Today is World AIDS Day
And I have a confession to make:
I have been completely ignorant as to what it means to have HIV in 2013 and I'd like to take this time to tell everyone that we must educate ourselves to not only help those who live with HIV but help understand preventative measures to not contract the disease ourselves.
A friend of mine reached out yesterday freaking out about getting HIV. He had been having unprotected sex as the dominate partner, and was asking me of I knew what the chances were of getting it as the "top".
I said:
First you need to go get tested. Then do your research- first look into the chances of a top getting it. Then educate yourself as to what it means to be HIV+ in 2013. New advancements happen every day and doctors now consider diabetes to be a worse condition: that diabetes is actually less treatable.
He said "diabetes is worse? I hadn't heard that."
I followed up with this:
Look it up. People don't die of HIV in 2013 due to medical advancements. People do die of diabetes every day. The people who are dying in Africa with HIV aren't getting treated and their HIV develops to full blown AIDS. Which actually only weakens their immune system to the point where it's a cold or pneumonia that kills them but all of that due to not being treated. Luckily we live in America in Cali where you can qualify for free treatment and free medicine.
The fact is even as gay men, we don't know much about the virus: not what living with the virus means, especially in today's age with medical advancements.
I'm an advocate for condoms and protected sex, but that is just the tip...literally... Of the proverbial iceberg.
Nowadays with meds, people living with HIV are able to suppress their viral loads to such a small amount that they are deemed "undetectable" meaning the virus has gone into such a state of remission that it cannot be traced in the blood stream.
A friend who is positive alerted me to this fact long ago: someone is actually safer, statistically, having sex with someone who is positive with an undetectable viral load than with someone who doesn't knowing their status and doesn't get tested regularly. I asked my doc about that and he confirmed that fact. In reality, it makes sense: you are more likely to contract the virus from someone else who doesn't know they have it.
The fact is, I'm still learning about HIV/AIDS. But we need to start talking about it more. We need to end the stigma and quit thinking "that is them, this is us."
We are all susceptible to AIDS. In 2013 the U.S. still does not test for HIV/AIDS in blood donations. Kinda scary, right? Scary if you plan on never taking meds and never keeping an eye on your health. I'm not saying AIDS/HIV is that simple. It isn't. But it is certainly not the scary death sentence it once was.
Take 5 minutes this World's AIDS Day to do some research. Look up famous people living with HIV. (Magic Johnson, FYI has been living as HIV positive for almost 30 years. He just recently hosted The President of the United States at his house for a fundraiser here in Los Angeles.)
Research what it means to be positive in 2013. One pill a day for some is keeping this virus at bay and keeping others safe from catching it.
Research what it means to be positive for those in Africa versus here in California.
Research how we still stigmatize those living with the virus.
Maybe someday we will live in a world where there is only US and not us vs them.
Actual reality. Act up! Fight AIDS!
