Are You Gay or Straight?

Contents:

• ARE YOU GAY OR STRAIGHT?
• SOME GAYS CAN GO STRAIGHT, STUDY SAYS
• STRAIGHT TO GAYSUBSCRIBESIGN HOMESTRAIGHT TO GAY PODSTARCHIVEABOUT{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"WEBSE","NAME":"STRAIGHT TO GAY","PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"STRAIGHT TO GAY","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":"},"SAMEAS":["]},"URL":","MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","URL":"},"SCRIPTN":"ACTIVIST AND THOR AMY SISKD SHAR STORI AND LSONS OM HER MISADVENTUR AS A GENERATN X LBIAN. ","POTENTIALACTN":{"@TYPE":"SEARCHACTN","NAME":"SEARCH STRAIGHT TO GAY","TARGET":"SEARCH_TERM_STRG}","QUERY-PUT":"REQUIRED NAME=SEARCH_TERM_STRG"}}ABOUT "STRAIGHT TO GAY"WELE TO MY NEWSLETTERDEC 5, 2021 • AMY SISKD35SHARE THIS POSTABOUT "STRAIGHT TO GAY"COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER2NEWTOPCOMMUNYA NOTE ABOUT THIS SUMMER...GIVEN RECENT EVENTS, THIS SEEMS LIKE A GOOD TIME TO PUT ON A TEMPORARY PSE. THE NEWS OF ROE BEG OVERTURNED IS HEARTBREAKG, AND POSSIBLY A…JUN 27, 2022 • AMY SISKD26SHARE THIS POSTA NOTE ABOUT THIS SUMMER...COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER10#26) A FAY OF CHOICETHE FAL STORY THE SERI ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF G OUTJUN 19, 2022 • AMY SISKD8SHARE THIS POST#26) A FAY OF COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER3#25) ORGANIZED RELIGN AND LGBTQ FAIWE NTUE OUR SERI ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF G OUTJUN 12, 2022 • AMY SISKD10SHARE THIS POST#25) ORGANIZED RELIGN AND LGBTQ COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER3#24) CTODY THE WILD WT OF WTCHTERNEXT, A SERI OF STORI ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF G OUTJUN 5, 2022 • AMY SISKD6SHARE THIS POST#24) CTODY THE WILD WT OF COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER6#23) IS GAY MARRIAGE AT RISK?ARE OBERGEFELL AND OTHER LGBTQ LANDMARK S AT RISK IF ROE IS OVERTURNED?MAY 22, 2022 • AMY SISKD12SHARE THIS POST#23) IS GAY MARRIAGE AT RISK?COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER4#22) TO THE WOMEN WHO SHOW UPAN UNEXPECTED SHOULR:  CELEBRATG A WOMAN HALF MY AGE WHO SHOWED UP A TIME OF NEED.MAY 15, 2022 • AMY SISKD22SHARE THIS POST#22) TO THE WOMEN WHO SHOW COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER2#21) SERENDIPY?AT FIRST I WASN’T SURE WAS REALLY HER, HOW ULD THIS POSSIBLY BE? I LGHED AT THE PUTER SCREEN, NO WAY!—I MEAN, WHAT WERE THE CHANC? THEN I…MAY 8, 2022 • AMY SISKD13SHARE THIS POST#21) SERENDIPY?COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER2SEE ALLSTRAIGHT TO GAYACTIVIST AND THOR AMY SISKD SHAR STORI AND LSONS OM HER MISADVENTUR AS A GENERATN X LBIAN. SUBSCRIBESTRAIGHT TO GAYSUBSCRIBEABOUTARCHIVESEMAPSHARE THIS PUBLITNSTRAIGHT TO COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHERSTRAIGHT TO GAY
• THE FACT NO ONE LIK TO ADM: MANY GAY MEN ULD JT HAVE EASILY BEEN STRAIGHT
• IS IT POSSIBLE TO SYSTEMATILLY TURN GAY PEOPLE STRAIGHT?
• HOW TO LEAD A HETEROSEXUAL LIFTYLE IF YOU ARE GAY
• LEGIMACY OF ‘CTOMER’ SUPREME COURT GAY RIGHTS SE RAIS ETHIL AND LEGAL FLAGS
• HIV S ARE RISG AMONG STRAIGHT PEOPLE. ADVOT SAY A NEW STRATEGY IS NEEDADVOT SAY A NEW PUBLIC HEALTH MPAIGN IS NEED TO REACH POPULATN GROUPS WHERE S OF HIV ARE ON THE RISE ATRALIA.JANE COSTELLO SAYS STIGMA IS STILL A HDRANCE TO DRIVG DOWN HIV TRANSMISSN RAT AND ENURAGG MORE PEOPLE TO GET SCREENED REGULARLY. SOURCE: SUPPLIED / JANE COSTELLOKEY POTSADVOT SAY DIFFERENT STRATEGI ARE NEED TO REACH EMERGG AT-RISK GROUPS.HIV RAT ARE GROWG FASTT AMONG HETEROSEXUAL MEN AND WOMEN. THOSE WHO ARE SEXUALLY ACTIVE ARE ADVISED TO SEEK A FULL SEXUAL HEALTH SCREEN AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.WHEN JANE COSTELLO FOUND OUT SHE HAD HIV, SHE WAS SURPRISED. AS A HETEROSEXUAL WOMAN A MONOGAMO RELATNSHIP, SHE DIDN'T THK SHE WAS AT RISK. "IF YOU HAD ASKED ME IF I WAS AT RISK OF HIV BACK THEN I WOULD HAVE SAID NO. AND I THK THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE STILL THK TODAY," SHE TOLD SBS NEWS.IT WAS THE EARLY 1990S AND THE FOC AT THAT TIME FOR HIV OUTREACH WAS GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN. HER PARTNER, WHO LATER BEME HER HBAND, RECEIVED A DIAGNOSIS THAT LED HER TO GET TTED. READ MORETHERE ARE FEARS THE GLOBAL RPONSE AGAST HIV IS 'SEVERE DANGER'. WHY?"IT TOOK A YEAR-AND-A-HALF FOR HIM TO BE DIAGNOSED. NOBODY THOUGHT TO TT HIM BEE AT THAT TIME WAS PREDOMANTLY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN WHO WERE DIAGNOSED WH HIV," SHE SAID.COSTELLO IS THE CEO OF POSIVE LIFE NSW, A GROUP REPRENTG THOSE LIVG WH HIV THE STATE. THE ANISATN WORKS G A PEER MOL WHERE THOSE LIVG WH HIV ARE SUPPORTED BY OTHERS WH LIVED EXPERIENCE. "SO WE'VE GOT A DIVERSE RANGE OF PEOPLE: YOUNG HETEROSEXUAL WOMAN, HETEROSEXUAL MEN, PEOPLE OM CULTURALLY LGUISTILLY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS," SHE SAID.HER EXPERIENCE SHOWS UP THE LATT ANNUAL DATA ON HIV RAT ATRALIA. HIV TRANSMISSN RISG AMONG WIR POPULATNCOLLECTED BY THE KIRBY INSTUTE AT UNSW, THE 2022 NUMBERS SHOW HIV SE NUMBERS ARE GROWG THE FASTT AMONG HETEROSEXUAL WOMEN AND MEN (30 PER CENT OF S), FIRST NATNS ATRALIANS, AND THOSE BORN OVERSEAS. GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN STILL ACUNT FOR THE MAJORY OF THE 555 NEW DIAGNOS OF HIV 2022, BUT OVER A 10-YEAR PERD THE SE NUMBERS HAVE CLED BY 50 PER CENT. READ MOREMORE THAN 70 PER CENT OF MIGRANT WOMEN ATRALIA SAY THEY N'T AFFORD TO SEE A DOCTORDR SKYE MCGREGOR OM THE KIRBY INSTUTE SAID THE DATA REVEALED THE NEED FOR PREVENTN STRATEGI TARGETED AT ALL POPULATNS. "THE DATA SUGGT THAT, TO ELIMATE HIV, THERE NEEDS TO BE CREASG FOC ON PREVENTN STRATEGI THAT ENPASS ALL POPULATNS, CLUDG HETEROSEXUAL MEN AND WOMEN, PARTICULARLY AS WE ALL BEG TO TRAVEL MORE FOLLOWG THE RELAXG OF COVID-19 NTROL MEASUR," SHE TOLD SBS NEWS."THIS CLUS SAFE SEX TRAVEL MPAIGNS AND REGULAR SEXUAL HEALTH CHECKS UPS WHICH CLU HIV TTG."ATRALIA MOVG CLOSER TO 2030 TARGETDARRYL O'DONNELL, THE CEO OF ADVOCY GROUP HEALTH EQUY MATTERS, SAID ATRALIA'S SUCCS RCG OVERALL TRANSMISSN RAT THE LAST IS PRAISEWORTHY. "BY GLOBAL STANDARDS, AND ALSO WH ATRALIA'S HISTORY, THE ARE THE LOWT (ANNUAL) NUMBERS WE'VE SEEN TO DATE," HE SAID. HE SAID MONORG WHERE TRANSMISSN IS GROWG WILL BE KEY TO ACHIEVG THE 2030 GOAL SET BY UNAIDS TO ACHIEVE A 90 PER CENT RCTN HIV FECTNS AND AIDS-RELATED ATHS PARED TO THE 2010 BASELE. "SO WE ARE VERY EXCED AND PLEASED TO BE TRACKG TOWARDS VERY LOW RAT OF HIV TRANSMISSN. BUT THIS IS AN FECT DISEASE, SO YOU N'T STOP WORKG TOWARDS ELIMATN UNTIL 'S OVER. IF WE STOP OUR WORK, THE EPIMIC WILL TAKE OFF AGA."INCREASED ACCS TO HIV TREATMENT KEY TO RCED TRANSMISSNHE SAYS CREASED ACCS TO THE PRCRIPTN ANTIRETROVIRAL TABLET MEDITN PREP (PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS) HAS BEEN KEY TO THE SUCCS ACHIEVED DRIVG DOWN S OVER THE LAST .THE TREATMENT IS SUBSIDISED BY THE ERNMENT THROUGH THE PHARMACTIL BENEFS SCHEME. ADVOT HAVE ALSO BEEN SUCCSFUL HELPG TO BRG ABOUT A ERNMENT-FUND SCHEME ACROSS ATRALIAN STAT AND TERRORI, WHICH ALLOWS THOSE WHOUT MEDIRE TO ACCS HIV TREATMENT EE OF CHARGE OR AT LOW ST THROUGH ERNMENT-FUND HOSPAL PHARMACI.THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MA BY THE FERAL ERNMENT ON 1 DECEMBER 2021, WH ATRALIAN STAT AND TERRORI PLETG THE ROLLOUT OF THE SCHEME THIS YEAR.COSTELLO, WELED THE CREASED ACCS, SAYG IS CRIL TO ACHIEVG THE 2030 GOAL TO "END THE AIDS EPIMIC". "IT WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE BEE WE KNOW THAT IF PEOPLE ARE ON MEDITN THEY N MATA AN UNTECTABLE VIRAL LOAD AND THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT [WHEN TO ENDG HIV TRANSMISSN]."STIGMA STILL A BARRIERCOSTELLO SAYS HER OWN LIVED EXPERIENCE WH HIV AND THE STORI OF OTHERS THE POSIVE LIFE WORK UNRLE THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDG TST AND RAPPORT WH TARGET POPULATNS. SHE SAID ANY SUCCSFUL PUBLIC HEALTH MPAIGN WOULD