Harold Pollack over at The New Republic has a great post, complete with a neat map, on House Dems' attempts to lift the 1988 federal ban on funding for needle exchange programs—one of the single most effective weapons in the fight against HIV/AIDS. But the bills in question have been weighted down with two riders that ban federally-financed programs from an area within 1,000 feet of “colleges, universities, parks, video arcades, day-care centers, high schools, public swimming pools and other institutions” (according the NYT ed board). This means that the ban would effectively remain in urban areas, where most intravenous drug users live.

It's almost as though Congressional representatives aren't so concerned with people who, generally speaking, don't vote. What, after all, is the point of doing good if it doesn't guarantee you a job in every two years?

From hippies reclaiming the body to immigrant groups who wouldn't even consider it, CNN reports that the circumcision rate in the United States has reached an all-time low of 57 percent. The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends forgoing circumcision, calling it an unnecessary and painful surgery. Even so, the United States remains the Western nation with by far the least foreskins. In the U.K, for example, fewer than 20 percent of men are circumcised; in Denmark, the number is less than 2 percent.

But don't call off the bris just yet. As I reported for In These Times last month, the World Health Organization is now recommending the procedure, emboldened by studies that found adult circumcisions in Africa decreased men's likelihood of contracting HIV by as much as 60 percent. Following the WHO's lead, New York City is considering promoting adult circumcision as a preventative measure, which worries activists who've been struggling for decades to send the message that using condoms is the only surefire way to protect yourself.

Seems to me that since evidence clearly shows circumcision protects men and their partners from a variety of sexually transmitted infections, we should be promoting the practice, not among grown men who may see the procedure as an alternative to safe sex, but among expectant parents. Get 'em while they're young and you can give them the anatomical benefits of circumcision alongside the lessons about protection and contraception.

- cross-posted at TAPPED 

Citing a lack of financial transparency, the (PRODUCT) RED campaign has come under some controversy recently, according to the Christian Science Monitor.  Although the article only quotes the head of a vague “consumer watchdog group,” without giving the name of the organization, charity campaigns like (RED) should come under scrutiny, as any consumer should have the right to know where her money his going.  Decidedly, millions of dollars are also going to the high-profile marketing for (RED), including putting up countless advertisements in the busiest shopping districts in midtown Manhattan.  I also wonder if this figure includes the costs associated with bringing A-list celebs onto your cause—the first-class airline tickets, the stocked dressing rooms, the lavishly catered photo shoots…I of course have never experienced the lifestyle of the richest, but I would feel a little strange if I was doing a photo shoot for a charity and was drinking a $100 bottle of water on my break.

Last night, Tuesday February 27, Campus Progress and HBO hosted an advanced screening of "Life Support," a new HBO film about the daily struggle of a woman who has the HIV/AIDS virus. The film stars Queen Latifah and Gloria Reuben, and the screening drew an engaged crowd of over 225 to Washington's E Street Cinema.

The audience was treated to introductory remarks by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), and a compelling panel discussion featuring Ms. Waters, Nelson George, the director of the film, actress Gloria Reuben (also of "ER" fame), and William Brawner, an AIDS activist and educator.

The panel praised the film for its humanistic treatment of people who live with the virus as one of many problems they deal with everyday. It was truly refreshing to see a film that presented an African-American woman who was a human being first, one with strengths and flaws like anyone else, whose victimhood was almost besides the point. Unlike dry, fact-based documentaries and overambitious non-fiction films that unintentionally give the virus a more detached treatment in their attempt to give a comprehensive education about it, "Life Support" is a warm-hearted testament to how one woman gets by.

The audience reflected these sentiments in the Q&A session afterwards, and each panelist offered his or her own insight into the AIDS crisis. Nelson George filled out the picture of the woman in the film with anecdotes about his own sister, who was the basis for Latifah's character. Maxine Waters articulated what legislative battles must be waged to get AIDS support centers more funding, and contemplated the potentially helpful role of the church in educating people about the virus. William Brawley discussed how AIDS issues intersect and relate to other issues in the African-American community.

The night was a resounding success, and Campus Progress was lucky to work with HBO in showing their  inspiring film to an enthusiastic audience. Thanks to everyone who made this evening happen!