Meningitis Outbreak – Should You Protect Yourself Prior to Major Events?

 Meningitis Outbreak – Should You Protect Yourself Prior to Major Events?

By now, most of you have seen the news stories regarding meningitis outbreaks that were initially isolated to New York but have now moved to Los Angeles. If we have learned nothing else from the early days of the AIDS plague, it should be that early response trumps a reactive-scramble to matters of public-health. It is not my intent to sound the alarm over meningitis however, it is something that needs to be watched quite carefully. With several major leather events, CLAW & IML on the horizon, attendees need to be fully informed regarding what it is and how they can protect themselves.

Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord and the most common symptoms are headache, fever, neck stiffness, confusion, vomiting and an inability to tolerate light or loud noises. Meningitis is contracted through “close contact” not simple casual contact, examples of this would be: kissing, coughing, sneezing, sharing eating utensils, glasses, food or towels. Although meningitis is not transmitted exclusively through sexual intercourse, most of the above stated activities occur during sexual contact. It is for this reason that I urge anyone attending major leather events or parties such as CLAW or IML to consider getting vaccinated. There is considerable evidence which supports the idea that the LA patient was exposed during a White Party over Easter Weekend.

The New York City Health Department has suggested that gay men in New York “who regularly have intimate contact with other men through a website, digital application, or at a bar or party” might consider getting vaccinated. This simply means that this group is at higher risk for exposure to meningitis due to the activities that they are engaged in regularly.

Getting vaccinated as a precaution poses no risk to your health. It will take approximately 2 weeks from the initial date of vaccination for the full-benefits of the vaccination to be seen. Additionally individuals who are HIV positive may require a secondary booster to be fully protected. The meningitis vaccine will prevent invasive meningococcal disease from taking root but does not treat the disease if a person is already infected.

When your dick develops a habit…

My name is Aaron and I am an addict. I will be the first to admit that I love crystal, “tina”, Adderall… I have been clean for 459 days and counting but I will be an addict for life. Crystal use in the LGBT community and specifically in the kink community is alive and well! Recently I was alarmed while in Atlanta when I logged onto Grindr to pass time; the amount of guys looking to “Party” or “PnP” was staggering.  As a community we have to be honest that when it comes to drugs and alcohol, if it was not fun initially we would never have done it. There comes a point however when the novelty wears off and we are left with a habit, a habit that our dick had helped us develop.  

No one wakes up one day and decides that they are going to become addicted to drugs; we need to be very clear about that. A habit develops over time and before a person realizes it, they have reached rock-bottom. For some people that rock-bottom is worse than others. Whether it is slamming “tina” at the bathhouse and getting slammed or simply popping a few “addys” for a night on the town, we did it because it was fun. There was a certain amount of pleasure that came from that high. No one ever tells you though that you will always be chasing that first high, which is why an addict requires higher amounts of the drugs. Anyone who tells you that drugs were not fun in the beginning is either full of shit or they do not know what they are talking about.

Amphetamines cause a hyper-sense of sexuality that initially is alluring until most people figure out that they are up all night with a limp-dick. There is nothing worse than being awake in the wee-hours of the morning, endlessly searching “fuck-sites” such as craigslist, Recon, Scruff, Grindr and so forth… There is nothing worse than the emotion wreckage that a person is left to deal with as the drugs begin to leave their body and they start to withdrawal.  

A habit develops over time, slowly what began as something that was done socially becomes something that you do alone. You isolate yourself from everyone around you. Your work performance begins to slip. You begin to lie to cover up your usage. Through it all however you say to yourself... “It is recreational, I only do it every now and then… I have it under control.” Those are the famous last words of every addict; you are no more in control than other addicts. All addicts like to think that they are somehow different. At the end of the day however, your dick has helped you develop an addiction.

If there are things that you can only do when you are high on meth… should you be doing them?  Additionally how many of us have placed ourselves in extreme risk of HIV exposure or become infected while high on crystal meth, tina, Adderall or whatever you choose to call it. I can say that I did! Regardless of what your definition of kink is, there is only one definition of addiction. To all of my brothers out there that are currently dealing with an addiction that their dick helped them develop, I would say that there is help available. Nothing in your life is beyond repair and at least worth the effort to attempt to fix.

