Sunday Reflections: World AIDS Day

• Blood
• Semen (cum)
• Pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum)
• Breast milk
• Vaginal fluids
• Rectal (anal) mucous

AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection, when a person’s immune system is severely damaged and has difficulty fighting diseases and certain cancers. Today, people can live decades with medication and treatment before HIV turns into AIDS, but here is no cure.

New York Times bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.

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Lucy has had the worst week ever.  So she does something she would never dream of. Now her life is completely different…every moment is a gift. Because now she might not have many moments left

Ryan went on to become a national spokesperson for HIV/AIDS and education and surpassed his doctor’s estimates of 6 months to live- he died in April 1990, right before his high school graduation and almost 5 years after his predicted death. Through it all, I remember looking at his pictures and watching the interviews and just seeing this boy- he could have been me, and caught this horrible thing, and people were treating him so horrible.

After that, I kept everything to do with AIDS and HIV on my radar. I read and watched As The Band Played On. I’ve participated in creating memorial squares for people and I’ve seen the AIDS Memorial quilt.  I’ve done walks and fund raising. I’ve talked to teens about safe sex and condoms, and what the consequences are- because I’ve lost college friends to AIDS. It always amazes me how much we don’t teach kids, and how much they could loose because people are afraid to talk about things. I’d rather both myself and a room of teens be embarrassed about the strange lady talking about “sexy times” than to lose someone else to AIDS. Or the strange lady talking about not sharing needles or finding clinics for free tests (which are becoming fewer and farther between) than to lose another light.

HIV/AIDS is like cancer in that it strikes silently. HIV/AIDS, however, is preventable. We just need to start taking steps, one person at a time.

Filed under: AIDS, Sunday Reflections, Teen Issues