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Man convicted of deliberately infecting sexual partners with HIV

A former Brighton hairdresser who deliberately infected at least five sexual partners with HIV has been convicted of causing grievous bodily harm.

Darryl Rowe
Darryl Rowe

Darryl Rowe, 27, was also convicted of five counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent following a trial at Lewes Crown Court.

The court heard how Rowe embarked on a campaign of unprotected sexual activity following his HIV diagnosis in Scotland, in April 2015.

Later that year, Rowe moved to Brighton and, over a four-month period, had sexual relationships with eight men in the area, whom he met online.

After his initial interview with the police, Rowe was bailed with a requirement to live outside Brighton and moved to Berwick-upon-Tweed, where he went on to have unprotected sex with another two men, using a pseudonym to ensure they did not find out his identity.

His victims asked whether he had HIV and, each time he was asked, he lied and told them he was HIV negative before insisting on unprotected sexual intercourse. On occasions where the men insisted that Rowe use a condom, he deliberately sabotaged them.

Nigel Pilkington from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Rowe embarked on a deliberate campaign to infect other men with HIV after being told of his positive test. He had been advised to notify all sexual partners of his HIV positive status.

“He repeatedly lied to his victims, telling them he did not have the virus, and even stated in police interviews that he was HIV negative.

“When his victims would not engage in unprotected sex, Rowe deliberately sabotaged the condoms he wore and afterwards sent the men abusive and mocking messages.

“The CPS presented a compelling case to the jury, demonstrating how Rowe knew exactly what he was doing and intended to do serious harm to his victims. They bravely came forward to report what had happened to them and, thanks to their support, we have been able to bring Rowe to justice.”

Deborah Gold
Deborah Gold

Deborah Gold, CEO of NAT (National AIDS Trust), said: “This is the first time someone has been convicted of intentional HIV transmission in England, and indeed it is the first time such a charge has ever gone to full trial. It is not surprising that such a case is unprecedented.  To be guilty of intentional HIV transmission you have to both want to harm a sexual partner by passing on HIV to them and then succeed in doing so. Such behaviour is utterly exceptional and vanishingly rare.

“To find someone guilty it is important that the charge is proved beyond reasonable doubt.  Compelling evidence should always be required to demonstrate such motivation and responsibility for transmission.

“We must remember that an overwhelming majority of HIV transmissions are from people who are unware that they are HIV positive (they have not yet tested and had an HIV diagnosis) and, therefore, unaware that there is a risk they could pass the virus on. Indeed, people who are on effective HIV treatment cannot pass the virus on. In the UK, 93% of people diagnosed with HIV are non-infectious for this reason. We are all responsible to practice safer sex with new and casual partners, and as and when appropriate discuss honestly with them how to remain as healthy as possible in our sex lives.”

A spokesperson for Terrence Higgins Trust the sexual health charity, added: “This case is absolutely unprecedented, and is the first time an individual has been convicted of intentional HIV transmission in England.

“An overwhelming majority of HIV transmissions are from individuals who don’t know that they’re HIV positive, and have no idea that there is a risk of them transmitting the virus to others. People living with HIV who are on effective treatment cannot pass it on.

“It’s important to practice safe sex with new and casual partners to prevent the transmission of HIV. One way of doing this is by regularly testing and knowing your status, which helps all people to be as healthy as possible in our lives.”

 

 

Prince Harry attends THT HIV pop-up shop

New figures from Public Health England show great progress, but 1 in 8 people with HIV remain undiagnosed.

Today, November 15, Prince Harry attended the opening of Terrence Higgins Trust’s HIV self test pop-up shop in Hackney, to launch National HIV Testing Week (November 18-24).

His Royal Highness met with Andrew Bates, a young man who was diagnosed with HIV in 2015, who shared his story and talked about the importance of testing.

Prince Harry also met Yvette Twagiramariya, reporter and one of the faces of the It Starts With Me campaign, who took a live HIV test to show Prince Harry how the self tests work.

Before departing the shop, the Prince met and talked with some local Hackney residents, and gave each of them one of the self test kits to take home.

