Combating a stigma

Earlier this semester, I sat down to a much-anticipated "catch-up" lunch with a dear friend of mine. It was the first time we had really gotten to talk since my semester abroad in Ghana, and I was excited to swap stories of love and life over calamari and pommes frites.

As he shared the events of his spring semester at Penn, 45 minutes turned into two hours. I learned that for months after realizing his sexual identity, my friend battled a severe phobia of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. It got so bad, he told me, that he would go in for testing more than once a month.

He has come a long way since then. "I realized the irrationality of my fears," he told me. "More importantly, I realized the importance of telling this story. We need to provide money for medical research and the support of those living with the virus, but we also need to erase its socially entrained stigma. We need to have in America a social realization that AIDS is still a source of great shame, both here at home and abroad."

He couldn't be more right. The social stigma attached to contracting the HIV virus is undoubtedly linked to its status primarily as a sexually transmitted disease. Unlike other illnesses that can be equally life-threatening, HIV comes with a scarlet letter in a society where sex, especially homosexual sex, is discussed in hushed tones.

A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit research organization, explains some people's hesitation about HIV testing. "Fear of being stigmatized by one's HIV status (or perceived HIV status) also appears to have at least some relationship to people's decisions about whether or not to get tested for HIV. Three in 10 say that if they were to be tested for HIV, they would be 'very' or 'somewhat' concerned that people would think less of them if they found out they'd been tested."

Even as AIDS awareness and prevention efforts are at an all-time high, many worldwide still harbor the false notion that AIDS is a problem only for the gay male community. Statistics show that this is just not the case. Though gay males have the highest number of infected individuals living in the United States, "young men and women, straight and gay, and people over 50 represent the majority of new infections," wrote Larry Kessler, a founder of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, an advocacy group.

The fact is, we are all sexual beings, and we all need to protect ourselves. Abstinence is, of course, the only infallible method of protection, but condom use and monogamous relationships between individuals who are both tested every six months can reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

That said, it is also important to recognize that contracting HIV is no longer a death sentence. With early detection, the disciplined consumption of medication can defer the onset of AIDS for years, in some cases indefinitely.

Kimball Johnson, president of Midtown West Medical in Atlanta, has been treating AIDS since it became an epidemic. "HIV infection is a chronic illness that is very treatable," she told WebMD. "It sure changes your life, but it is not a death sentence. Sure, it is a pain. You have to see doctors. You have to take medicine. But you can go on with your life. It is not the focus of every single day."

In the next few weeks, Penn students are taking a stand in the fight against HIV/AIDS. SLAM AIDS is hosting an event Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at the Rotunda. Just a $10 donation buys a night of unique food, music and dance performances. All proceeds will go toward providing life-saving medication for those living with AIDS in Uganda.

On Dec. 1 -- World AIDS Day -- a group of students have teamed up with MAC Cosmetics to present GLAM: An Evening to Benefit the MAC AIDS Fund at the historic Philadelphia Armory. The $35 donation goes to a reputable organization that has been providing funding to nonprofit AIDS initiatives since 1994.

With yours truly guaranteed to be in attendance, what could be more glamorous than that?

Titilola Bakare is a senior English major from Harrisburg, Pa. Notes from the Underground appears on Thursdays.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.