Am I responsible for my friend’s HIV infection, addiction and death?

Am I responsible for my friend’s HIV infection, addiction and death?

By: Aaron M. Laxton- Writer, Blogger and Activist

Do we have an obligation to intervene when our friends are engaging in behaviors that are dangerous and potentially deadly? Some of my closest friends and peers are shooting, snorting, and sleeping their way to potential HIV infection and eventually death.  Am I responsible through inaction for their ultimate demise? We have all seen the commercials that teach us to stop a person who has been drinking from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, however why do we not do the same thing for other dangerous actions?  If we expect to turn the tide of new infections as well as the death of our generation by way of addiction to drugs such as crystal meth and heroin, then it is time that we start to have REAL conversations with each other.

 

Recently Glee fans from around the world were saddened to hear of the sudden death of the Cory Monteith, who played the lead character of Finn. Monteith made his own personal struggle with addiction public last year when he entered drug rehab for the first time.  It now appears as if Monteith’s battle with addiction to methamphetamines was still ongoing. Monteith’s death follows on the heels of Spencer Cox, world renowned AIDS Activist, who also lost his battle with addiction and only further serves to highlight the need for action.

Crystal Meth

As I travel across the United States sharing my experiences as a person living with HIV since June 6, 2011 one thing stands out to me, people are still using crystal meth.  As a recovering addict, I can tell you that during the height of my addiction I would have loved for anyone to have told me how much I was hurting myself.  What started out simply as something I would do while partying with friends soon became a major addiction that wrecked every aspect of my life, ending with my being becoming infected with HIV. I could easily have been another Monteith or Cox. My life while using meth consisted of trolling hookup sites looking for my next trick, while looking for my next fix. There were never enough tricks and there was definitely never enough meth.  Psychologically, I had devolved to state of amphetamine-psychosis, a consequence of chronic amphetamine use. Symptoms mimic those of schizophrenia and include hallucinations, hearing voices, paranoia, mental confusion, loss of time, emotional flatness, not eating, inability to sleep just to name a few.  

 Logging on to any hook-up application or websites I’m  continually amazed to see the headlines for “Party N Play”, “PNP” all code for fellow-tweakers  (a term used to describe a person who uses meth).  Bathhouses are filled with guys who are doped up on chemicals purchased from warehouse store; the actions they engage in while under the influence creates a breeding ground, no pun intended, for new HIV infection. You might ask, “How does this guy know about what goes on in my bathhouse?” My response is that I am most likely a card-carrying member of your bathhouse. I have no shame is disclosing the fact that I frequent bathhouses around the world. Regardless of what your social standing we are all equalized when we are wandering the halls of the bathhouse in a towel simply looking for our next trick. It is time for us to have the tough conversations with our friends who are dealing with addiction. 

The reality is that the bathhouses are filled with your friends who slip in after a night of partying.  You may never know about it because they believe that you would judge them. It is time to admit that you likely have at least one friend or acquaintance who is an addict, but they believe they have it under control. All addicts think that they have it under control but the truth is that addiction is in control.

Raw, Bareback Sex

We need to face it that there are two messages being told. The most prevalent and politically-correct message is that condoms need to be used each and every time that you have sex. The reality is thatthat not everyone wants to use condoms and consequently we are not wearing them, more personally… I will not wear them. The reason that no one freely admits that we are not using condoms is because we do not want to be preached at and shamed. While condoms offer protection against exposure to HIV they are just one of many tools that we have currently. If we are truly committed to reducing shame and having a conversation about reducing new HIV infections we must end the stigma surrounding unprotected sex. I will always choose to have no sex at all than to have sex with a condom.

It is time for us to have these tough conversations with each other regarding risk-reduction practices and prevention outside of simply putting a condom on. It is time to wake up and recognize that beating people over the head with the “condom” message isn’t cutting it. A better conversation to have with friends who refuse to use condoms might be whether they have heard of PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis) or what other risk-reduction practices they use.