To others that are in our community that are turning a blind-eye to those that are actively using meth… wake the fuck up. You have an obligation to call people out! Do not simply look down at people or turn your back on them. That is how we are going to overcome the war that is raging with crystal meth. 

No Place to call home: Aging with HIV/AIDS

No Place to call home: Aging with HIV/AIDS

By: Aaron M. Laxton, Blogger, Activist and HIV-Infected Queer

 

 

I remember once in a class that I was in the professor had the class address issues regarding their own mortality. For  people in their youth this can be extremely hard since this can viewed as morbid. After all, we will live forever and nothing will ever hurt us...right? Obviously as we age we begin to understand that this is not the case; life is always moving and changing. Eventually life will move on and change without us.

　

HIV risk doesn’t stop at 50. In fact, men and women over age 50 account for 17 percent of all new HIV and AIDS diagnoses in the 40 states that have long-term confidential name-based reporting.

During the plague years hospices began to form that would address the needs of those dying from AIDS. It was in these hospices where patients were not viewed as an infectious disease but rather a person who needed love and compassion. A patient covered in Karposi Sarcoma or sufferingly was severe wasting was not feared but rather embraced, held and loved. Although the end of their life was marked by the extreme pain and suffering of AIDS related complications and social stigma, the hospice provided a safe-haven in their final days.

With the advent of improved medications and our understanding of our to treat HIV the amount of people dying from AIDS slowed; as a result the hospices that we once formed to provide support for them were not needed. It is estimated that approximately 50,000 annually die from AIDS in the United States. Some of these organizations restructured to provide other services and others simple were no longer there.

In 2009, people aged 50 and older accounted for 23% of AIDS diagnoses in the United States. Yet older adults are often overlooked in the ongoing HIV/AIDS conversation. Developed for the National Aging Network and others interested in educating older adults, the U.S. Administration on Aging HIV: Know the Risks. Get the Facts. Older Adults and HIV/AIDS Toolkit contains helpful resources and materials specifically designed to inform older adults about the risks of HIV/AIDS and to encourage older adults to know their status.

Now however we have an aging population of patients living with HIV/AIDS and we must consider how to provide the best possible care for them. Anyone who works with aging populations will tell you that finding residential care facilities is a daunting task. I work as a case manager and recently had to do this for a client. This particular client did not have HIV however the task was a challenge none-the-less.

As an HIV positive patient population reaches a time where they might need a residential care facility where will they go? You might say that they can go to any residential care facility that they want. In theory you are right however the facility has the right to refuse whomever they want. Typically once an administrator determines that a patient is HIV positive they are less apt to admit that patient into their facility. This is not something that cannot be hidden since all medical records must be given to the prospective facility.

Also there is the issue of stigma within the residential care facilities. For many of these facilities is it a challenge simply being LGBT. The fear and ignorance of HIV among others residents and staff alike would make it almost impossible for a person living with HIV to live with any quality of life.

One strategy might be to develop facilities that specialize for those living with HIV but does this further perpetuate stigma and ignorance. By creating specialized facilities are we simply shuffling those living with HIV/AIDS "Out of Sight, Out of Mind". That is a slippery slope. What would be next, homes for only white people? Homes for only black people?

If we agree that specialized facilities are not the best strategy then another might be to work with policy and regulators to ensure access to services and facilities by those HIV positive patients. Creating a demand for improve transparency regarding decisions for admissions into programs? Also working with residential care facilities to help educate staff and residents about HIV/AIDS.

We have an ethical obligation to provide great care for our elders not to simply shuffle them away somewhere until they die.

Aaron M. Laxton
My HIV Journey
aaronlaxton@gmail.com

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

One HIV-Infected Queer’s Response to the State of the Union

One HIV-Infected Queer’s Response to the State of the Union

By: Aaron Laxton, HIV-Infected Queer Activist and Blogger

Recently the news of a school massacre with twenty children killed galvanized media outlets around the world. In the days and weeks after, politicians from both sides of the aisle dug in for what would without doubt be a long fight regarding gun reform. As a person that is living with HIV I am left to question, where is this same passion and fervor regarding a CURE for HIV/AIDS?

With an aging group of activist and an ever changing-political environment comes a change in priorities and the government’s ability to put issues that we hold as valuable as a lower-priority. It is true that therapies and treatments for HIV/AIDS have vastly improved; the fight is far from over. The rates of new HIV infections within the African-American and Latino populations are staggering and barriers regarding access to care still abound.

