actors brought together for this production certainly did their best to bring the message home.

[Movies] Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

I seem to have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Matthew McConaughey. He's established himself as quite the skilled actor and he's more than willing to fully immerse himself into a role. But at the same time he seems to choose to play characters that I end up not liking all that much. So is my dislike for his characters evidence of how good an actor he is? When he plays someone unlikable in a rather authentic manner, does this mean he's right on the mark?

This was my struggle with Dallas Buyers Club as a movie experience. A lot of the movie revolves around McConaughey's character, who isn't exactly a one that you immediately warm up to. And while the movie is focused around his efforts which played a key role in helping a lot of people living with HIV, he didn't exactly do things for entirely altruistic reasons either.

I suppose at the end of the day, these are all good things. Movies that make you question and make you really think about the subject material are certainly movies worth their weight in water. And this movie really tries to cover a lot of important ground.

[Movies] Philadelphia (1993)

If we're going to talk about mainstream movies that helped advance the LGBT cause - or at least increase awareness, then you can't not talk about Philadelphia. And this was the great trifecta of gay issues in a single Hollywood movie. It tackled the HIV / AIDS epidemic. It acknowledged homosexuality. And of course homophobia, especially in the work place.

I remember seeing this movie in my much younger years and not fully understanding the complex themes of the movie. At the very least, it was sort of explained to me what AIDS is. Just not quite how you can possibly get it - just the fact that there is no cure. And that's a pretty scary thing to consider at any age.

These days, it's hard to find a gay movie that doesn't involve HIV / AIDS in some way. But at the very least there's always the effort to make sure they still tell true stories - tales that illustrate the struggle of those who live with HIV without demonizing them. And I'm pretty sure that many movies - and many gay men in general - have a lot to thank this movie for. It has certainly left a rather lasting impression on Hollywood.

[Pink Scene] LoveYourself's Platinum HIV Testing Returns This April

This April, LoveYourself is once again offering its Platinum HIV testing service for those of you who are still in the closet about getting tested. Taking place at a discreet location near Makati's central business district, the Platinum Testing Service ensures that the fact that you're getting tested HIV remains completely confidential. All they ask is a minimum standard donation of P500.

The testing event will take place on April 19 and 26 between the hours of 06:00pm and 09:00pm. The exact location will be revealed later on through your personal coordinator assigned to assist you with your testing. All you need to do is to pre-register for the event in order to set your appointment.

On a personal note, I don't entirely agree with the concept of the Platinum testing idea since it sort of indirectly supports the notion that we should be ashamed of getting tested for HIV and other STDs. Then again, I know that HIV/AIDS awareness still has a long way to go in this country and a lot of education work needs to be done in order to wash away the stigma of the mere act of getting tested.

And a the very least, the P500 donation is sure to go to a good cause in continuing to fund the various advocacy efforts of LoveYourself, which has recently expanded its movement to include Cebu as well.

So be smart and get tested. It's the best decision you'll even make. And if Platinum isn't for you, there are a lot of FREE testing options still available.

[Pink Scene] LoveYourself Manila Check-In on March 10!

Don't forget - tomorrow, March 10, is the next Manila Check-In event by LoveYourself for free, private and confidential HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis-B screening exclusively for queer folk - or properly, "men who like men".

You can still register for the event at http://go.LoveYourself.ph/Manila

The event will be held at Victoria Court Malate from 02:00pm until 08:00pm.

The full street address is :
2184 Madre Ignacia St, corner Quirino Ave
Malate, Manila, Philippines

Do yourself a favor - LOVE YOURSELF by getting tested!

[Advocacy] Project Indulge by Love Yourself

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to the fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS is the social stigma that is often attached to it. Many individuals fear getting tested because of the potential "shame" that they believe will come with being diagnosed. Thus instead of getting treatment right away, they choose to live in ignorance.

