Friday, October 23, 2009

Halloween Costume Party & Free HIV Testing!


Join us for FREE HIV testing & a Halloween Costume Party with games, prizes, snacks, and more! |October 29, 2009; 7-9p.m.; Bennion Student Union Building, Idaho Falls, ID|
at 5:49 PM
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7 comments:

  1. So might I say that it bothers me how every gay event always has to involve HIV testing? I really do get sick of hearing about it nonstop. You never hear about events geared more towards straight people featuring HIV testing. But yet straight people get it just as much as gay people do. Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm against being proactive; I believe that being proactive is critical, especially when it comes to preventing the spread of tragic diseases such as HIV and AIDS. However, being tested for a disease really does very little to keep people from catching it. In fact if anything it becomes effective only once it is too late and you're informed that you have such a disease and that there's nothing that can really be done at that point. It's like having a fire alarm go off once the building has already burned down. And in all too many cases, being tested and having the results come out negative gives gay men the green light that they're disease-free and therefore can continue sleeping around knowing they won't give the disease to someone else. I propose that the gay world take a new approach to being proactive in preventing the spread of STDs such as HIV and AIDS. What do you do to be proactive in preventing other diseases such as heart disease and cancer? Any health expert will tell you that you eliminate the risk factors in your life. So why don't we take the same approach in the gay world when it comes to proactively preventing the spread of STDs? After all, what good does being tested do to only find out you've got a disease. Don't get me wrong. I'm a very strong supporter of getting tested; it's critical to be aware of any diseases you have so that you can receive proper medical treatment. What I propose is that the same approach be taken to preventing STDs which a doctor would recommend to prevent heart disease: eliminate the risk factor. That means that maybe gay men should learn self-control and have their lives revolve around something other than sex. That is the ultimate way to prevent STDs.
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  2. Sex is a natural thing that happens in life. There is no way that you are going to get people to stop having sex, all you can hope for is that they reduce the risks that come along with sexual activity. The ultimate way to prevent STD's would be to take the proper precautions before you engage in sexual activity, i.e. wearing a condom, knowing your partners status, etc. The Genesis Project does a great job in teaching proper techniques and educating their members to help prevent the spread of STD's and HIV. I am glad that they offer testing and I would disagree with you and say that testing is a critical part in hindering the spread of a disease. Knowing your status is very important and I encourage all of you to attend! Heck, even without the testing it still sounds fun :)!
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  3. Tyler,

    I really appreciate your comment! You brought up some very crucial points. First, Genesis Project recurrently stresses testing and HIV prevention because it is the purpose of our establishment. Our mission is to promote HIV testing, prevention, and safer sex practices to prevent the spreading of HIV as well as other STD's like you mentioned. In addition, we promote community-builing among gay,bi, and curious men.

    I agree that there are other causes worth raising awareness about, but for our purposes, HIV prevention and testing has to remain our focus, especially with the two recent outbreaks among men of the gay community.

    You are correct in stating that it is not only gay men that transmit HIV (or other STDs), but studies have revealed MSMs (men having sex with men) to be a high risk population for transmission, and it is important that we are making every effort to educate members of the gay community about sex hazards and safer sex tool, as well as encouraging them to be tested. This we hope to achieve through all the social opportunities we provide.

    Even if you have already contracted HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases, testing is very crucial! It will allow individuals to get the medical attention they need as early as possible, while also making them aware and responsible for not transmitting HIV/STDs to other individuals.

    I really appreciate your comment! Let me know if you have anymore questions. :)

    Jesse, GP Coordinator
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  4. Tyler I would also like to continue on Jesse and Aaron's comments. You are correct that heterosexuals do face the same problems concerning HIV and STD's, however there is vital piece you are missing, and that is the stigma gay men face. One of the reasons project's like ours were developed, is because health departments, and other health organizations where struggling to reach gay men in their efforts to stop the spread of HIV. The Genesis Project is based on the Mpowerment model, which has research showing that projects like ours are more effective at reaching gay men, and getting them information on HIV then traditional venues, which were typically successful in reaching the heterosexual population. One main reason for this being that, society has stigmatized gay men, so they frequently feel uncomfortable going to the health department to get tested.
    Also I would like to comment on your statement in which you said; “being tested for a disease really does very little to keep people from catching it. In fact if anything it becomes effective only once it is too late and you're informed that you have such a disease and that there's nothing that can really be done at that point.” This is not true, and if anything it is very misguided. Being test does many things, especially if you are positive. First of all, knowing your status in the beginning stages can largely improve your chances of living a happy life. They have several medications made for the HIV virus, which can be used to attack the virus at several stages in its life cycle. This makes it important to detect it early to avoid the severe damage that can be caused by Advanced HIV Infection, if it is not treated. Lastly many people have been infected by partners who did not know their status, and if they had known their status they could have prevented giving it to another person. The CDC even estimates that one quarter of all US residents who are living with HIV are unaware of their infection, image now if they all became aware are were taking preventive steps how the rate of HIV would drastically drop. That is why Genesis Project is doing its small part to educate are community, so that we all can live long and healthy lives.

    Thanks for thoughts. Derrick Capson Genesis Project Coordinator
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  5. Keep up the great work with testing GP. It gets people who are infected access to services and support. Can't argue with the CDC's increased focus in testing programs in my opinion.
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  6. And as I said, I think testing and getting tested regularly is extremely important. I just feel that labeling it as the ultimate proactive approach to prevention, as so many seem to accept it as, is mislabeling it. Proactive prevention would be being careful who you have penetrative sex with and always using protection. Doing such will always significantly increase the chances that when someone walks into that test, they will walk out with negative results in their hands. Isn't that want the whole purpose behind prevention is? While testing will inform you if you have a disease you need treatment for, it will do little to keep you from getting that disease in the first place. (P.S. I hope this comment doesn't get deleted)
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  7. Tyler,

    I completely agree with your statement--testing is not the ultimate approach to prevention--practicing safe sex techniques (i.e. condom use) is.

    You'll be happy to know that HIV testing is not the only proactive approach we take toward prevention. Most of our resources go beyond the social aspects of Coffee Night and Activity Night (Revelations 2) and are dedicated to our Revelations 1: Sex Education Course. In fact, we held a Revelations 1 event just tonight, and had a very successful turn out.

    Our Revelations 1 focuses on topics that you might find more satisfactory. Our discussion topics include: Dating, Safe Sex Tips, Safer Sex Activities, Fun Alternatives to Sex, Condom Use and Demonstration, Relationship Negotiations, How to Encourage Friends to Have Safe Sex, along with a number of open-ended question sessions and a myriad of personal experiences and opinions shared by both Coordinators and participants.

    You are entirely correct: preventive steps are the best and only way to minimalize your exposure to HIV and other STDs--especially via barrier use! We try to offer our Revelations 1 events at least once every month, while we do testing at least once every three months (although more testing has been issued recently in response to the spike in HIV outbreaks in the area, which has made testing a priority). We feel that both are equally important.

    If you haven't had the opportunity to attend one of our Revelations 1 events, I would strongly encourage you to do so! We would love to have you attend.

    And thanks again for your response! I really enjoy answering your question and/or clearing up any confusion. :) :) :)
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