December 1st is World AIDS Day
Credit: Robert Miller
For a long time, the spread of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic had been associated and blamed primarily on homosexual sex, mostly derived from unprotected intercourse amongst men. The stigma that surrounds HIV (Human Immunodefficiency Virus) and AIDS is still highly prevalent. Admittedly, given the transmission pathways (semen, blood and milk), it would appear as though the gay population may be at highest risk.
I am very passionate about HIV prevention and treatment causes, and in particular, I Blogathoned for A Loving Spoonful in 2007. I spent 24 hours writing a blog post every half hour to raise funds for this charity, which provides meals to people in the Vancouver area afflicted with the deadly disease.
From the World AIDS website, these couple of paragraphs really resonated with me, because of the stigma that has been created around AIDS.
People living with HIV may find it hard to tell others about their condition as they worry that people will reject them, or they will experience prejudice from friends, family and colleagues. People living with HIV can also experience discrimination in their workplace, in healthcare settings (e.g., GPs and dentists), from members of their local community and through the media.
HIV prejudice is often the result of ignorance about how HIV is passed on and unfounded fear of becoming infected. Encouraging those around us to talk about HIV and find out the facts can help overcome this.
I would like to encourage my readers to donate to charities related to AIDS, educate yourselves about the disease, how it can be transmitted (and prevented) and remember that people you love may be living with HIV/AIDS, so be sensitive, understanding, supportive and above all, love them just the same, because the stigma is unfounded and just plain stupid.
This year’s theme is “Respect and Protect”.
Respect & Protect inspires individuals to consider the different roles they can play:
* Show respect by always treating people living with HIV fairly, respecting their confidentiality and challenging prejudice wherever it occurs.
* Respect themselves and their partners by always practising safe sex to protect their sexual health.
* Find out the facts about HIV, spread the Respect & Protect message and encourage others to do the same.
Related posts:
- World AIDS Day and the Treatment As Prevention Campaign
- Le Jazz Hot (Fundraiser for YouthCo AIDS Society) July 25th, 2011
- World AIDS Day 2010 (Vancouver and beyond)
- World AIDS Day
- Have brunch for charity! AIDS Benedict brunch weekend
It’s certainly life on the D-List. Especially when even your closest friends say things like, “there is no way I would ever knowingly date an HIV+ person”.
That’s a noble cause, great post.