As I tell many friends who ask me about HIV testing, we shouldn't treat this disease as something that is distinct or separate from all other conditions. Being diagnosed with HIV is not an immediate death sentence in itself - no more than being diagnosed with conditions like diabetes, heart disease or asthma. All require certain precautions, changes in your lifestyle and on-going medication. So why does HIV and AIDS need to be different?

LoveYourself is one of the many HIV/AIDS advocacy groups active in the country right now and they continually try to find new ways to spread their message by effectively utilizing various social media channels. And their latest campaign, Project Indulge, is certainly something to be excited about.

[Movies] Keep the Lights On (2012)

I keep gambling on various LGBT movies regardless of subject matter - it's part of my commitment to find new content to discuss and review on this blog, especially for those of you who look for more pink movies to watch. So yes, I take the risks so you don't have to! It's the same driving force behind any other reviewer when you think about it.

Now before I used to be pretty impressed the moment that I'd see a movie has those distinct symbols indicating that it won an award at some film festival. But over time you come to realize that you should just gauge the movie based on its content and forget what awards it seems to have. There are far too many independent film festivals out there and any decent movie is bound to get some attention sooner or later.

But that's how all of us should take any movie, really. While reviews like this can potentially guide you towards movies that you may be more inclined to like, at the end of the day it's up to you as a viewer to decide. And I think I'll have a somewhat contrary opinion this time around.

[Technicolor Musings] Celebrating the Fight Against Intolerance

Every year, December 1 is celebrated as World AIDS Day, an important time to remember the continued fight against the spread of both the virus and the intolerance that naturally comes with it. At least that's the way things are now - with a lot of work and continued effort, we all look forward to the day that we bring the number of new HIV infections to zero and when people stop alienating people who have the virus.

At the same time, December is also a time when Filipinos - at least those in Metro Manila - take time to celebrate LGBT Pride with the annual Metro Manila Pride March.

It's interesting to note how both the fight against AIDS and the fight for LGBT rights have many similarities. Both are things (or perhaps states of being?) that are often met with a certain degree of ridicule and definitely intolerance born of ignorance. Naturally because of its prevalence, there is the inevitably thinking that one follows the other (and which comes first doesn't even matter at times). Too many people think that gay people are worth condemning and thus "deserve" to contact HIV / AIDS. Or some believe that people who have HIV / AIDS did something "wrong" to again somehow "deserve" infection.

But both being gay and living with HIV are not things to be ashamed of nor should these be things that we have to hide. They simply are what they are and until we as a society learn to treat it as such, then we'll never really get to where we need to be in terms of equal rights and true acceptance as a race. Until we can put aside these petty disagreements for those who are different from us, then we'll never mature as a people - or even as a species.

So take this month as a good time to remember the struggles that both these groups of people face every day. Take time to remember that gay pride is more than just a street party and HIV awareness and advocacy is more than taking an HIV test just once in your life. It is about changing the way you think and essentially changing the way we live our lives.

[Pink Scene] Free HIV / STI Testing in Makati on November 23

Love Yourself, one of the local HIV / AIDS advocacy groups in the Philippines, is hosting another free and confidential HIV testing event at the  MEDICard Lifestyle Center in Makati City on November 23, 2012. Starting 05:00pm all the way to 02:00am, you can get tested for HIV and other STIs like syphilis and hepatitis B absolutely free and with assurance that our information will remain private and confidential. The event especially caters to the male homosexual / bisexual segment so it's a great opportunity to finally get tested for a lot of you queer geeks out there.

I've previously written about how we should not be afraid of getting tested - there's been a lot of medical advances that help people living with HIV / AIDS live normal lives and your chances of living a longer and still fulfilling life increase the sooner you get diagnosed. I try to compare this like finding out you have asthma or diabetes - yes you will need to learn to live with this for the rest of your life. But it is not in a death sentence in itself. People stress out too much about the fact that there is no cure for HIV / AIDS at this time, but the same can be said of cancer and ultimately the common cold! But you can't determine whether or not you may actually need treatment until you take that first step of getting tested.

