Tag Archives: Health

January 1, 2023: Kentucky Legalizes Medical Marijuana. Kind of.

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Kentucky is currently one of only 13 states in the USA where medical/recreational marijuana is still illegal. On January 1, 2023 it’s STILL ILLEGAL in most cases but Kentuckians with certain medical conditions can legally possess medicinal marijuana — with several caveats which include driving hundreds of miles out of state to where recreational marijuana is legal and bringing it back to the state for medical use.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear tired of waiting signed an order taking action on medical marijuana after legislation on the matter stalled several times in Frankfort and objections by Rep. Thomas Massie and Senator Mitch McConnell both Republican.

Beshear’s executive action, signed Nov. 15, 2022, grants full pardons to those accused of marijuana possession so long as they meet several conditions:

  1. The marijuana must have been legally purchased in the U.S. Neighboring states Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and West Virginia currently allow sales of medical marijuana.
  2. Written proof of purchase, including date and location, must be on hand.
  3. The amount of medical cannabis possessed can’t exceed eight ounces.
  4. The individual or their caregiver has to present written, certified proof of an eligible medical condition.

Rep. Jason Nemes (R, Louisville) and other Republicans have pushed back against Gov. Beshear’s order, saying he doesn’t have the authority.

“The governor, no matter how much I agree with the issue, no matter how much one thinks a particular issue is good, they can’t just wipe out statutes,” said Nemes.

CAN YOU HELP?

Since 2008 Back2Stonewall has strived to educate the LGBT community about our history and noteworthy news stories. I have done so out of love, pocketing all expenses for all these years to avoid annoying potentially harmful ads. But due to the overwhelming medical bills I cannot continue on without your help. (And believe me I do hate to ask) As many of you know, and many don’t for the past 2 years I have been suffering with infections in first my left foot and then my right ankle which looks like it will have to be amputated in the near future. Medical bills, equipment, medications have wiped out my savings and retirement fund because I have been unable to work and disability retirement is extremely backed up because of COVID and quite simply I am out of funds to run the site or deal with my bills and mortgage.

If you can make a donation , any size to help keep Back2Stonewall and my life going it would be greatly appreciated and never forgotten.

Thank you: Will

PAYPAL will@back2stonewall.com

VENMO @Will-Kohler-1

Veteran General Hospital Actor Fired Over Anti-Vaxx and Transphobic Statements

Veteran General Hospital Actor Fired Over Anti-Vaxx and Transphobic Statements

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Australian actor Ingo Rademacher who has portrayed the character of Jasper Jax on “GH” for over 25 years has been fired over his numerous anti-vaxx and anti-trans comments.

Rademacher who has been an out-spoken anti-vaccine nutjob on Instagram is not vaccinated, and doesn’t believe in it, . even after co-star Steve Burton (Jason) disclosed that he had tested positive for COVID and claimed to have been exposed to the virus at work. (GH has since become the only soap opera with a vaccine mandate.)

Rademacher posted a video to Instagram in which he called his fans “Bigots” and “morons” for criticizing him.

In November, Rademacher shared to his Instagram a hateful anti-trans meme; it did not go unnoticed. “I am aware of a transphobic post shared by a fellow General Hospital actor,” tweeted Cassandra James, the transgender actress who plays Terry. “Shame on you. You have some serious unlearning and education to do. I feel deeply disappointed that such a public display of ignorance could come from our General Hospital family.

Rademacher has not directly commented on his firing but has doubled down posting an Instagram message yesterday stating, “I will stand with you to fight for medical freedom.”

Well he’ll have a lot of free time to do that now. Won’t he.

PSA - May Is National Masturbation Month! + Bernadette Peters Sings "Making Love Alone" [VIDEO]

REMEMBER! – May Is National Masturbation Month! + Bernadette Peters Sings “Making Love Alone” [VIDEO]

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U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders made a speech at the United Nations World AIDS Day in 1994. After her speech was over an audience member asked about masturbation’s potential for discouraging early sexual activity?  Elder’s responded: “I think it is something that is part of human sexuality and a part of something that perhaps should be taught”
 
She was immediately fired. (By Bill Clinton of all people.)
 
