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PAGE4 T Q-Notes T August2^^ ‘■^97 ^Ttorial AIDS research has broad beneHts Fundamental discoveries made in one area of biomedical research often benefit a wide va riety of human diseases. The following is a sum mary of how research on HIV and AlDS is al ready a proven boon to us all. How does AIDS research benefit others? AIDS has a single underlying cause — a virus, HIV. This makes it easier to target than disor ders with multiple and largely unknown causes. But AIDS research doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It has become a gateway to the diagnosis and treatment of myriad diseases. For example, it has already led to a new drug for hepatitis B, the leading cause of liver cancer, and for hepa titis C, an additional cause of liver disease. What are some examples of those benefits? Recent therapies developed to combat HIV have had a profound impact on the quality of life of people with HIV/AlDS. Less w^ known is how these drugs may be critical in the treat ment of other diseases. For example, 3TC, a drug similar to AZT in its anti-HIV activity, has been found to block the growth of the hepa titis B virus. Similarly, the success of the HIV protease inhibitors has spurred development of similar inhibitors for treating other infections. What about breast cancer? One promising experimental therapy for advanced breast can cer is high-dose chemotherapy, followed by a bone-marrow transplant. However, the pro found immune suppression necessary for a suc cessful transplantation often leads to devastat ing, even fatal, oppormnistic infections, includ ing cytomegalovirus (CMV) other herpes vi ruses. These conditions are common in AIDS, and new drugs against CMV and other herpes viruses have come from AIDS-targeted research. Do HIV advances help in treating cancer? AIDS researchers have discovered antibodies and drugs that inhibit the activity of specific growth factors, or cytokines, the natural body hormones that can promote the activity of HIV. Many of these hormones also accelerate the Vol. 12, No. 7 - August 23, 1997 Mailing Address: PO Box 221841 Charlotte, NC 28222 Phonr. (704) 531-9988 Fax-. (704) 531-1361 E-mail-, pridtype@vnet.net Street duress: 4037 E. Independence Blvd., Suite 611 Charlotte, NC 28205 Publisher & CEO Jim Yarbrough Editor David Stout Associate Editor Dan Van Mourik Arts Editor Brian D. Holcomb Typesetter Dan Van Mourik Personals Larry Jackson Advertising Sales Jim Yarbrough Contributing Writers: Nancy Cunningham, J. Lynn Davidson, Kevin Grooms, Brian D. Holcomb, Kevin Ivers, Mark E Johnson, C. Lichtenstein, Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, Monique Meadows, David Prybylo, David M. Smith, David Stout, Howard Strevel, Liz Tracey, Miss Paige Turner, Dan Van Mourik, Hastings Wyman, Jr. Q-Notes is published every other week in Charlotte, NC by Pride Publishing & Typesetting. Advertisements are published with the understanding that the advertisers are fully authorized to publish sub mitted copy, having secur^ any necessary written con sent for all copy, text, photos and illustrations, and that no ad submitted is in violation of a patent, copyright, first right of publication, or a right to ptivacy. The ad vertiser assumes all liability for claims of suits based on the subjea mater of its ad, and agrees to hold Pride Pub lishing & Typesetting and Q-Notes harmless from any such daim. The Publisher assumes no liability for typographical errors or omissions beyond offering to run a correction. The entire contents of Q-Notes ate copyright (c) 1997 by Pride Publishing & Typesetting, and may not be re produced in any manner, either in whole or part, with out the express written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in anides or advertising in Q-Notes is not to be coiutrued as any indication of the sexual ori entation of such person or organization. The views of this newspaper are expressed only in edi torials. Opinioiu expressed in columiu, letters, artides and cartoons are those of the writers and anists and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Q-Notes. growth and spread of cancer cells. Inhibiting the essential cell receptors for such hormones prevents certain cancer cells from spreading. This strategy, which was used first in the ex perimental treatment of Kaposi’s sarcoma, a cancer found in HIV-infected patients, is also being tested in bladder, vulvar and breast can cers. Additionally, small proteins and drugs that can block the growth of new blood vessels were developed to treat Kaposi’s sarcoma, but are now being tested in many other cancers as well. What about autoimmune disorders? Re search on AIDS and HIV has sdmulated inter disciplinary studies into the development of new treatments for these condidons. More than 40 percent of HIV-positive patients develop some evidence of an autoimmune problem, such as a lupus-like blood abnormality, Sjogren’s syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. For these autoimmune diseases, treatments developed in the context of AIDS should be applicable to the same conditions when they occur apart from any association with an identifiable stimulus. Has diagnosis of other diseases improved? Extraordinarily sensitive techniques, capable of locating less than one molecule of HIV genetic material among millions of particles of extra neous material, are now available. Such tech niques have made it possible to measure other wise undetectable levels of cancer cells in indi viduals so that new therapy can be initiated or ongoing treatments condnued. What are the benefits to heart disease? A substantial portion of HIV-positive children suffer heart attacks and strokes. HIV appears to affect small blood vessels in the heart and the brain, rendering them vulnerable to spasms, blood clots and early atherosclerosis. The ar teries of a two-year-old child with AIDS often resemble those of a 50-year-old man. It appears that in HIV infecdon, apoptosis injures the cells that line the small blood vessels of the heart. This same injury occurs in HIV-negadve people with atherosclerosis, where its origin is thou^t to be certain infections of the blood vessel wall. Discovery of the means to block the apoptotic process may thus not only benefit those with AIDS, but everyone. T —Ltiurence, M.D. [Dr. Laurence is Senior Scientific Consultant for Programs at AmFAR and Professor of Medi cine at Cornell University Medical College.