The visit coincides with new figures from Public Health England on HIV that show the drive to increase HIV testing is having an impact, with a 21.8 per cent drop in the number of people who are undiagnosed and do not know that they’re living with HIV.

However, there are still 10,700 people in England who are unaware that they’re living with HIV.

In addition to this, late diagnoses is decreasing at a slow rate, with 2,170 people living with HIV being diagnosed late in 2016.

Ian Green, CEO, Terrence Higgins Trust, said: Ian Green

“Incredible progress has been made to reduce HIV transmission and late diagnoses, and support people living with HIV, which would have been unimaginable even three or four years ago.

“However, we must not be complacent, and now is the time to double up on efforts and investment to ensure we can end all new cases of HIV in the UK and support people living with HIV to enjoy healthy, long lives. There is also still so much work to do to end the stigma that faces people living with HIV in the UK.”

Dr Valerie Delpech
Dr Valerie Delpech

Dr Valerie Delpech, Head of HIV Surveillance at Public Health England said: “This year, there are three firsts in the 30 year history of the UK HIV epidemic.  

“In London, all the global UNAIDS 90:90:90 targets have been met with 90% of people living with HIV infection diagnosed, 97% of people diagnosed receiving treatment and 97% of those receiving treatment virally suppressed.

“HIV transmission among gay and bi men has fallen, and the death rate among people with HIV who are diagnosed promptly and on treatment is now comparable to the rest of the population.

“We celebrate these extraordinary achievements which are the result of a comprehensive response involving many key players and organisations .

“By continuing to invest in effective preventative measures including condom use, expanded HIV testing, prompt treatment and the use of PrEP, the elimination of HIV transmission, AIDS and HIV-related deaths could become a reality in the UK.”

National HIV Testing Week runs from November 18-24.

BOOK REVIEW: Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde 

Your Silence Will Not Protect You:

Essays and Poems Paperback 

by Audre Lorde 

Your Silence Will Not Protect You collects the essential essays and poems of Audre Lorde, including the classic The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House. A trailblazer in intersectional feminism, Lorde’s luminous writings have inspired a new generation of thinkers and writers.

Her lyrical and incisive prose takes on sexism, racism, homophobia, and class; reflecting struggle but ultimately offering messages of hope that remain ever-more trenchant today. Lorde was a Poet Laureate until her death; her poetry and prose together produced an aphoristic and incomparably quotable style, as evidenced by her constant presence on many Women’s Marches worldwide.

With a preface by Reni Eddo-Lodge, this beautiful edition honours the ways in which Lorde’s work resonates more than ever thirty years after they were first published.

£12.99

For more info or to buy the book see the publishers website here: 

THEATRE REVIEW: The Kite Runner @Theatre Royal

The Kite Runner

Matthew Spangler

Theatre Royal

Based on Khaled Hosseini’s international best-selling novel, this powerful story has been adapted into this stunning stage production.

Afghanistan is a divided country slipping towards war and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. It’s a beautiful afternoon in Kabul and the skies are full of the excitement and joy of a kite flying tournament. But neither Hassan nor Amir can foresee the terrible incident which will shatter their lives forever.

This adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s novel is a vivid exploration of class, sectarian, religious, political and sexual mores in Afghanistan in the last 30 years. Amir is a Pashtun Sunni Muslim while Hassan, the family servant’s son, is a Hazara Shi’a Muslim, this is the basis for the story to unfold, refold and then be folded in again, nothing is quite what it seems in this story, although everything stays the same, the actions can be viewed in retrospect once full knowledge is achieved. I suspect I was the only person in the theatre tonight who had not read the book nor seen the film (which was produced after this play was first performed), so I went in untainted. I left reeling, after a harrowing evening of quite sublime and beautiful theatre focusing on some of the most unpleasant content I’ve winced at in years.

I learned a lot about Afghanistan culture and manners, although the history content is not explored in-depth.  The ultra-personal narrative takes us through his haunting tale of friendship which spans cultures and continents, it follows his journey to confront his past and find redemption. Ultimately he redeems himself by fighting his childhood persecutor, now a notorious Taliban punisher and rescuing Hassan’s son from his twisted abusive hands.