NEED TO E IMAGERY AND LANGUAGE THAT REACHED THE TARGET DIENCE. "I SEE A LOT OF YOUNG WOMEN HERE AND THEY SAY THAT EVEN WHEN THEY GO TO SEXUAL HEALTH CLICS, ALL OF THE RMATN ON THE WALLS AND PAMPHLETS DON'T SPEAK TO THEM."COSTELLO REMEMBERS BEG GIVEN THE PROGNOSIS THE 1990S THAT SHE WOULD ONLY LIVE FOR THREE YEARS. WH THE VELOPMENT OF HIV TREATMENTS, SHE HAS NOW BEEN LIVG WH THE DISEASE FOR 29 YEARS.READ MORETHE US HAS BEE THE LATT NATN TO REMOVE S 'GAY BLOOD BAN'. WILL ATRALIA FOLLOW?SHE SAID STIGMA STILL EXISTED AND THAT ULD IMPACT THE EQUENCY WH WHICH PEOPLE SOUGHT SEXUAL HEALTH SCREENGS, AS WELL AS HOW QUICKLY THEY GOT ONTO THE MEDITN. "SOMETHG THAT WE OFTEN HEAR OM PEOPLE WHO ARE NEWLY DIAGNOSED: I DIDN'T THK I WAS AT RISK," COSTELLO SAID."GETTG A HEALTH SCREENG IS ABOUT KNOWG WHAT YOUR HEALTH SUATN IS. THAT EMPOWERS YOU TO MAKE REALLY GOOD CISNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH OUT AND YOUR HEALTH GOG FORWARD."SHE SAID THOSE WHO ARE SEXUALLY ACTIVE SHOULD BE HAVG A FULL SEXUAL HEALTH SCREEN AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR. IT'S REMEND EVERY THREE MONTHS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN. WHAT WOULD A SUCCSFUL AWARENS MPAIGN LOOK LIKE?THE ANISATN IS ABOUT TO LNCH A NEW HEALTH MPAIGN FEATURG THE SLOGAN 'N'T PASS ON', WHICH IS SPIRED BY SUCCSFUL MPAIGNS UNTRI LIKE THE UK AND CANADA. "WE WORK WH PREVENTN MSAGG. WE CERTALY WORK AROUND TTG AND TREATMENT AS WELL," COSTELLO SAID."BUT YOU'VE ALSO GOT TO FACTOR STIGMA AND DISCRIMATN. I DON'T THK WE'VE ACHIEVED A GREAT AL HOW HIV IS SEEN THE WIR POPULATN; AND THE STIGMA THAT STILL EXISTS AROUND GETTG A NEW HIV DIAGNOSIS."SHE SAID THE 1987 GRIM REAPER AD THAT WAS BROADST ON ATRALIAN TELEVISN ED FEAR AS A TACTIC, WHICH END UP FURTHER STIGMATISG THOSE LIVG WH HIV. COSTELLO SAID EFFECTIVE MSAGG TODAY WOULD NEED TO E MORE EMPOWERG LANGUAGE."IF WE'RE TALKG ABOUT A BROAR NVERSATN, WE NEED TO REALLY TALK ABOUT NORMALISG, FOR WANT OF A BETTER EXPRSN, HIV. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SEXUAL HEALTH AS SIMPLY ANOTHER WAY OF LOOKG AFTER YOURSELF AND YOUR OWN HEALTH," SHE SAID."PEOPLE NEED TO BE REALLY PROACTIVE ABOUT SEXUAL HEALTH, BUT ALSO ABOUT THEIR HEALTH MORE BROADLY. IF WE N SOMEHOW RPORATE SEXUAL HEALTH TO AN OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLBEG APPROACH, I THK THAT WOULD HAVE BETTER OUT."ABORIGAL AND TORR STRA ISLANRS ANOTHER AT-RISK GROUPHIV DIAGNOS AMONG ABORIGAL AND TORR STRA ISLANR PEOPL HAVE CREASED OVER THE PAST YEAR, WH 25 DIAGNOS 2022.BUNDJALUNG MAN ROBERT MONAGHAN IS THE MANAGER OF ABORIGAL AND TORR STRA ISLANR HEALTH REARCH AT THE KIRBY INSTUTE. HE SAID EVEN THOUGH THE TOTAL NUMBER WAS LOW, WAS IMPORTANT TO ENSURE DIDN'T NTUE TO RISE. "WE NEED TO GET AHEAD OF THIS. IT ULD BE VERY TASTROPHIC IF THIS GETS OUT [SPREADS]," HE TOLD SBS NEWS."EVEN THOUGH THE NUMBERS ARE LOW, ULD BE VERY DIRE THE ABORIGAL MUNY. ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE NATURE OF ABORIGAL PEOPLE, LIVG VERY CLOSE TO PROXIMY TO ONE ANOTHER REMOTE MUNI; THE TTG FACILI AREN'T THE SAME AS THE METROPOLAN AREAS." ROBERT MONAGHAN SAYS ACTN NEEDS TO BE TAKEN TO ENSURE HIV TRANSMISSN DON'T RISE ABORIGAL AND TORR STRA ISLANR MUNI. SOURCE: SUPPLIED / KIRBY INSTUTEMONAGHAN SAID EFFORTS NEED TO FOC ON REACHG ABORIGAL AND TORR STRA ISLANRS THE 16-29 AGE GROUP."THEY TEND TO BE LS NCERNED ABOUT THEIR HEALTH. WE NEED TO GET TO THEM EARLY," HE SAID.MONAGHAN SAID ANY PUBLIC HEALTH MSAGG WOULD NEED TO RCE STIGMA, NOT ADD TO . HE ALSO DISMISSED THE FEAR TACTICS ED THE 1987 GRIM REAPER AD. "I THK 2023 WE'VE MOVED ON A LOT OM THE GRIM REAPER APPROACH [AND] SRG THE LIVG DAYLIGHTS OUT OF PEOPLE. WE'RE MORE ACCEPTG OF PEOPLE LIVG WH HIV. WE'RE MORE ACCEPTG OF GENR DIVERSY. SERVIC WANT TO ENGAGE. BUT IS HOW TO ENGAGE — THAT IS THE CHALLENGE."ADDNAL REPORTG BY LUCY MURRAYSHARE8 M READPUBLISHED 21 JULY 2023 6:19AMBY BIWA KWANSOURCE: SBS NEWSTAGSHEALTHATRALIASHARE THIS WH FAY AND IENDSCOPY LKSHARETOPICS

