WHY EVERY GAY MAN SHOULD TEST PROUDLY TODAY

I almost went in disguise the first time I got tested. It felt like I was about to pull the trigger in a game of Russian Roulette. Was this the moment everything would come to a halt? Did I make a “mistake” along the way that I would regret forever? I could hear the voice of my youth pastor in my ear: “You have no one to blame but yourself, David.”

Where I’m from in the south, people don’t talk about HIV or sexually transmitted diseases unless you’re in health class. Even then it’s linked back to sex with an overlay of shame; the idea being if you have lots of sex you will catch an STI, so either lock the legs or prepare for a lifetime of damnation.

It wasn’t until after I had lived in Los Angeles for a year that I started to understand what being aware means. It didn’t matter if I was afraid (that’s not going to stop the virus). What mattered was my willingness to find out, to know my status and to act on it — whatever the results were. After all, it was certainly better than the alternative.

Refusing to get tested out of fear invites more fear. I learned that the hard way. Eventually it morphs into anxiety, paranoia, guilt, and shame; a vicious cycle that can be broken in the fifteen minutes it takes for a full HIV and other STIs checkup. I finally realized the obvious truth: I wasn’t afraid of getting tested, but rather the idea of testing positive. It felt much easier not to know. But ignorance isn't much protection.

Living in a state of unawareness is like trapping yourself in a fish bowl: it might be blissful, but your perspectives on the world will be blurred. In today’s Grindr-obsessed, sex on the go, instant gratification world we live in, knowing your status is the most responsible thing we can do to protect ourselves and our future partners. The only thing standing between us is the fear of HIV stigma.

No one wants to be part of the stigma, which is why getting tested every three to six months, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests, can be daunting (what if today is the day I get a positive result?). But it’s okay to be terrified of stigma, because it’s a bully. It has no benefit other than to puncture the progress of millions of lives fighting against being labeled as “dirty,” “unsafe,” or “slutty.” But like all bullies, stigma has a weakness.

When you look stigma directly in the face, it runs away. It disappears because all bullies are cowards. Afterwards you realize it wasn’t the stigma that had power over you, but rather the fear of facing it. The willingness to discover the truth becomes a springboard to courage. In the end you learn that the stigma was a lie.

HIV stigma corners us inside a box of fear. The more we tell ourselves it’s better “not to know” the heavier our shame weighs. Getting tested should never feel like we’re walking the green mile. We are taking control of our health by allowing ourselves to know, and knowledge is powerful — more powerful than fear. That is something to be proud of.

The first person you need on your side is you — not your sex partner, not your doctor, not your counselor, nor your therapist. You are the one who needs to stay on top of your health. These days it’s really not hard to do. All you have to do is know. Testing is an essential element, without it, you cannot take the steps you need to stay healthy. When we fight against ourselves, we’re always going to lose. It doesn’t matter what the results of a test might bring. The important part is being aware, because trust me it’s much better than living in a state of panic.

Life is a game of Russian Roulette. Every time we have sex we are taking a risk. The same goes for when we get in a car or simply getting out of bed. We are never going to control everything, but the one thing we can control is our awareness. With that, fear has no reason to exist. There are things we can do to stay on top of our health. Having PrEP as an option to prevent HIV contraction is a major leap forward in medicine, and it should be adopted unapologetically the same way getting tested should. 

HIV has not disappeared. We’ve just stopped talking about it. According to the CDC, if current diagnosis rates continue, one in six gay and bisexual men will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. It’s also estimated that in today’s world, one in seven gay and bisexual men already have HIV but don’t know it, because they refuse to get tested. Because of the lack of knowledge, they are unknowingly putting other men at risk for contracting the virus. But the good news is that getting on treatment and lowering your viral load to undetectable levels essentially makes you uninfectious, unable to transmit HIV. 

Sleeping with an HIV-positive person who is undetectable is much safer than sleeping with a guy who doesn’t know his status. Getting tested impacts more than one person. It produces a ripple effect in our community that encourages men to be empowered about our own sexual health, thus breaking free of the fish bowl. As a result, we invite clarity into our lives. And with clarity, fear has no power.

