buggery.org

A panel of Swiss HIV experts have declared that HIV-positive people with undetectable viral load are sexually non-infectious. This is the first time that medical experts anywhere have agreed that well-suppressed blood viral levels are a reliable measure of sexual infectivity. This will be controversial, but it’s a fascinating development.

The statement’s headline statement says that “after review of the medical literature and extensive discussion,” the Swiss Federal Commission for HIV / AIDS resolves that, “An HIV-infected person on antiretroviral therapy with completely suppressed viraemia (“effective ART”) is not sexually infectious, i.e. cannot transmit HIV through sexual contact.”

It goes on to say that this statement is valid as long as:

• the person adheres to antiretroviral therapy, the effects of which must be evaluated regularly by the treating physician, and
• the viral load has been suppressed (< 40 copies/ml) for at least six months, and
• there are no other sexually transmitted infections.

The experts noted the essential conundrum of proving the negative hypothesis (i.e. proving that something can never happen) but said “The situation is analogous to 1986, when the statement ‘HIV cannot be transmitted by kissing’ was publicised. This statement has not been proven, but after 20 years’ experience its accuracy appears highly plausible.”

A report on Aidsmap.com canvasses the implications of the announcement for medical practitioners, people with HIV, HIV prevention and the legal system.

As one colleague observed today, “I guess we know now what they’ll be fighting about at this year’s International AIDS Conference.”

I quite enjoy this documentary series which is being shown on SBS. In each episode, a minor celebrity traces his/her family tree. I’ve been interested in genealogy for a few years and have been tracing my own family roots over that time.

Last night’s episode focused on Geoffrey Robertson, the expatriate Australian barrister and judge with the plummy accent perhaps best-known as the host of the TV Hypotheticals series some years ago. Turns out he is descended from a Prussian woman who may or may not have been the illegitimate daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm, and from some Scottish peasants who came out to Australia in the mid-19th century. As that part of the story unfolded it became more and more familiar to me – turns out that my own (mother’s) family came out from the same part of Scotland, in the same year, on the same ship. Curious coincidence.

Sky News is reporting that Australian actor Heath Ledger has been found dead in an apartment in New York.

Didn’t see that one coming.

I spent a few hours at the Midsumma Carnival yesterday - an excursion into the gay world I so rarely inhabit these days. I was there to volunteer my time for PLWHA Victoria, whose Board I now sit on. It was a pleasant couple of hours, chatting with passers-by and spruiking our organisation’s activities, despite the rain.

After I was done I took a quick stroll through the rest of the fête – very quick, as it became apparent that there was so little there which would appeal to me. I used to really look forward to events like this, but then I always found them stimulating and informative. These days it feels like almost all the stallholders are commercial operations, and given that I’m not in the market for skin cream, rainbow-flag themed accessories, motor cars or package holidays there’s not much that interests me.

I presume the wares on display at the Carnival are meant to be representative of the desires and aspirations of gay men and lesbians, yet I’m not tempted. Maybe this means I’m not as “gay” as I once was, or perhaps the meaning of gay has changed and I’ve been left behind (or maybe I’m making too much of all of this: shopping is not culture).

It’s an issue I’ve been grappling with for a while: how do you “do” gay when your life doesn’t revolve around bars, nightclubs, dance parties and so on? If you don’t drink (I don’t), take drugs (ditto), go to Mardi Gras (not this year), have sex 10 times a week (can’t be bothered) then what does it mean to say “I am a gay man”? Being gay has always (for me) been about more than a sexual identity – it’s a cultural signifier. But, as I’m finding, it can be a very narrowly-defined one.

The best words are the ones you coin yourself.

precipitation envy noun. A sense of discontented or resentful longing brought about by lack of rain in one’s own area when it’s pissing down elsewhere. (Backformation; by analogy with menstruation envy).

Not that I can complain as we had some nice rain overnight.

The Federal Court has found that the Japanese whaling fleet is in violation of Australian environmental laws and has issued an injunction ordering that the whale hunt cease immediately.

The court says it is satisfied that the Japanese whaling fleet, controlled by Japanese company Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, has contravened numerous sections of the Environment Protection Act by killing and injuring Antarctic minke and fin whales in the Australian whale sanctuary.

It has ordered that it be restrained from continuing whaling. [ABC news]

This is a significant decision and, while it’s true that Japan does not recognise Australia’s territorial claims in the Antarctic, the announcement will give significant momentum to the new Australian government’s moves to halt the whale slaughter.

While Reuters calls the ruling “a purely symbolic act“, the Australian authorities have already dispatched a Customs ship to monitor the whale hunt, and this ship could presumably be ordered to take restraining action. The judge hearing the matter acknowledged that, “Unless the [Japanese] vessels enter Australia, thus exposing themselves to possible arrest or seizure … there is no practical mechanism by which orders of this court can be enforced.”

Number of chickens we had this morning: 9
Number of chickens we have this evening: 19

Ay, caramba!

The Macquarie Dictionary is conducting an online poll to find the word of the year from selected new entries to the dictionary in 2007. Some selected candidates:

lady garden

noun Colloquial (euphemistic) a woman’s pubic region.

man flu

noun Colloquial (humorous) a minor cold contracted by a man who proceeds to exaggerate the symptoms enormously.

salad dodger

noun Colloquial (derogatory) an overweight person.

arse antlers

plural noun Colloquial a tattoo just above the buttocks, having a central section and curving extensions on each side.

butt bra

noun Colloquial a garment worn as a support for the buttocks. [butt + bra]

manscaping

noun a grooming procedure in which hair is shaved or trimmed from a man’s body, as from the back, legs, chest, genitals, etc. [man + (land)scap(e) + -ing]

silent disco

noun a disco in which all the participants wear wireless headphones to hear the music, thus eliminating noise pollution.

Helengrad

noun NZ Colloquial (humorous) Wellington, seen as controlled by the government of Prime Minister Helen Clark. [Helen Clark + -grad common Russian ending meaning `town']

slummy mummy

noun Colloquial a mother of young children who has abandoned all care for her personal appearance. See yummy mummy. [slum + -m- + -y + mummy]

grapple tackle

noun Rugby League an illegal tackle in which the opponent is held around the head and neck and pressure is applied to the neck, obstructing the trachea and carotid artery.

microgrom

noun Colloquial a young surfer, especially one under the age of ten. [micro- + grom(met)]

Will the word of the year be one of the above, or will it be slow travel, traffic-light party, infomania, toad juice or what?