Join the fight by helping to eliminate the need to fight. But not nearly as uncomfortable as one could be alone. Yes, it may be uncomfortable with someone there with you. Chances are they’re just as wary pf the whole thing as you are. Why don’t you? I’m not asking you to grab a picket sign, donate half of your paychecks to research or even volunteer your time. Some folks argue over whether this fight should be fought here at home or in Africa (if you live under a rock, Africa is the most AIDS-ravaged continent on the globe). I owe it to myself to know where I stand and to continue to protect myself. No greater renewal of dedication to self. And every time I call for the results or find myself in the waiting room twiddling my thumbs for the rapid test results and the nurse says, “negative,” there’s no greater sense of relief. Why? Because I watch TV, listen to the radio, and read magazines that are perpetually scaring me half to death about this thing. And if the test comes back negative, why wouldn’t you want that sense of empowerment? Trust me, I’m scared shitless EVERY time I’m tested. Because they’re too many people in this fight who want you to live. Your breath smells like hot shit on a windy day. And what’s the harm in it? What are you afraid of? Being a leper? Get over it. I hope that makes more than a few people utter a cute little “WTF.” At this point in the fight everyone is urging us to know our status. According to in the US is infected with HIV every 9 minutes and 30 seconds. Did you know? Did they know? Back to the stats. Most of us have encountered – and not necessarily sexually – people who have either HIV or AIDS. And most people with HIV or AIDS don’t even know they have it. Here’s a fact: in order for there to even be statistics, there need to be reports. Maybe we need to push that discomfort a little further. How many of us sit down and discuss our feelings about this pandemic with our friends? Our family? How many of us discuss preventative measures? Why? It’s that elephant in the room that still makes everyone uncomfortable. Despite the ads on TV, radio, magazines and billboards we still don’t want to talk about it. And that’s amazing since you can’t watch a full hour of TV without hearing some celebrity spewing statistics at you or watching some young girl bop down the street turning down guys left and right – you know, things that are supposed to reflect you.

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