People are going to make their own choices regardless of how you feel about it. If we are committed to changing the tide of new HIV-infections & addiction then it is time for us to start having real conversations free of judgment and stigma.  Are you responsible for your friend’s HIV infection? That is only something that you can answer. Ultimately each person is responsible for their own actions. As friends and family don’t we have a higher responsible to intervene when a person is engaging in behavior that presents a high probability of negative results such as HIV-infection and in some cases death? Without these tough conversations, how many more of our friends fall victim to addiction and risky behavior?

Injunction to block Congress from getting paid during Sequestration

Injunction to block Congress from getting paid during Sequestration
By: Aaron M. Laxton, HIV-Infected Queer, Activist & Blogger

In 6 days across-the-board cuts will go into effect as a result of President Obama and Congress failing to reach a deal regarding the debt ceiling. With the fiscal crisis looming on the horizon Congress is on vacation. It must be nice to get an approximate $175,000 annual salary for what amounts to a part time job. 

The sequester was originally passed as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), also known as the debt ceiling compromise. It was intended to serve as incentive for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or the "Supercommittee" to come to a deal to cut $1.5 trillion over 10 years. If the committee had done so, and Congress had passed it by Dec. 23, 2011, then the sequester would have been averted. A deal was not reached and we are now staring sequestration directly in the face. 

What is going to be cut?

• Domestic $42.7 billion (7.9 percent)
• Defense Programs $28.7 billion (5.3 percent)
• Mandatory $4 billion (5.8 percent non defense/7.8 defense)
• Discretionary Spending 
• Medicare $9.9 billion (2 percent)

The effect of sequestration will reduce the scale and scope of existing programs. Below is a list of programs that will be impacted:

• Aircraft purchases by the Air Force and Navy will be cut by $3.5 billion
• Military operations across the services will be cut about $13.5 billion
• Military research will be cut by $6.3 billion
• The National Institute of Health will be cut by $1.6 billion
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be reduced by $323 million
• Border security reduced by about $581 million
• Immigration enforcement to be cut by $323 million
• Airport security reduced by $323 million
• Head Startcut by $406 million- kicking 70,000 kids out of program
• FEMA cut by $375 million
• Public housing support slashed by $1.94 billion 
• FDA to be automatically reduced by $206 million
• NASA cut by $970 million
• Special education will be gutted by $840 million
• Energy Dept. program to secure our nukes cut by $650 million
• National Science Foundation cut by $388 million
• FBI reduced by $480 million
• Federal Prison system to be cut by $355 million
• State Dept. diplomatic functions will be cut by $650 million
• Global health programs to be cut by $433 million
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission cut by $55 million

During the sequester military service members will also see their benefits reduced however they will still get paid. Additionally federal employees will not see their salaries cut since Congress wrote a clause in that states, "a sequester may not reduce or have the effect of reducing the rate of pay an employee is entitled to." 

That means that Congress will continue to get paid although no work has been done or is currently being done. It is my belief that an injunction needs to be issued through Federal Court blocking Congress from getting paid during the sequester. Why should the citizens of the United States burden the consequences of Congress inability to reach a deal to avert the debt crisis?  

I urge each of you in the very strongest way to contact your representative in Congress and place pressure on them to actually do their job and reach a deal to avoid sequestration. It is my opinion that the entire administration and congress should not adjourn until a deal is reached.

 

Use the links below to determine who your member of congress is and how to contact them today.

 

Contacting Congress

Congressional Directory

 

Tips On Telephoning Your Elected Representatives

To find your senators' and representative's phone numbers, you may use our searchable online congressional directory or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your senators' and/or representative's office.

Remember that telephone calls are usually taken by a staff member, not the member of Congress. Ask to speak with the aide who handles the issue about which you wish to comment.
After identifying yourself, tell the aide you would like to leave a brief message, such as: "Please tell Senator/Representative (Name) that I support/oppose (S.___/H.R.___)."
You will also want to state reasons for your support or opposition to the bill. Ask for your senators' or representative's position on the bill. You may also request a written response to your telephone call.

