I thought today I would write about World Aids Day, since tomorrow is going to be that day. It’s a bit of a touchy subject, I suppose, but one which is important and relevant to all of us in the world, whether we have AIDS or not. Even though I live in the country where AIDS is the most prevalent, I am semi embarrassed to admit that it’s not a subject I know a whole heck of a lot about. I DO know that it was initially thought to be a disease of gay men, a stigma which I was never quite able to understand. AIDS is not a gay disease. It affects everyone, whites, blacks, gays, straight, male, female. Everyone is susceptible to it.
I speak from two standpoints – one, living in the country where AIDS is the most prevalent of all countries – South Africa, where, sadly, AIDS is a pandemic. Secondly, I talk from the standpoint of being able to remember the first instances of AIDS, in the early 1980s. I was only about 8 years old when I heard the news that actor Rock Hudson had died of AIDS. Until then, AIDS was not something really known. You’d heard rumours of a new disease, something for which there was no cure, and a deadly thing, a really bad thing. But then, Rock Hudson died of it. Rock Hudson was a big guy, larger than life, famous for his roles in movies. And if it could happen to a world famous person, who had appeared healthy, then… it could happen to you.
And it became something that could happen to you. Could happen to your friends, your countrymen. The world has gone from one man dying of AIDS to 34 million people living with HIV/AIDS in 2010. Of these, a massive 22.9 million are living in sub Saharan Africa. You can imagine the types of problems this leaves such a concentrated region with. Loss of people who could be helping the economy, bread winners, children being left orphans, babies being born to HIV positive parents. Hardly helped by the politicians of the day, one of whom stated that AIDS does not exist, and then when he accepted it did exist, said that it could be washed away by a shower. The very fact that this is inaccurate and also that many people in sub Saharan Africa do not have access to running water or showers shows just how out of touch the governments of these states are with the reality of the situation. This is what makes the situation so frustrating. Aids now need not really be something that people die of. With the right care, the right attitude, the right approach to education, it can be managed. We have anti retrovirals, we have the knowledge about what kind of foods to eat, we have the means to educate people in order to get them to protect themselves. There are people who have lived with the condition for many many years. Even in the early days of AIDS some people seemed to have more longevity than others. Michael Callen was a gay man diagnosed with AIDS in 1982, who survived until 1993, 11 years in a time when there were no ARVs or other forms of treatment.
Most of the readers of this site are obviously gay, bisexual, transgender, and asexual. Many of you will have faced discrimination. Some of you may be facing the double whammy of being discriminated for being HIV positive or having full blown AIDS. And I believe that this is one of the reasons why a number of people don’t know their status. They are simply afraid of what might happen, of whether their communities may ostracize them, etc. They prefer the head in the bucket approach of not knowing, not facing up to it. Going for a test and getting a positive result somehow makes it real. And I want to put this point across to you. Rather than worrying about what people might think of you if you have got it. If you’ve got it it’s going to come out anyway – rather find out and deal with it as best as you can with the resources that are now available to us. Which weren’t available to people like Rock Hudson and Michael Callen. If Michael Callen could survive 11 years without the use of such medications, there is no reason why you shouldn’t survive a long time, WITH the use of them. And here’s point number two. Yes there may be people who discriminate against you. But there will be more who think you’re BRAVE. AIDS isn’t only caught one way now a days. It’s caught by blood transfusion, by mother to child transmission, by contact with someone who has bled and you contact their blood. And it’s caught by having sex with an infected person – whether you’re having straight or gay sex, the chances are the same that you may catch it.
In departing, here are some tips on how to stay safe:
- Avoid contact with bodily fluids of anyone. If you must be near them, use gloves and other such protective materials.
- Practice safe sex.
- Ensure any blood transfusion you or your family is going to receive has been properly screened. Teach your children to avoid blood and bodily fluids.
AIDS awareness doesn’t have to only be restricted to one day. Spread the ribbon around, wear the ribbon, talk to people about it. It’s not a taboo thing that you don’t have to talk about. Educate people by bringing it out into the open. Don’t ostracize anybody that might have it. Just take precautions. Just like you don’t want to be ostracized for being gay, they also don’t want to be ostracized for having AIDS. Don’t judge people who have it. You don’t know how they got it, and even if you did, it’s nothing to do with you. Your being gay is nothing to do with anyone else – their lifestyle is nothing to do with you. Just be supportive.
On a lighter note – it’s getting nearer Christmas. In this part of the world, we wind down, from here on in. At least not me, because I have my own business, but it is nice to have the kids and family at home. Share and tell me how you all celebrate Christmas.
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