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. They felt a network would really help foster
ing isolated— or don’t have anywhere else to
with a new vision, a sense of hope, and a reason to
a sense of community and help people feel good
want to survive.”
go— you may go to the park or the bar or the bath
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