Get tested today. Proudly. 

SOURCE: HIV PLUS MAGAZINE

THE EMPOWERED BOTTOM: "SAFER" SEX IN THE TIME OF PrEP

Until recently, condoms were considered the only viable option for safer sex practices among gay and bisexual men. Once it was first discovered that HIV was a sexually transmitted infection, condoms became the centerpiece of safe-sex culture. Although this tool kept many gay and bisexual men HIV-negative through the worst of the epidemic, but the use of condoms has dropped dramatically over the years. Even among those most adherent, the use of condoms to prevent HIV has often perpetuated  an inequality among gay men; one that looks upon the receiving partner in intercourse as more subservient. It's an inequality apparent in the very terms we use: tops and bottoms. Tops are on top and bottoms are on the bottom — not just in terms of sexual acts.

In other words: the tops had all the power.

Sure, many gay men often identify as versatile when questioned about sexual positioning. Even so, most usually have a general proclivity to one position or the other. Generally, some people are good at topping while others make for better bottoms. Yet, when it comes to mutual respect, sexual health, and protection, tops and bottoms aren’t, or weren’t always, treated as though they were created equally.

“I've definitely felt belittled for identifying as a bottom. As if being a bottom meant being something ‘less’ in our community,” said Joshua Collins, a PrEP user from Phoenix, Arizona. “I also feel like we have certain expectations of someone who identifies as a top and expect them to take control in sex. I've definitely felt like the top was more in control within the sexual dynamic.”

A top is also physically in control of wearing a condom. A bottom can only negotiate the use of a condom. You might think that this doesn’t necessarily create an inequity. After all, a bottom can walk away from a sexual encounter just as easily as a top. But in the throes of passion when the clothes are off and there are mere inches between “everything-but” and full-on penetration, the power is greatly weighted in favor of the top.

As the bottom partner, my HIV status was always contingent on someone else's decisions,” said Damon Jacobs, founder of the popular Facebook group, PrEP Facts. “I had to rely on the top to make sure the condom was used, or didn't fall off, or didn't fall in, or didn't break, or didn't 'magically disappear' as condoms sometimes do.”

A gay or bisexual man who primarily tops is also less at-risk for HIV infection (but not immune). But this is not the inequality that condoms create. A top who engages in condomless sex isn’t held nearly as responsible as a bottom often is when it comes to safe sex, yet the top is the one who must physically wear the condom in question. The relationship between gay men, condoms, and HIV can be directly paralleled with that of birth control, heterosexual sex, and pregnancy. And PrEP is to the empowered bottom the same way that birth control is to the empowered woman — including the slut shaming that both parties have often experienced as a result of their choice to take control of their health.

“PrEP is the first opportunity bottoms have ever had to be in full control of our HIV status,” said Jacobs. “It allows both partners, in either sexual position, to be 100 percent responsible for their pleasure and protection.”

Colton Ferrell is a young PrEP user from Austin, Texas. He didn’t think too much about the inequality of his preference for bottoming until he found himself in his own sexual quandary.

“So, I never really thought of there being an imbalance dependent upon sexual position, until one time recently when the guy and I discussed using a condom,” said Ferrell. “We agreed to use the condom, he grabbed the condom wrapper, I laid down on my stomach, and we had — not so enjoyable — sex. Something, as a bottom, I've noticed is that I can rarely feel the difference as to if the guy is wearing a condom or not, and it turned out, that in this circumstance, he wasn't, and he actually came inside of me. Aside from feeling very violated and pissed, I was less worried than I feel I would've been, because I was on PrEP, and wasn't as concerned about HIV, while still knowing I needed to get checked for everything else.”