San Francisco’s sex toy and education company Good Vibrations a few years back decided to find a way to keep the focus on safe solo sex and honor Elders’ by declaring the month of May, National Masturbation Month
 
What a stroke of genius! LITERALLY.
 

Hand job, Jacking off, Wanking, Tossing off, Jacking The Beanstalk, Slapping The Salami, Jackhammering, or whatever you want to call it is 100 percent all natural and FUN!

And other than the sheer fun of it here is a breakdown of how masturbation can be beneficial to both your physical and emotional health.

In general the act of masturbating can:
*Relieve insomnia
*Stimulate the immune system to help build up resistance to common infections.
*Improve blood circulation.
*Release mood elevating hormones
*Reduce the occurrence embarrassing spontaneous erections for teen males
*Reduce the number of unwanted wet dreams for young men. (DUH!  I am also proud to say that I’ve never had a wet dream )

So grab the Albolene some Kleenex, or even a buddy because remember masturbation is also a 100% SAFE contact sport !

Elton John’s AIDS Foundation Starts $1 Millon COVID-19 Emergency Fund

Elton John’s AIDS Foundation Starts $1 Millon COVID-19 Emergency Fund

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Sir Elton John took to social media on Saturday to announce that his charity, the Elton John AIDS Foundation is launching a $1-million COVID-19 emergency fund.

For almost 30 years, my foundation has prioritized the most vulnerable people to HIV to end the AIDS epidemic, and we’re committed to this during the COVID-19 crisis too.

Distributing medicines, testing and preventive treatment is not a simple as it was a few weeks ago.

We must keep up momentum, or else the results could be disastrous for people living with HIV and other infectious diseases. We’re with you, we’re thinking of you, we will not leave anyone behind.

All of us at the Elton John AIDS Foundation are thinking of our grantees, supporters, members across the HIV community, and their loved ones during this challenging time .

For almost 30 years, the Foundation has prioritized those most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and those most likely to be left behind, such as the LGBT community, adolescents, drug users, and people in remote places and we are committed to continue our work during the COVID-19 crisis.“

You can visit the Elton John’s AIDS Foundation COVID-19 webpage by CLICKING HERE.

And PLEASE everybody keep safe in this most dire of times.

TEXAS Judge Rules Employers Under "Religious Freedom" Can Deny Paying for PrEP

Florida To Offer Free HIV Prevention Drug PrEP Statewide

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The Florida Department of Health has announced plans to offer PrEP for free throughout the state by the end of the year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection by up to 92 percent in people who are at high risk. This groundbreaking decision will ensure that more people have access to PrEP and help reduce new HIV infections.

“Florida providing free PrEP in all 67 of its local county health departments is significant because it provides those who are most at-risk for HIV, but are uninsured, another tool in their HIV prevention toolbox that they did not have before,” says Daniel Downer, Early Intervention Services Program Coordinator at Hope and Health Center of Central Florida.  “It also shows that health officials understand the important role PrEP has in the response to HIV and AIDS in the State of Florida.” In Australia, institutions like the Riverside Clinic (www.riversideclinic.com.au) offer counselling for a wide range of issues that can affect one’s way of life.

According to the CDC, Southern states accounted for more than 50 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2016.  In 2016, Florida had the third-highest rate of new HIV infections in the country, with 28 out of 100,000 Floridians diagnosed with the virus. Discover addiction marketing for details about drug recovery.

The Florida Department of Health began rolling out a statewide PrEP initiative in October, though 16 county health departments have been providing PrEP services for the past year, says Mara Gambineri, a spokesperson for the department.. “Ensuring PrEP to those at highest risk for HIV infection, regardless of their ability to pay, is one of the four key components of the agency’s plan to eliminate HIV transmission and reduce HIV-related deaths,” 

FLORIDA Uses Loophole To Deny PTSD Treatment To PULSE Nightclub Massacre First Responder

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FLORIDA Uses Loophole To Deny PTSD Treatment To PULSE Massacre First Responder

 

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports:

First responder Gerry Realin worked nearly round-the-clock after the Pulse terror attack on June 12. But now, because of the PTSD that followed that tragic night, his family could lose everything, Realin’s wife said.

