The Wire

More than 5000 scientists, HIV clinicians and community leaders came together in Sydney today for the fourth International AIDS Society Conference – where leading reseachers presented reports concerning new treatments for the disease, as well as strategies to support both HIV/AIDS sufferers and health systems in developing countries. One often overlooked aspect of the HIV/AIDS issue in Australia is the ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. Attempting to draw attention to this outside the conference today was Michael Cain, the young Tasmanian man who is at the centre of a landmark case on gay blood donation, which will resume before the State Anti-Discrimination tribunal in August. The Wire was there.