Ferrell’s experience is just one example of how the one who is at risk is often left without control in a situation of protection. The use of Truvada as PrEP, the HIV prevention pill that is 99 percent effective at eliminating the risk of HIV infection when taken correctly, has the potential to revolutionize the gay sexual experience. Now, a bottom has the option to enter into the intercourse that he chooses with the knowledge that he has taken action to protect himself from HIV, regardless of the top’s preferences or agreements. Furthermore, he is involved in preventative care with his healthcare provider and taking responsibility for his own sexual health.

But most importantly, he is allowed to enjoy the pleasures of sex without experiencing any added shame for his preferred position or fear of a possible HIV infection.

“I think I can sum up how PrEP has changed the way I feel about sex in one word: wow!” said Collins. “I've personally never been that adherent with condom usage and I would always feel very guilty and irresponsible. I've had many a time I'd nervously awaited an HIV test result hoping and praying. With PrEP, I don't worry about it anymore and just enjoy the moment. Now I let my sexual partners know I'm on PrEP and I've had some really great experiences with guys who are positive and who I probably wouldn't have approached. I would say I'm a lot more aware of my sexual health now because I get tested every three months.”

So what does PrEP mean to the empowered bottom? It means living in an environment where the fight to stay sexually healthy is held on more of an equal playing field. It means less shame and fear and a greater sense of self worth and sexual pleasure.

“I'm a child of the 1980s,” said Eric McCulley, a PrEP advocate. “And for the majority of my life, all I've heard about sex is that it is dangerous and that it might actually kill you. So it's nice to not be afraid of sex anymore. And to be in control of my own sexual health is empowering and affirming.”

As the arguments over the use of PrEP continue to dissipate and the science and validity of the HIV prevention pill continues to increasingly resonate within the gay community, it is now a matter of accessibility and affordability for those who need it so that more bottoms become empowered by the other little blue pill.

Here’s to a new kind of sexual revolution.

SOURCE: HIV PLUS MAGAZINE

THE DOs & DON'Ts OF DISCUSSING HIV

With HIV diagnoses up by 132.5 percent among young gay and bisexual men since the 21st century began, it has never been more evident that conversations about HIV among young people are painfully needed. And the best way for these discussions to begin is by empowering newly HIV-positive folks to use their voices to bring awareness to the communities they occupy. This, however, is easier said than done for many living with the virus due to the fear of being stigmatized for being HIV-positive by their family and friends. In order to foster an environment where people living with HIV feel comfortable talking about their experiences, here is a list of things you should never say to someone with HIV, and some helpful alternatives you may want to ask.

Don’t Ask: Have you learned your lesson?
This type of question is exactly the reason why people are afraid to talk about HIV in the first place. HIV isn’t a punishment and no one deserves to contract it. So quit talking about it like it is a consequence of being a bad person.

Do Ask: How are you handling it?
This will give your friend the opportunity to elaborate on the feelings he or she is going through. This is your opportunity to learn how they are dealing with the shame and self-stigma that they might be experiencing. This is also where you can learn how to affirm your friend in the way he or she needs at that time.

Don’t Ask: Who did you get it from?
Chances are they got it from someone they had sex with … duh. Don’t be rude by asking a person who is opening up to you about details that they may or may not be sure of. Instead, ask them how they are feeling. If your friend is comfortable talking about the details of transmission, they will bring it up on their own.

Do Ask: How long have you been dealing with this?
This provides a chance for you to learn how long your friend has been living with HIV without any support. Try following up with questions about who else he or she has confided in so you can possibly help with facilitating more opportunities for your friend to disclose their status in a safe and stigma-free environment.

Don’t Ask: (If they are in a relationship) Is your boyfriend or girlfriend HIV-positive as well?
Although you may be surprised, this is irrelevant to the conversation. Your friend is revealing his or her status, but it is not his or her place to reveal someone else’s. Don’t put them in an awkward situation of having to disclose their partner’s status if they aren’t comfortable doing so.

Do Ask: How are you protecting yourself from transmitting?
It is OK to be concerned about the health and safety of your friend, and that includes his or her risk of transmitting the virus to someone else. But make sure you do so in a way that doesn’t assume that they aren’t being safe. This question will give your friend the opportunity to share with you their safe sex practices and will allow you to lend your insight to the conversation without a judgmental tone.

