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Written by Christopher Jones
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Thursday, 30 August 2007 |
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Recently, I took a li’l trip back home to Texas and a very dear family friend of mine asked me, “Are you being safe?” Without hesitation I responded, “Of course I am. I mean, L.A. isn’t that dangerous.” “No, I mean sexually,” she replied. “Are you being sexually safe?” She went on to say, “Young people today seem to act like the HIV/AIDS epidemic that happened when I was growing up never existed. What they fail to realize is that it’s going on right now, all around them… us, just in a different capacity.”
This got me thinking. I got online, did some general searching and found some very sobering statistics. According to until.org, half of all new infections each year occur in people 25 years of age or younger. 70 percent of these new infections occur in men.
It seems that despite the continuing impact of HIV/AIDS worldwide and particularly among the gay community, awareness is waning among young people, including gay men.
The CDC released current HIV/AIDS statistics fall of 2005 on studies from the years 2001-2005. Expect updated information and new studies to be released November 2007.
Do you know your status?
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Blogs 
written by Thom on August 30, 2007
This is shocking and really scary!
written by EAC on August 30, 2007
I don?t want to assume, but I can pretty much say that I know my status. I believe so due to the fact that I am not sexually active. I grew up the ?Rock Hudson? days and that alone traumatized me. I think the ?young gays? today haven?t had something like that rock them and that is probably why the numbers are higher more than ever. On the other hand, I want to believe that nowadays the gays are smart and know that all types of STDs are out there! It takes one time to get one, so I will get tested tomorrow. Just because I am not sexually doesn?t mean that I can?t catch it.
written by Skin on August 30, 2007
Younger people still exhibit - as has long been the case - attitudes of "it happens to others, but it's not going to happen to me."
All of us have a tendency to subconsciously consider ourselves "exempt" from many things. So, this finding should not be all that surprising.
written by Scarred on August 30, 2007
I'm afraid to get tested, and don't know what to do. I know that I should, but terrified to find the results. Is there any OTHER way to ease my mind, and stop worrying about this? Reading article like this fuels the fire and gets me thinking again, which is good, but bad at the same time.
Can anyone help? Or did I do this to myself... to bad for me?
written by Caleb C. on August 30, 2007
I disagree with Skin - I found this info. a little bit surprising. Why? Well, we all know that young, gay men are at risk. However, 50% of new HIV cases are among young people under 25, 70% men? You really don't find this number to be higher than you would have guessed if asked the question? Oh, please. The blogger said this is sobering and you have to at least agree with this. It makes your eyes bulge a bit.
written by SN on August 30, 2007
Scarred,
Once you get tested you either ease your mind quickly or get treated sooner for something that could get worse later. To me, that would be better than living in fear.
written by natedawg on September 03, 2007
I believe we as gay people have been conditioned to believe we WILL get HIV at somepoint. This then leads us to not have the confidence or care to always use condoms. In a lot of instances homsexual and HIV are used synonomously. The problem is not unprtected sex, it is lack of a committed relationship where both partners are tested. know their status and make a comitment to being exclusive.