By Christopher Cappiello

Colombian Gays Win Property Rights

Colombia’s highest court ruled Feb. 7 that gay and lesbian couples that have been together at least two years must be granted the same property rights as heterosexual couples.

The gay rights group Colombia Diversa estimated that more than 100,000 couples would benefit from the Constitutional Court’s decision.

In October, the Colombian Senate passed a law that same-sex couples should be granted the same social security benefits that straight couples enjoy. The court’s decision on property rights was not necessarily an endorsement of civil partnerships, an issue currently being debated in the legislature.

Maria Sanchez, director of Colombia Diversa, told BBC News that until now many same-sex couples have had to create commercial partnerships in order to ensure that shared possessions would be passed on to a surviving partner.

“Laws are not enough,” Sanchez told BBC. “An important cultural shift is needed ... for discrimination to end.”

Merck HIV Vaccine Undergoes Trial in South Africa

The first large-scale HIV vaccine trial in South Africa was announced Feb. 8, as the international HIV Vaccine Trials Network and the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative join forces to test a Merck vaccine among 3,000 HIV-negative men and women, BBC News reports.

“South Africa is an excellent choice for this trial,” University of Witwatersrand researcher Glenda Gray told the Guardian newspaper. “Whilst there are numerous countries with similar high levels of infection, South Africa is unique in its good clinical infrastructure, a well-established national HIV vaccine initiative and experience in running clinical trials.”

Participants are men and women ages 18-35 who are sexually active but not pregnant. Half will be given the vaccine, and half will be given a placebo version. All participants will be counseled on safe-sex practices and be given condoms. In addition, based on recent studies demonstrating that circumcision can significantly reduce the rate of female-to-male HIV transmission, male participants will be given the option of free circumcision. Researchers are hoping to learn how the vaccine works among the heterosexual population, particularly women.

The vaccine does not contain live HIV, so it alone cannot result in infection. Instead, the injection will include copies of three HIV genes that scientists hope will cause an immune response that will result in future recognition and destruction of the AIDS virus by the immune system.

If the trial is successful, researchers will probably plan a much larger study in three to five years.

Gay Canadian Minister to Marry in August

George Smitherman, deputy premier and health minister for the Canadian province of Ontario, told the Toronto Star that he and his longtime boyfriend, Christopher Peloso, would marry this summer.

“I’m going to make a long-term commitment to Christopher in August, and then I’m hoping that the people of my [district] are going to make a long-term commitment to me on Oct. 10,” he said at a Liberal Party convention, referring to the fall elections.

Smitherman said he proposed when the couple was visiting Peloso’s family in the northern Ontario town of Sudbury over Christmas. Smitherman became Ontario’s first openly gay member of the Provincial Parliament in 1999.

The Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia legalized same-sex marriage in 2003. Marriage equality was extended to all of Canada in 2005.

10 Million Free Condoms in Brazil for Carnival

The Brazilian Health Ministry announced it would distribute 10 million free condoms before and during Carnival, days of heavy partying leading up to the start of the Christian season of Lent.

“The idea of this campaign is to show that the joy that comes with Carnival must be accompanied by some precautionary measures,” said Health Minister Agenor Alvares, according to the International Herald Tribune.

Brazil has one of the world’s most comprehensive programs for fighting HIV/AIDS, including free antiviral treatments for anyone requiring it. More than 15 million condoms have already been distributed this year. The health ministry estimates that 600,000 Brazilians are HIV-positive.

With 185 million people, Brazil is the largest Catholic nation in the world. The condom distribution program has already received criticism from church officials, including Cardinal Geraldo Majella, who told reporters Feb. 9, “They think that’s going to help, but I don’t believe in that.” Pope Benedict XVI is set to visit the country, the largest in South America, in May.

Over-the-Counter Viagra False Alarm in U.K.

Never mind the latest details on Anna Nicole Smith’s sudden death or Paula Abdul’s strange behavior, the fastest spreading rumor on the Internet in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day was the report that a British pharmacy was planning to sell Viagra over the counter. Not so, says the British Department of Health.

The rumor began when the pharmacy chain, Boots, announced a six-month pilot program in which three of its Manchester stores would conduct in-store consultations that could result in a prescription for the erectile dysfunction drug, previously only available through a general practitioner’s prescription. Numerous news outlets oversimplified the story, and soon the Internet was filled with “over the counter Viagra” reports.

“The press has gotten hold of the story pretty early,” Boot’s Kevin Riley told ABC News. Riley is in charge of the program that will require a 45-60 minute consultation by appointment only, available only to men ages 30-65. Consultations will include tests of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels, as well as a review of the patient’s medical history.

In January in the United States, the AIDS Health Care Foundation filed a lawsuit against Pfizer, accusing the drug manufacturer of encouraging the recreational use of Viagra and indirectly increasing the spread of HIV.