Safety Net St. Patrick's Day Party @ Tommy's!

Wednesday, March 17th
7-10PM (or whenever)

Tommy's Restaurant - Gay/Bear Night
825 Saybrook Road
Middletown, CT

Directions, menu, etc here: http://www.tommysrestaurant.com/

Join us for a fun night at Tommy's Restaurant in Middletown. It's gay & bear night, so join the guys and the Safety Net crew for a fun night of food, drinks, and FREE STUFF to celebrate St Patrick's Day!

Bring your cell phones and wireless devices and send out this month's Safety Net message on site for your chance to win prizes, gift cards, and more!

It's gonna be fun night. We'll see you there! Rock out with your shamrock out!

-jamie

Show YOUR True Colors... wink wink

Hey er'rybodddy!

It's time for the weekend, woohoo! Hopefully you're on your way out to enjoy the True Colors conference, the world's largest LGBTQIA youth conference being held at UConn in Storrs today and tomorrow, and you're psyched for the great workshops, free giveaways, amazing information, really cool brilliant people, fun gay stuff to buy, and FUN FUN FUN events and basically the biggest gayest day for LGBTQIA youth I can think of. Always a good time.

But maybe you've got even gayer activities planned for the weekend, like... um... well, I guess the only thing more queer than the True Colors conference is gay sex itself! (Although I saw this Facebook post about the conference today: "Damn. That's gay. But not as gay as eating a unicorn sandwich at a Liza Minnelli conference while wearing a Mariah Carey t-shirt and twirling a baton dipped in glitter." And yeah, that's possibly gayer than gay sex).

Anyway, if you might be gettin' lucky this weekend, DO get some fun GREEN condoms from HGLHC to celebrate spring and/or St Patrick's Day. And speaking of colorful condoms, I found this really fun, hot sex game from a Johns Hopkins newsletter. Yes, we nerds have sex, too! Here's a hot sex game idea:

"Condoms don't need to have such a negative stigma. In fact, with
the right attitude and the right choices, condoms can be fun and can provide another reason to play games in bed. For example, a friend of mine assigns each "activity" a color, picks a condom randomly and they do whatever the color is -- while using the condom."

Why didn't I think of that?! We just got a new shipment of all kinds of fun rainbow color condoms so you can have ALL varieties of "activities" depending on what color condom you use... brings a whole new meaning to "collect them all!" In fact, I challenge you to go ahead and stop by to pick up an assortment of rainbow rubbers to try this out. Hey, I'll even have 'em right near the front door for you so you can just get in and out and on with it. I meant the condom pick-up, not the condom useage! Oh, your poor deprived partner.

Then come back here and post your most creative safer sex ideas (positions, activities, places, etc!), one for each color of the rainbow. Sounds hot!

-jamie

Have a really happy St. Patrick's Day!

Don't miss the condom of the month at Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective... pick up your free condoms in four-leaf-clover green in their spring-grass-green wrappers to celebrate spring or St. Patrick's Day in style!

Get lucky with lubricated LifeStyles brand condoms, and...

rock out with your shamrock out!


Grab your free condoms & safer sex kits at HGLHC, 1841 Broad St in Hartford. Stop in and say hi to the safer sex squad, or talk to Jamie to become part of the Safety Net team-- you could win great gift cards, have fun, and hook your friends up with cool, free goodies.




Congratulations to Austin, our most recent Safety Net teammate who won our monthly drawing for a $25 gift card. Austin has been a stellar participant in Safety Net since its humble beginnings and is one of the funniest & nicest guys I know. He's also helped to come up with previous Safety Net messages and is actively involved in social and community-building events in Hartford, CT, and beyond.

At right is one of my my favorite pics of him, giving some serious sexy face! Thanks again for being on the Safety Net team.

January's Second Safety Net Message

Congratulations to ERNESTO, our Safety Net volunteer winner of the month! He received a $25 gift card to Dunkin Donuts for his participation this month in the Safety Net HIV prevention program. I want to encourage our Safety Net volunteers to fill out the online survey after your participation each month. You, too, could win fabulous gift cards and prizes while helping the community!