The staging designed by Barney George  is a wonderful set up of lighting, carpet and kite wings which lift in and out of the stage like huge screens with American and Afghan projections to suggest changes of space, geography, focus and narrative tension. They reveal as much as they hide and this gives our imagination it’s awful power. The cast use traditional instruments, singing bowls and schwirrbogen to suggest the endless wind, motion and tensions of the plot, while on stage Hanif Khan  gives us an almost constant percussive Tabla narrative of his own, blending and coherently linking the action across time and geography, he was superb.  David Ahmad as Amir is compelling, Jo Ben Ayed as Hassan/Sohrab elicits empathy from the off and shines in his exploration of humility, devotion and love for his friend.  Emilio Doorgasingh as stern father Baba is a wonderful performance showing the changes in this man as he fights to react to the huge changes forced on him by the crumbling Afghan state and their flight to America.   There wasn’t a member of the cast who I didn’t enjoy watching perform this evening.

I think it’s the first time I’ve seen an all BME cast at the Theatre Royal and this was as refreshing as it was novel. The talented group of actors change roles depending on the chronology of the play but each brings their own conviction to the unfolding of the story.

Learn more and see the full cast, crew and musicians here

It’s a hard look at the chaos of the unleashing of hugely destructive violent social prejudice from the perspective of a small close knit family and community and its ultimate destruction at the hands of its own people, supported, funded and armed by British, American and Russian forces. Its use of personal catastrophe as an intersectional metaphor for national tragedy is relentless.  It’s also a breathless, almost unbearable personal confession and scalpel edged searching for understanding and redemption, filled with wrong turns and cowardice which eventually, after endless trauma, shows that one small act of courage can provide hope for change and be a catalyst for transformation.

As a newbie to The Kite Runner I left changed, this superb staging from Nottingham and Liverpool Playhouses is engaging, fresh and utterly compelling.

Recommended,

Plays until Saturday 18

 

Sun’s drag queen coverage – Green Party submits complaint

Green Party claim kids put at risk by media coverage of transgender issues in The Sun and other media outlets.

Aimee Challenor, Green Party LGBT+ spokesperson, has filed a complaint with press regulator the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) over the Sun’s coverage of gender fluidity lessons for toddlers.

In the complaint she accuses the Sun of breaching the Editors’ Code of Practice by discriminating against trans people.

The Sun’s story follows a number of articles targeted the trans community in the Times on Saturday, November 11.

Aimee Challenor
Aimee Challenor

Challenor said: “The Sun’s coverage of gender fluidity classes is a sad mix of scaremongering, discrimination and inappropriate jokes about drag queens. On the same day the Church of England issues guidelines to help prevent transphobic bullying, it’s appalling that one of our national newspapers is perpetrating such harassment. The rates of suicide and self-harm for young trans people are staggeringly high and it’s simply immoral for the Sun to feed into the prejudice towards them. We should instead be welcoming the move to improve understanding and inclusivity by talking to children about gender fluidity from an early age.”

The full text of the complaint reads:

“I wish to make a complaint under the Editors’ Code of Practice relating to the Sun’s coverage on November 13, 2017.

“I believe the Sun has breached clause 12 by publishing prejudicial and pejorative coverage of ‘trans lessons’ for children.

“The paper’s front page headline ‘The skirt on the drag queen goes swish swish swish: Trans classes for kids aged 2’ pokes fun at the issue and ignores the very serious reasons why talking about gender fluidity from an early age are so crucial.

“The article itself treats drag queens and the concept of gender fluidity lessons with contempt. The coverage is not only sensationalised but blatant scaremongering about the influence drag queens will have on toddlers.

“We live in a society where eight out of 10 trans young people have self-harmed and almost half have attempted to kill themselves. When our national newspapers publish attacks on the LGBT+ community they are fostering a wider climate of hostility, fear and aggression towards us.

“For this story to be published on the same day as the Church of England publishes guidelines to prevent transphobic bullying – which the Sun has also reported on and is well aware of – shows just how necessary these steps to prevent bullying are.