Arrest all men, women and children with the flu!

Arrest all men, women and children with the flu!
By: Aaron M. Laxton, HIV-Infected Queer, Activist & Blogger

Criminalization of those living with HIV has seemingly set  a new precedence for how the CDC (Center for Disease Control) chooses to address public health issues. While the tactics of arresting those with HIV/AIDS are more in keeping with Hitler's Third Reich than a democratic society; arrest, prosecution and imprisonment is an ever-present fear for the approximately 1.2 million living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. If you are living with HIV/AIDS and you are not concerned about criminalization then you are clueless.

Policy makers, politicians and law enforcement serve of the Gestapo enforcing fear through the use of imprisonment, forfeiture of civil rights and public-shaming should an HIV positive person even be accused of looking in the direction of a negative person. In many ways it is very reminiscent of the deep-south at a time when African American men would be strung up simply on the accusation of a white woman that he had done something inappropriate. In the United States you are not innocent until proven guilty... You are guilty until proven innocent. Proving your innocence is something that requires money, lots of money. Even if you ultimately are proven innocent (which doesn't happen that often), you will be financially ruined. Your reputation will forever be that of a person who "intentionally tried to infect someone with HIV" regardless of the circumstance.

Thirty -four states and two U.S. territories have criminal statutes that punish people for exposing or transmitting HIV to another individual. Punishments range from a fine to up to 30 years in prison, according to the Center for HIV Law and Policy. In some states, exposure or transmission is a felony, and convicted individuals are sometimes forced to register as sex offenders. In my home state of Missouri simply exposing another person to HIV (through ANY sexual contact) or by through saliva  is viewed by the law as a Class B punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Disclosure of your HIV status and the use of a condom is no defense. I repeat, the use of a condom is no defense according to Missouri law.


To date there has been no data that supports the idea that criminalizing HIV prevents exposure and infection. The contrary has actually been noted that criminalization practices impede getting people tested for HIV and ultimately treated. The reality is that criminal statutes that are out-dated and draconian only perpetuate fear and ignorance regarding HIV/AIDS.

Those infected with the flu should be arrested!

In 2006-2007 up to 49,000 people died in the United States as a result of complications related to influenza. If criminalizing HIV is seen as a prevention strategy then why not apply this same practice to address  influenza outbreaks? Arrest people who do not wash their hands, who cough without covering their mouth and those who place others at risk of infecting others with inluenza. Arrest children, women, the elderly... Arrest everyone since anyone can be a potential carrier of the influenza virus which could lead to death.

Obviously you can see the flaw in the previous suggestion however  criminalization is viewed as acceptable when applied to those living with HIV/AIDS?

Society has no problem quarantining marganlized populations however that must be seen as a slipper-slope that has greater implications for other groups. Today, it is criminalizing those living with HIV/AIDS but tomorrow it could be people living with Hepatitis. After that it could be criminalizing anyone who is a carrier of influenza. Ultimately where does it end? As long as we allow fear to dictate policy regarding public health, we will never acheive

You can either accept that criminalization of HIV/AIDS is the way it is, or you can fight against it. Contact you representative in Congress and urge them to sign on as a co-sponsor of the " REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act" introduced by Barabara Lee, (D) California.

Also you can learn more about efforts to end the criminalization of those with HIV by visiting The SERO Project at www.seroproject.org

Murdered or Martyred: Spencer Cox's Final Contribution

Murdered or Martyred: Spencer Cox's Final Contribution
By: Aaron M. Laxton, HIV-Infected Queer Activist and Blogger

Weeks ago the status feed on my Facebook and other social media was captivated by one particular name... Spencer Cox. Throughout the days following his death activists from around the world shared stories and articles in reference to Spencer. As I opened up my email there was a plethora of condolence emails which all began something like this: "Loss of a pioneer...", most shared in what capacity the person sending the email had interacted with Spencer. 