If you’d like to become a Safety Net volunteer, text or call me, Jamie, at 860-268-3777 (add me into your contacts as Jamie Bassell if you want) to get started.

If you’re already a volunteer, GREAT! Please go ahead and send out the 2nd message of January:

Use a condom with your partner tonight. It’ll look good on you! ;) From your friends @ Safety Net. More info: www.hglhc.org/safetynet

(This can also be abbrvt’d in the following txt form)

use a condom w ur partner 2night. It’ll look gr8 on u! from ur friends @ Safety Net. hglhc.org/safetynet

Condoms can be sexy, and HGLHC has many colors, flavors, textures, brands, and varieties. Some have lube, studs or ribs for extra pleasure, and others even glow in the dark! Be creative, be sexy, be safe.

All kinds of condoms are available for free at Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective. Stop in for a sampler pack or see what we have to offer. Find the perfect condom for you and your partner.


Make a stylish statement with different styles available.
They're the perfect way to accessorize any outfit... especially a birthday suit. ;)

Express yourself AND protect yourself!

From your friends,
-The Safety Net Team

Happy New Year from Safety Net @ HGLHC!

Safety Net wants to help you get a head start on your new year's resolution to have a happy and healthy 2010. From now until January 22nd, get a FREE rapid HIV test at Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective (HGLHC) when you present the text or email you received with this information, or mention the code "SN2010."

Call, email, or IM to make an appointment. Contact details for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective are below:

Location: 1841 Broad St, Hartford CT. Just a block south of Trinity College.
Phone: (860) 278-4163 (ext 17 for Jamie B, and/or her confidential voicemail)
Email: jamieb@hglhc.org (confidential email address for Jamie B, Safety Net project coordinator and HIV Counselor)
AOL Instant Messenger Screen Name: HGLHC




And new for 2010... make a resolution to find the perfect condom for you and your partner(s).

http://www.condomdepot.com/product/detail.cfm/nid/212/pid/2474

Or pick up your free condoms at HGLHC. We always have tons of fun varieties to try and they are completely, totally, 100% free of charge!


Be Well! Be Yourself.

Jamie
--The Safety Net Team @ HGLHC

Safer Sex is Hot Sex.... bring the movement back!

Our Mid-December SAFETY NET message is:

Safer sex is HOT sex. See why at http://hglhc-safety-net.blogspot.com/. A message from the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective. Be Well. Be Yourself.

In the 90's, there was a big push for the "safer sex is hot sex" campaign to bring awareness about HIV prevention through the practice of safer sex-- using condoms to during anal (and oral) sex to prevent the body-fluid exchange* that can cause HIV infection.

Let's bring back hot, sexy, horny, amazing, safe, fun, passionate, amazing sex! We can enjoy ourselves and avoid HIV and STDs if we all agree to use condoms each and every time we have sex. Keep yourselves and your partners & loved ones safe. Safer sex is hot sex!

http://www.safesexishotsex.com/

*Did you know.... the main bodily fluids that can transmit HIV are:

1. Semen (aka cum, jizz, ejaculate, cream, load, wad, etc!) If you have any other fun word suggestions.... add them as a response to this post! ;)


2. Blood (through sharing needles used for drugs or hormones or other purposes, or also if delicate tissue on/in/around the anus or penis tears or gets cut during sex)


3. Vaginal fluids (when having sex with a woman, this is the "wetness" or lubrication in and around a woman's vagina)


4. Breast milk (specifically, when transmitted from mother to child)

You can always get safe, confidential testing at the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective and talk with an HIV counselor, STD nurse or doctor about your sexual health concerns and get tested in a caring, judgment-free environment.

Or, find your nearest HIV testing site by going to: http://hivtest.org/

Be Well. Be Yourself!

Love from your Safety Net friends
at the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective <3

Whether you've been naughty or nice this year...

... it's always a good idea to stay in charge of your health. Why not stop in for a routine HIV and STD testing as a holiday gift for yourself and your partner or partners?