\ Index Articles African-American gay leader meets with officials in Zimbabwe 11 Bar Association endorses needle exchange program to stop AIDS .. 1 Baseball fundraiser thrown into spodight after media attention ..1 Coretta Scott King, others to receive Task Force awards ..8 Former SC Pride co-chair acquitted of solicitadon charge .. 1 GLAAD gears up for history month .. 1 Lesbians at risk for breast cancer ..5 New directory lists funders for gay and lesbian projects 19 Rep. Koike delivers keynote address at Lob Cabin national conference.... ..3 Features Celebrating artists who fight AIDS 15 The greatest story ever told 15 The latest word from Washington ... ..4 Lilith Fair takes Charlotte by storm 14 Q-Culture Recommends 15 Columns Advertiser Index 22 Classifieds 22 Community Cards 23 Curbside 26 The Drag Rag 14 GLAAD Notes 20 Inside Hollywood 14 Money Matters 12 National Notes ; 25 Out and About 26 Out In The Stars 22 Personals 24 QFYI 11 Q-Crossword 13 Quips and Quotes 16 Reason for Hope 18 "El leri 5 EMMY nominations. .. WANNA COME TO MY YLACE AND SEE MY EMMY„' NOMINATIONS) I BUNMO, CAM WE GrETTHE , CHASTITY be.lt KET FROM your PRODUCER I And STiL.L cANJ'r GtEt. laid - li.AH ■ 1.. -.It III llllflll I ■ ■ *.. 1 I liilllrfl i . letter AIDS, more than a crisis AIDS is not, I repeat, not a crisis in the gay community. That’s right, the Gay Outreach Program Coordinator at Triad Health Project just announced the end of the crisis, and you can say you read it here. Now that I have your attention, let me say this: AIDS is something much worse for us. AIDS is a plague. AIDS is a holocaust. AIDS is a tremendous systemic trauma both here and in the larger community. How has AIDS affected you? I want to know. I want to know because I don’t look at health education for gay men, lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals as limited to HIV/ AIDS, nor do I believe in information-driven HIV prcvcndon programs. I believe in holisdc answers to holistic problems. I can do nothing to improve this community’s health, pardcu- larly relative to AIDS if we feel unsafe, op pressed, or otherwise unable or unwilling to cope with our personal and collective experi ences of AIDS, or, for that matter, other health issues. This is the “new thinking” about gay and lesbian health and HIV prevention to which I fully ascribe. According to Eric Rofes, author of Reviving the Tribe: Regenerating Gay Mens Sexuality and Culture in the Ongoing Epidemic (1996), one of the primary articulators of this philosophy, until public health educators, officials and pro viders realize this, our efforts will fell far short of their potendal.. Gay men’s mental health conditions are all over the map. Some have coped well with the grief and losses of the epi demic. Others suffer significant grief overload; some show symptoms of post-traumatic reac tions and/or serious stress disorders. The reality is that AIDS has torn apart our sex cultures, our social networks and our indi vidual lives. Even here, in a smaller, quieter community, our friends and lovers are sdll get ting sick, getting infected and still hearing pre vention messages. Some of us came here to escape, but we have found that these issues per sist. The truth is gay men, both HlV-posidve and HIV-negative, are tired of dealing with the whole issue. What’s more, there is a whole gen eration of gay men, like me, who know no life apart from AIDS. These men experience higher infection rates now supposedly because they see AIDS as an older man’s problem. The truth is that AIDS has so profoundly affected us that living in an ongoing epidemic has either con sciously or unconsciously contributed, as a major player with other issues, to our massive substance abuse problems, our mental health problems, our collective denial, and our (false) belief that living this way is normal. The truth is that we younger men are getting infected and our older brothers still get infected and/or get sick even with treatment because we are dred of having to consistendy “play safe” and be fully compliant with treatments and being told something is wrong with us if we don’t do these things! The older generadon is dred and now we have a younger generadon that, having heard no other message, gets dred quicker. What do I as your Gay Outreach Coordi nator for Guilford County do? Well, first, I vdll soon complete my MPH at UNCG. I have concentrated in lesbian and gay health issues as a whole, not just HFV/AIDS, though that is the primary focus of my work. Second, the Triad Health Project (THP) program this year is radically different in content. This year, we will be talking about HIV/AIDS and every pro gram will emphasize (a) reladonships and rela- donship skills and (b) come out of this systemic, holisdc approach to our community’s health. This means THP will be collaboradng with GLBT organizations in Guilford County. Workshops and groups will be the mainstay of our work together not just random presenta- dons and occasional group work. Also, since I have a holisdc view, even though HIV is my focus, I want to be a health educadon resource for all GLBT citizens of the Triad, for AIDS and other GLBT mental and physical health concerns, whether in terms of informarion or See LETTER on page 12 Advertising Deadlines Issue Date n^dline September 6 Monday, August 25 September 20 Monday September 8 October 4 Monday September 22 Subscribe! Subscriptions are by 1st and 3rd class mail in sealed envelopes mailed in Charlotte, NC. Subscription rate for one year (25 issues) is $52 (1st class) or $28 (3rd class). Subsedpdon rate for six months (12 issues) is $25 (1st class) or $15 (3rd class). To subscribe, mail this form to a-Notes, PO Box 221841, Charlotte, NC 28222. Make checks payable to Q_-Notes or provide credit card information below. 25 issues: □ 1st class, $52 □ bulk, $28 • 12 issues: □ 1st class, $25 Q bulk, $15 Name Address City, State. 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