ARE YOU GAY OR STRAIGHT?

For starters, the ia fli the face of false narrativ that have been promulgated by gay activists sce the 1950s, which claim that sexual orientatn is geilly fixed and therefore unchangeable.

However, once they fd a safe, sensive male, (and once they have worked through their aversn to or fear of men), is much easier for them to rega their former heterosexual clatns - ergo, the unsurprisg movement om straight-to-gay-to-straight that was seen the Anne Heche/Ellen Degener saga. So until they fd themselv a siar suatn, they don’t see how n be possible for a straight person to have a sexual experience wh a person of the same sex and not be gay or at least bisexual.

Crics, though, say the study's subjects may be ludg themselv and that the subject group was scientifilly valid bee many of them were referred by anti-gay relig Robert Spzer, a psychiatry profsor at Columbia Universy, said he began his study as a skeptic — believg, as major mental health anizatns do, that sexual orientatn nnot be changed, and attempts to do so n even e Spzer's study, which has not yet been published or reviewed, seems to dite otherwise. Spzer says he spoke to 143 men and 57 women who say they changed their orientatn om gay to straight, and nclud that 66 percent of the men and 44 percent of women reached what he lled good heterosexual functng — a staed, lovg heterosexual relatnship wh the past year and gettg enough emotnal satisfactn to rate at least a seven on a 10-pot said those who changed their orientatn had satisfyg heterosexual sex at least monthly and never or rarely thought of someone of the same sex durg also found that 89 percent of men and 95 percent of women were bothered not at all or only slightly by unwanted homosexual feelgs.

SOME GAYS CAN GO STRAIGHT, STUDY SAYS

Spzer argu that highly motivated gays n fact change that preference — wh a lot of Study, Old DebateBut crics have challenged the study, even before was formally unveiled at today's ssn of the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn's annual meetg New Orleans, which was jammed wh televisn meras reportg on the prentatn. Ariel Shidlo and Michael Shroer, two psychologists private practice New York Cy, found that of 215 homosexual subjects who received therapy to change their sexual orientatn, the majory failed to do so.

"In fact, he said, many of his subjects had been sponnt and even suicidal themselv, for the oppose reason — "precisely bee they had prevly thought there was no hope for them, and they had been told by many mental health profsnals that there was no hope for them, they had to jt learn to live wh their homosexual feelgs. "He said some velop such tremendo strs that they bee chronilly prsed, socially whdrawn or even Spzer says his study shows that some homosexuals makg some effort, ually for a few years, make the change.

"The sample is terrible, totally tated, totally unreprentative of the gay and lbian muny, " said David Ellt, a spokman for the Natnal Gay and Lbian Task Force Spzer says while the people his sample were unual — more relig than the general populatn — don't mean their experienc n be dismissed. "Conservative, anti-gay, anti-diversy folks are gog to embrace and they're gonna e for their own agenda to ph their pot of view that, y, you don't need equaly Amerin society for gay people bee they n change, " he said.

STRAIGHT TO GAYSUBSCRIBESIGN HOMESTRAIGHT TO GAY PODSTARCHIVEABOUT{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"WEBSE","NAME":"STRAIGHT TO GAY","PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"STRAIGHT TO GAY","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":"},"SAMEAS":["]},"URL":","MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","URL":"},"SCRIPTN":"ACTIVIST AND THOR AMY SISKD SHAR STORI AND LSONS OM HER MISADVENTUR AS A GENERATN X LBIAN. ","POTENTIALACTN":{"@TYPE":"SEARCHACTN","NAME":"SEARCH STRAIGHT TO GAY","TARGET":"SEARCH_TERM_STRG}","QUERY-PUT":"REQUIRED NAME=SEARCH_TERM_STRG"}}ABOUT "STRAIGHT TO GAY"WELE TO MY NEWSLETTERDEC 5, 2021 • AMY SISKD35SHARE THIS POSTABOUT "STRAIGHT TO GAY"COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER2NEWTOPCOMMUNYA NOTE ABOUT THIS SUMMER...GIVEN RECENT EVENTS, THIS SEEMS LIKE A GOOD TIME TO PUT ON A TEMPORARY PSE. THE NEWS OF ROE BEG OVERTURNED IS HEARTBREAKG, AND POSSIBLY A…JUN 27, 2022 • AMY SISKD26SHARE THIS POSTA NOTE ABOUT THIS SUMMER...COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER10#26) A FAY OF CHOICETHE FAL STORY THE SERI ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF G OUTJUN 19, 2022 • AMY SISKD8SHARE THIS POST#26) A FAY OF COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER3#25) ORGANIZED RELIGN AND LGBTQ FAIWE NTUE OUR SERI ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF G OUTJUN 12, 2022 • AMY SISKD10SHARE THIS POST#25) ORGANIZED RELIGN AND LGBTQ COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER3#24) CTODY THE WILD WT OF WTCHTERNEXT, A SERI OF STORI ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF G OUTJUN 5, 2022 • AMY SISKD6SHARE THIS POST#24) CTODY THE WILD WT OF COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER6#23) IS GAY MARRIAGE AT RISK?ARE OBERGEFELL AND OTHER LGBTQ LANDMARK S AT RISK IF ROE IS OVERTURNED?MAY 22, 2022 • AMY SISKD12SHARE THIS POST#23) IS GAY MARRIAGE AT RISK?COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER4#22) TO THE WOMEN WHO SHOW UPAN UNEXPECTED SHOULR:  CELEBRATG A WOMAN HALF MY AGE WHO SHOWED UP A TIME OF NEED.MAY 15, 2022 • AMY SISKD22SHARE THIS POST#22) TO THE WOMEN WHO SHOW COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER2#21) SERENDIPY?AT FIRST I WASN’T SURE WAS REALLY HER, HOW ULD THIS POSSIBLY BE? I LGHED AT THE PUTER SCREEN, NO WAY!—I MEAN, WHAT WERE THE CHANC? THEN I…MAY 8, 2022 • AMY SISKD13SHARE THIS POST#21) SERENDIPY?COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHER2SEE ALLSTRAIGHT TO GAYACTIVIST AND THOR AMY SISKD SHAR STORI AND LSONS OM HER MISADVENTUR AS A GENERATN X LBIAN. SUBSCRIBESTRAIGHT TO GAYSUBSCRIBEABOUTARCHIVESEMAPSHARE THIS PUBLITNSTRAIGHT TO COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHERSTRAIGHT TO GAY