Don’t Ask: Will you get AIDS?
Chances are, your friend will not be diagnosed with AIDS, which is merely a term used to classify the advanced stages of HIV. The term “AIDS” was created when HIV medications where not as effective as they are now. When a person’s T-cell count would dip below 200, they would receive an AIDS diagnosis, which meant that their body’s immune system was now vulnerable to opportunistic infections that could be fatal. The management of HIV has drastically changed since these days of AIDS, so you can wipe the term from your vocabulary.

Do Ask: How are you doing with your treatment?
A person who is diagnosed with HIV today can now expect to live a normal lifespan, but only if they enter treatment and stay on their medication. Unfortunately, only 30 percent of people living with HIV are properly managing their health, which often means as little as quarterly doctor’s visits and taking one pill a day. Make sure your friend is taking care of himself or herself properly and encourage them to invest in their health if they need it. 

SOURCE: THE ADVOCATE

MEETING MR. RIGHT & HIV

If you meet Mr. Right and he turns out to be HIV-positive, he’s still Mr. Right?

HIV: TIME TO EXPOSE THE STIGMA

Narrow-minded opinions may make attention-grabbing headlines, but they rarely tell the whole story or tackle the real issue. They can in fact make a situation worse by polarising public opinion and fuelling fear, hate and intolerance.

The gay community has made groundbreaking progress in terms of acceptance and equality in recent years, but there’s a dark cloud that’s been raining on our parties and parades since the early 1980s. Although we rally together to raise awareness and funds to dissipate that cloud, there are people out there who still shun those individuals who get caught out by the storm of HIV.

How do we expose and combat the stigma of HIV as a community?

HIV: ¿IS THE HOPE FOR A MIRACLE CURE JUST MAGICAL THINKING?

I can’t stop myself from hoping that someday we will see a miracle cure and HIV will be history. I know this isn’t realistic. But whenever I see a mention of a miracle cure, I can’t stop myself from checking it out. Always disappointing. Should we give up hope?

In my experience, we hear those words a lot when we are talking about HIV. Let’s start with hope. Hope for what? Well, for a lot of things. Hope for a good day. Hope for understanding. Hope for effective health care.

And for many other people living with HIV — hope for new directions in treatment. Hope can motivate you to stay super informed about HIV, to research the latest and greatest treatments. Hope is empowering.

Hope can also cause you to take a moment to take a quick look, or a long look, when you run across words like “revolutionary,” “breakthrough,” and, most seductive of all, “miracle.”

Should we hold out hope for a miracle cure when it comes HIV?

BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY

Jay Ellis is committed to finding a cure for HIV by 2020.

In commemoration of National Black HIV Awareness Day on February 7, the “Insecure” actor has partnered with leading HIV and AIDS research organization, amfAR, to help eradicate the staggering rates of HIV cases in the black community.

Ellis, a newly appointed member of the organization’s Board of Trustees, told The Huffington Post that he learned his uncle had died from the immunodeficiency virus years ago.

“Growing up in the early ‘90s it was not talked about, it wasn’t explained [what he passed from]. So growing up I actually didn’t know for a really long time that that’s what it was,” he said. “It wasn’t until I got a little bit older that I found out that’s what he passed from.”  

“So as I got a little bit older, I just always knew that it was something that was a part of me to just share my story with the world and just talk about it.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans account for nearly half of all new HIV infections each year, despite representing only 12 percent of the U.S. population. amfAR has stated that they are working to find an applicable cure for HIV/AIDS by 2020.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which was started by the Strategic Leadership Council in 1999, was founded to focus on preventive education, community mobilization, testing, and treatment of the disease, according to the organization’s website.   

As February is also Black History Month, Ellis says he thinks the month is a great opportunity to highlight HIV/AIDS awareness. 

