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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE Pride Guide 2012

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www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com

A day in the sun

James Hillier jumps for the volleyball during a late afternoon game at the third annual Akron Pride picnic in Copley. Several hundred people, including his teammates Ken Kordet, left, and Brandon Duncan, enjoyed the June 2 event at Sportsman's Park. The picnic, also known as We Are Family Too, is the first Pride event of the year in northeast Ohio. It benefits Violet's Cupboard, the battered women's shelter of Summit and Medina counties, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

-Brian DeWitt

communitygroups

Hope takes action: Consider joining an HIV vaccine trial

by Todd Williams

Cleveland-Every June the LGBT community comes together to get their heart on, recalling the sacrifices and celebrating a movement that kickstarted in 1969. In the present day, those sacrifices and celebrations continue with hard-fought victories in areas such as military service, equal protections, and activism around HIV and AIDS, among others. (And we all know more needs to be done.)

That sense of activism happens in big as well as subtler gestures: Over the years, thousands of people in the LGBT community have enrolled in HIV vaccine trials, doing their part to continue to fight this worldwide epidemic. Folks have truly stepped up to do their part. More work needs to be done. Why not consider enrolling in a vaccine trial?

Northeast Ohio has had the privilege to be a location for substantial research in HIV and AIDS. Over the last year and a half, the Case Western Reserve University Clinical Trials Unit has been enrolling participants in a national HIV vaccine trial.

Pride month is the perfect time to get involved in an HIV vaccine trial. If you are a man who has sex with men, or are a transgendered female who has sex with men, between the ages of 18 and 50, you may be eligible to join the trial. If you don't meet these requirements,

you can help get the word out about this important work. Check out www.hopetakesaction.org for further details or contact the Clinical Trials Unit at 216-844-4444 or e-mail info@case.edu.

Attending the Cleveland Pride celebration on Saturday, June 23? The Clinical Trials Unit will be part of the parade, and will then staff a booth at the festival; stop by for detailed information and some fun swag. (Feeling weird about inquiring about study participation while at the festival? Contact the Clinical Trials Unit at the information above-every interaction is kept confidential when calling or e-mailing.)

The response from the Northeast Ohio LGBT community has been powerful, and the Clinical Trials Unit is thankful for the sense of activism from participants who have chosen to be a part of the study. However, much work needs to continue, and more participants are needed.

Remember that this is a national study, and one important detail: Participants cannot get HIV by being in the trial. The vaccine does not contain the HIV virus and cannot cause HIV infection.

Show what a big heart you have, help your community, and volunteer today!

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