The Center for Disease Control has issued a statement that the HIV population in the U.S. has now reached 1 million persons infected with HIV and living with HIV. Great news or so it seems as we celebrate Gay Pride Month.
The CDC states that 74 percent of the HIV positive populationi are males. Also 47 % are black, 34 % white, 17 percent Hispanic and 2 % other. 45 percent of the HIV transmission is still attributed to male to male sex with high risk heterosexual contact, 27 %.
This is not surprising that gay males continue to have sexual activity that is unprotected, thus contributing almost half of the HIV transmission. And with the new LGV strain and an entire new generation of gay men exposing themselves to unprotected sex, these numbers can only go higher.
So those pundants in the gay community who continue to preach a moritorium on safer sex, are having their way. They really don't care if these young guys become another lost generation of gay men. They DON'T care that living with AIDS is no picnic. It isn't COOL and it isn't without pain and suffering. These guys forfeit a normal life for that one moment of savage, unbrided bareback sex. Such stupidity. They do know better, but yet they act like morons.
The CDC had issued a goal in 2001 to "break the back" of the epidemic by reducing the rae of new HIV infections to 20,000 a year by 2005. It has been a miserable failure. Instead of halving, the new rate has increased to 60,000 new cases of HIV in the US each year. Besides these alarming rates, there are nearly 300,000 people who are infected with HIV but don't know it , because they won't get tested.
So the dilemma has never gone away. Still guys don't get tested, don't know their HIV status, and some really don't care. We as a tribe must preserve our very existance. If we don't practice protected sex, we will only be extinguishing our being. What a great loss that would be.
Younger guys will never know what a normal gay life is. They won't be able to carry on our traditions and establish their own mark in gay life. They are throwing their healthy lives away.
For what, some sleaze. You can have sleazy fun and live HIV free. I and a lot of others are living proof of that.
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4 comments:
I get tested every October. It's a ritual for me. It sort of celebrates when I decided to turn my life around and start acting like a responsible adult.
And bfljock79, you're in my thoughts.
In Louisiana, a dumbass legislator Rep. Gary Beard (Republican), attached an ammendment to the state budget to forbid the Office of Public Health from using federal dollars to buy and distribute condoms. They have free condoms readily available and accessible in all the gay bars. If his ammendment is allowed, I fear for the gay community in Louisiana.
Hey handsome, thanks alot for the encouragement... I feel better today. My doctor said that my blood is fine for now, but she did send off for HIV results at my request anyway... Sometimes I tend to get over-excited about stuff.. like I've had a persistent cough for a few months now... so now I'm on meds for that, and of course... HIV usually causes problems in teh respiratory tract first... but the thing is, my mom is asthmatic.. hehe so I might be inheriting that. Anyway, I should get the results back in the mail in a few days...
Thanks for all the positive thoughts from both you and cola-boy...
I just sent you an email BFLJOCK. Check your aol inbox. Good luck with your test results. Whatever happens, please know that all of us here would support you all the way no matter what.
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