GUILT "If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible." (Leviticus 5:17 – NIV) Do you ever feel guilty about things you shouldn't feel guilty about and not feel guilty about things Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for Your you should feel guilty about? Word, the Bible, which instructs me in how to I do! Why is this? A major reason is that we tend behave and live. Please help me to re-educate to think in terms of guilt as an emotional response and reprogram my conscience so the way I feel that comes from our conscience. This, however, will be in direct harmony with Your Word. And can be misleading. then, help me to live in harmony with Your will so I Keep in mind that guilt in the Bible is a legal will always have a clear conscience. Thank You term—not an emotional one. If we do what is for hearing and answering my prayer. Amen." wrong in the eyes of God, we are guilty regardless As adults, to have a healthy conscience we need of how we feel. That's also true of our legal to reprogram or reeducate it to make sure it is in system. If I break the law, I am guilty whether I harmony with the source of all truth and feel guilty or not—or whether I get caught or not. knowledge as to what is right and what is wrong— For some, guilt is more a fear of getting caught. that is God's Word, the Bible. On the other hand, conscience, while very Based on this knowledge, the important thing is to important, is a learned emotional response. The always do what is right regardless of how we feel. word "conscience" comes from "con" meaning As we consistently act in this manner, little by little "with" and "science" meaning "knowledge." Thus (over time) we will reprogram our conscience so it conscience means "with knowledge." We were is in complete harmony with the will and Word of born with the ability to learn what was right and God. what was wrong but the programming of our conscience came largely from those who shaped Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for Your our formative years. For some, a legalistic parent, Word, the Bible, which instructs me in how to behave and live. Please help me to re-educate church or religion gave them a very punitive and reprogram my conscience so the way I feel conscience. At the opposite extreme, a loose-living parent or teacher failed to give any will be in direct harmony with Your Word. And meaningful programming to a child's conscience. then, help me to live in harmony with Your will so I will always have a clear conscience. Thank You As adults, to have a healthy conscience we need for hearing and answering my prayer. Amen." to reprogram or reeducate it to make sure it is in harmony with the source of all truth and knowledge as to what is right and what is wrong— that is God's Word, the Bible. Based on this knowledge, the important thing is to always do what is right regardless of how we feel. As we consistently act in this manner, little by little (over time) we will reprogram our conscience so it is in complete harmony with the will and Word of God.
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Religious Corner: Guilt - Dr. Harvey Carr
Publisher/Executive Editor: David Vandygriff publisher@cityxtramagazine.com
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legal: Corportions Part 1
Editor In Chief: Louis Suffredini editor@cityxtramagazine.com
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jacksonville: UNF Happenings
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Xclusive: Neptune Beach Recount
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views: PrEp 101
- Attorney Gordon Nicol
Creative Designer: Jason Smith designer@cityxtramagazine.com
-Jake Moore
- David Vandygriff
- Adam Seboski HIV Equal
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Contributing Writers Laura Riggs, Dr. Harvey Carr, Attorney Gordon Nicol, Meredith O’Malley Johnson, Tina Vaughn, Jake Moore, Tyler Curry Editor HIV Equal Online, Sebastian Fortino, David Vandygriff, Joey Amato Publisher Unite Magazine
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Club Jax: 1939 Hendricks Ave. (904) 398-7451 clubjax.com
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TAMPA (Ybor) Bradley’s on 7th: 1510 E 7th Ave (813) 241-2723 Liquid Tampa: 1502 E 7th (813) 248-6104 liquidtampa.com
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LEGAL: CORPORTIONS PART I To start a new business there are significant legal issues. This topic is crucial and will have several parts. This is the first part of the series. For the initial concept formation and research: You may think you have a wonderful idea that is unique and are ready to move forward. You get money from friends and family; you begin working on the “product” or “idea” spending weeks, months or possibly years perfecting. You are now ready to launch your product or idea. A week after you have begun your business you get a letter in the mail called a “cease and desist notice.” The notice informs you that your business is in violation of some or many specific issues and that you must stop or the other party may file a law suit. You have no idea what happened, you have to hire an attorney asap and get involved in a very expensive legal battle. By this time, you have spent all of your friends and family money, mortgaged your house and have no way of funding the potential litigation.
In developing a product or idea there are a number of critical legal concerns. You had developed a product -What could you have done to protect yourself in advance from this happening? You had developed an idea – What steps should have been taken in advance to limit potential liability? The Internet is not the answer to your questions. Regardless of what anyone says, “if it is on the internet it is NOT always true.”