“I think the thing that’s so important about raising awareness during Black History Month is that it’s also a moment for us to step back to realize that we still need to reach out to our community,” he said. “We still need to be helping our community and raising awareness for our community. So I think they chose a good month to do it, because the awareness is there, the spotlight is there.  And so it’s a chance for us to get the word out a little bit more and get people thinking and talking, and helping, and learning about what’s going on in our community.”

As a result, the 35-year-old actor encourages his peers in media and film to push for more dialogue surrounding the topic. 

“I think if there’s an opportunity to tell those stories, then I think those stories do need to be told,” he said. “I do think across the board, whether it’s in art, whether it’s in film, whether it’s in music, whether it’s in writing of any kind, I do believe that we have a responsibility to talk to our fan bases, talk to the people that we reach, and make sure that they know what’s going on.”

“This isn’t this thing that we need to give up hope on that it’s never gonna be finished. amfAR and their entire team have said there is a reality to beating AIDS and having a cure for HIV by 2020… And whatever they need me to do, I’ll do,” he added.

For more info on National Black HIV Awareness Day, including Six Things You Need to Know for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, click here.

SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

“F*CK W/OUT FEAR” URGES THIS BOLD HIV PREVENTION CAMPAIGN

“F*ck w/out Fear, PrEP Is Here” is the sex-positive message being delivered in an HIV prevention campaign by the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The goal is to use “raw and real language” to get the word out about Truvada as PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, which is a daily pill to prevent someone from contracting HIV.

“It’s widely believed that a two-pronged approach is what will be most effective at ending the transmission of HIV in the U.S.,” said Robert Bolan, MD, the center’s chief medical officer, in a press release about the campaign. “Quickly linking newly diagnosed HIV-positive people to care can reduce or eliminate the risk they can transmit the virus; it’s the same treatment effect for people who have been living with HIV for a while or a long time. Then if HIV-uninfected people who are most at-risk of infection successfully protect themselves from the virus, we can effectively end HIV transmission here. Because the availability of condoms alone hasn’t been enough to stop HIV, we’re excited about the promise of PrEP.”

According to the press release, “those most at risk of HIV are gay and bisexual youth of color and transgender women, but a recent study by APLA [AIDS Project Los Angeles] Health of young gay and bisexual men revealed that Latino and African-American youth are the least likely to know about PrEP and less than 10 percent are using it. Those who do know about PrEP frequently have misconceptions about it, including the belief that it’s not effective or safe and that it’s unaffordable.”

More information can be found on the campaign’s website, PrEPHere.org, which also includes an HIV risk-assessment tool. Answer 13 simple questions and you’ll get an HIV risk score that could help determine whether PrEP is right for you (though, of course, speaking with a counselor or professional is also advised).

Is PrEP for you?

Are you willing to "F*ck w/out Fear?"

SOURCE: POZ MAGAZINE

¿HOW MUCH OF A RISK TAKER ARE YOU WHEN IT COMES TO SEX?

We all take risks in life. While you may never choose to jump out of an airplane, chances are, you’ve driven over the speed limit once or twice. 

We make choices every day about the amount of risk we’re willing to take. 

I wants to know what kind of risks you take and your thoughts about risk when it comes to HIV transmission.

PREP, CONDOMS & YOU...

You about to have sex with a hot guy. A super hot guy. You are lying back on his bed thinking that he might actually be the most muscle-pumped guy you’ve ever jumped into the sack with. All is going great. And from the way he’s twerking around on top of you, he’s making it clear that he wants to get fucked.

‘Do you want me to put a condom on?’ I ask, expecting him to immediately say ‘yes.’

‘I hate condoms,’ he says firmly. ‘You are on PrEP.’

There’s a pause. He awaits my response.

‘Oh. Well, I only use condoms,’ I say.

‘Are you negative?’ he asks.

‘Yes. But I still only wear condoms. Sorry.’

He sighs and there’s the very slightest eye roll. Yes, an actual eye roll.

He doesn’t get up to get a condom and doesn’t ask you to get one. So, you end up not fucking.

