Life got in the way again. At least it wasn't a year this time :)
More about this, at the end of the blog post!
With this being Pride Month, I wanted to do something a little special.
When we first found out about AIDS in this country, little to nothing was known about it. People had many misconceptions and irrationalized fears about this disease.
Many people, at that time mostly men, were ostracized, kicked out of their houses, even refused medical treatment, because people were ignorant about AIDS and HIV. (You can have HIV without developing AIDS itself)
When Freddie Mercury passed away from AIDS in 1991, it was still a few years, before any advancement in AIDS and HIV research, would come about. Magic Johnson was lucky, that he had access to the medical treatment, that would have been available to Freddie, in just a few years.
It was also believed to exclusively be a "gay man's" health issue. Today, we know that it can be contracted by anyone, male, female, gay or straight. But AIDS education still has a long was to go. And every two minutes, a teenager is infected with HIV.
Even with so much medical advancement and AIDS education, there are still many people that do not understand the disease or how it is passed, or not passed, from one person to the other. It has always been intriguing to me, as to why AIDS is not including as a speaking point, in most, if any, sex education classes, in the United States.
In many countries, including the United States, many babies are born with HIV. It is no longer a death sentence for them, just like for adults infected. This will only get better, providing drug companies keep improving, as well as still making the drugs accessible to the general population.
Sadly, that is another factor. Both financially and, in some places, geographically. We need to lobby, petition, whatever we need to do, to make sure that more people fighting HIV and AIDS, have access to their life saving medication. The numbers are terrifying!
So get out there, try to educate the masses and let's stop the myths and misconceptions about HIV and AIDS! Learn how to protect yourself, your loved ones and your friends. Don't be afraid to talk about it. This isn't a taboo subject anymore!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now the awesome part.
An amazing man that I follow, Javier Munoz, is a huge advocate for RED and the fight against HIV and AIDS. And now, he has his own RED merch, with 100% proceeds going to RED!
Click below to go directly to each shirt and help RED and Javi fight against AIDS!
I got mine and I will be wearing it on June 21, which has officially been declared Javier Munoz day in New York City! Congrats Javier!
HAPPY PRIDE!!