During President Obama’s State of the Union address those of us living with HIV waited for a renewed sense of vigor and determination, marking a move towards a CURE for HIV/AIDS. Sadly, in the end, it was a vague phrase that seemed like an ingenuous attempt to court voters rather than an actual plan to get to an AIDS free generation. By the numbers, those living with HIV/AIDS have seen catastrophic cuts to programs and funding under the Obama Administration that only serve to prove that lip service is alive and well in the White House and Washington, DC.

Twenty white-children are killed in a school shooting; subsequently the instantaneous response from the White House is a stark-contrast to the determination and attention given to HIV/AIDS, an epidemic which has killed millions of people including at least 290,000 gay men. I suppose it makes sense since dead votes do not count on Election Day!

Just as it was in the early days of the epidemic, it was not until white children began to become infected did the public develop a bad taste in their mouth. What will it take now for the public, for those living with HIV/AIDS to rise up and demand a CURE to an epidemic that has been raging more than 32 years, with more casualties than all the wars put together?

I am simply on queer living with HIV who is using his voice but if we are to succeed it will demand that once again we get angry over a lack of governmental response, funding cuts to HIV/AIDS Programs, cost containment measures affecting ADAP recipients and the list goes on. Who is this generation’s Larry Kramer to rally the troops and boldly proclaim that without action we are dead?

Aaron Laxton: My HIV Journey: AIDS, Grief And Loss, Pain of being alive.

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Aaron Laxton, My HIV Journey Day 520: A Strategy for the Holiday Season

Busting down the Closet.

A closet is a horrible place to live. The fear and feelings associated with the closet are some of the scariest that a person will ever know. Will people reject you? Will your family stop loving you? Am I basically going to be cut off from my family? These are some of the questions that are associated with thoughts about disclosing something very important.

For a gay male who is HIV positive there are two times in which they come out of the closet. First is the disclosure that you are gay. Coming from a religious family I knew what this meant for me. The simple belief that you somehow chose this lifestyle is a belief that is widely held not just by my family but by a portion of society. I have often wondered why someone would choose, willingly, to have this type of rejection and persecution for a life. Even though it was difficult to come out to my family there have been family members who refused to allow hate and bigotry to dictate their own relationships. For that I am truly thankful!

The second discosure is coming out of the HIV closet. For some this disclosure is seemingly easy, while for others it is nearly impossible. The same feelings that I mentioned previously are associated with disclosing your HIV status. Are people going to reject me? Will my friends and family stop talking to me? Are people only going to see me as a diagnosis?

For both of these disclosures, we look at history and that creates a baseline that we use as a point of reference. I think that for me it was easier for my family to learn that I was HIV positive than for them to accept the fact that I am gay. I mean, at least HIV has medications and treatments but gay, well... there certainly are no medications to fix that.

For me when I learned that I was HIV positive I initially did not want anyone to know. That did not last long and before I knew it I had decided to take my story to Youtube at "My HIV Journey" . I made my decision and there was no looking back. The reality is such that when you tell one person that ultimately many others will know, even if they say that they are not going to tell.

So I controlled the disclosure of my HIV status and I did it on my terms. I did not have any expectations of how people would react or respond to it but I was shocked when it was mostly supportive. Even my family reacted in a nurturing manner with love and concern.

Each person has to decide why they are wanting to disclose their status. For me, I knew that I wanted to leave my mark on society and on my community. That meant that I was going to put myself out there 100 percent. Once I did that then people couldn't talk. I had taken all the ammo away from them. What were they going to say, that I was positive? Big deal, I had already told everyone.

Another aspect I find interesting is when people wonder how their closest friends will respond or react. I would say that if you have to question that then it really says a lot about the friendship since HIV shouldn't even factor into the friendship. They should be there for you no matter, right?

Make a statement...

Recently we have seen celebrities such as my friend Jamar Rogers or Olympic Athlete Ji Wallace disclose their HIV status and that is amazing. You can do the same thing and have a huge impact as well. You never know who is watching you and what they are going through. Simply knowing that there is someone aound them that is brave enough to stand up against misconceptions and social injustice could very well save their life. Ultimately thought disclosing your HIV status has to be something that you do for yourself. Remember once you do it there is no going back. Not everyone wants to change the world or be there for other people and that is ok. Being an activist and advocating for social change is not easy and it is not for everyone. I truly believe that it is a calling since it does take dedication and devotion.

