Photo by Eric Schwabel.
Mr. LA Leather 2014, Eric Paul Leue, is swinging through Michigan to discuss pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as an HIV intervention. He will participate in panel discussions in Grand Rapids on Dec. 6, Lansing on Dec. 7 and Ferndale on Dec. 8.
The Grand Rapids event will be held from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Diversions, 10 Fountain St. NW. The Lansing event will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Esquire Club, 1250 Turner St., and the Ferndale event will begin at 7 p.m. at Affirmations Community Center, 290 W. Nine Mile. PrEP is a once-a-day pill proven to be at least 92 percent effective in preventing HIV infection in HIV negative people. It was approved by the FDA for prevention uses in 2012, and in 2014, the CDC released clinical guidance on prescribing PrEP. The clinical guidance put an estimated 500,000 men who have sex with men in a position to need access to the drug.
Earlier this year, the Michigan Department of Community Health announced that Medicaid patients could access PrEP through the state funded program. Other states, namely New York and Washington, have made access to the drug a cornerstone of evolving HIV prevention strategies. Illinois announced Monday that it was preparing to launch a program to create access to the drug as well. While MDCH has not created a specific PrEP policy, the department is hosting two trainings for HIV testing counselors in December to train them how to integrate PrEP messaging into general HIV prevention messages.
"Since February 2014, Affirmations has co-convened the PrEP Working Group, which works to increase understanding of and access to PrEP within the Detroit metro area," said Lydia Ahlum Hanson, health and wellness manager at Affirmations. "Operating from a sex positive and harm reduction perspective, this working group views PrEP as a way to reduce HIV transmission and expand prevention opinions."
"There's a lot of questions and misinformation surrounding PrEP that prevents people from making the most informed choices to reduce risk of transmission," says Kevin Geirman, prevention manager for Red Project in Grand Rapids. "In PrEP, we have a valuable new tool in the risk reduction arsenal and it's important that those who are interested in it know its limitations and how to access it."
"The one thing I hear repeatedly is 'fear,' not just HIV negative guys being afraid of getting HIV, but also people living with HIV being afraid of their partners getting infected by the virus," says Leue. "We have fought HIV stigma since it first started. PrEP is a responsible safer sex choice, and I believe if we want to make a real change in this epidemic, then people have the right to know about it. Facts, not morality."
The three Michigan panels are part of a nine-city national tour.