The remainder of the sex is still great and – for you – satisfying, but afterwards, you still can’t get the eye-roll out of your head.

As gay men, we’ve found myself in situations before where condoms haven’t been used. It was nearly always in the heat of the moment. It was always, inevitably, followed by feelings of regret and fear.

Does situations like that these make you feel like you are… Prissy? Overly cautious? A spoilsport?

VIDEO: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S LAST WORLD AIDS DAY MESSAGE

President Obama issued his final World AIDS Day message this morning. The two and a half minute video highlights his administration’s accomplishments fighting HIV and notes the work still undone.

“Together, we can do this,” Obama says in the video. “And long after I leave this office, you’ll have a partner in me.”

Via press release from the White House:

December 1 marks World AIDS Day across the globe, and serves as a way to recommit ourselves to ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat. Throughout his Administration, President Obama propelled America’s leadership on HIV/AIDS by both developing the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States and expanding our investments in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This World AIDS Day, we mark the successes we’ve made together, both domestically and globally, by demonstrating leadership, enhancing our commitment, and achieving measurable impact. We also recognize the challenges in reaching affected communities, and continued work needed to achieve our 2020 national goals and end AIDS worldwide by 2030.

The majority of people living with HIV reside in low- to middle-income countries. The United States is leading the world’s response to this crisis, working in partnership with countries and communities to end the AIDS pandemic by 2030. Including the President’s FY 2017 Budget request to Congress, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is investing over $70 billion from FY 2004 through FY 2017 to accelerate our impact and work to control the epidemic to accelerate our impact and work to control the epidemic with comprehensive and data driven efforts. PEPFAR’s success is measured in saving lives and changing the course of the pandemic. Building on the work of the previous Administration, we have exceeded our 2016 target for treatment and are now supporting nearly 11.5 million men, women and children across the globe with life-saving anti-retroviral treatment.

Watch the video below.

SOURCE: LGBTQ NATION

WORLD AIDS DAY {2K16} HANDS UP FOR #HIVprevention

Being diagnosed with HIV today means something very different than it did 20 or 30 years ago. HIV is no longer a death sentence. However, people’s attitudes can make living with HIV really hard. Some things from the 1980s and 1990s are worth revisiting, but HIV stigma isn’t one of them. It’s time to end HIV stigma.

This World AIDS Day, help us put HIV stigma firmly in the past where it belongs, by joining our Not Retro, Just Wrong campaign.

CHALLENGE HIV STIGMA ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Take a stand against HIV stigma on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram this World AIDS Day.

PRINCE HARRY MEETS WITH GAY MEN & OTHER MINORITIES FOR HIV AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Prince Harry has met with gay men and other minorities living with HIV for an awareness campaign.

The 32-year-old royal is carrying on with his mother’s work after spending time with London sexual health charity Naz, a group made of sexual and racial minorities aiming to help people ‘live life to the fullest’.

The meeting yesterday came after he was tested for HIV live on Facebook in July.

Speaking at the International AIDS conference, he praised activists like Elton John and Nelson Mandela – as well as his mother Princess Diana – for the work that has been done to spread awareness of HIV and AIDS.

‘When my mother held the hand of a man dying of AIDS in an East London hospital, no one would have imagined that just over a quarter of a century later treatment would exist that could see HIV-positive people live full, healthy, loving lives,’ he said.

‘But we now face a new risk – the risk of complacency.

‘As people with HIV live longer, AIDS is a topic that has drifted from the headlines. And with that drift of attention, we risk a real drift of funding and of action to beat the virus.

The prince added: ‘What I believe is that we cannot beat HIV without giving young people in every country the voice they deserve.

‘Without education and without empowerment, HIV will win.’

World AIDS Day takes place on 1 December.

SOURCE: GAY STAR NEWS

HIV 'PATIENT ZERO' CLEARED AFTER YEARS OF BLAME FOR AIDS CRISIS

A man frequently blamed for spreading HIV to the US was not responsible for the initial outbreak, a study has confirmed.