Things to do change without people standing up and advocacting for that change. We have seen this proven time and time again throughout history. Change however doesn't not come without sacrifice. I advocate for people to disclose their HIV status in order for society to have the ability to put a face to HIV. We are friends, family members, church members and so on... HIV does not change who we are it simply is an aspect of who we are.

There is a great quote that says "I would rather die on my feet than to live on my knees." That is how I try to live my life. Additionally I would never ask someone else to do what I myself wouldn't or haven't done. I live my life out loud and I hope that others will do the same. My name is Aaron Laxton and I am HIV Positive. Will you stand with me? If so make your statement at the " I AM HIV+" facebook page.

Aaron M. Laxton
314-610-0999
aaronlaxton@gmail.com
AaronLaxton on Twitter
Aaron Laxton on Facebook
My HIV Journey on Youtube
My HIV Journey on Facebook
"I AM HIV+" Facebook

People living with HIV/AID need to let the world know that we are here.

I know what I am about to propose is radical and for that I will not apologize. Today, we find ourselves as people living with HIV/AIDS in a fight. This is a fight that has been raging for over thirty years however in recent years the battle cries have calmed as the cause lost leadership due to aging as well as from death as a result of complications of AIDS. We are in a fight even now as politicians cut funding and programs; we are in a fight as we strive to fight stigma. This is not just might fight and not simply the fight of those that are activist or considered radicals. This is the fight of every person that must hide their HIV status due to the fear of being discriminated against. This is the fight of every person who hides the fact that they are HIV positive from their family and friends due to the fear of rejection. This fight my friend is yours whether or not you ant to accept it not.

As I stood in front of the Washington Monument and the White House during the International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC I figured something out. People want to share their status and we need to. I need to stop hiding as if we have something to be fearful or shamed of because of a positive HIV status.

In thirty years we have seen many changes in our society. We have seen improvements in medications and increased life expectancy and quality of life and for that I am so thankful. That being said, does not mean that we can give up or stop fighting. We have to continue pushing forward in this battle that we are in. We have to ensure that funding continues to stream into programs that are working on innovative cure research as well as decreasing the costs of desperately needed medications to those who simply have a hard time surviving on a daily basis.

Yes, disclosing your HIV status is not easy and it is a very personal thing to do however we must all fight together. For some the sacrifice might be civil disobedience while for others it might be writing a strongly worded letter to a Senator or Congressman. The point if that we have to stand up and let the world know that we are here. HIV/AIDS is here and this is what it looks like. It looks like a friend, a family member or a coworker. We have never been as close as we are together to a cure and we must continue to push policy makers, corporations and big pharma to increase contributions to this technology.

I know what I am asking people to do and I would not ask anyone to do it if I had not done it myself. On an individual basis we can face negative consequences to disclosing our status however together, if we stand together we can change the world. This is bigger than any one individual person. I am asking that all people disclose their HIV status to their friends, family, coworkers and anyone else that you have not already told. It is only when we let people know that we are here will we fully reengage the conversation about HIV/AIDS. One thing that everyone can do is to simply take a photo with a sign that reads, "I AM HIV+" and post it online at "I AM HIV+" Photo Campaign Facebook.

I would ask you to consider this, is it better to live a life that is honest where you never have to hide who you are and are accepted for who you truly are or to live a lie? I would say that for me I chose a long time ago to never hide who I am. Although this might mean at times that I am discriminated against, beat down or yes even arrested; I choose to stand rather than to live on my knees.

ACT UP, FIGHT BACK, FIGHT AIDS! That is the chant that was being heard throughout the streets of Washington, DC and people had no choice but to hear us. We have improved medications to treat HIV/AIDS because of the sacrifice of activists, protesters and ordinary citizens that refused to simply live in silence. Yes this is a line in the sand and I am asking people to choose where they stand. Some might even say, if you are not with us then you are against us.

ACT UP, FIGHT BACK, FIGHT AIDS!

Aaron M. Laxton- AIDS Activist
Aaron's Email
My HIV Journey on Youtube
My HIV Journey on Facebook
Twitter

Whats the take away the International AIDS Conference?