"But Spzer — who scribed himself as a "Jewish, atheist, secular humanist" wh no axe to grd — says maybe there are gays who are happy beg gay and ex-gays who are happy beg straight, and that both sis serve more rpect.

Brandon Ambroso argu that simplistic explanatns have ignored the fluid, shape-shiftg nature of our sir.“You n’t be gay.”She was on top of me.It wasn’t a mand —  was a challenge. You so obvly nnot be gay, was her implitn, bee this is good sex.It was 2006, a full five years before Lady Gaga would set the Born This Way argument atop s unassailable cultural perch, but even then the popular unrstandg of orientatn was that was somethg you were born wh, somethg you uldn’t change.

THE FACT NO ONE LIK TO ADM: MANY GAY MEN ULD JT HAVE EASILY BEEN STRAIGHT

But what feels most accurate to say is that I’m gay – but I wasn’t born this way.Many people may fd their sir changg directn - and n't jt be explaed as experimentatn (Cred: Ignac Lehmann)In 1977, jt over 10% of Amerins thought gayns was somethg you were born wh, acrdg to Gallup. Throughout the same perd, the number of Amerins who believe homosexualy is “due to someone’s upbrgg/environment” fell om jt unr 60% to 37%.The ias reached cril mass pop culture, first wh Lady Gaga’s 2011 Born This Way and one year later wh Macklemore’s Same Love, the chos of which has a gay person sgg “I n’t change even if I tried, even if I wanted to.” Vios started circulatg on the ter featurg gay people askg straight people “when they chose to be straight.” Around the same time, the Human Rights Campaign clared unequivolly that “Beg gay is not a choice,” and to claim that is “giv unwarranted crence to roundly disproven practic such as nversn or reparative therapy.”People who challenge the Born This Way narrative are often st as homophobic, and their thkg is nsired backwardAs Jane Ward not Not Gay: Sex Between Straight Whe Men, what’s tertg about many of the claims is how transparent their speakers are wh their polil motivatns. “Such statements,” she wr, “fe blogil acunts wh an obligatory and nearly ercive force, suggtg that anyone who scrib homosexual sire as a choice or social nstctn is playg to the hands of the enemy.” People who challenge the Born This Way narrative are often st as homophobic, and their thkg is nsired backward – even if they are themselv gay.Take, for example, Cynthia Nixon of Sex and The Cy fame.

Callg me “idtic” and “patently absurd”, Aravosis wrote, “The gay haters at the relig right uldn’t have wrten any better.”Gay rights do not have to hge on a geic explanatn for sexualy (Cred: Ignac Lehmann)For Aravosis, and many gay activists like him, the public will only accept and affirm gay people if they thk they were born gay.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO SYSTEMATILLY TURN GAY PEOPLE STRAIGHT?

Patrick Grzanka, Assistant Profsor of Psychology at Universy of Tennsee, for stance, has shown that some people who believe that homosexualy is nate still hold negative views of gays. In fact, the homophobic and non-homophobic rponnts he studied shared siar levels of belief a Born This Way iology.As Samantha Allen not at The Daily Beast, the growg public support for gays and lbians has grown out of proportn wh the rise the number of people who believe homosexualy is fixed at birth; would be unlikely that this small change opn uld expla the spike support for gay marriage, for stance.

“It don’t seem to matter as much whether or not people believe that gay people are born that way as do that they simply know someone who is currently gay,” Allen nclus.In spe of the studi, those who ph agast Born This Way narrativ have been heavily cricised by gay activists.

Siarly, Ward has received her own hatemail for phg agast the lg LGB narrativ, wh some gays tellg her she’s “worse than Ann Coulter,” the ntroversial US thor of books like If Democrats Had Any Bras, They’d Be Republins.

