Marriage no longer an issue for many in Massachusetts

WHITINSVILLE, Mass., – Twenty years after he met the love of his life, nearly five years after their wedding helped make history, it took a nasty bout of pneumonia for Gary Chalmers to fully appreciate the blessings of marriage.

“I was out of work for eight weeks, spent a week in the hospital,” Chalmers said. “That was the first time I really felt thankful for the sense of the security we had, with Rich there, talking with the physicians, helping make decisions. … It really made a difference.”

At stake was the most basic recognition of marital bonds — something most spouses take for granted. But until May 17, 2004, when Chalmers and Richard Linnell were among a surge of same-sex couples marrying in Massachusetts, it was legally unavailable to American gays and lesbians.

Since that day, four other states — Connecticut in 2008, and Iowa, Vermont and Maine this year — have legalized same-sex marriage, and more may follow soon. A measure just approved by New Hampshire’s legislature awaits the governor’s decision on whether to sign. But Massachusetts was the first, providing a five-year record with which to gauge the consequences.

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“TEST ME / for hiv” challenges assumptions about HIV risk in the Asian and Pacific Islander Communities

Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Inc. (APICHA) will announce the launch of “TEST ME / for hiv”, a historic effort to address a major discrepancy and public health problem – very limited access to HIV testing and increasing infection rates in the Asian and Pacific Islander (A&PI) communities.

On May 19 2009, A&PI HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, APICHA will be joined by elected officials and community leaders on the steps of City Hall to launch the campaign and urge the public to take control. May is also Asian Heritage month.

Currently, A&PIs are the only racial/ethnic group in New York that have not experienced a decline in the number of new HIV diagnoses, but only six percent (6%) of A&PI New Yorkers report that their doctor recommended an HIV test. This presents a major public health concern that could have a far-reaching impact.

 
“‘Do you want an HIV test today?”’ That question can be all it takes for a doctor to begin a conversation about their patient’s risk for HIV,” said Robert Murayama, APICHA’s Chief Medical Officer. “Doctors almost never pose that question to their Asian and Pacific Islander patients because they assume the patient won’t need it. The patient leaves the doctor’s office not knowing their status; this can lead to harm to the patient and extreme risk for their partner(s). This is a public health concern. Doctors have an obligation to ask that question without regard to culture or ethnicity.”

APICHA has identified limited access to HIV testing as a critical unmet need that requires the attention of doctors and the community. Often, doctors have preconceived assumptions about the sexual risk factors and lifestyle choices of A&PIs based on the stereotype of Asians as “the model minority.” APICHA seeks to change attitudes among doctors by encouraging A&PIs to begin the conversation in an effort to address this major public health problem.

 
Patients, who depend on their doctors to advise them about what they should be screened for, are left with an incomplete profile of their health and in possible danger. This year, a Chinese woman, living with AIDS, was finally diagnosed with the disease after she sought services at APICHA. Infected with HIV and stricken by an HIV related illness, she went from local doctor to doctor without a diagnosis, much less a recommendation for an HIV test. During this delay in getting the right treatment, HIV had weakened her system to the point where she developed an opportunistic infection, which could have been prevented with appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

The heart of the campaign will be a coordinated effort to have volunteers visit their doctor’s office wearing a tee shirt that reads “TEST ME / for hiv”. The action is meant to initiate conversation and create an opportunity to educate doctors about the discrepancy.

APICHA hopes that the earned media in both mainstream and ethnic press and work with religious and community leaders will expand the discussion about HIV in various A&PI communities. The campaign will also disseminate information about the issue, and educate A&PI community members about obtaining an HIV test.

 
“Our hope is that the doctors will come around, but until that time comes I call on every A&PI person to demand a test. APICHA is here to teach you what you should ask for and help empower you to take control of your health, but it’s up to you to take that step and say ‘test me for HIV’, “said Therese R. Rodriguez, APICHA’s Executive Director. “If you have not discussed HIV with your doctor, you do not have a complete picture of your health. You need to ask the question so that you can have the peace of mind that a complete health exam gives.”

APICHA’s mission is to combat HIV/AIDS stigma and related discrimination, to prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Asian & Pacific Islander communities, and to provide care and treatment for Asian & Pacific Islanders living with HIV/AIDS and their families. The organization was founded twenty years ago and remains the only Pan-Asian HIV/AIDS organization devoted to working with A&PI communities in New York City.

“I applaud APICHA for empowering Asian and Pacific Islanders to take control of their health,” said Dr. Monica Sweeney Assistant Commissioner of the New York City Health Department’s Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control. “As long as there are people out there who are unaware of their HIV status, there is a great risk of transmission. If you do not know your status, you cannot access the care you need and you can unknowingly spread the virus to others. Everybody needs to know their status.”

APICHA’s Chief Medical officer and Executive Director will brief the media about the issue and the campaign at the May 19 press conference and can be made available for interview prior to the announced. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor David Patterson and other elected offices have been invited to attend the press conference.

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Mass. gay marriage turning 5

(Boston, Massachusetts) Twenty years after he met the love of his life, nearly five years after their wedding helped make history, it took a nasty bout of pneumonia for Gary Chalmers to fully appreciate the blessings of marriage.

“I was out of work for eight weeks, spent a week in the …

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