It's cooler today, but about a 100 times more humid. It's truly, truly disgusting and like living on a planet with unscented pea soup for atmosphere.
Today's goal: Letting a bunch of anger go because it doesn't matter if it's right or justified or if I'm entitled to my emotions. It's not solving anything, it's not going to solve anything, and it's just distracting from pretty much everything else in my life. Ah, parents.
Another hard day of work today, but then things ease up and Patty and I have dance tickets tomorrow and there's a vintage beach thing we're going to on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Last night Patty and I had a hilarious and sort of bizarre conversation about how Cardiff will be good for her career as a pirate.
In the UK does anyone have a feeling about Easy Hotel vs. Travelodge?
Having done a bit of reading on Tomorrow's Joe yesterday, I think I'll be able to manage writing my proposal for the D*C academic conference today.
Also, this just crossed my radar. There's adapting the death stuff (current paper isn't just about Ianto at all, but there's plenty of room to do something on death and mourning across DW properties, because yo, regeneration), and there's the deromanticization of immortality across Jack's arc thing I've been screwing with. I'll come up with something.
I'm also being a responsible person and joining The Popular Culture Association (today) and The Science Fiction Research Association (actually in 2011, since they run their membership by calendar years and it's stupid to join now, grrr). 'Cause like I should, or something.
A non-scientific poll on body image and geek events. One thing that popped out at me: over 40% of respondents (who are overwhelmingly female) report having experienced unwanted touching at cons. Check it out.
A man who sleeps with a prostitute is not allowed to donate blood for one year. A gay man may not donate blood ever. Debate on blood donation rules heats up.
Last night on Buffy: I'm so glad that Dawn shoplifting thing is finally out. Because that was so awkward and looming. Not sure how I feel about Willow refusing to do magic when it was a pragmatic solution to a potentially life and death problem. And then fucking Riley comes back! Like the wife. Riley's still boring. Spike is "the Doctor?!?" I like Buffy's acceptance that dumb-ass schemes are just part of who Spike is. Love her calling him William. Don't necessarily believe she was just using him or that I would have written her walking away there and in that way. Was grateful for the break from Evil Nerd Conglomerate.
I assume the gay thing does not apply to women there? It's men who have sex with men here only. I can't donate blood for other reasons (including my weight and that celiac is classified as an auto-immune disorder despite being non-contagious).
Really? This may have changed since I last attempted to give blood (my hematocrit has always been too low to donate), but the way the question was phrased at the time (~15 years ago?), I assumed that if one had ever had sex with a man who had had sex with a man, one was out.
That may be true, I can't recall (since, again with the, I can't give blood for like 800 other reasons). What I meant was it does not explicitly exclude gay women for being gay, and I got the impression from what eumelia said that in Israel is excludes gay women as well.
And it turns out I misread eumelia, so it's moot. But yeah, it wouldn't make sense at all. Israel is, as far as I can tell from my discussions with her, very "what the hell is a lesbian?"
Well, on top of that, the whole donation ban thing was supposed to scrub the blood pool of HIV and Hep C, and women tend not to transmit either of those to other women. (And now, of course, there's all the complicated "if you lived in these places where variant CJD has been found for X period of time, you can't give blood" stuff.)
You were slightly vague. But now everyone clarified to everyone at the same time which has actually made this more confusion, but we all understand what's going on now!
Just looked at the Red Cross site. Restriction phrasing is:
You should not give blood if you have AIDS or have ever had a positive HIV test, or if you have done something that puts you at risk for becoming infected with HIV.
You are at risk for getting infected if you:
* have ever used needles to take drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor * are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977 * have ever taken money, drugs or other payment for sex since 1977 * have had sexual contact in the past 12 months with anyone described above * received clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia * were born in, or lived in, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea,Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria, since 1977. * since 1977, received a blood transfusion or medical treatment with a blood product in any of these countries, or * had sex with anyone who, since 1977, was born in or lived in any of these countries. Learn more about HIV Group O, and the specific African countries where it is found.
And the hepatitis restriction: If you live with or have had sexual contact with a person who has hepatitis, you must wait 12 months after the last contact. Persons who have been detained or incarcerated in a facility (juvenile detention, lockup, jail, or prison) for more than 72 consecutive hours (3 days) are deferred for 12 months from the date of last occurrence. This includes work release programs and weekend incarceration. These persons are at higher risk for exposure to infectious diseases.
Wait 12 months after receiving a blood transfusion (unless it was your own "autologous" blood), non-sterile needle stick/body piercing or exposure to someone else's blood.
Wait 12 months following a human bite, in which the skin was broken.
I am now ineligible, because I have slept with a man (monogamously, and after exhaustive std testing for both of us) who has slept with another man (monogamously, and using protection, and a long time ago). I am ineligible until it has been 12 months since I have slept with my partner. Or, y'know, forever, if we stay together in our monogamous and std-free life. :-P
It really pisses me off that it doesn't matter whether you used protection, have been monogamous, and it's been long enough that you are far outside the window where tests might not show it off. All that matters is that obviously teh gays are full of HIV, while unprotected het sex = fine.
