Karen Bratton
10.27.2011

Hello touché bloggies!

This is my first experience at blogging. Be patient with me through this learning process and keep in mind that writing is not my forte either. Ha. I was asked to present something that I could be sincere about. Those who know anything about me know I am involved, concerned, appreciate and care a great deal about our gay community, especially in the area of HIV & AIDS education.

I will start out by asking how many of you take HIV seriously? Do you think about it? Do you talk about it with family or friends? Are you guilty of sharing certain stigmas towards people living with HIV? What are some of the misconceptions or myths you still associate with HIV & AIDS?

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) should be a big concern in our community—one that we should and need to talk about. Over half of all new infections that are occurring nationally, and right here in Nebraska, are young people between the ages of 17 and 24. Over half of these new diagnoses are gay males. Does this need to happen? Does a 17- to 24-year-old ever need to be told they will spend the rest of their life living HIV+, or possibly with AIDS?

I am going to start out this discussion with some basic questions to find out just how much or how little you might know about HIV and AIDS.

  • I told you above what the acronym HIV stands for. Do you know what the acronym AIDS represents?
  • Do you know the most common way HIV is transmitted?
  • Can you identify or name the four body fluids that transmit HIV from one person to another?
  • Does someone who has just been spit on need to fear contracting HIV?
  • Can someone who is living with AIDS transmit or give AIDS to someone else?
If you were able to correctly answer all 5 of these questions, please pat yourself on your back or give yourself a big round of applause. Many members of our gay community do not know the correct answers. This is why we need to have casual and open conversations about this subject with our friends. We need to make sure everyone knows the importance of keeping themselves safe. No one ever has to be told they're HIV+. Have discussions on how to make “Safe Sex” fun and exciting. If you need help…that's what I’m here for.


Gary Winingham
Prevention & Education Manager
Nebraska AIDS Project, Omaha


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