Or you have developed a product and don’t want anyone to “steal” it and use it for themselves; so you get a Patent. Everything is moving along and someone comes out with an identical product and is taking away your clients. You had a Patent so what has happened? There are many types of Patents based on what you wish to accomplish. If In developing a product or idea there are a numyou pick the wrong type, or don’t follow up when it ber of critical legal concerns. You had developed is necessary you would have wasted your time a product -What could you have done to protect and money. Understanding the differences in yourself in advance from this happening? You had what sort of Patent, or if one is necessary, is critideveloped an idea – What steps should have cally important. The price of a Patent is also varbeen taken in advance to limit potential liability? ied, based on the type acquired. Protect your inThe Internet is not the answer to your questions. vestment and consult with a lawyer knowledgeaRegardless of what anyone says, “if it is on the ble about all facets of business to help you deinternet it is NOT always true.” cide what is necessary. Our shared goal, with www.Yourjacksonvillelawyer.com is not to spend Or you have developed a product and don’t want your money but help you make money. We want to develop a long-term, rewarding , business / anyone to “steal” it and use it for themselves; so you get a Patent. Everything is moving along and legal relationship with all our clients. someone comes out with an identical product and is taking away your clients. You had a Patent so Gordon T. Nicol, Attorney at Law what has happened? There are many types of Your Jacksonville LawyerPatents based on what you wish to accomplish. If www.yourjacksonvillelawyer.com you pick the wrong type, or don’t follow up when it 7545 Centurion Parkway, Suite 108 Jacksonville, isfriends and family money, mortgaged your FL 32256 house and have no way of funding the potential E-mail : helpdesk@yourjacksonvillelawyer.com litigation. Ph : 904-384-4911 www.cityxtramagazine.com 9
UNF HAPPENINGS The University of North Florida LGBT Resource Center is getting in the Holiday spirit! The entire community is invited to join “Home for the Holidays,� the annual LGBTRC holiday party on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 6-8 p.m., at the Center (UNF, Bldg. 58E, room 1111). There will be light refreshments on hand, but attendees are welcome to bring a dessert or small dish. Along with the Holiday party, LGBTRC will be hosting a panel discussion on HIV with local JASMYN youth, Living Out Loud: a student-centered conversation series spotlighting topics within LGBTQA culture, as well as weekly identityspecific support and discussion groups for students. The LGBT Resource Center would like to wish you happy holidays; we will see you next year after winter break! For more information, visit www.unf.edu/lgbtrc, search for UNF LGBT Resource Center on Facebook, or e-mail unflgbt@unf.edu.
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NEPTUNE BEACH RECOUNT One of the most historic elections in history for North Florida. On election night Rory Diamond was 1 vote behind the incumbent Arthur. After a recount the two candidates are not locked in a tie. The election will not be decided until November 10, 2014 which is the last day the military and overseas ballots can be counted. If Arthur and Diamond remained tied after that, Duval County law calls for a “game of chance” to decide the winner. Holland’s game choice — a coin flip, with the winner of the coin flip, then the other candidate, reaching into a bag filled with pingpong balls numbered 1 to 20 — will take place at 7:30 a.m. Nov. 15, he said. The council hopeful who draws the highest-numbered ball will be certified the winner. This was the first tie in Holland’s 10 years as Duval elections supervisor and Neptune Beach Mayor Harriet Pruette said she did not know of another recount in the city’s past. “We have never had one that close, ever,” she said. “This is making history for Neptune Beach.” The recount was ordered after only one vote separated Arthur and Diamond after Tuesday’s municipal election results were tabulated. Florida law requires a recount when any candidate is defeated by 0.5 percent or less of the votes cast for the office. In the Neptune Beach case, 0.5 percent was 12 votes. The unofficial vote put Arthur at 1,425 votes to 1,424 for Diamond. After provisional ballots were counted,
Diamond led by two, 1,449 to 1,447. The candidates said after the recount that the process was fair, however odd the out come. “It’s been an up-and-down roller coaster, like a college football game,” Arthur said. “But there’s nothing you can do at this point.” Diamond said that if he does not win after any military and overseas ballots are counted or in the game of chance he may file a lawsuit. He said he disputes a particular ballot being accepted as a vote for Arthur in the recount. The voter marked an area between the two candidates’ names — though slightly closer to Arthur’s — but did not fill in either circle beside their names. “I respectfully disagree,” he said. “No part of that circle was filled in. … I feel that is not a valid vote.” Arthur, 37, said his experience as a business owner and four years on the council qualified him for another term. Diamond, 35, an attorney, said he could use his legal expertise to update the municipal code and the interlocal agreement, which outlines services the city gets from Duval County.