Exactly and the problem here is that the NHS, Red Cross et al are just feeding into the very very very ridiculous idea that only gay men have AIDS. According to the Terrence Higgings trust MORE people believe that idea NOW than did 20 years ago. The ignorance is growing and this foolishness is not helping
Yeah, there's no mentioning of women who have sex with women. It's only men who have sex with men all over the West as far as I'm aware. The thing is that I tried to explain that the unsafe sex clause was applicable to everyone because no one is immune to AIDS and other STI's and she was like, well what can I do, we go according to the European Model. Gah, like blocks of wood.
There's hardly any knowledge in my parts regarding women who have sex with women. I had to explain to my GYN that yes I am sexually active, no not with a man, yeah that really is sex! Jesus. And she's got a good reputation to boot.
At least when doctors here in Massachusetts ask me what form of birth control I use, and I say, "Lesbianism," they don't do more than pause to let the little wheels turn a few rotations before writing a note on the form.
Yeah, I was noticing from the comments on the link, that there's this implicit assumption that women don't do anal and that gay men (high risk!) never sleep with a women 'just once'.
Perhaps they need to re-phrase entirely: have you had any sexual contact other than with an exclusive, established monogamous partner in the last month?
Or more simply even: Have you had sex in the last two weeks?
And they are still happy to take my blood even though the alopecia is auto-immune. Huh.
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:13 pm (UTC)Really? This may have changed since I last attempted to give blood (my hematocrit has always been too low to donate), but the way the question was phrased at the time (~15 years ago?), I assumed that if one had ever had sex with a man who had had sex with a man, one was out.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:20 pm (UTC)Including gay women in a ban doesn't make any sense to me. But I suppose that the medical establishment just doesn't always make sense.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:23 pm (UTC)There's barely acknowledgement that gay women have sex (with each other, without a man somewhere to watch).
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:25 pm (UTC)Sorry for the confuzzling.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:20 pm (UTC)What shit.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:38 pm (UTC)You should not give blood if you have AIDS or have ever had a positive HIV test, or if you have done something that puts you at risk for becoming infected with HIV.
You are at risk for getting infected if you:
* have ever used needles to take drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor
* are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977
* have ever taken money, drugs or other payment for sex since 1977
* have had sexual contact in the past 12 months with anyone described above
* received clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia
* were born in, or lived in, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea,Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria, since 1977.
* since 1977, received a blood transfusion or medical treatment with a blood product in any of these countries, or
* had sex with anyone who, since 1977, was born in or lived in any of these countries. Learn more about HIV Group O, and the specific African countries where it is found.
And the hepatitis restriction:
If you live with or have had sexual contact with a person who has hepatitis, you must wait 12 months after the last contact.
Persons who have been detained or incarcerated in a facility (juvenile detention, lockup, jail, or prison) for more than 72 consecutive hours (3 days) are deferred for 12 months from the date of last occurrence. This includes work release programs and weekend incarceration. These persons are at higher risk for exposure to infectious diseases.
Wait 12 months after receiving a blood transfusion (unless it was your own "autologous" blood), non-sterile needle stick/body piercing or exposure to someone else's blood.
Wait 12 months following a human bite, in which the skin was broken.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:39 pm (UTC)It's still egregious and hateful.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:45 pm (UTC)I am now ineligible, because I have slept with a man (monogamously, and after exhaustive std testing for both of us) who has slept with another man (monogamously, and using protection, and a long time ago). I am ineligible until it has been 12 months since I have slept with my partner. Or, y'know, forever, if we stay together in our monogamous and std-free life. :-P
It really pisses me off that it doesn't matter whether you used protection, have been monogamous, and it's been long enough that you are far outside the window where tests might not show it off. All that matters is that obviously teh gays are full of HIV, while unprotected het sex = fine.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:47 pm (UTC)...oh wait.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 07:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:39 pm (UTC)No one ever bothered to tell me that.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:13 pm (UTC)Gah, like blocks of wood.
There's hardly any knowledge in my parts regarding women who have sex with women. I had to explain to my GYN that yes I am sexually active, no not with a man, yeah that really is sex!
Jesus.
And she's got a good reputation to boot.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:30 pm (UTC)At least when doctors here in Massachusetts ask me what form of birth control I use, and I say, "Lesbianism," they don't do more than pause to let the little wheels turn a few rotations before writing a note on the form.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-27 04:15 pm (UTC)Perhaps they need to re-phrase entirely: have you had any sexual contact other than with an exclusive, established monogamous partner in the last month?
Or more simply even: Have you had sex in the last two weeks?
And they are still happy to take my blood even though the alopecia is auto-immune. Huh.