I work for two infectious disease physicians and have been involved in the HIV community in the past. Our first assignment for our HIV web class was an assignment on thrush. We've had many patients complain of this infection, and every tale is different. Thrush is an oral yeast infection that some HIV positive individuals experience.
The simulation exercise was unpleasant to say the least! Nausea was the least of my worries, and forget about swallowing. It made me realize what people who are infected with HIV have to deal with. It made me feel blessed that I don't have to go through that, but it also made me sad to know others that do. The exercise was a good reminder for me.
Did you know?
This semester I'd like to blog about behaviors within the HIV positive gay community and discrimination following the HIV positive gay community. While strides have been made in regards to the stigma of HIV, many people, particularly those in the gay community, still face discrimination on a daily basis due to their disease. Some may fear the disease, some may fear the gay community, and some may fear what they do not understand. Ignorance is the basis of this discrimination. The more we know about HIV and how it affects the gay community, the less we have to fear.
A good example of this discrimination is shown in the movie Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks. The court case surrounding this drama showed employers that were not only discriminatory towards Hanks' character due to his disease, but also because of his sexual orientation. The gay community in Orlando is a tight knit one, but not every part of the United States shares in this cohesiveness. There are many places tucked away neatly in parts of our country that think nothing of discriminating based on disease or sexual preference alone.
Back in the 80's when HIV was the "gay cancer" and first became news, the gay community mobilized into action. They created groups, gatherings, marches, and peer counseling at the onset of the disease. In California several gay men advocated to their peers to help them understand what was going on in their communities. Sex education was revamped and awareness was taught so that other gay men and women had an ear to bend and a shoulder to lean on.
Through their grass roots efforts spawned numerous organizations to help those infected and affected with HIV today. We can learn from their efforts by educating ourselves about the disease and what it means to be gay and HIV positive today.
www.avert.org/young-gay-men.htm
Did you know?
This semester I'd like to blog about behaviors within the HIV positive gay community and discrimination following the HIV positive gay community. While strides have been made in regards to the stigma of HIV, many people, particularly those in the gay community, still face discrimination on a daily basis due to their disease. Some may fear the disease, some may fear the gay community, and some may fear what they do not understand. Ignorance is the basis of this discrimination. The more we know about HIV and how it affects the gay community, the less we have to fear.
A good example of this discrimination is shown in the movie Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks. The court case surrounding this drama showed employers that were not only discriminatory towards Hanks' character due to his disease, but also because of his sexual orientation. The gay community in Orlando is a tight knit one, but not every part of the United States shares in this cohesiveness. There are many places tucked away neatly in parts of our country that think nothing of discriminating based on disease or sexual preference alone.
Back in the 80's when HIV was the "gay cancer" and first became news, the gay community mobilized into action. They created groups, gatherings, marches, and peer counseling at the onset of the disease. In California several gay men advocated to their peers to help them understand what was going on in their communities. Sex education was revamped and awareness was taught so that other gay men and women had an ear to bend and a shoulder to lean on.
Through their grass roots efforts spawned numerous organizations to help those infected and affected with HIV today. We can learn from their efforts by educating ourselves about the disease and what it means to be gay and HIV positive today.
www.avert.org/young-gay-men.htm
