out in the stars
Y2K
by C. Lichtenstein
Special to Q-Notes
I’ve been handed the daunting task of predicting
events for 2000 — the next millennium. Gay2K;
Hey Y-not?
Impressive planetary events abound: In Febru
ary, a solar eclipse delivers surprises! In May, Jupiter
and Saturn multiply our life lessons as seven planets
line up in stubborn Taurus. No matter what sign
you are, expect a zing from these cosmic events.
Read ahead to see how the planets corrupt your
hard drive this year:
ARIES (March 21 - April 20)
Gay Rams balance friendships with personal
needs this year. Someone you trust disappoints you
during the eclipse. The planetary line-up in Taurus
bodes well professionally. How about a cheap and
tawdry affair this summer? OK, maybe it won’t be
cheap.
TAURUS (April21-May21)
More emphasis is placed on money than love this
year. Dough evaporates during the eclipse, but magi
cally reappears in the summer once you regain your
fiscal common sense. Splurge? Forget about it,
cousin.
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)
There are those who truly need your help and
those who are sponges. Squeeze ’em to find out. Clos
eted Twins are kaput and good thing too; Liberation
is liberating! Imagine a dreamboat this summer with
those bullish planets. Haul it into port, you old salt.
CANCER (June22-July23)
Cash flows a litde too easily early in the year when
the eclipse makes you a sucker for a sob sister. Try
hard to save for a rainy day or a fabulous summer
oomph. Will you lose your heart? Quite possibly.
Summer romance is highlighted and so are hot pink
Crabs.
LEO (July24-Aug.23)
Partnership issues come to the fore with the
eclipse. Summer romance is found on the job as
single cubs are swept off their paws. Professional
propulsion is assured in May, but set firm founda
tions beforehand to help you sail through the rest of
the year. Gay Leos are on top of the heap. But which
heap?
VIRGO (Aug. 24 - Sept. 23)
Queer Virgos amass a small fortune if they ad
here to a strict investment plan. Common sense con
flicts with intuition during the eclipse so look be
fore you leap in love. There’s nothing for nothing
during the summer Taurus pile-up; Only hard work
pays off.
LIBRA (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23)
Creative pursuits reap big rewards, intrinsically
and monetarily. Where will your gay muse lead you
during the eclipse? You try to adhere to your bottom
line, but planets tempt you to reach into other
people’s pockets. This summer is a hotbed of sexual
activity, but don’t restrict yourself to just the bed.
SCORPIO (Oct.24-Nov.22)
Gay Scorps have their share of emotional ten
sion throughout 2000. The eclipse unleashes unre
solved home and family issues. Do what you have to
do. All is forgiven by the summer, you charmer you.
Planning on a move? Wait until after the eclipse.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 - Dec. 22)
Blurting out your intentions won’t have the in
tended effect during the eclipse. Avoid nasty com
ments as events percolate; a slip of the tongue slips
you up and mouthy gay Archers are hoisted on their
own petards. Meet your match this summer at the
gym. You lucky thing!
CAPRICORN (Dec. 23 - Jan. 20)
What you value in life is due for a reassessment
during the eclipse. It’s a new millennium so look at
life from a new angle; A new rainbow-you attracts
multitudes. Fun has its profitable side this summer
so party hearty, you party animal, you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)
Gay2K is a time of action and implementation.
The eclipse either resolves festering issues or creates
new ones. Aqueerians transform themselves with a
new look. Good thing; Sexy new lovers beat a path
to your door this summer. Is your welcome mat
clean?
PISCES (Feb.20-March20)
Protect your heart during the eclipse. Rainbow
Fish are swept off their feet by someone who disap
points. Save your soft kisses for the summer when
planets stroll through sensual Taurus. Ask and you
shall receive. No names, please! ▼
For best results, read both your sign and your
ascendant. For a free calculation of your ascendanti
email your birthdate, time and place to
Lichtenstein@AccessNewAge.com. Check out my
website www.AccessNewAge.com/Stargayzer.
Q-Notes ▼ January 8, 2000 T PAGE 21
CDC recommends names-based
HIV reporting systems
by Wayne Besen
Special to Q-Notes
WASHINGTON, DC—The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has is
sued new guidelines for tracking HIV that in
cludes a recommendation that states implement
names-based reporting systems. In a nation with
weak medical privacy laws, this is a risky propo
sition that threatens to deter the people who
most need an HIV test from taking one, ac
cording to the Human Rights Campaign
(HRC).
“One-third of people living with HIV are
unaware of their status and desperately need to
get tested to protect their own health and the
health of other people,” said HRC political di
rector Winnie Stachelberg. “Names-based re
porting decreases the likelihood that these in
dividuals will take an HIV test because of le
gitimate privacy concerns. Until these fears can
be alleviated, we are concerned that names-
based testing will hinder the effective and ac
curate tracking of HIV in America.”
The CDC’s names-based reporting recom
mendation is part of its “Guidelines for Na
tional HIV Surveillance” which are designed
to assist state and local health departments in
the design and implementation of effective sys
tems to track the course of the HIV epidemic.
The new guidelines do not require states to
implement names-based reporting — but
strongly encourage it.
The CDC has indicated that it will continue
to provide funding and technical assistance to
those states that choose to implement unique
identifier systems. In addition, the CDC has
included language supportive of anonymous
testing sites, which allow people to be tested
without reporting any identifying (name or
code) information, unlike “confidential” test
ing sites which require the person’s name.
“While we oppose names-based reporting,
we strongly support the CDC’s commitment
to testing and surveillance which are integral
components to effectively slowing the spread
of this disease,” said Stachelberg.
Thirty-eight states and Puerto Rico have
implemented HIV surveillance systems. Thirty-
four of them use names-based reporting, and
four (Illinois, Maine, Maryland and Massachu
setts) and Puerto Rico have chosen to imple
ment reporting systems that utilize unique iden
tifier systems. Several large states such as Cali
fornia, New York and Pennsylvania have not
yet fully implemented their HIV reporting sys
tems.
The CDC estimates that 435,000 people in
the United States become infected with HIV
each year. While absolute figures are difficult
to gauge, the rate of HIV infections among
young gay men, particularly African-American
gay men, are rising. In one study, seven percent
of young gay men surveyed tested positive for
HIV and 41 percent reported engaging in high-
risk sexual behavior. The same study found that
young African-American gay men were five
times more likely to contract HIV compared
to other young gay men. In addition, almost
half of all new HIV infections domestically
occur in injection drug-users or their sex part
ners.
For gay African-American men, AIDS
deaths dropped 35 percent in 1997 and 17 per
cent in 1998, while comparable reductions for
whites were 51 percent and 22 percent, respec
tively. Surgeon General David Satcher reported
that AIDS deaths rates for African Americans
remained nearly 10 times higher than for
whites.
There are 33.6 million people worldwide
living with HIV/AIDS and a total of 16.3 mil
lion people have died thus far from the disease.
Statistics released in August by the CDC show
the steep decline in AIDS deaths in the United
States that began three years ago has slowed
precipitously. In 1997, domestic AIDS deaths
declined by 42 percent, while in 1998 they fell
by only 20 percent. T
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