If you're curious about what to expect during an HIV test, Love Yourself also has this handy article to help out first-timers.

Interested participants can pre-register at this link: http://tinyurl.com/makatiSEB

[Pink News] The LoveYourself Hub Opens Today!

The following is a press release from LoveYourself.ph:

The Love Yourself Project, an ongoing advocacy group which aims to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS is set to open ‘The Love Yourself Hub’ on July 8, 2012 at 1850 Leon Guinto St., Malate, Manila (at the back of PWU).

The Love Yourself Hub will serve as a resource center to further increase the levels of awareness and knowledge, counseling and education, wellness, prevention, cure and rehabilitation of the communities it serves specially the youth and LGBT-MSM in response to sexually transmitted infections (STI and HIV) and other sexuality-related concerns.

One of the main key programs is to conduct HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) with the able support of the Research Institute for Topical Medicine (RITM).

To complement this main task, equally important are the other goals which aim to establish the following: ‘EQUALITY’ without regard to HIV status, religion, sex, gender preference and culture; provide skills training to other advocate volunteers on HIV counseling, HIV health education and management; empower professionals and other advocate volunteers to administer timely, appropriate therapeutic counseling and safe quality care; promote HIV education (e.g. Philippine HIV/AIDS Law) through partnerships with education-related groups and organizations; align with the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC), World Health Organization (WHO) and partners to maximize resources.

The Love Yourself Hub shall embrace the ideals set forth by its parent organization – the Love Yourself Project by reaching out to the community it serves by propagating ideas and practices that encourage loving one's self -- to DARE to be oneself, to CARE for oneself, and to SHARE oneself as a way to multiplying joy.

[Social Media] Sex, Lies and the Internet

This is a Geeky Guide Public Service Announcement
(Because I like being ironic)


This fellow is Robert Tarroza Stewart (who may also be this Robert Tarroza Stewart or this Robby Tarroza). I do not know him from Adam but through the wonders of social media I came across his profile in the weirdest way this morning. I still wish I hadn't - my life would be so much better for it. But everything happens for a reason and so I'm here today to tell you a little about his involvement in an incident this morning and why you ought to be wary.

You know how annoying it is when one of your Facebook contacts is tagged in some image that isn't even a photo of them? Yeah, it was one of those cases. But what surprised me was that the image was some supposed "Notice the Public" posted from Mr. Stewart's Facebook account. And image was just...wrong. Wrong probably isn't a sufficiently strong enough term for it but words fail me right now.

You see, the "posters" were indicating that a certain person (from this point on we shall refer to him as The Victim) supposedly had HIV and was intentionally spreading it to other people. Pretty strong accusation, right?

For the record, redacted versions of the two posters can be found after the cut:

[Pink News] Upcoming LGBT Events in May

There are a few major LGBT events this month that you Geeky readers may want to support. And remember these aren't exclusively for members of the LGBT community - these events are more than open to other straight supporters who want to support their LGBT friends or the issues that we're trying to achieve.

The first is a rally in support of the Anti-Discrimination Bill (House Bill 1483) on May 14, 2012. It'll be at the Sandiganbayan itself so if you can get up bright and early, it'll be a good idea to go. Be sure to wear pink or red on the day!

Next up on May 20, 2012 is that Love Yourself, Yoga for Life and other HIV/AIDS advocacy groups are celebrating the 29th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial at the Quezon City Circle. The annual event is meant to commemorate all those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS as we all renew our pledge to fight the biggest challenges related to this virus - ignorance and fear.

These are just some of the LGBT events that you can all participate in this month. If you have other events that you'd like for us to promote or help spread awareness about, feel free to leave a comment and we can discuss things more directly.

[Technicolor Musings] Fighting HIV / AIDS is ESSE

Last December 9, 2011, our company clinic partnered with The Love Yourself Project to facilitate an HIV / AIDS 101 learning session for members of the leadership team. It was a pretty productive 4-hour session and I have to admit that I walked away with a lot of good information and new insights on HIV / AIDS, its prevention and other information. I feel a lot better equipped to answer HIV / AIDS related questions now and it only seems fair to spread the word and get more people on board with the right ideas when it comes to this virus.

