The Roundup contains information about all of the latest news, commentary, reports, surveys, issue briefs, charts, and fact sheets related to boys' issues collected by our staff during the preceding week.

News Clips

• Teen Boy’s Eyes Rejected For Donation Because Of Sexuality
  Boy Committed Suicide following Bullying about his Sexuality
  Apparently, the Food and Drug Administrationdoes not allow homosexual men who have had sex with another man in the past 5 years to donate certain tissues because of a believed increased risk of exposure to HIV. The eyes are included in this. Many are critical of this policy and say that not only is it extremely outdated, but it also contradicts other policies regarding the issue. For example, a man who has had sex with an HIV-positive woman is only restricted from donation for one year following the encounter. The American Medical Association has voted to end the ban.

• Parenting teenage boys: not for the faint of heart (blog)
  Teenage boys are no joke. One day they are your sweet boy and the next, something very different. I wrote about it here: When your teenager turns into a different person overnight.
  babycenter.com
  August 16, 2014

• Michael Brown death illustrates need to rescue urban youth
  One of the major factors contributing to the stressful environment for young black males (and other minority youth) continues to be the persistent pattern of police harassment, misconduct and brutality toward these youth. 
  SFGate
  August 15, 2014

• University of Minnesota study: Sudden drop in adolescent antidepressant use after FDA warnings resulted in negative effects on grade point average, substance use and delinquent behaviors
  We found adolescents who sought treatment for depression after the FDA warnings had poorer grades, more use of tobacco and illicit drugs, and more delinquency after a clinic visit, compared to adolescents seeking treatment for depression prior to the warnings,” said Ellen Meara, Ph.D., an author of the study and associate professor of health policy and clinical practice at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. 
  Health Canal
  August 12, 2014 

International News

IRELAND

• Challenge for young men is not to 'man-up' but to 'open-up'
  Mr O’Connell said: I think we could be doing a lot more to encourage frank and open dialogue around male emotions and sexual behaviour and having spent a lot of time in school talking with second level students, I do feel that our inherited inhibitions around opening up are causing a vacuum, which is being filled by damaging behaviour, particularly in the case of young male adolescents.
  Irish Times
  August 15, 2014

IRELAND

• Anal sex study reveals climate of 'coercion'
  A study on why teenage heterosexual couples may engage in anal sex has revealed a climate of coercion, with consent and mutuality not always a priority for the boys who are trying to persuade girls into having it.
  The Independent
  August 15, 2014

• A-levels 2014: gender gap between boys and girls 'closing'
  Figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications show that boys are catching up with girls at A-level � and even stretching ahead in terms of elite A* grades � following changes to the exams system
  The overall gap between the two at the top grades is now smaller than at any time since 1999.
  The Telegraph
  August 14, 2014

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