I was born in 1981, the year the first mysterious cluster of a so-called “gay cancer” was recorded among five gay men in Los Angeles by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As a young child in the 80s I could not comprehend reality of the pain, suffering, fear, stigma, and anguish of gay communities ravaged by this unknown and incurable death sentence. It was something that was not talked about and often spoken of only in hushed tones at home and school as a gay disease, that "they" probably deserved for supposedly living promiscuous lifestyles.
Even the deaths of Rock Hudson, Freddie Mercury, and Kenny Everett which did much to wake up the public to the HIV/AIDS crisis facing humanity were only footnotes in the childhoods of my generation.
In our teenage years the complacency about HIV/AIDS really began to set in. Yes we received sex education lessons, including the use of condoms to reduce the risk transmission of the virus and we saw the adverts on TV, but frankly in middle-class Britain we didn’t know anyone – or didn’t think we knew anyone – with the virus or fighting AIDS.
The social stigma remained and we never thought it was something that would affect “us”. As a gay man now in my mid-20s I am confident that my peers and I are well-versed in the safe sex message which has been drummed into us.
At the same time we see remarkable stories of survival by those who are living with HIV. A few examples spring to mind, Greg Louganis, Chris Smith (former Cabinet Minister in Britain), and most recently Jack on Project Runway – an incredibly good looking, athletic 38 year old who has lived with HIV for 17 years.
It may not be the death sentence that it once was, at least in the West for those with access to drugs treatments, but it is still a virus that causes pain, misery and a tough regime of treatment even for those who battle against it and are winning. It is not something that we should take lightly as gay men but I think complacency has set in, and the figures back up this claim with HIV infections on the rise among young gay men this year in the US and UK.
I am by no means an expert on communicating on health issues or HIV/AIDS campaigns but as a young gay man I would offer this perspective.
We know the facts about safe sex but more of us need to be educated on the realities of life with HIV. We should celebrate the fantastic progress but also remind ourselves of the physical and emotional toll of this condition. Those of us who know someone who is HIV-positive have some idea, but those of us who don’t need to get a better sense of what living with this virus really means if this frightening complacency is going to be tackled.
I have learnt a great deal by making an effort to read about the sheer horror of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s when people did not have the opportunity to make the choices we do today to prevent transmission, and think I have a responsibility to make the choices gay men born just 20 years before me didn’t have. The most powerful experience was seeing a photograph an older friend showed me from 1980 of his group of friends, and then him pointing out the shockingly few who are still with us.
In addition to the safe sex message and getting regular testing, I think we as the post-80s generation need a wake-up call to take responsibility to avoid the fate of those who did not live in the world of information and knowledge about AIDS we do now. We are lucky and we need to be reminded about that sometimes.
More importantly, there needs to be a campaign to remind us of the reality of life with HIV and to explain that yes many people can live for years with the virus but some do not, and those that do face a rigorous and sometimes debilitating drug treatment regime, and often periods of depression. It would be great to see some of the high-profile figures living with HIV be recruited to take part in PSAs or similar communications campaigns with a message of hope but also one of reality about how the virus affects their lives.
The latest HIV figures are shocking and in many ways depressing. A new message that combines practical advice with an emotional dimension is needed.
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Hi,
1 in 4 sexually active teenagers become infected with an STD every year, in the United States alone. Now, more than ever, we need to join together to fight this growing issue. As I read through your website, it is clear that you share the same passion for STD/STI awareness. We here, at Disease.com, understand the importance of STD/STI prevention and treatments. If you could, please list us as a resource or host our social book mark button, it would be much appreciated. We can not reach every teenager, but together we can try.
If you need more information please email me back with the subject line as your URL.
Thank you,
Sharon Vegoe
Disease.com