One of the biggest takeaways for me was the concept of the acronym ESSE for trying to figure out whether or not you may have exposed yourself to increased risk of HIV infection. And if there's one thing everyone should know when it comes to HIV prevention, this is probably one of the bigger ticket items.

ESSE, depending on your school of thought, typically stands for Exit, Survive, Sufficient and Entry among health practioners and HIV educators. All four conditions need to be met in order to ensure infection.

EXIT refers to whether or not infected blood, semen or vaginal fluid found a way to leave the body of the person living with HIV.

SURVIVE refers to whether or not the infected medium was subjected to an environment that it can survive. HIV cells do not survive for long outside the human body and exposure to air is particularly lethal to it along with other temperature changes.

SUFFICIENT refers to whether or not sufficient quantities of the infected medium are present for risk of infection. Saliva may have HIV cells present but typically they are not in sufficient quantities to prove as a risk of infection. However any direct blood-to-blood contact is typically deemed a sufficient quantity regardless of amount.

ENTRY of course refers to how the infected medium will enter the other person who does not have HIV / AIDS. This typically means contact with the bloodstream, thus we need to consider whether or not the person has any open wounds or sores that have been exposed to the infected medium.

Image by AJC1 via Flickr

For example, if a person living with HIV cuts himself while swimming in the same pool as you. While blood may exit from your friend, the medium isn't friendly for the survival of the likes of HIV (given the temperature difference and of course the chlorine) so chances of you getting infected by drinking the water are negligible.

Then there's the question of oral sex which comes up all the time. For the average person the risk is very low since there are no immediate entry points for the infected semen to penetrate and your stomach is full of acids which makes for an environment that reduces the virus's survival chances. However if you have bleeding gums or open sores / lacerations in your mouth, then there is a risk of infection, albeit still a lower one.

Of course ultimately you need to get tested to determine whether or not you actually have HIV cells present in your body (the discussion regarding signs and symptoms of HIV is rather moot when you really get down to it), ESSE remains to be a good guide to consider your risk factors and whether or not you should freak out because you sat next to a person living with AIDS at the cafeteria. At the same time, it also gives you a good basis for rethinking how you treat people that you know to be living with HIV / AIDS. You're not going to catch it just be being friends with them or shaking their hands.

Educate yourself and disspell all those HIV / AIDS myths! Being informed is the best way of fighting this virus and helping bring down the incidents of infection in the Philippines and around the world.

Note: In case you didn't get it, the title of this post is meant to be a pun. ESSE? Easy? Get it?
Gah, I know, I know - I should leave comedy to the professionals. =P

[Technicolor Musings] HIV / AIDS Awareness Groups in the Philippines

Image via Wikipedia

December 1 marks World AIDS Day, a time when people can unite and send a strong message of support to those who have already contracted HIV / AIDS while at the same time promoting greater awareness and more responsible practices to prevent the continued spread of the virus. For many countries, including the Philippines, December is also AIDS Awareness Month. The most well-known image associated with the HIV / AIDS advocacy movement is the red ribbon.

It's interesting to note that there seems to be a bit of an increase of HIV / AIDS advocacy groups and movements in the country - something that can be inevitably connected to the continued rise of reported cases in the country despite the global reduction in the growth rate of infections. The statistics are pretty alarming, and I don't see the need to re-state them right now. Regardless of the numbers, HIV / AIDS will always be a very serious concern for the LGBT community and all those who practice unsafe sex and the sharing of needles and other infection risks.

I've previously written about the "fear" or "stigma around getting tested for HIV / AIDS as my own little bid to start promoting HIV / AIDS awareness and responsibility, but of course there's a lot more that can be done to effectively fight this and get the community back on the right track.

