The New Intimacy

How Have You Been Affected by HIV/AIDS

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Contributor: Tori Rebel Tori Rebel
I'm sure many of us have known people that have contracted HIV/AIDS. I'm curious as to how many of us here have been affected (not afflicted, affected) by the disease in one way or another.

I grew up in a pretty small simple town - the kind where no one locks their cars and the only reason we lock houses is because bears do occasionally break in. Everyone always thought it was so safe, but during a report done while I was in High School, public health records indicated that there were 21 HIV/AIDS patients living in this bucolic little hometown. It surprised a lot of people that simply didn't think 'this kind of thing' existed in their town.

All voting is private, and please feel free to comment peaceably.
Answers (private voting - your screen name will NOT appear in the results):
I don't know anyone that's ever tested positive for HIV/AIDS
74
I know 1-2 people that have tested positive for HIV/AIDS
23
I know 3-5 people that have tested positive for HIV/AIDS
5
I know more than 5 people that have tested positive for HIV/AIDS
4
The person or people infected are close friends
9
The person or people infected are family members
6
The person or people infected are acquaintences
13
The person or people infected were ex or potential sex partners
2
I have been tested for HIV/AIDS as a measure of routine safety
38
I have been tested for HIV/AIDS because of a scare
4
Total votes: 178 (108 voters)
Poll is closed
10/13/2010
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Contributor: Blinker Blinker
"That kind of thing." I live in a small town, too, and I can see several people saying this, believing that AIDS is a dirty, bad thing for bad people, when it simply isn't so. It can happen to anyone, as we all know, and the kind of attitude that you described that some people have is just sad to me.

It reminds me of an episode of Golden Girls when Rose (Betty White) had an HIV scare and had to be tested. It took 3 days for the test results to come in and until then, she was increasingly paranoid and kept insisting she was a "good person", and "this doesn't happen to people like me". Sophia was downright afraid of coming into contact with Rose, going so far as to label every cup that Rose drank out of with a big R so she wouldn't drink from the cups Rose did. Dorothy and Blanche admonished her repeatedly for doing so, and a sweet moment came near the end when Sophia grabbed an R cup and proudly drank from it. Just a little bit of pop culture dealing with the subject. Plus, who doesn't love the freaking Golden Girls?!
10/13/2010
Contributor: Tori Rebel Tori Rebel
Quote:
Originally posted by Blinker
"That kind of thing." I live in a small town, too, and I can see several people saying this, believing that AIDS is a dirty, bad thing for bad people, when it simply isn't so. It can happen to anyone, as we all know, and the kind of ... more
Everyone loves the Golden Girls! But yeah, I grew up where people only thought you could get AIDS in the big cities and bad towns. The even worse part is that they believed it about other STD's too and I know waaaaaaaaaaay too many people that I grew up with that while they didn't get HIV, got some other stuff. Even in sex-ed, things just weren't taken as seriously as they should have been and the general mindset was that prom-night pregnancies were the worst thing that could happen from sex.

I think one of the biggest wake-up calls in AIDS awareness would be for people to see the statistics of people that contract HIV the first time they have sex. Or the people that wait until marriage, trust the person, and then get it (I know someone that happened to - the husband didn't know he was infected but I still wish she'd protected herself better). Or the people that WERE being careful but got infected anyway because condoms aren't made of steel.
10/13/2010
Contributor: Chilipepper Chilipepper
With my mother being an RN, I grew up in the 80's and 90's knowing the actual causes and circumstances of contact and infection, so I was never uncomfortable around any family friends that had it.

Only one of my parents' friends I knew had actually died of AIDS. John was a wondrous musician who had a rock band called St. Vitus Dance, and he could play a Washburn like no one's business.

I think the mortality of it finally sank in for me when I was thirteen and he and I were watching MTV, then the news came on to announce that Freddie Mercury had died of complications from AIDS. John was silent a moment, then whispered, "I'll be playing for you soon, Freddie." He died about a year later.
10/13/2010
Contributor: ~LaUr3n~ ~LaUr3n~
I have not been affected by it at all. I don't have it, never had a scare. I've never slept with anyone who had it and I don't know of anyone who has had it. I suspected that a professor of mine has it, but I never asked and it never came up.

So...nope. Not affected. Knock on wood.
10/13/2010
Contributor: Tori Rebel Tori Rebel
Quote:
Originally posted by Chilipepper
With my mother being an RN, I grew up in the 80's and 90's knowing the actual causes and circumstances of contact and infection, so I was never uncomfortable around any family friends that had it.

Only one of my parents' friends I ... more
Freddie dying and this movie "And the Band Played On" on HBO around the same time were what hit home to me...I was still young but I think I had a better understanding of the gravity than some of the people around me. That and my parents also weren't the type to be jaded by small-town semantics and were very honest with me.

But as open as they may have been, it was found out later that a member of my father's family, a generation above him that had been 'long lost' for decades had been found...and was infected...and was instantly 'lost' again.
10/13/2010
Contributor: Tori Rebel Tori Rebel
Quote:
Originally posted by ~LaUr3n~
I have not been affected by it at all. I don't have it, never had a scare. I've never slept with anyone who had it and I don't know of anyone who has had it. I suspected that a professor of mine has it, but I never asked and it never came ... more
I had a teacher in high school I suspect was infected as well. He definitely had the 'wasting' symptoms of the advanced stages of the disease, left the school the year after, and the whole thing was done very quietly and mysteriously. I think if had been something less taboo it would've been handled differently.
10/13/2010
Contributor: Jobthingy Jobthingy
I wear a red AIDS awareness band on my arm. It has been there for many years. I have many friends that are both HIV+ and have full blown AIDS.

