The Associated Free Press reported that on Thursday, April 18, 2008, Uruguay became the first nation in Latin America to marry a gay couple, after a law allowing couples living together to formalize their union went into effect at the start of the year. The civil union was between between Adrian Figuera, 38, and actor and theater director Juan Carlos Moretti, 67, in a courtroom before a small group of friends and family, as witnessed by an AFP reporter. Under the legislation, couples would have to be together for at least five years and sign a registry. The couples will receive health benefits, inheritance, parenting and pension rights. The so-called “cohabitation union law” went into effect on January 1, allowing heterosexual and homosexual couples living together for at least five years to receive the same legal rights and benefits that traditional marriage bestows.

A new study by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that across 33 U.S. states, 52% of new HIV cases among 13 to 24 year old gay and bisexual men is among African-American men, and 34% were Latino. Read the full story at GayCityNews.

In yet more HIV-related news, 37% of gay men in Vancouver, Canada, reportedly engaged in some type of high risk sexual behavior (i.e. anal intercourse without a condom) in 2007. That is up from 25% a year before. Of concern, among gay men under 30, the percent is actually 43%. Read the Sex Now Survey results here.