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PrEP 101: The Basics of the HIV Prevention Pill What do you know about preexposure prophylaxis, the HIV prevention pill commonly known as PrEP? Some folks know a lot about it, and some don’t know much at all. Thanks to things like the Internet and social media, there are tons of pages of information about PrEP at your fingertips. However, I still talk to people every day who have never heard of it. I am more than thrilled to spread the word, and I think all you PrEPsters can do your community a great service by also sharing what you know.
two drugs, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, that jam up the HIV replication process inside host cells. Without replicating, an HIV infection cannot take hold.
PrEP only works when you take it. That’s kind of a no-brainer, right? Like birth control pills or blood pressure medications, if you don’t take the pills, they won’t work. When you take Truvada once a day, seven days Pre-exposure prophylaxis is a a week, you are 99 percent progeneral term for any medical tected from HIV. Even if you intervention before a possible miss a pill or two, you’re still exposure to prevent infection. highly protected. It takes seven For example, when someone is days of dosage adherence for planning a trip to an area prone you to reach maximum protecto malaria-carrying mosquitoes, tion from HIV, and it’s important their doctor may prescribe them to continue to take the pills at medications to take before deleast 28 days after a possible parture to prevent them from exposure. The pill you took yesbecoming infected. The same terday will provide you with a concept also holds true for HIV. great deal of protection today, PrEP for HIV involves an HIVbut the condom you used yesternegative individual taking antiday will not protect you at all retroviral medicines in order to today. What’s really unique and prevent HIV infection. special about PrEP is that it’s an HIV prevention tool that can be The FDA approved Truvada for entirely separate from the act of sex itself, like condoms. While PrEP in 2012. Gilead Sciences Inc., based in the San Francisco no HIV prevention tool is 100 Bay Area, is the pharmaceutical percent effective, PrEP certainly is getting us pretty close. company that makes Truvada. The drug has been used in combination with other drugs as part The Centers for Disease Control of an HIV treatment regimen (CDC) recommends PrEP as since 2004. Truvada contains one prevention option for sexual-
ly-active adult gay and bisexual men who are at “substantial risk” for HIV infection. According to the CDC, someone at “substantial risk” has an HIV-positive sexual partner, had a recent STI, has a high number of sex partners, has a history of inconsistent or no condom use, or is a commercial sex worker. That sounds like a lot of men to me. So, why aren’t more gay men on it? PrEP has been a topic of research for many years. Some HIV-negative guys have been using Truvada for PrEP for years and years without a prescription, even before it was approved by the FDA for prevention in 2012. Uptake was slow at first, and early adopters had to deal with stigma and other barriers to access. That’s when the term “Truvada Whore” was born, as a disparaging term for a person on PrEP. Early critics believed that PrEP would encourage HIV-negative gay men to give up condoms and have sex with reckless abandon. People like Michael Weinstein of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and
PrEP 101: The Basics of the HIV Prevention Pill and AIDS-activist Larry Kramer have been the most vocal opponents. Thankfully, those two gentlemen are in the minority, as almost all HIV/AIDS organizations in the USA support this new HIV prevention strategy. As time went on, the HIV prevention world reached a general consensus that PrEP works if you take it. While the stigma in the gay community still exists, it has definitely cooled down over the past few years. More and more folks are beginning to embrace it as another tool in the prevention toolkit. As we near the end of 2014, much of the conversation has shifted from “Does it work?” to “It works! So, how do I get it?”
caid plans cover Truvada as PrEP, folks many have to pay a lot of money out of pocket for co-pays. Thankfully, Gilead has a co-pay assistance plan for people with insurance that will cover up to $300 a month. For the lucky ones, PrEP can be completely free. Without insurance, Truvada costs around $1,300 a month. Gilead has been very generous with its assistance plans. However, there are still communities who are vastly under served. While the major cities in the USA have PrEP studies or demonstration projects, once you step out into the suburbs, it’s not as Socio-economic barriers stand in easy. If PrEP is the way for many gay men who may benefit the most from PrEP. really going to shift the tide of While most insurance and Medi HIV prevention, we really need
to find a way to get it to socioeconomically disadvantaged gay men outside of the big cities. So now you’re pretty much a PrEP expert. And maybe, hopefully, you might want to share what you know with a friend. In order for PrEP to have an even bigger impact on the end of HIV/ AIDS, we have to talk about it. So get talking!