I adore them like family and it makes me sad that one day this will take them out.
10/13/2010
Contributor: Airen Wolf Airen Wolf
(EF Review Program Mentor)
Quote:
Originally posted by Chilipepper
With my mother being an RN, I grew up in the 80's and 90's knowing the actual causes and circumstances of contact and infection, so I was never uncomfortable around any family friends that had it.

Only one of my parents' friends I ... more
OMG Ok I answered that I didn't know anyone personally but I did know the band St. Vitus Dance (not personally but having heard them several times) I had heard a band member had died but not why or how. Small world.
10/13/2010
Contributor: Chilipepper Chilipepper
Quote:
Originally posted by Airen Wolf
OMG Ok I answered that I didn't know anyone personally but I did know the band St. Vitus Dance (not personally but having heard them several times) I had heard a band member had died but not why or how. Small world.
Yeah, they were a Kansas City band; my ex-step-father was friends with them when we lived in KC. I think once John found out he had HIV, that's when he moved down to Florida to 'live out the rest of his years'. He stayed with us for a while in Tampa.
10/13/2010
Contributor: gone77 gone77
I've yet to known anyone who has tested positive for HIV/AIDS. And I don't get tested for, well, obvious reasons (no sexual contact with others).
10/13/2010
Contributor: ToyTimeTim ToyTimeTim
Had a close friend back in the late 80's that died from a few different things. All of them he probably could have recovered from except he had AIDS. His immune system just could not handle everything at once. No one new this (not even his family) until he was on his death bed when he told us.

At that time I could have knocked him up side the head for not telling me. I understand why he kept it from me and others but still, we camped and fished sometimes 50 miles from the nearest town. In case of an emergency that is something I would have liked to known about. Not that it would have changed much, just being more careful. He was a great friend and helped me a lot in my young days.

Did not know to much about it back then, not many people around me did either. His family and some of us friends attended some seminars and first aid training so we could learn more about it. Also we all had testing done.
10/13/2010
Contributor: Penguin Penguin
I know an acquaintance that tested positive for aids. It didn't affect me though.
10/13/2010
Contributor: Madeira Madeira
I get tested regularly to be sure and I do know two people who've tested positive. One is an older gay man who has since died, the other is a young woman who got it in utero
10/13/2010
Contributor: Sera Sera
My sister has aids.
10/15/2010
Contributor: Kinkyquing Kinkyquing
One of my friends is HIV positive (due to a sexual partner lying both about his status and age when said friend was underage).
10/25/2010
Contributor: mnc5051 mnc5051
I get tests occasionally, and when I have health coverage
11/07/2010
Contributor: darthkitt3n darthkitt3n
I don't know anyone who has AIDS. I get tested for it when I go to the gynecologist for my check up. I do know that when gas went up to $5+ when I was living in my apartment, there was a scare going around because some people who had HIV or AIDS were taping infected needles under the pump handles at gas stations.
12/20/2010
Contributor: TumorCrunch TumorCrunch
Quote:
Originally posted by Tori Rebel
I'm sure many of us have known people that have contracted HIV/AIDS. I'm curious as to how many of us here have been affected (not afflicted, affected) by the disease in one way or another.

I grew up in a pretty small simple town - ... more
my bf posted a one-night-stand on craigslist, and a guy replied who he had saw earlier on a warning ad. luckily, a woman posted an ad with this man's picture saying he had AIDS and didn't tell her, now she has HIV. MY BF ALMOST HAD UNPROTECTED SEX WITH HIM. i would''ve died!!!!!!!!!!!!
03/15/2011
Contributor: Shellz31 Shellz31
I have never known anyone who is HIV positive.
03/15/2011
Contributor: KikiChrome KikiChrome
My uncle died of AIDS. It was something that my grandparents' generation kept quiet about. For everyone else, it's not really a secret but it's not like my family's marching in parades either.

I think it's a shame we don't talk about it more often though. It's hard to shake the feeling that my family is embarrassed about it.
03/17/2011
Contributor: LavenderSkies LavenderSkies
Quote:
Originally posted by Tori Rebel
I'm sure many of us have known people that have contracted HIV/AIDS. I'm curious as to how many of us here have been affected (not afflicted, affected) by the disease in one way or another.

I grew up in a pretty small simple town - ... more
I've never been tested but will.
03/18/2011
Contributor: callsignhusker callsignhusker
nope
04/07/2011
Contributor: cobiffle cobiffle
Nope and hopefully that will never happen
04/08/2011
Contributor: tickle me pink tickle me pink
None for me.
04/10/2011
Contributor: PiratePrincess PiratePrincess
I have a friend that is HIV positive. She was in her early teens when she got it.
04/11/2011
Contributor: Lady Venus Lady Venus
My BIL is HIV positive.
04/11/2011
Contributor: Kdlips Kdlips
I have a friend that is HIV positive.
04/11/2011
Contributor: M121212 M121212
Interesting poll. <3
04/11/2011
Contributor: daniel and frances daniel and frances
Quote:
Originally posted by Tori Rebel
I'm sure many of us have known people that have contracted HIV/AIDS. I'm curious as to how many of us here have been affected (not afflicted, affected) by the disease in one way or another.

I grew up in a pretty small simple town - ... more
I'm surprised how I have yet to be effected directly.
05/15/2011