A wake-up call, just in case

[Graeme]

New H.I.V. Cases Drop, but Rise in Young Gay Men

 

This is an article from the New York Times. It may require registration -- hopefully not. Registration at the NY Times is painless and I've never had any spam from them.

[Ieshwar]

This article shook me till core. It scared me. Still does. Perhaps, because I'm young, I'm gay, I can be considered as black... I never knew it was so serious! That guy who said that all his 19 gay friends were HIV positive...

 

Ieshwar

[NickolasJames8]

I think that the tragedy, in my opinion, is that people don't want to know if they have it. It's as if by not knowing, there won't be any effect. The problem with that is that the effect worsens, and the disease spreads. I think it should be incumbent on someone to reveal that they're HIV+ at the onset of a relationship, but the fact is, it's too risky to take someone at their word that they aren't.

 

So, we have to protect ourselves at all times.

Get tested regularly, stay educated, be honest with your S/O if you are infected, and use a condom if you plan on laying up with anyone.

[Krista]

I personally think Middle School and High School is partly to blame. I know they teach Abstinence and Heterosexual friendly sex-education only classes here and then they wonder why so many people get an STD of some sort and girls getting pregnant. Really, students need to be taught how to protect their self when it comes to sex... otherwise they will do what the older people have done, and protection during sex has never been as well taught as it should be. If they have unprotected sex as teenagers, when they're in more diverse crowds the same practices are still in play. I know when I attended my little brother's PTA meetings, it came up and there were only three out of like the 45 parents that actually attended want Sex-education to include more than abstinence. I was the only one that wanted them to include homosexual sexual protection. Then that year 11 girls, one in middle school, were pregnant. There was also a small syphilis outbreak as well. Now the next fall school term (August 2008) they are teaching safer sex in health classes in my school district, but still on heterosexual topics and completely surrounding the condom, and abstinence. I still think it's not enough, but at least it's a step. It wasn't because my preaching changed their minds.. it was because it has become a problem that has led to dangerous lifestyles.

 

People don't get tested also, because they think they don't need to. They also don't get tested enough, and I think, a person should test after every new sexual partner. Also, every time they perform unprotected sex. Even people in "committed" relationships should test regularly. I personally get myself tested two times a year, but I don't get out of the house much anymore.

 

I have also heard a lecture on safe-sex and the speaker said, "some people think the only way people get aids or any other disease is through sharing needles." I don't know how large that number is, or if it was just a, "wake up and listen" shock-tactic to keep people interested in the lecture at hand.. but I hope that's a small number of people that was representing that idea.

 

Krista

[rknapp]

I didn't read the whole article due to a family situation just now, but it sounds to me as though the guy featured in the article, Arriola, was asking for it. Years of drugs, alcohol, and unsafe sex practices? It's not the rise in new HIV/AIDS cases that we should be worried about, but rather the rise in ignorance that causes the rise in new cases. This guy probably infected a lot of people because of his ignorance and he's likely not alone in that regard.

[Hylas]

Well... I'm never in favor of casual sex anyway. But I can't say I won't find myself in a situation like this. I just hope that my partner will be honest.

[Tiger]

Javier was indulging in risky behavior, but we must NOT forget that we are still at risk even if we don't have tons of partners or use IV drugs. All you have to do is sleep with one person who is HIV+. That's all it takes. I think everyone needs to watch a couple of documentaries. One is called After Stonewall. The other is called Gay Sex in the 70's. Both of these documentaries talk about the unsafe sex practices that led to this devastating loss of human life. I was absolutely mortified at the idea of people hooking up with hundreds of complete strangers and engaging in drug use and unprotected sex. We cannot let this continue. We need to smarter. We know how HIV is spread. I'm not going to say that you must use condoms, but I will say that you'd better be sure that your partner has not been with anyone else in the past 6 months and that you both get tested before considering sex without condoms. Otherwise, you're risking your lives.

Edited January 3, 2008 by tlwritingtiger

[NaperVic]

... I'm not going to say that you must use condoms, but I will say that you'd better be sure that your partner has not been with anyone else in the past 6 months and that you both get tested before considering sex without condoms. Otherwise, you're risking your lives.

 

I'll say it. You must use condoms. Someone who says they are clean, D/D free, etc. could either be lying or if they aren't lying, they may just not realize they have a disease. Don't risk it. Either for yourself or for future partners.

 

This has been a public service announcement

[rich_e]

I'll say it. You must use condoms. Someone who says they are clean, D/D free, etc. could either be lying or if they aren't lying, they may just not realize they have a disease. Don't risk it. Either for yourself or for future partners.

 

This has been a public service announcement

 

Exactly. Even if you are seeing someone exclusively and you're both clean, you should still use a condom. There's ALWAYS the chance that they may cheat and contract the disease. It's not a nice thing to think about, but it's a possibility.

[Graeme]

Exactly. Even if you are seeing someone exclusively and you're both clean, you should still use a condom. There's ALWAYS the chance that they may cheat and contract the disease. It's not a nice thing to think about, but it's a possibility.

They don't even need to cheat to contract HIV. It's possible to get other ways as well -- some quite benign. Don't forget those people (including kids) who got it via blood transfusions before steps were taken to try to keep the blood supply pure. Needlestick injuries, especially for people working in the medical field, are another way to get it. Dirty needles at a tattoo parlour, ... do I need to go on?

[Tiger]

I'll say it. You must use condoms. Someone who says they are clean, D/D free, etc. could either be lying or if they aren't lying, they may just not realize they have a disease. Don't risk it. Either for yourself or for future partners.

 

This has been a public service announcement

Most of the time, I agree. But there are couples who are completely monogamous. If their is a high level of trust and verification, then a couple can consider being condom free. As a general rule of thumb, you should always use condoms. I'm simply stating that there is a RARE exception to that rule.