The semiannual Gay Men's Health Summit will be held Oct. 19-23 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bringing activists, health care professionals, service providers, researchers, and policymakers together to address health issues of interest to the gay, bisexual, and transgender men's communities.

"While many of the challenges facing gay, bisexual, and trans men are daunting, it's important to recognize that many gay men, both HIV-positive and -negative, remain healthy and make important changes to further improve their health, individually and in the communities where they live," said David Ferguson of the Utah AIDS Foundation, the conference host.

The genesis of the conference in 1999 grew from the concern of community advocates who felt it was necessary to discuss health needs beyond just HIV/AIDS. With HIV service provision becoming professionalized, advocates believed that the public conversation about gay men's health needed to move beyond "disease and victimization" and toward the community's "assets and our collective resistance and resilience," said Ferguson.

The conference's 100-plus workshops will include topics such as hepatitis C, crystal methamphetamine, holistic and complementary health approaches, health insurance, online dating, same-sex marriage, sexual abuse and domestic violence, and age-related health issues.

For more information, telephone Ferguson at 801-487-2323.

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