Jessica Realin said a loophole in state law lets police departments off the hook when their officers get PTSD. They said a Florida statute doesn’t recognize PTSD as a work-related injury and therefore, workman’s compensation will not cover his treatment. Now the family is pushing to close a loophole in the state law.

Right now, the police officer can’t even drive by Pulse without triggering his PTSD. Gerry Realin was one of the small group of officers who helped move the 49 people who died inside the club.

“When he got home, 2:30 the next morning, he came in very quiet, was different, looked at both of our kids, then went in the shower and just lost it,” Jessica Realin said. “And he didn’t stop crying. The next day, it was on and off. And it’s just been really hard.”

Many states not just Florida including Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, refuse to award compensation for so-called mental-mental claims, including PTSD, under any circumstances.

Please notice that a majority of those states are GOP controlled.

The Republican party repeatedly say how much they respect and praise police, fireman, the military, and other first responders until they need something. Case in point the 4 long years it took to get 9/11 first responders additional help due to Republicans dragging their heels.

Gary Realin’s family has set up a GoFundMe page for his treatment. Please give if you can.

 

ACT UP Protests Hillary Headquarters In Philadelphia Over Refusal To Sign Pledge Regulating Pharmaceutical Prices

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ACT UP protests Hillary Clinton

 

Via press release from ACT UP:

Over the weekend, the New York and Philadelphia chapters of ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power, teamed up with allies UAEM (Universities Allied for Essential Medicines) and The Other 98% to stage a tug-of-war with pharma bro’s outside Hillary
Clinton’s Philadelphia campaign headquarters ahead of the Democratic National Convention.

Activists targeted candidate Clinton for her refusal to renew her 2008 campaign pledges to regulate the price-gouging of medicines made by major pharmaceutical companies like Gilead and Pfizer. The high prices make it hard for people with HIV as well as other people to access the lifesaving treatment they need.

“Hillary Clinton made pledges to have 30 million on treatment by 2020. Many are sick, and some have died waiting for the treatment,” said ACT UP Philadelphia member Jose De Marco. “This is not the way to the AIDS Free Generation she talked about.”

Currently, taxpayers help fund the development of new medicines through grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to universities. The drugs are then licensed to companies to sell back to consumers at high prices. “Hillary Clinton must provide concrete solutions for pharmaceutical price-gouging and challenge the current patent system for drugs that Americans pay for with their taxes,” said Brandon Cuicchi of ACT UP NY.

Around thirty people met at the Love Statue in Philadelphia’s City Hall Park and marched, carrying signs and chanting, to Clinton’s campaign headquarters a few blocks away. When they arrived, they were met by a pharma bro played by comedian John F. O’Donnell from RT’s Redacted Tonight along with the bigheaded likenesses of other notable pharma bros like Martin Shkreli.

The pharma bros waved giant moneybags and challenged activists to a tug-of-war to win influence over Hillary Clinton. After much verbal and physical sparring, activists dropped the rope and sent the pharma bro’s falling to the ground in order to deliver their demands directly to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, but they were barred from entering the building by about 30 members of Philadelphia police on bicycles. There were no arrests.

Terrific. Hillary is for Pharma-bros now.

This just keeps getting better and better.

Gird your loins.  Its going to be a long week.

 

Ohio Dept of Health and Equitas Will Mail All Ohio Residents Free Condoms To Combat HIV and STIs

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Ohio Dept of Health and Equitas Health Will Send All Ohio Residents Free Condoms To Combat HIV and STIs

In an effort to combat HIV and STIs, Equitas Health, a nonprofit organization, and the Ohio Department of Health has launched the Free Condom Project giving away though mail 25 condoms a month to any Ohio resident who requests them through the new Ohio HIV/STI Hotline.

