Dozens of readers this year added their very personal perspectives to the breakthrough drug Truvada and the baffling resistance to it by many gay activists. Read the whole discussion thread here. Below are a few previously unaired emails to add to the mix: Most of the coverage of Truvada has been about the idea of “Truvada whores” … Continue reading The Best Threads Of 2014: “Why Aren’t Gay Men On The Pill?”
The New York Times has produced a “Room for Debate” colloquium on Truvada, the daily pill to prevent HIV infection. They lead with the Michael Weinstein, who writes this sentence: PrEP has failed to protect the majority of men in every clinical trial (study). He links to an Indian summary of drug trials from 2011. … Continue reading Why Aren’t Gay Men On The Pill? Ctd
A straight female reader chimes in: As I was listening to Dave Cullen discuss Truvada I could only think … well, welcome to my world! The birth control pill was “unleashed” on women in 1960. I graduated from college in 1967 and moved to Chicago to work. When I went to my doctor to get … Continue reading Why Aren’t Gay Men On The Pill? Ctd
Apr 9, 2014 @ 12:31pm The Associated Press – about as mainstream as you can get – has an article out this week about a very marginalized medication: It’s the Truvada conundrum: A drug hailed as a lifesaver for many people infected by HIV is at the heart of a rancorous debate among gay men, … Continue reading Why Aren’t Gay Men On The Pill?
When asked about the risks of Truvada, Dave Cullen answered in three quick parts: healthcare costs (discussed by readers here), side effects, and people not taking the drug consistently: A New Yorker piece backs up Cullen on the side effects: Taking Truvada to prevent H.I.V. comes with very few risks. In the N.I.H. study, one … Continue reading Why Aren’t Gay Men On The Pill? Ctd
Another round of emails focuses on the high cost of PrEP drugs like Truvada: I was just turning 30 when the AIDS epidemic struck. I spent the next 13 or so years caring for, then burying, my friends and loved ones. Somehow a few friends and I escaped infection; I don’t know how. In the intervening years, … Continue reading Why Aren’t Gay Men On The Pill? Ctd
In another video from Dave Cullen, Truvada user and bestselling author, he addresses the anticipated backlash from Fox News and Limbaugh when PrEP drugs are more widely used: The idea that gay sex requires more justification than straight sex is deeply embedded in the culture – even within gay culture. Two other themes have emerged as well in … Continue reading Why Aren’t Gay Men On The Pill? Ctd
The Associated Press – about as mainstream as you can get – has an article out this week about a very marginalized medication: It’s the Truvada conundrum: A drug hailed as a lifesaver for many people infected by HIV is at the heart of a rancorous debate among gay men, AIDS activists and health professionals … Continue reading Why Aren’t Gay Men On The Pill?
Below is another clip from my conversation with Rich (first sample here). In it, we tackle condoms – why men don’t like them, and why the opportunity to live without fear of HIV and, in some cases, without rubbers is one worth grasping: A reader writes: I really enjoyed listening to your insightful conversation with Juzwiak. Most of my … Continue reading Andrew Asks Anything: Rich Juzwiak, Ctd
At the start of Holy Week – a miracle in the form of a spinal cord implant, letting the paralyzed feel again. A reflection – Auden, of course – on God as Father. A visit to the monks at Athos over a bottle of ouzo. And a pertinent question: why does Mary have such perfect … Continue reading The Best Of The Dish This Weekend
