This episode is the first in a four-part series on gay men's health. Dr. Steven Tierney, Deputy Executive Director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, discusses oral sex and its relationship to gay men's health. In upcoming episodes, we'll hear from two of our newest partners, the directors of Stonewall Project and Magnet, two established community health programs that serve gay men in San Francisco. We wrap up the series in late June just before San Francisco Gay Pride by talking with SFAF Executive Director Mark Cloutier about the Foundation's commitment to gay men's health.

In the third episode of the SFAF Podcast, William Bland, Director of Community Programs for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, talks about the connections between spirituality and health in the African-American LGBT community, which is disproportionately affected by HIV. Demonstrating that faith-based programs can be implemented outside of "faith-based institutions," Bland and the Black Brothers Esteem program are innovating integrated approaches to building community and individual health.

You can read about the story behind the BBE Life of Hope Spirituality Forum or get more information about the event at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation web site.

In our second episode, Erik Ireland speaks with Dana Van Gorder, Director of State & Local Affairs for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, about the new California methamphetamine abuse prevention fund and plans for a statewide campaign to deter meth use. Data show a significant relationship between meth use and HIV risk among a range of population groups, including gay men.

Van Gorder develops and monitors legislation and budgets in Sacramento and San Francisco that impact HIV/AIDS programs.  He has served as the Coordinator of Lesbian & Gay Health Services for the San Francisco Department of Public Health and is a founder of the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center Project.