Quick! Poll Everywhere: Did you know Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day? Yes? No? Maybe so?
It’s OK if you answered no. Honestly, three years ago my answer would’ve been no, too. I only became aware of World AIDS Day as a first-year, when I was at campus health getting my regular STD and HIV test. In a wondrous stroke of fate, and possibly karmic irony, my eyes locked on a World AIDS Day poster the exact moment a needle testing for HIV jabbed into my forearm.
I’d like to think that as a socially and politically-conscious gay man I would have eventually discovered World AIDS Day, but I can’t be certain. When I first saw that poster, I brushed it aside as something seemingly irrelevant, even though I was in that very room because I spent the night before in a sleepless panic, convinced I was HIV-positive. I spent the following three days after that HIV test in a haze, unable to think about anything else. Ultimately, I received an email informing me I tested negative. I sighed with relief. I then burst into tears, finally able to expel the fear that had plagued me all week.
I share this story not to engender sympathy or pity but rather to highlight how deeply ingrained harmful stigma about HIV/AIDS can be, even in an out and proudly gay man like myself. I’m still fearful of testing HIV positive, despite the fact that in 2018, a positive HIV status is not a death sentence. In fact, it is far from it. However, the extreme fear I felt, and still occasionally feel today, is a consequence of a society and culture that have fostered an atmosphere of extreme paranoia and horror.
World AIDS Day is an opportunity to combat this fear. It’s a chance to raise awareness for the ongoing AIDS pandemic while also remembering those who have passed away. According to the UN, there are currently 37 million people around the world who have HIV or AIDS, and yet, a quarter of these people are unaware of their positive status. 1.8 million people were newly infected with HIV last year alone. HIV/AIDS is not simply a “gay disease” and it is everyone’s responsibility to help increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education and outreach efforts.
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of World AIDS day and this year’s theme is “know your status.” Although HIV testing is essential in the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS, stigma and discrimination still deter people from knowing their HIV status. Additionally, access to confidential testing continues to be a major concern. These barriers must be addressed and it is through opportunities like World AIDS Day that we can advocate for these necessary changes.
So I encourage you this Saturday to go out and get tested. Even if you are someone who is not at-risk for HIV infection, the simple act of getting tested can help reduce stigma and inspire those around you to do the same. Scientific advances have significantly improved HIV treatment and early detection can enable HIV positive people to lead healthy and productive lives. HIV testing is imperative in empowering people to live their most informed life, free from the unjustified fear and misinformation. World AIDS Day is an opportunity for us all to help achieve this goal so one day we can all enter the testing room and be consumed only by a fear of the dreaded needle and nothing else.