Merissa Hawkins, statewide initiatives coordinator for Equitas Health, said people would come to the HIV testing sites but were uncomfortable taking condoms.

“We had people who were saying they were too embarrassed,” Hawkins said. “We realized there was a need.”

The Ohio Department of Health supplies the condoms and Equitas Health pays for the shipping and they be mailed directly, and discretely, to the home or desired address of any Ohioan

Each order contains 25 condoms of mixed sizes and styles unless the requester specifies otherwise. The requirements: you must be an Ohio resident and you must be over the age of 16 (the age of consent). Each person is allowed one order per month, and they aren’t available to organizations.

The mail order also includes information about HVI/STI test sites near the recipient.

Hawkins said with just a team of five, they’ve already fulfilled 1,300 orders.

Hawkins said it’s about reducing barriers to acquiring the condoms, and that means investing in prevention.

“Public health-wise, we know as soon as they get tools in their hands, they use them,” Hawkins said.

So far, the main hubs for the Free Condom Project are Cleveland and Columbus, but Hawkins said there are talks of moving into Cincinnati.

But they haven’t quite caught on yet in the Queen City (Cincinnati) are yet with orders being low.

 

Two Male Strippers Enter Quarantine After Sitting Near Ebola Victim On Flight To Cleveland, OH

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Ebola Stripper

 

For the next 21 days Axl Goode (pictured above) and Taylor Cole are going to remain within their houses and at least three feet away from anyone after realizing that they sat near Ebola-infected nurse Amber Vinson on an airplane from Dallas to Cleveland where they had attended Romanticon, an erotic novel convention.

The man have elected to put themselves into a self-imposed quarantine at the suggestion of the CDC.

I had just come back from a book conference and while there I read on how Ebola affects the body and what it does when you contract the disease and how terrible it is,” Good told the AP via a Skype interview. “So certainly–a lot of fear, a lot of panic. It took a while for it to hit me. That was pretty scary.”

Neither of the men reported having come in direct contact with Vinson or being exposed to any of her bodily fluids in the course of their flight.

Amber Vinson became infected with the virus after treating Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who began presenting symptoms and eventually died in Dallas, after being met with a fair amount of gross negligence due to not having insurance.

For Thine is the. This is the way the world ends. This is the way the world ends.This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a stripper.

Source

 

 

Chicago Launches LGBT Community Health Action Plan

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Rahm Emmanuel and Chicago’s Department of Public Health has announced the launch of a new community action plan to improve overall health of Chicago’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community.

The  Action Plan was developed in coordination with city leaders and community health providers across the across the city to serve as a supplement to the Healthy Chicago program.

“Chicagoans in communities across the city face similar health concerns, but there are clear disparities in health status among the city’s diverse LGBT community that require specific strategies to target and address these concerns,” said Dr. Bechara Choucair, Commissioner of the CDPH in a press release.

Highlights of the plan include promoting the collection of sexual orientation data in electronic medical records and encouraging researchers to focus on LGBT health to share findings and develop new LGBT health research.

• Improve the tracking of hate crimes against transgender persons, publicize resources for reporting violence, and conduct outreach on strategies to avoid violence.
• Develop cultural competency training to help educate health care providers, employers and educators on the health needs of the LGBT community.
• Increase tobacco cessation efforts in the LGBT community to address the high prevalence of smoking, which is at 30 percent, 12 percentage points higher than the 18 percent of the overall population.
• Promote inclusion of same sex couples in programs aimed at healthy pregnancies, childbirth and early childhood health

The plan also point to but doesn;t spell out the action plan for HIV prevention so its unclear at this time how it will effect the Chicago’s sex businesses.

Chicago is one of the few cities left that offer gay adult movie theatres and bathhouses which include Man’s Country and the world famous Bijou Theatre which has been around since the 1970’s and are a part of Chicago’s LGBT history which both and now sits on some very prime real estate.