Make an appointment at HGLHC for services including STD diagnosis and treatment, HIV counseling and testing, Hepatits A&B screening and immunization, and a variety of social and health/wellness groups for the LGBTQIA and HIV/AIDS communities.

More info on all that HGLHC has to offer: http://www.hglhc.org

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

HIV and AIDS in Connecticut... yes, it's happening here.

Facts about HIV/AIDS in Connecticut:
Unless otherwise noted, statistics from the CT Dept. of Public Health HIV/AIDS Surveillance Reports

• Since 1980, there have been 19,123 reported cases of HIV/AIDS in Connecticut.
• 10,860 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the state as of 12/31/2008.
• Nearly 20,000 people in CT are estimated to be living with HIV; up to 30% of those infected with HIV are unaware of their HIV+ status.
• CT ranks 14th in the nation in AIDS cases per capita.
• In 2005, CT had the fastest growing rate of AIDS in New England. (Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts)
• In 2008, 14% of newly reported cases of HIV/AIDS were in people under the age of 29.
• Proportionately, Connecticut leads the nation in the number of AIDS cases among injecting drug users; third in cases among women; and third in the nation in cases among Latinos and Latinas. (Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts)

Safety Net is an important way to reach all of our communities in Connecticut to let them know that HIV/AIDS is important and still relevant, even though it may not be at the forefront of public health awareness issues. You can keep yourself safe by using condoms correctly every time you have sex with your parnter(s). You can help keep your friends safe by participating in Safety Net to text or email them about the importance of safer sex and HIV prevention, and having important conversations with them about these issues.

-Jamie
Safety Net Project Captain

October's Safety Net Message!

The Safety Net message for October:

Be sure to check your candy this Halloween. ;) HIV&STD testing at HGLHC. More info at www.hglhc.org or http://hglhc-safety-net.blogspot.com

The Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective (HGLHC) offers confidential and compassionate HIV rapid testing (results in 20 minutes) and STD testing and treatment. We specialize in serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning community and our straight/heterosexual allies, as well.

Call HGLHC at 860-278-4163 or send a confidential email to me, Jamie, at jamieb@hglhc.org (the Safety Net project captain and author of this blog!) and I would be happy to make on appointment to see you for HIV counseling and testing, or to set you up with an appointment with any of our caring staff and volunteers, including HIV counselors, our STD nurse, doctors, and medical professionals.

And some words of wisdom from my good friend Darth Vader, who might be making an appearance at the RainbowRoom Halloween Dance...



Yes, he's holding a glow in the dark condom! They're the perfect accessory for any Halloween costume, really...

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Jamie~~
~~ The Safety Net Team @ HGLHC

Trick or Treat!

Too old to trick or treat this year? Satisfy your sweet tooth @ HGLHC with delicious condoms and sexxxy lubes in delicious candy flavors-- strawberry, banana, vanilla, butterscotch, fresh peach, kiwi, berry-licious, cool mint, and bubblegum blast!

Have a VERY happy Halloween! Safe sex is hot sex, and you can get your fix of the flavors you crave at HGLHC with our free flavored condoms, lubricants, and dental dams.

Unsure about what costume to wear to those fun Halloween events going on this year, like HGLHC's Halloween Bingo @ Marco Polo on Halloween Night (10/31), 6:30 PM, or the RainbowRoom Youth Halloween Dance, the under 21 dance at the Pond House in West Hartford?? Condoms make a great costume accessory-- Mardi Gras Miguel tosses beads, flavored condoms and lubes -- "catch prizes, not STDs!"

Having safer sex (using condoms or other barriers) means you can have more fun, because you don't have to have any worry even a little bit about the risks of HIV and STDs associated with having unprotected sex. Take care of yourselves-- you're worth it!

Speaking of trick or treating, one way you don't want to be tricked is by having a hookup before talking about your HIV status with your partner. HIV is a big deal-- there is no cure, and it can seriously impact your life and your health. Know your status: get tested at HGLHC or at your nearest HIV testing site. And talk to your partners before you have sex about their status. Encourage your partners to get tested if they haven't had a recent test (in the last 6 months, or with any new partners, especially if they had unprotected sex).



--The Safety Net Team