Activists, Advocates and people from around the world converged on Washington, DC for the International AIDS conference. For those of us living with HIV it was a time to simply feel normal. Taking medication on a schedule, regular conversations regarding struggles with HIV were had and for all of us it was a time to refocus our efforts towards a cure.

With only a few days left of the conference we  all must ask ourselves what is the take away from this conference. Is the conference simply a time for us to travel or is it a time to reaffirm ourselves to fighting to reduce stigma and raise awareness surrounding HIV/AIDS? I would hope that the latter is the take away from this conference and for me it is!

I will forever hold this experience in a special place in my heart and the memories that I have made. Whether it be protesting and marching in front of the White House, special moments with Timothy Brown aka the "Berlin Patient" or living closely with a team of activists from around the world, this has been amazing. Many times this week I have compared this trip to that of civil rights activists who boarded buess and migrated to Washington, DC all in efforts to bring about social change.

I have marched this week; I have walked shoulder-to-shoulder with others who are as passionate about HIV/AIDS as I am and it was exactly what I needed. "ACT UP, FIGHT BACK, FIGHT AIDS" was the chant that could be heard by over thirteen thousand activists and I am proud to say that I was one of them. As I packed my car and made arrangements to come to DC the days prior to the conference I knew that this trip was going to be life changing however I could never have anticipated the utter importance of this trip. I knew that it was something that I had to do at all costs and though there were sacrifices, what I personally am taking away can never adequately be put into words.

Life long friendships were made and had that been the only thing that I achieved it would have been a success. The time that I got to spend with Timothy Brown has been priceless and I am so thankful for that. As I stood in a conference room awaiting the announcement of the Timothy Ray Brown Foundation that will focus on funding research for a cure, I knew that I was witnessing history. As I walked behind Tim as he walked into the conference room behind the line of sight of the media corp and in those moments we had a conversation and shared a hug. It was this interaction that a photographer from Reuters captured and would ultimately be spread across the Associated Press globally.

It was the shared moments that I had during this past week with activists who have fought the fight that I am now engaged in but when the HIV/AIDS movement was in its infancy. We are now thirty years and thirty-million dead globally into the movement now the demands from activists has evolved from treatment to a cure.

What was simply my desire to be who I am would also forever be documented by photographers and television stations around the world. The sign simply read "I am HIV+" and I stood in front of the Washington monuement and the White House with one desire... to let others know that I am here. Additionally I wanted to let others that are living with HIV/AIDS know that they do not have to hide who they are and that there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Protesting the Mayor of DC with Robert was another memory that was very spontaneous but ultimately is the shere definition of who we are. At the core of who we are we are wanting to change the world and the split minute decision to join our brother and sister activists was the right decision.

What can I say? The memories will forever remain in my heart and my mind as some of the best times of my life. It is not by chance that almost every photo of me taken during the conference show a huge grin on my face. Activism for me in not a romantic notion or simply something I do because I am bored, but rather because I know that I can be part of real change, not only within the United States but globally.

Aaron Laxton
314.610.0999
Email
My HIV Journey on Youtube
My HIV Journey on Facebook
AaronLaxton on Twitter

My Journey to the International AIDS Conference 2012

Even as I write this I have so many emotions that are running through my body. Words cannot capture how I am feeling however I must try. As I pack my Jetta with luggage and electronic gear there is a sense that where I am headed is truly historic. I have said it many times this past week but I truly feel as if this is what activist and advocate must have felt like during the civil rights movement when they would board buses and make the intensive trip to Washington, DC.

Yes, I will be in a car for almost fifteen hours but at the very core of who I am I know that it is where I belong. I will be meeting up with Cyber-Activist and peers within the HIV/AIDS community that up to now were merely voices and email addresses. As with everything else in my journey with HIV I am going to document this because I know that it is historic and something that I will tell my children, "I was there."

My voice as an activist and advocate might only be heard by a few however in DC it will be united with tens of thousands of other people and together the world will see us. Whether it is marching on the capital or meeting with people in the Global Village there is one commonality, HIV/AIDS. I have made a sign that I am proudly going to carry. It is an AIDS ribbon on one side and on the other side it reads, "I am HIV +".

I friendships that I am going to make over the next week will most likely be like no other friendships. Myself and rest of the HashtagHIV team are going to be tweeting and doing various shows each day. WOW who would have thought that over two decades ago that the access of knowledge at one conference would so easily be able to navigate to the furthest points of the globe.

