Many elderly people function and behave normally despite the fact that a brain scan (or later, an autopsy) will display characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease. So, why do some people become demented while others remain mentally sound even though their brains appear similarly diseased? It’s all a matter of proteins and synapses, say UCLA investigators. Compared to…
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It’s Time To Let Gay Men Give Blood Again
This past Sunday a horrible act of terrorism occurred at Pulse Night Club, a gay club located in Orlando, Florida.
An armed gunman entered the club and opened fire killing 49 people and leaving over 50 other injured.
Local hospitals were in desperate need of blood and encouraged people to come out and donate to help save the lives of the victims of the shooting.
But because of the restrictions set out by the FDA, gay men, the group of people that was targeted during this attack, were not allowed to donate.
These “deferrals,” as the FDA calls them, were first put in place in 1983, during the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States.
They were put into place back when there still wasn’t much information out there about HIV/AIDS and a false stigma existed that made people think only gay people could contract the disease, which we now know to be far from the truth.
It is true that back then HIV/AIDS were more common within the LGBT+ community, but that is because at the time the use of protection during sex wasn’t thought to be necessary and was rarely ever used.
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The FDA had initially banned any man who had sexual contact with another man and any women who has had sexual contact with a man who had sexual contact with another man.
In 2015 the rules were loosened up slightly and now only restricts men who have had sexual contact with another man within the last twelve months. This prevents any sexually active gay man to be a donor.
These rules are outdated and this week prevented some members of the LGBT+ community from being able to give blood to help support and potentially save lives of the victims of their own community who were attacked.
In recent years precautions been taken within the LGBT+ community to raise awareness about contracting HIV/AIDS as well as the importance of using protection and getting regularly tested.
There have also been many scientific advancements since the restriction was first put into place and now all donated blood is screened for many different types of blood-borne, diseases including HIV/AIDS.
The ban on gay men donating blood needs to be lifted.
It was written decades ago based fear and false stigmas.
We have progressed far enough to know now that any person can contract HIV/AIDS, not just gay men.
We need to stop excusing these negative stereotypes and make a change to these rules.
Every healthy and able person should be able to help their communities and donate in trying times such as these, and we need to no longer let ignorance stop them from doing so.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
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Apple Apologizes After Australian Store Asks Black Kids To Leave Over Fear They Would Steal Something
”These guys are … just a bit worried you might steal something…I need to ask you to leave our store.”
Those were the words of a manager of an Apple store in Melbourne, Australia as he was asking a group of six black schoolboys to leave the premises of the tech store.
According to the BBC, the schoolboys believed that the incident was racially motivated and the American tech giant even issued an apology after a video of the encounter was released.
“Inclusion and diversity are among Apple’s core values. We believe in equality for everyone, regardless of race, age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation,” Apple said in a statement obtained by the BBC. “That applies throughout our company, around the world with no exceptions. We’ve looked into the details of the situation and we apologise to the customers involved. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure all our customers are treated the way they should be.”
The local manager of the Australian also apologized.
The apologies seemed to be enough for at least one of the boys wrongly targeted.
“They apologised, so we’re chilling, no need to take it further,” Mohamed Semra wrote on Facebook according to the Daily Record.
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Cover Photo Credit: matt buchanan/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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South African Women Rise Up In Topless Protest To Fight Against Rape On Their College Campuses
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA- Two weeks ago, a list published on social media detailed 11 names of people accused of raping students at Rhodes University in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa.
The list was released, along with a set of demands by still unknown members of the Rhodes University student body.
Thousands of students protesting under the banner “Unashamed”, began their movement by placing posters on walls with quotes from Rhodes students, management and prosecutors.
The posters were intended to show the prevailing attitudes of those in and around Rhodes regarding rape and the rape culture that is being fostered in Rhodes and without a doubt, other South African universities.
The Unashamed movement, along with anti-rape organisation, Chapter 212 (which refers to Chapter 2(12) of the South African Constitution, which entails the freedom and security of the person,) began the anti-rape campaign in order to challenge the current systems in place for victims of rape and sexual assault in universities and the country.
Since the beginning of the campaign there have been protests on the Rhodes campus.
And while they intended to be peaceful, some students were injured after police fired stun grenades at them.
Five students were arrested for “protesting on a public road.”
WATCH: Video of three of the arrested students
Heavy police presence have been a feature of protests on South African campuses since the #FeesMustFall movement began last year.
It seems then that the #RUReferenceList was released in order to coincide with the larger student campaign for reform and in order to protect women on campus from suspected rapists.
However, the release of the list has been controversial with some people calling for justice to be served, before anyone is outed in a public way.
The implication among young people in this country is that a few members of the movement have had defamation charges brought against them; this has caused further outrage because it seems as though university management is more concerned about the identities of rapists than the safety of women on campus.
The movement prompted protests on campuses across the country, with Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town placing posters, such as the ones in Rhodes, on their campuses.
But the most dramatic protest was held by the women of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Scores of students here partook in a topless protest in solidarity with the women of Rhodes.
Images of the protests at University of the Witwatersrand:
It seems as though this is just the beginning of protests on campuses across South Africa, with the intention of bringing the serious issue of rape on university campuses to the forefront of discussion.
RISE NEWS will continue to cover this story as it develops in South Africa.
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RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Photo Credits: Lungani Gumede/ RISE NEWS.
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