Blog #6

So far in my blogs I have covered a variety of topics from the stigma about HIV homosexuals to education in schools. This week I want to cover the dating life for HIV infected persons. The dating life in people living with HIV is sometimes easily overlooked, because we as people just look at other issues. One issue is dating someone and knowing when to disclose information to that person that you are HIV positive. So many thoughts spiral in the minds of an HIV infected individual such as: When should I tell him/her I'm infected? Should I tell that I'm HIV positive? and How would they react? are amongst the many questions that are thought about when dating comes around.

When dating, there are many reasons that people have trouble with when it comes to disclosing their information to someone else. Some of the conscious thoughts around this touchy subject are: 

• "Their HIV diagnosis will no longer be a secret". 
• "They fear the rejection that may come with disclosing their HIV status to a prospective partner".
• " They fear the judgments and stereotypes that come along with an HIV diagnosis". 
• "They are afraid they may lose their only shot at a relationship".

Although there may seem to be many dark sides to dating, there are also many positives. If the person is educated about the disease, they wont display ignorance to the person disclosing their information. It is also possible for someone who is HIV positive to have a healthy and safe relationship if the proper precautions are used carefully. In the end, dating life does not decease when a person becomes infected, it just opens a new chapter in that persons life. 

              

DID YOU KNOW?

• Kiss and Tell – those who choose to “kiss and tell” will go on a few dates before disclosing their HIV status. This does have its advantages. For one it allows you to wait and see if the relationship is going to get serious before disclosing. If the relationship stalls, your status was not disclosed needlessly. In other words, people who kiss and tell feel this option is best because it limits the number of people who become aware of their HIV diagnosis. Important Note! – Before any sexual contact can be made, HIV disclosure must occur.
• Tell and Kiss – there are some people who choose to “tell and kiss,” meaning that HIV disclosure occurs very early in the relationship, in some cases on the first date. One reason for early disclosure is there is less emotional attachment at that point. It is a fact of life that some people will not be ready to date an HIV-infected person. Some feel that it is better to be rejected early as opposed to later when an emotional connection has occurred. In addition, early disclosure implies honesty. Waiting to disclose until you have had a few dates first may be viewed as dishonest by some. Finally, people who disclose early find comfort in knowing that if the relationship does succeed and move forward, their partner accepts them for who they without conditions.

Cichocki, Mark. "HIV Dating - HIV and Dating - Dating with HIV." HIV Symptoms - HIV - The Symptoms of HIV. N.p., 6 Dec. 2006. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://aids.about.com/od/legalissues/a/hivdating.htm

Blog #5

Lately, I have been pondering on the many athletes that have came out with HIV. Among these athletes, there are some among that population that are homosexual. While doing an assignment for my HIV class, I had to research athletes who were living with HIV and what they had to go through. This assignment inspired me to post a blog on this open topic. While researching about each athlete given, I discovered several things that many people at that time, and sadly even now, have failed to realize. These people did not let HIV hinder them from living their life, or being successful. Even though they were publicly criticized and lost a lot of things, they also gained one of the most important things....RESPECT!


Athletes such as Tom Waddell, for example experienced life in a different aspect. Not only was he living with the HIV virus, but he was also openly gay. He, among the many, went through many hard times just as much as good times. Being the founder of "gay olympics" was one of his accomplishments, which nearly cost him because of his status. What people failed to realize at that time is that HIV is a disease, that does not change anything about a person but its health. People were so ignorant to this fact that they would do things to degrade a person who was infected instead of lending out a helping hand and becoming a mentor. Just like Waddell, there have been many athletes that have suffered the brutality that came with having HIV, but they did not let that be the death of them, because they continued to strive and become advocates in educating the youth and public.


DID YOU KNOW???
"HIV/AIDS affects men and women, gay and straight, San Franciscans and Africans, adults and children, drug users and athletes. HIV positive athletes today strengthen immune systems by staying active. They also help tear down stigma on and off the court by showing that AIDS is no longer a disease for “those people”; it is our disease. Those with HIV, especially athletes, face increased discrimination, raising questions about disclosure".


Kajimura, Hana. "Playing Positive: HIV-Positive Athletes Then and Now | The Paly Voice." Home | The Paly Voice. N.p., 12 June 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://voice.paly.net/node/23189>
"The brief history of gay athletes." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., 18 Dec. 1998. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://espn.go.com/otl/world/timeline.html>

Blog #4

Sexual education plays a vital role in schools. For decades schools have enforced the education on such diseases like HIV/AIDS. Prevention classes such as Sexual Education and also other programs have reached out to all people who have questions or may be sexually involved. Although sexuality is not exposed to the teachers or health professionals who come to schools to talk about safe sex, homosexuals find themselves benefiting a lot from these courses. These courses educate people of all ages, race, sexuality, and genders about various diseases, transmission, and preventions.

These programs, as mentioned before educate and inform the students about potential risks and experiences young gay men and women go through or deal with. It is believed to help reduce the stigma and prejudice that follows the gay community. Informing the heterosexual community about these health factors help them come to the realization that it can also effect them as well, and not just targeted to homosexuals. Teaching about the risk and behaviors of homosexuals in the sexual education classes will give more knowledge to the one person who may have not come out about their sexuality or who is in a relationship with someone of the same sex. It has been proven that these programs in school have become effective and reduced additional risk of becoming infected with HIV/AIDS.

DID YOU KNOW?
"53% of students report hearing homophobic comments made by school staff". More than half of students in school hear derogatory statements being made by staff members. This may lead many students to be discouraged about opening up about their sexuality in schools. 
"HIV, AIDS and young gay men." AIDS & HIV information from the AIDS charity AVERT. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. <http://www.avert.org/young-gay-men.htm>.
"Gay Statistics - The Real Truth." Parents Of Gay Children. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. <http://www.gayfamilysupport.com/gay-statistics.html>.

Blog #3

African American homosexual males are widely discriminated across the world for having HIV/AIDS. With over a million people living with HIV/AIDS today, half of the population reported are African American. In the early 80s, many African Americans viewed HIV/AIDS being a disease that only white gay men could get, because of the medias depiction of it. Some black males at the time did not believe that this disease could affect them, even though they accounted for most of the population living with HIV/AIDS. Many women were also infected from their partners who unconsciously knew they had the disease. Among black males, 43% were noted to have the disease from male to male intercourse. Even though these are shocking numbers, they continue to grow through the years dramatically.

Since then, there have been many activist, non profit organizations, and celebrities that have went out to the media and all over the world trying to educate people about this growing epidemic. Many celebrities such as Earvin "Magic" Johnson have came out to the public about living with HIV, showing that it is possible for anyone of any race or ethnicity to get the disease, no matter if they are homosexual or not. Although there are many reasons for why the African American community are mostly targeted for getting HIV/AIDS, there have been many organizations formed to raise money to help those in need and with low income. With money being used for research and medicine, many people are in hope that this world wide epidemic will soon cease.


DID YOU KNOW?
"The estimated lifetime risk of becoming infected with HIV is 1 in 16 for black males, and 1 in 30 for black females, a far higher risk than for white males (1 in 104) and white females (1 in 588). In Washington D.C, which has the nation’s highest district HIV prevalence (3%), three-quarters of those infected with HIV are African American.  According to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, African Americans "comprise the greatest proportion of HIV/AIDS cases across many transmission categories, including among women, heterosexual men, injection drug users, and infants."


"HIV and AIDS among African Americans." AIDS & HIV information from the AIDS charity AVERT. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. <http://www.avert.org/hiv-african-americans.htm>.