With the 2011 Manila Pride March having completed yesterday, this seems as good a time as any to try and document some of the more prevalent / visible HIV / AIDS advocacy / support groups out there for those who are looking for ways to get involved in the fight against HIV / AIDS.

[Technicolor Musings] The Fear Of Getting Tested

I'm pretty sure that it's universally accepted that HIV / AIDs is pretty damn scary. Everyone who has engaged in sexual activity has probably thought about it at least once, perhaps more so if you're a gay man. Or among men who have sex with men, if you're the type who rejects gender labels and identification with roles of sexual orientation. After all, gay sex has just about 0% risk of pregnancy and thus the need for condoms generally gets thrown out the window by a significant portion of the sexually active queer population.




HIV testing awareness ad campaign by Narisa Spaulding via Flickr.

In my previous 7+ year relationship, I had never gotten tested for HIV. I could claim that it just never came up in our discussions or the fact that we were a monogamous couple, but of course those reasons won't stand up in court. Heck, I can't look you in the eye and say it was a strictly monogamous relationship since we did involve a few others in terms of our "activities".

So when I finally got tested for HIV for the very first time in my life with my current partner, I admit it was scary. As much as I knew that my chances seemed small, naturally the risk factors where still present in both of our histories. While we all do our best to keep safe, everyone slips up at least once or twice in their lives.

[Health] Free HIV Testing Centers In Metro Manila

The Take the Test Project has published a list of a number of safe, quick and reliable Free HIV testing centers around Metro Manila for those who want to get in the habit. The Philippines is one of the few countries in the world where HIV cases continue to rise dramatically and we should all do our part to remain in-the-know about what HIV is, what the risks are and how to seek out treatment in case of infection.



The Geeky Guide firmly supports HIV awareness programs like this and we felt it important enough to re-publish the list of centers for those looking for a place to go for quick and confidential results.

MANILA:
Manila Social Hygiene Clinic - Manila Health Department, 2nd Floor of 208 Quiricada Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila. Open Mondays to Fridays from 08:00am - 02:00pm

QUEZON CITY:
Batasan Social Hygiene Clinic - G/F Batasan Hills Super Health Center Bldg,IBP Road Batasan Hills, Quezon City. Open Mondays to Fridays from 08:00am - 02:00pm

Project 7 Social Hygiene Clinic - Bansalangin St., Teachers Village, Quezon City (near SM North Edsa). Open Mondays to Fridays from 08:00am - 03:00pm.

Bernardo Social Hygiene Clinic - 2nd Flr Bernardo SHC, Cubao, Quezon City (near Ramon Magsaysay High School). Opem from Mondays to Fridays from 08:00am - 03:00pm.

PASAY:
Pasay Social Hygiene Clinic - Pasay City Hall, F.B. Harrison St., Pasay City. Open Mondays to Fridays from 09:00am - 11:00am.

CALOOCAN:
Caloocan Social Hygiene Clinic - Caloocan City Hall, A.Mabini Ave., Caloocan City. Open Mondays to Fridays from 08:00am - 03:00pm.

If you've never been tested and wondering whether or not you should, then it's definitely time you did. Bring a friend to make the trip a little easier but don't delay any further. It'll change your life, believe me.

UPDATE: June 24, 2011: Migs, the Manila Gay Guy has posted a great list of HIV testing centers nationwide, to help those outside of Metro Manila.

[Health] 'Cutting' the Risk of HIV

This is probably going to be one of the strangest health-related posts I'll be writing about here on the Guide.

There are now reports of an African study whose results show that circumcised men have a nearly 50% less chance of HIV infection as compared to uncircumcised men. Given how significant the initial results have been, the trials were put to a halt in order to report their findings, which also corroborate a previous study conducted in South Africa.

Of course, this is not to say that protection like condoms are no longer needed - it's just that circumcision now appears to be one of the factors when it comes to determining the likelihood of HIV infection.

I wonder if this will cause guys to run out to get themselves 'cut' now, haha. Sorry, I just can't resist the puns.