“Please will you consider if this coverage has breached the code and if so, take action against the Sun to ensure this does not happen again.”

Calls for more businesses to show support for Madeira Terrace campaign

Crowdfunding campaign to kick-start restoration of Madeira Terrace hits 73% of its target with just 17 days to go.

A recent pledge of £15k by local firm Landsec has helped boost the fund up to over £310k while a groundswell of public support has seen the campaign attract over 1,500 backers, over 90% of which are individual members of the public, rather than organisations.

Howard Barden
Howard Barden

Howard Barden, head of the city’s tourism unit, VisitBrighton, which is leading on the campaign, says: “The campaign has ignited a sense of civic pride around improving the seafront and has seen a number of residents make it their mission to see the campaign succeed.

 “Support for the terraces to be restored is evident and we’re now hoping to see businesses step up with some larger pledges in the last couple of weeks.  We have done phenomenally well but there’s still another £114k+ to raise.”  

Kemp Town resident, Emily Senior, who is running a 10k race in Brighton on November 19 to raise funds for the campaign says:  “It has been heart-breaking to see the Terraces fall into such a sorry state.  At first, I felt angry that it had been so badly neglected but putting all that aside, I discovered the crowdfunding campaign and decided to actually “do” something to raise awareness and funds.”

Also supporting the campaign, are residents Jax Atkins and Derek Wright who have set up a raffle and are working tirelessly to collect prizes and sell tickets with the aim of raising £20k.

So far they have secured over 500 prizes from local businesses keen to show their support for the cause. Prizes include meals at top city restaurants, overnight hotel stays, spa treatments and gig tickets.

The draw will take place at the Cricketers pub, Ship Street on November 24, 2017.

Tickets are being bought by local Brightonians as well as people across the UK and even internationally via a specially set-up facebook group. Click here for more info:

Jax Atkins
Jax Atkins

Jax says: “Everybody likes a raffle and we decided we’d start one so that people who didn’t particularly want to pledge cash could buy a ticket instead. From wondering whether we’d actually get prizes at the start, to being inundated with offers, it’s been crazy – I think we’ve now hit the 500 mark – and still prizes are coming in!”

Derek adds: “I adore Brighton and am interested in its history. When the Madeira Terrace rescue plan was launched by the council, I pledged my support but also wanted to do something practical. Jax organised a clean-up on Madeira Drive and once I’d heard about her idea to hold a raffle, decided it was something I could get behind.”

Neighbours, Christopher Goss and Russell Miller are also helping galvanise the community and have been lobbying local businesses, leafleting and using social media as well as sending hundreds of e-mails to try and attract pledges.

Chris says: “1,500 pledges is a strong testimony to our community’s love and support for these iconic arches.  Most of these pledges are from local individuals like us who have dug deep into our pockets. We now hope that the business community will increase its pledges to enable the campaign to reach its funding target.  Renovation of the Terrace should be the catalyst for the long overdue regeneration of Brighton seafront from Brighton Palace Pier to the Marina.”

For more information or to make a pledge, click here:

Isle of Wight Pride and Winter Pride announce new arts initiative

Isle of Wight Pride, who recently won the right to stage UK Pride 2018, and Winter Pride, announce new arts initiative featuring local artists from the Isle of Wight, and finalists from the Winter Pride Art Awards sponsored by Emerald Life.

Joe Finch from Isle of Wight Pride, said: “We really want to use the opportunity of hosting UK Pride not only to show off our gorgeous Island to the world, but to make a real impact on the lives of Islanders by bringing across internationally recognised exhibitions, like the Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards, to enhance the Island’s excellent reputation as an Arts destination across the Globe.”

Leading Isle of Wight artists have been invited to exhibit as part of the Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards, which will be held from January 26 – June 6, 2018 at The House of St Barnabas in Soho London, followed by an exhibition from June 9 – July 30, 2018 at Quay Arts in Newport, Isle of Wight.

Isle of Wight artist Joanna Kori, said: “The Island is a truly inspirational place for artists and art enthusiasts, and this joint Pride arts initiative will be a big boost to the local arts scene.”