HOW TO LEAD A HETEROSEXUAL LIFTYLE IF YOU ARE GAY

And when I published my say on choosg to be gay, an irate Amerin lbian activist wrote me that had “jt been nfirmed” to her that my wrg was “directly rponsible for four gay aths Rsia.”While I n unrstand why some ntemporary activists (and the journalists who seem beholn to their agendas) might chalk up recent gas LGB acceptance to Born This Way’s cultural filtratn, activism mt be found upon facts and tths, or the whole program will eventually turn out to be a sham. Drowng out every voice that dar to qutn domant cultural narrativ is not the same thg as validatg the arguments those voic are makg.As Ward says, “Jt bee an argument is polilly expedient don’t make te.”It is only recent history that we have started to label sexual orientatns wh rigid tegori (Cred: Ignac Lehmann)So what do the science say about Born This Way?There is a unanimo opn that gay “nversn therapy” should be rejectedLet’s first be clear that whatever the origs of our sexual orientatn, there is a unanimo opn that gay “nversn therapy” should be rejected. The efforts are potentially harmful, acrdg to the APA, “bee they prent the view that the sexual orientatn of lbian, gay and bisexual youth is a mental illns of disorr, and they often ame the abily to change one’s sexual orientatn as a personal and moral failure.” Ltle wonr the therapi have been shown to provoke anxiety, prsn and even suici.In other words, the qutn of the efficy of nversn therapi is a non-issue.

The APA, for example, while notg that most people experience ltle to no choice over their orientatns, says this of homosexualy’s origs:“Although much rearch has examed the possible geic, hormonal, velopmental, social and cultural fluenc on sexual orientatn, no fdgs have emerged that perm scientists to nclu that sexual orientatn is termed by any particular factor or factors.”Siarly, the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn wr a 2013 statement that while the of heterosexualy and homosexualy are currently unknown, they are likely “multifactorial cludg blogil and behavral roots which may vary between different dividuals and may even vary over time.”Te, var eye-grabbg headl over the years have claimed that some scientists have found somethg like The Gay Gene. In 1991, for example, nroscientist Simon LaVey published fdgs that he claimed suggt that “sexual orientatn has a blogil substrate.” Acrdg to LeVay’s rearch, a specific part of the bra, the third terstial nucls of the anterr hypothalam (INAH-3), is smaller homosexual men than is heterosexual men.Try as they might, scientists have stggled to inty any particular gen that nsistently predict the directns of our love and sire (Cred: Ignac Lehmann)Read moreYou n spot the problem wh this study a e away: were the gay bras LeVay studied born that way, or did they bee that way? LeVay himself poted this out to Disver Magaze 1994: “Sce I looked at adult bras, we don't know if the differenc I found were there at birth or if they appeared later.” Further, the bras LeVay studied belonged to AIDS victims, so he uldn’t even be sure if what he was seeg had somethg to do wh the disease.Another landmark paper on the origs of homosexualy was published 1993 by a geicist named Dean Hamer, who was terted to learn whether homosexualy uld be hered.

LEGIMACY OF ‘CTOMER’ SUPREME COURT GAY RIGHTS SE RAIS ETHIL AND LEGAL FLAGS

He believ there’s about “99.5% certaty that there is a gene (or gen) this area of the X chromosome that predispos a male to bee a heterosexual.”A 2015 study sought to nfirm Hamer’s fdgs, this time wh a much larger sample: 409 pairs of gay brothers. “It’s not.”And as Allen pots out, there have also been studi that found no “X-lked gene unrlyg male homosexualy.” Perhaps predictably, the studi haven’t received as much media verage.Bis the dividual criqu leveled agast each new study announcg some gay gene disvery, there are major methodologil cricisms to make about the entire enterprise general, as Grzanka pots out: “If we look at the raveno pursu, particularly among Amerin scientists, to fd a gay gene, what we see is that the ncln has already been arrived at.

