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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 3, 1995)
just out ▼ march 3. 1009 ▼ 10 In the Spring 1994 edition of the AIDS & Public Policy Journal, clinical psychologist Walt Odets talks about the gay and HIV/AIDS communities’ failure to acknowledge and address the indepen dent needs of seropositive and seronegative men: “To date, our education has largely expressed the political idea that all gay men are ‘equal’ and AIDS education thus applies universally to all. In[AIDS- service organizations] the obvious idea that AIDS prevention is fo r HIV-negative men...is a contro versial, politically inflammatory assertion.... Many HIV-positive men quite understandably have dif ferent ideas and feelings about life, and live with different values and objectives from HIV-negative men.” CAP’S Schroeder says, “For a long time the gay community shied away from addressing the needs of HIV-negative men for fear of offending or stigmatizing HIV-positive men. People didn’t want there to be sort of a sexual apartheid going on. The issue was politicized when it should not have been. Now that’s beginning to change, as people realize that HIV-negative men have really been neglected when it comes to meeting their emotional and psychological needs.” Phoenix Rising’s Everett says he plans to get a support group up and running in the near future specifically for HIV-negative men. CAP, mean while, has been hosting a MenTalk program for more than a year. Bueling says that program is designed to open dialogue between negative and positive men. “We wanted to break down some of the factionalism we saw in the community,” he says. Schroeder says MenTalk offers gay men an opportunity to find understanding, support and comradeship from one another. “The gatherings can take place in people’s homes to make men feel more relaxed. They get to unwind a little and share their thoughts about growing up gay and other issues—things they haven’t ever really had a chance to talk about,” he explains. “It’s been a wonderful community-build ing exercise, and it creates an atmo sphere of support that has been so se verely lacking for gay men in society.” MPowerment Project, a Eugene- based organization for gay and bi men, has been providing support as well. “ I’d estimate 70 percent of Eugene’s gay population has been through our doors at some point,” says Jason Brown, an MPowerment Project volunteer. According to Brown, MPowerment Project sponsors social activities includ ing movie nights, dinners, and rap ses sions for gay and bi men, as a way of providing alternatives to the bar scene. He says, "When you go to a bar i t’s so easy to get buzzed from alcohol or drugs and then it’s easy to slip. We don’t want to see men being put in that position.” In what may be the first project of its kind in the country, the Oregon Health Division, in conjunction with county health agencies and with funding from the federal Centers for Disease Con trol, is about to unveil a new program. Path Finding: Connecting Our Past, CA P safer-sex activists Roland Bayse (left) and Ronald Webb at Oaks Park Roller Skating Rink, during Present and Future, which is specifi a roller skating event fo r gay men and lesbians sponsored by Rosetown Ramblers. cally designed to create a pro-social support network for gay and bisexual men in house. We need to give men healthy choices.” about themselves. The logic behind this project is Oregon. Another key component of this effort is the to make people feel good about themselves so newly created Gay R esource C onnection, they feel inclined to change their behaviors.” “We did a study last year which found that (503) 223-2437, which is a hotline that gay men State and local health authorities are working men were twice as likely to use condoms if they and lesbians can call to find out about gay- and together to conduct outreach efforts to gay and were involved in pro-social activities [other than lesbian-positive groups and events in their area. bisexual men and to create social activities that the bar scene],” says David Lane, Ph D., the state According to Bueling, CAP is also pondering Health Division’s coordinator of community- this population might enjoy. Activities may in based programs. clude bowling or movie nights, Portland Gay a new campaign that helps men realize they can Men’s Chorus concerts, dinners, potlucks, and “We brought together a focus group compris have long-range goals and desires. "CAP is think other alternatives to bars. ing gay men, health advocates and others, and we ing about putting together a campaign that may came up with this idea,” he says. ‘T he group told include things like posters of two elder gay men “What I find is that when men engage in pro us that they felt there was a lack of a social together,” he says. “We don’t want gay men to social events their self-esteem goes up,” says network for gay people, particularly in more rural feel hopeless. We want to try and provide them Lane, who is also a psychologist. “If you’re feel areas. 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