My hope is that through this conference attention will once again be directed to HIV/AIDS and those that are living with HIV/AIDS. I hope that the world will see that there is still stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS however we refuse to be silenced and we will be heard! As I make this trip to Washington and I see things such as the AIDS Quilt I do so knowing that the names on the Quilt symbolize a life that was lost to a virus that I have in my body. As I make this trip to the International AIDS Conference I remember that fact that many of my brothers and sisters in the HIV/AIDS community who fought the hardest are no longer with us and it is now my fight!

I am excited. I am excited to share information with activist and dvocate from around the world. Without doubt I am forever going to be changed from this journey that I am on.

Aaron Laxton
www.youtube.com/laxtona
aaronlaxton@gmail.com
www.aaronlaxton.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/myhivjourney

Has the Fight of HIV/AIDS become simply a profit-margin?

Have we become our own worst enemies in the fight of HIV/AIDS? Without doubt there have been huge advancements within the area of HIV/AIDS through the years, but I feel as if there is currently a disconnect between those that provide services and those in which the services are meant for. I write this blog as a person who is HIV Positive and during the last year has faced drug relapse, homelessness and unemployment. Through all of this however there has been one thing that has been constant; my activism/advocacy of HIV/AIDS. I am not alone with these struggles and unfortunately I am simply another statistic. I am very vocal about my story but there are many others out there that for one reason or another are not as vocal.

Have you ever tried to get a job with an AIDS Service Organization (ASO)? Let me just say that you would have an easier time getting an appointment to have tea with the Queen or a lunch date with the President. Over the past year I have applied repeatedly with AIDS Service Organizations (ASO) all over the United States simply to be dismissed or notified that I was not the best fit for the position. That begs the question, "Who is the best fit for the position other than people living with HIV/AIDS?" As I write this I know that people are going to call me an extremist or tell me that I am possibly jaded  and bitter. I am not jaded or bitter I am simply frustrated as hell that my voice is not being listened to in an effort to shape services provided to those living with HIV/AIDS.

To say that I have been frustrated with AIDS Services Organizations (ASO) lately would be a gross under-statement. Frankly, I am pissed off. Most, if not all, AIDS Service Organizations (ASO) were founded during a time in which our society was trying to make sense of this disease that we now know as AIDS. At that time it was termed as either G.R.I.D. (Gay Resistance Immune Disorder) or a Gay Cancer. Eventually people fought to have the name changed because it simply is not a gay disease. Over the years, family and friends of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS created organizations and groups to provide services and education for those living with HIV/AIDS. Today however, we have progressed to a very different time in which these service organizations have forgotten that there are a group of activists and advocates that are living with HIV/AIDS;  the very clients in which they serve. We are a group of advocates and activists that for one reason or another simply cannot find work within this field even though we are subject-matter experts.

Yes it pisses me off that I can go into an AIDS Service Organization yet never talk to a single person that is HIV Positive or living with AIDS. The question that I have to ask is "What the fuck to do know about HIV/AIDS"? I am not saying that you must be HIV positive to be an effective advocate or activist however it certainly provides us with a unique knowledge that simply cannot be learned out of a book or through a graduate social work program. Wake up AIDS Service Organizations and realize that you have to engage those that you are suppose to be serving. Allow us to give back and to make a different in our own lives. People that are living with HIV/AIDS do not want to be dependant on programs but rather we want to be involved in every aspect of education, prevention and treatment.

Additionally what benefit is it for the HIV/AIDS movement to have publications and media if they do not represent the very least among us? I mean the ordinary stories of people who are fighting in their own towns yet never get their story told. I suppose that until it is profitable for an HIV/AIDS magazine or website to publish their stories it simply will not happen.

If it were not for YouTube and other social media tools my story would not be out there for the world to hear. Currently over 68,000 people have watched my videos and daily I get messages from around the world, from those living with HIV/AIDS to those that are newly diagnosed and those that are wanting to get involved.

If you are tired of simply being a statistic, stand up with me and tell AIDS Service Organizations and HIV/AIDS media publications that we have a voice. Force them to tell your stories, the real stories and not simply the ones that are profitable or meets a particular agenda.

Aaron M. Laxton
www.youtube.com/laxtona
aaronlaxton@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/myhivjourney