HIV S ARE RISG AMONG STRAIGHT PEOPLE. ADVOT SAY A NEW STRATEGY IS NEEDADVOT SAY A NEW PUBLIC HEALTH MPAIGN IS NEED TO REACH POPULATN GROUPS WHERE S OF HIV ARE ON THE RISE ATRALIA.JANE COSTELLO SAYS STIGMA IS STILL A HDRANCE TO DRIVG DOWN HIV TRANSMISSN RAT AND ENURAGG MORE PEOPLE TO GET SCREENED REGULARLY. SOURCE: SUPPLIED / JANE COSTELLOKEY POTSADVOT SAY DIFFERENT STRATEGI ARE NEED TO REACH EMERGG AT-RISK GROUPS.HIV RAT ARE GROWG FASTT AMONG HETEROSEXUAL MEN AND WOMEN. THOSE WHO ARE SEXUALLY ACTIVE ARE ADVISED TO SEEK A FULL SEXUAL HEALTH SCREEN AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.WHEN JANE COSTELLO FOUND OUT SHE HAD HIV, SHE WAS SURPRISED. AS A HETEROSEXUAL WOMAN A MONOGAMO RELATNSHIP, SHE DIDN'T THK SHE WAS AT RISK. "IF YOU HAD ASKED ME IF I WAS AT RISK OF HIV BACK THEN I WOULD HAVE SAID NO. AND I THK THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE STILL THK TODAY," SHE TOLD SBS NEWS.IT WAS THE EARLY 1990S AND THE FOC AT THAT TIME FOR HIV OUTREACH WAS GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN. HER PARTNER, WHO LATER BEME HER HBAND, RECEIVED A DIAGNOSIS THAT LED HER TO GET TTED. READ MORETHERE ARE FEARS THE GLOBAL RPONSE AGAST HIV IS 'SEVERE DANGER'. WHY?"IT TOOK A YEAR-AND-A-HALF FOR HIM TO BE DIAGNOSED. NOBODY THOUGHT TO TT HIM BEE AT THAT TIME WAS PREDOMANTLY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN WHO WERE DIAGNOSED WH HIV," SHE SAID.COSTELLO IS THE CEO OF POSIVE LIFE NSW, A GROUP REPRENTG THOSE LIVG WH HIV THE STATE. THE ANISATN WORKS G A PEER MOL WHERE THOSE LIVG WH HIV ARE SUPPORTED BY OTHERS WH LIVED EXPERIENCE. "SO WE'VE GOT A DIVERSE RANGE OF PEOPLE: YOUNG HETEROSEXUAL WOMAN, HETEROSEXUAL MEN, PEOPLE OM CULTURALLY LGUISTILLY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS," SHE SAID.HER EXPERIENCE SHOWS UP THE LATT ANNUAL DATA ON HIV RAT ATRALIA. HIV TRANSMISSN RISG AMONG WIR POPULATNCOLLECTED BY THE KIRBY INSTUTE AT UNSW, THE 2022 NUMBERS SHOW HIV SE NUMBERS ARE GROWG THE FASTT AMONG HETEROSEXUAL WOMEN AND MEN (30 PER CENT OF S), FIRST NATNS ATRALIANS, AND THOSE BORN OVERSEAS. GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN STILL ACUNT FOR THE MAJORY OF THE 555 NEW DIAGNOS OF HIV 2022, BUT OVER A 10-YEAR PERD THE SE NUMBERS HAVE CLED BY 50 PER CENT. READ MOREMORE THAN 70 PER CENT OF MIGRANT WOMEN ATRALIA SAY THEY N'T AFFORD TO SEE A DOCTORDR SKYE MCGREGOR OM THE KIRBY INSTUTE SAID THE DATA REVEALED THE NEED FOR PREVENTN STRATEGI TARGETED AT ALL POPULATNS. "THE DATA SUGGT THAT, TO ELIMATE HIV, THERE NEEDS TO BE CREASG FOC ON PREVENTN STRATEGI THAT ENPASS ALL POPULATNS, CLUDG HETEROSEXUAL MEN AND WOMEN, PARTICULARLY AS WE ALL BEG TO TRAVEL MORE FOLLOWG THE RELAXG OF COVID-19 NTROL MEASUR," SHE TOLD SBS NEWS."THIS CLUS SAFE SEX TRAVEL MPAIGNS AND REGULAR SEXUAL HEALTH CHECKS UPS WHICH CLU HIV TTG."ATRALIA MOVG CLOSER TO 2030 TARGETDARRYL O'DONNELL, THE CEO OF ADVOCY GROUP HEALTH EQUY MATTERS, SAID ATRALIA'S SUCCS RCG OVERALL TRANSMISSN RAT THE LAST IS PRAISEWORTHY. "BY GLOBAL STANDARDS, AND ALSO WH ATRALIA'S HISTORY, THE ARE THE LOWT (ANNUAL) NUMBERS WE'VE SEEN TO DATE," HE SAID. HE SAID MONORG WHERE TRANSMISSN IS GROWG WILL BE KEY TO ACHIEVG THE 2030 GOAL SET BY UNAIDS TO ACHIEVE A 90 PER CENT RCTN HIV FECTNS AND AIDS-RELATED ATHS PARED TO THE 2010 BASELE. "SO WE ARE VERY EXCED AND PLEASED TO BE TRACKG TOWARDS VERY LOW RAT OF HIV TRANSMISSN. BUT THIS IS AN FECT DISEASE, SO YOU N'T STOP WORKG TOWARDS ELIMATN UNTIL 'S OVER. IF WE STOP OUR WORK, THE EPIMIC WILL TAKE OFF AGA."INCREASED ACCS TO HIV TREATMENT KEY TO RCED TRANSMISSNHE SAYS CREASED ACCS TO THE PRCRIPTN ANTIRETROVIRAL TABLET MEDITN PREP (PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS) HAS BEEN KEY TO THE SUCCS ACHIEVED DRIVG DOWN S OVER THE LAST .THE TREATMENT IS SUBSIDISED BY THE ERNMENT THROUGH THE PHARMACTIL BENEFS SCHEME. ADVOT HAVE ALSO BEEN SUCCSFUL HELPG TO BRG ABOUT A ERNMENT-FUND SCHEME ACROSS ATRALIAN STAT AND TERRORI, WHICH ALLOWS THOSE WHOUT MEDIRE TO ACCS HIV TREATMENT EE OF CHARGE OR AT LOW ST THROUGH ERNMENT-FUND HOSPAL PHARMACI.THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MA BY THE FERAL ERNMENT ON 1 DECEMBER 2021, WH ATRALIAN STAT AND TERRORI PLETG THE ROLLOUT OF THE SCHEME THIS YEAR.COSTELLO, WELED THE CREASED ACCS, SAYG IS CRIL TO ACHIEVG THE 2030 GOAL TO "END THE AIDS EPIMIC". "IT WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE BEE WE KNOW THAT IF PEOPLE ARE ON MEDITN THEY N MATA AN UNTECTABLE VIRAL LOAD AND THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT [WHEN TO ENDG HIV TRANSMISSN]."STIGMA STILL A BARRIERCOSTELLO SAYS HER OWN LIVED EXPERIENCE WH HIV AND THE STORI OF OTHERS THE POSIVE LIFE WORK UNRLE THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDG TST AND RAPPORT WH TARGET POPULATNS. SHE SAID ANY SUCCSFUL PUBLIC HEALTH MPAIGN WOULD NEED TO E IMAGERY AND LANGUAGE THAT REACHED THE TARGET DIENCE. "I SEE A LOT OF YOUNG WOMEN HERE AND THEY SAY THAT EVEN WHEN THEY GO TO SEXUAL HEALTH CLICS, ALL OF THE RMATN ON THE WALLS AND PAMPHLETS DON'T SPEAK TO THEM."COSTELLO REMEMBERS BEG GIVEN THE PROGNOSIS THE 1990S THAT SHE WOULD ONLY LIVE FOR THREE YEARS. WH THE VELOPMENT OF HIV TREATMENTS, SHE HAS NOW BEEN LIVG WH THE DISEASE FOR 29 YEARS.READ MORETHE US HAS BEE THE LATT NATN TO REMOVE S 'GAY BLOOD BAN'. WILL ATRALIA FOLLOW?SHE SAID STIGMA STILL EXISTED AND THAT ULD IMPACT THE EQUENCY WH WHICH PEOPLE SOUGHT SEXUAL HEALTH SCREENGS, AS WELL AS HOW QUICKLY THEY GOT ONTO THE MEDITN. "SOMETHG THAT WE OFTEN HEAR OM PEOPLE WHO ARE NEWLY DIAGNOSED: I DIDN'T THK I WAS AT RISK," COSTELLO SAID."GETTG A HEALTH SCREENG IS ABOUT KNOWG WHAT YOUR HEALTH SUATN IS. THAT EMPOWERS YOU TO MAKE REALLY GOOD CISNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH OUT AND YOUR HEALTH GOG FORWARD."SHE SAID THOSE WHO ARE SEXUALLY ACTIVE SHOULD BE HAVG A FULL SEXUAL HEALTH SCREEN AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR. IT'S REMEND EVERY THREE MONTHS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN. WHAT WOULD A SUCCSFUL AWARENS MPAIGN LOOK LIKE?THE ANISATN IS ABOUT TO LNCH A NEW HEALTH MPAIGN FEATURG THE SLOGAN 'N'T PASS ON', WHICH IS SPIRED BY SUCCSFUL MPAIGNS UNTRI LIKE THE UK AND CANADA. "WE WORK WH PREVENTN MSAGG. WE CERTALY WORK AROUND TTG AND TREATMENT AS WELL," COSTELLO SAID."BUT YOU'VE ALSO GOT TO FACTOR STIGMA AND DISCRIMATN. I DON'T THK WE'VE ACHIEVED A GREAT AL HOW HIV IS SEEN THE WIR POPULATN; AND THE STIGMA THAT STILL EXISTS AROUND GETTG A NEW HIV DIAGNOSIS."SHE SAID THE 1987 GRIM REAPER AD THAT WAS BROADST ON ATRALIAN TELEVISN ED FEAR AS A TACTIC, WHICH END UP FURTHER STIGMATISG THOSE LIVG WH HIV. COSTELLO SAID EFFECTIVE MSAGG TODAY WOULD NEED TO E MORE EMPOWERG LANGUAGE."IF WE'RE TALKG ABOUT A BROAR NVERSATN, WE NEED TO REALLY TALK ABOUT NORMALISG, FOR WANT OF A BETTER EXPRSN, HIV. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SEXUAL HEALTH AS SIMPLY ANOTHER WAY OF LOOKG AFTER YOURSELF AND YOUR OWN HEALTH," SHE SAID."PEOPLE NEED TO BE REALLY PROACTIVE ABOUT SEXUAL HEALTH, BUT ALSO ABOUT THEIR HEALTH MORE BROADLY. IF WE N SOMEHOW RPORATE SEXUAL HEALTH TO AN OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLBEG APPROACH, I THK THAT WOULD HAVE BETTER OUT."ABORIGAL AND TORR STRA ISLANRS ANOTHER AT-RISK GROUPHIV DIAGNOS AMONG ABORIGAL AND TORR STRA ISLANR PEOPL HAVE CREASED OVER THE PAST YEAR, WH 25 DIAGNOS 2022.BUNDJALUNG MAN ROBERT MONAGHAN IS THE MANAGER OF ABORIGAL AND TORR STRA ISLANR HEALTH REARCH AT THE KIRBY INSTUTE. HE SAID EVEN THOUGH THE TOTAL NUMBER WAS LOW, WAS IMPORTANT TO ENSURE DIDN'T NTUE TO RISE. "WE NEED TO GET AHEAD OF THIS. IT ULD BE VERY TASTROPHIC IF THIS GETS OUT [SPREADS]," HE TOLD SBS NEWS."EVEN THOUGH THE NUMBERS ARE LOW, ULD BE VERY DIRE THE ABORIGAL MUNY. ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE NATURE OF ABORIGAL PEOPLE, LIVG VERY CLOSE TO PROXIMY TO ONE ANOTHER REMOTE MUNI; THE TTG FACILI AREN'T THE SAME AS THE METROPOLAN AREAS." ROBERT MONAGHAN SAYS ACTN NEEDS TO BE TAKEN TO ENSURE HIV TRANSMISSN DON'T RISE ABORIGAL AND TORR STRA ISLANR MUNI. SOURCE: SUPPLIED / KIRBY INSTUTEMONAGHAN SAID EFFORTS NEED TO FOC ON REACHG ABORIGAL AND TORR STRA ISLANRS THE 16-29 AGE GROUP."THEY TEND TO BE LS NCERNED ABOUT THEIR HEALTH. WE NEED TO GET TO THEM EARLY," HE SAID.MONAGHAN SAID ANY PUBLIC HEALTH MSAGG WOULD NEED TO RCE STIGMA, NOT ADD TO . HE ALSO DISMISSED THE FEAR TACTICS ED THE 1987 GRIM REAPER AD. "I THK 2023 WE'VE MOVED ON A LOT OM THE GRIM REAPER APPROACH [AND] SRG THE LIVG DAYLIGHTS OUT OF PEOPLE. WE'RE MORE ACCEPTG OF PEOPLE LIVG WH HIV. WE'RE MORE ACCEPTG OF GENR DIVERSY. SERVIC WANT TO ENGAGE. BUT IS HOW TO ENGAGE — THAT IS THE CHALLENGE."ADDNAL REPORTG BY LUCY MURRAYSHARE8 M READPUBLISHED 21 JULY 2023 6:19AMBY BIWA KWANSOURCE: SBS NEWSTAGSHEALTHATRALIASHARE THIS WH FAY AND IENDSCOPY LKSHARETOPICS

All science is dog is wag to fd the proof.”The other problem wh Born This Way science is summed up nicely by Simon Copland: “Scientists are askg whether homosexualy is natural when we n’t even agree exactly what homosexualy is.”Grzanka agre.