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Soon after I came out two years ago, a concerned parent had a long discussion with me about how concerned she was for my eternal salvation. I listened and told her I'd read what she wanted me to read, but that I wasn't doing anything wrong. She was okay for a while after that.
Soon came a choir trip to DC, for which she was a chaperone. She decided to talk to me and a group of friends about how all gay people have STD's no matter what, and AIDS was the big hit with her. That's right... all gay people have AIDS.
I tried to tell her that not all gay people have AIDS, to no avail. I can at least speak from personal experience. I am a gay male. I do not have AIDS. Ergo, not all gay people have AIDS.
But what about those of us who do? AIDS carries a horrible social stigma. People are uneducated. They think that AIDS is an autmotic death sentence, that people with AIDS are like King Midas and infect everything they touch. These are of course, untrue. Though AIDS can be deadly, and is not fully curable, it is treatable and people with HIV/AIDS can lead full, happy lives. AIDS can't be transferred through touch. Using the same phone as a person who has AIDS won't give you AIDS, it's just simply a phone that someone else has used before.
Help fight the social stigma. Help fight the myths. Also, help to educate people on how to help stop the pandemic. Use condoms, talk to your partners, tell others to do the same. You may think you're just one person reading some silly teenager's blog, but you... Yes, you right there at your computer screen! You CAN help make a difference.
