Gay All The Time

December 1st and it is World AIDS Day around the globe. Even the maintream media are picking up on it. There are many ways to mark this day. For example you can go ‘ light a candle ‘ at no cost to you. Its sponsored I believe by a pharmacutical company. Still its well done and rather interesting to see how many people are actually taking a minute or two to light a candle for AIDS Day. The server has crashed a few times, yet the tally continues to go up.

For those who want to put more than just lip service or ‘click’ service to the day, you can easily make a donation at the ‘ National AIDS Fund ‘ online as well. And they can use any amount you would care to contribute to. Now for those who can’t or are unwilling to put out some hard earned cash, how about doing something else to commorate this day and to maybe be a bit more practicle in dealing with it as well.

AIDS is rapidly becoming a growing killer. Most experts believe AIDS will be the #3 killer worldwide, but then it is #4 right now. Still by moving up even a notch, it says that people are not totally getting the message here. We are somehow forgetting that AIDS is sexually transmitted as well as blood transmitted. So how about for today we pledge a few things.

1. We practise Safe Sex.
2. We write our Government Leaders demanding more relevent Sex Education in our schools, no matter how much the Religious Right scream.
3. We attend political functions to push forward the need to address proper funding ‘without strings’ for developing countries and AIDS medicines.
4. We push political leaders to properly FUND FULLY research into curing this horrid disease.
5. We educate ourselves and our friends on just what AIDS and HIV mean to us.
6. We visit local HOSPICE locations to bring some companionship to those struggling to survive just one more day with this illness.
7. We fight racism and bigotry about this illness by writing, by being active in our communities and showing that Gays are not evil, are not sex fiends or perverts.
8. We get regular TESTING for ourselves and our partners, no matter how frightening it is.
9. We VOTE FOR those who are supportive of our lifestyle and we VOTE AGAINST those who would keep us in the closet and let these diseases ravage our community and friends.
10. We Take a Stand and be Counted.

Now it sounds bit radical, but actually you can’t get a worldwide concensus if you don’t start somewhere. I mean it is fine to have a national day to remember, a world wide day even, but we need to keep the pressure on, daily. In some ways it is like the spirit of Christmas. It shouldn’t be for one day each year that we are nice to others, that we reach into our pockets and share. It should be something we do daily, without hesitation.

If we wish to have equality, we need to be out there, in the faces of the racists and bigots who would keep us hidden in some dark smelly closet. For too long we lived that way, and like any fledgling civil rights movement, we need to keep moving forward, despite setbacks.

“There are now 40 million people living with AIDS,” says Julie Rhoad, the executive director of the NAMES Project Foundation, the custodian of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. (full story)

AIDS is not going to go away because we preach abstinence. It will only continue to reach out and take many from us, just as it has over the last 25 years since the first case was identified. It is this mind set that we, as responsible members of the human race, must address and fight daily, not just today or tomorrow or this month. Each and every day we must reach out and show that burying the topic into the mire of so called religious belief is a mistake. We must continue to press for real solutions in our society, including real sex education in our schools.

Despite those advances, parents and schools need to focus their safe sex education on not just high school students, but middle school students, said Michael Harmon, chief of HIV/STD Service for the Oklahoma Department of Health. (full story)

It isnt about pushing some secret agenda either. It is about educating the kids that there is no armour, no protection really and that sex needs to be responsibly entered into. It means discussing sex, and methods to help keep one safe. Simply because the Church somewhere thinks condoms are useless, it does offer some protection. Unprotected Sex offers only a greater risk of illness, disease, and DEATH.

Number of people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.2 million, including more than 400,000 with AIDS (Kaiser Foundation pdf report 2006) (this is for the United States only!)

Too many have the notion that while AIDS and HIV are a threat, it is not one for them. I know I have that same urge and need to try and bury my head. However, I love my wife, David, and so I go through the agony of wondering every six months when I have a test done. It isn’t painful in the sense of mechanics, but you know the waiting to hear the results is. Still, it is a small price to pay to insure that your life isn’t about to be shortened.

There are many advances in science that prolong life too. That is important to know but the key is that you have to KNOW if you are sick first. Without that knowledge the risks are just too great. So even if you don’t want to make a donation, don’t feel right in being politically active, do yourself and your sex partners a favor. GET TESTED!