During the early AIDS crisis, gay French-Canadian airline steward Gaëtan Dugas was frequently named-and-shamed in the press as ‘Patient Zero’, blamed for spreading an HIV outbreak in the Caribbean to New York.

However, a study this week concluded that he was not responsible – and a simple misunderstanding was responsible for years of blame.

Mr Dugas was originally designated as ‘Patient O’ in 1984 Los Angeles research, denoting ‘Outside of California’.

This was misinterpreted as ‘Patient 0’ – incorrectly identifying him as the source of the AIDS epidemic – and widely disseminated in the press alongside reports of his promiscuity.

Analysis from a blood sample confirmed the air steward was definitively not responsible for the transmission of HIV from the Caribbean, due to the HIV strain present.

Richard McKay, author of the new study, said: “The current study provides further evidence that patient 57, the individual identified both by the letter O and the number 0, was not patient zero of the North American epidemic.

“Gaétan Dugas is one of the most demonised patients in history, and one of a long line of individuals and groups vilified in the belief that they somehow fuelled epidemics with malicious intent.

“In many ways the historical evidence has been pointing to the fallacy of this particular notion of patient zero for decades.

“This individual was simply one of thousands infected before HIV/Aids was recognised.

The study notes: “Media coverage insinuated that this individual was the source of the North American epidemic and an exemplar of dangerous disease transmission — ideas which found a global audience.

“However, we found that the HIV-1 genome from this individual appeared typical of US strains of the time [and not linked to] the deeper Caribbean subtype B diversity, in a manner that might be suggestive of a special role.

“In short, we found no evidence that Patient 0 was the first person infected by this lineage of HIV-1.”

Dugas died in March 1984 aged 31, as a result of AIDS-related kidney failure.

SOURCE: PINK NEWS

HIV & THE DIRTY BAREBACKING SLUTS

Those who avoid sexual contact with HIV-positive people usually claim to be doing it to protect themselves. This is a laudable aim. I would, however, expect such people to ensure that they are well-informed about the risk of transmission and associated issues. Many are not.

It is accepted that consistent condom use and having fewer sexual partners reduces the probability of catching HIV. Some take from this a not-so-subtle inference that their HIV status is an indication of their moral rectitude. They are negative because they've been ‘good’. You are positive because you are ‘a dirty barebacking slut’. They then contradict themselves by expressing the belief that safer sex isn't sufficient to protect them.

If you disagree that their opinions are shrouded in moral judgements, try telling your next date that you are positive and see what happens. You may well find yourself being treated with the same contempt with which straight people used to treat us all. 

Fear does not lead people to behave in a rational and self-protective manner. I am aware of our compulsion to climb over a perfectly adequate barrier and hurl ourselves into the void when we are standing on a completely safe viewing platform. The fear we feel comes from the knowledge of my own ability to act and not from any inherent danger. This is completely doolally. I occasionally have vivid dreams where we give in and jump. It's such a relief; the fear is worse than the consequence.

Although I know my life would be easier if I were HIV-negative, the politically incorrect truth is that being positive just isn't that bad. All the trouble I have comes from other people's attitudes and opinions. A little less fear and judgement would do everyone a lot of good.

MORE GAY MEN SAY BAREBACK PRON IS TO BLAME FOR RISKIER SEX...DO YOU AGREE?

Do you think watching bareback porn has led to you personally having unprotected sex? The truth is we cannot say that bareback porn is to blame for the rise in unprotected sex (or HIV infections). To do this we would need a much more complex research project, e.g: find gay men who have never watched bareback porn, study their current sex lives, then introduce a some of them to bareback porn and monitor changes in their sex lives a period of time. Until a study like that is done we don’t really have proof. Yes, it’s someone’s own personal opinion, that doesn’t make it fact. Sometimes we may say something (e.g: porn, alcohol, drugs, parents) made us do something that we might well have done anyway. But what do gay men think about the effect of bareback porn on other men?

TODAY IS H.I.V. TESTING DAY!

GET TESTED!