As information regarding his drug addiction and personal struggle with post-traumatic stress became public, the world got a glimpse of the bruised and battered warrior who stood valliantly behind the armor. Spencer saturated himself in the science of HIV and is directly credited by Peter Staley, a fellow AIDS activist who was featured on "How to Survive a Plague", for saving the lives of over eight-million patients; a result of his efforts to standardize protocols which were adopted by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) which brought about the protease inhibitor.

In the plague era, Cox found himself in a time before society had a name for what is now called AIDS. It first appeared as a rare cancer seen in eleven gay men, for a time it was called GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency) and finally would become AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Friends and lovers were falling one by one at first and over time those numbers increased to staggering, alarming rates. Although everyone wanted to believe that they would live, the reality was that while death called upon a vast majority relatively quickly, others would be left forever scarred by pain, suffering and misery. Just as with any masscre or distaster the toll of the event is long-lasting and life-changing.

Political inaction which left those living, or rather dying, with AIDS was tantamount to  goverment-sanctioned death for patients during the plague years. Cox, a genius and pioneer was sentenced to death long ago by such politicians who turned a blind eye to an entire community that was being ravished by AIDS. Although today the political climate has, to a great deal, embraced HIV/AIDS, this certainly was not the reality of the plaque era. Cox and his fellow activists directly challenged not only the New York City Hall but also the White House and almost every major establishment in Washington, D.C. A politician's disinterest and lack of desire to become involved only further motivated activists such as Cox to blaze a trail into unknown territory. 

It was the introduction of the Denver Principes which boldly proclaimed that those infected were "AIDS patients" rather than "AIDS victims" and to this end Cox was no victim at least in the short-term. In the long-term Cox was merely the tip-of-the-iceberg regarding a marginalized and disenfranchised community who was viewed by politicians as "acceptable losses". 

There are followers and then there are leaders and those abilities are as much a gift as they are an art. Spencer Cox without doubt would forever changed the landscape of AIDS in the United States and Globally. His death however also serves as one last action. An action, like any successful action, brings to light an injustice and inequality through public awareness. An action also involves the potential for personal sacrifice through arrest, detention, or in this case... Death.

Much like the images we have seen of Tibetan Monks who set themselves on fire in one final act of protest, Cox so too has made a statement. A person who had been so instrumental is reforming how those living with HIV/AIDS received medications stopped taking his own. This was the equivalent of cutting an artery and allowing it slowly bleed out. The cestation of his medications meant one thing... death would finally come for this wounded warrior. For all of the things Cox stood for, such as empirical data, quantifiable-numbers and research, it was the latent-affects of living through the plague era which proved just as detrimental as the virus.

Our understanding of the psychological and emotional damage caused as a result of surviving the plague are not well understood. How many more Spencer Cox's are out there? How many more are survivors who through their own actions hasten death through self-destructive behaviors or attitudes? An addiction to crystal meth was merely the means by way Spencer self-medicated. The addiction was only a symptom of a greater problem that is not isolated to just Spencer. A greater problem that is running rampant throughout the gay community and within the AIDS community. I myself have battled with an addiction to Crystal meth as well as other self-destructive patterns of behavior. 

Why did he survive when so many others had died? The grief and grieving that seemingly over-shadowed being alive has been hidden away as a dark secret and is not spoken of near as often as it should be within our communities. What is focused on is improved drug therapies, longer life expectancies and "normal" lives however ignoring the catastrophic and debilitating emotional wreckage in plague-era patients is a travesty and it must be stopped.

Spencer Cox's death can be viewed as a murder which was sanctioned long ago but that only recently occurred or it can be viewed as the ultimate action and political statement to decry an injustice and inequality, only you can be the judge.

Fantastic Journey

Fantastic Journey

Aaron Laxton: Happy Holidays to All of You!