The exhibition tour will be held in conjunction with a series of Isle of Wight Pride Open House shows, featuring artists living and working on the Island.

Participating artists featured will include:
♦ Teresa Grimaldi
♦ Donna Jones
♦ Joanna Kori
♦ Ellie Moore
♦ Karl Stedman
♦ Julie Wright

Simon Tarrant
Simon Tarrant

Simon Tarrant, Director of the Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards, said: “This is Winter Pride’s first ever touring exhibition and we are excited to help publicise local Isle of Wight artists, by showcasing them alongside emerging and established artists from around the world.”


Key dates in 2018

January 26 – June 6, 2018
Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards Exhibition – The House of St Barnabas
1 Greek Street, London W1D 4NQ
www.hosb.org.uk
FREE (also for non-Members)

February 24, 2018
Winter Pride Music Festival – Scala King’s Cross
275 Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London N1 9NL
www.winterpride.co.uk

June 9 – July 30, 2018
Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards – Isle of Wight Exhibition
Quay Arts, Sea St, Newport PO30 5BW
www.quayarts.org
Free entry

July 21, 2018
Isle of Wight Pride hosts UK Pride
Ryde Beach, Esplanade, Ryde, Isle Of Wight, PO33 1JA
www.iwpride.org
Free entry

June – July 2018 
Isle of Wight Pride Open House – Venues to be announced
Isle of Wight
www.iwpride.org
Free entry

2018 Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards
Beyond the Binaries
Click here: for the call for entries – Free to enter

MUSIC REVIEW: Jake Shears @Heaven

Take Your Mama To This. Jake Shears @Heaven, London, Tuesday November 14.

There are gigs where you can feel a collective audience groan as the artist you’ve adored for years introduces another new song from their forthcoming solo album. Jake Shears was asking for a whole lotta patience from the crowd at Tuesday night’s London gig who had yet to hear a good 80% of his set list.

I’ve never been a fan of Heaven as a venue, perhaps I have too many memories of late night personal appearances from waning pop stars to take it seriously as a musicians platform, but Tuesday night felt, gritty, grimey, sweaty and glamorous in all the right places.

As the crowd filled the space under the arches there was a unified political humour in evidence amongst the anti-Brexit/Trump tee-shirts, my favourite reading “make America Gay again”, and as the support DJ set gave us everything from The Pointer Sisters to The Rolling Stones via Primal Scream, it became apparent that we had no idea what to expect.

Half way through the evening, a tache adorned Shears apologised for being away for so long and revealed he had thought at one point he may never release music again, dissatisfied with the quality of what he was coming up with.

He persevered, and tonight we saw and heard the fruit of his labours, love and in the case new thumper Sex on the Brain, his loins. Having heard his new effort Creep City via Soundcloud, I expected a familiarity in the new material for Scissor fans and all that we have grown to love is evident in the new set; Lust, love, humour and funk in spades, all presented wrapped in that familiar voice which suggests bourbon, velvet, faded music hall and Elton John before his heterosexual years. In short it’s epic.

Of course it helps that Shears shits charisma, and from the second he appears on stage to set opener Good Friends, it feels as though we are. There is a smattering of Scissor classics including Laura, Take Your Mama both driven into the set with a new urgency that screams the promise of sweaty sex, and a paired down country influenced I Don’t Feel Like Dancing which is the post coital cigarette as the sun comes up over last night’s party.

But it is the new material that soars. The self poking fun of Big Bushy Moustache, the teasing Clothes Off (at one point I thought he might) and the spine chilling The Bruiser.

Since Jake Shears leapt into our radios and onto the Brit Awards more than a decade ago, the music world has changed beyond recognition.

In a universe where only Adele appears to shift physical units of anything, it’s difficult to know where he will sit or indeed wiggle, and who will listen. But based on tonight’s performance alone, this solo boy deserves to be massive, and his fine new collection too.

Tonight, I was in the presence of greatness, and his name was Jake Shears.

Creep City is available on SoundCloud.
@craigscontinuum

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