AIDS Celebrates its 25th Birthday

As I spent a good part of the morning in the Infectious Disease Clinic waiting to see my doctor, it is appropriate that today would be the 25th anniversary of the first publication of articles about the disease's advent. I was there when it all happened, and wondered if it would come to my doorstep. When the disease had been first described as Gay Related Immune Deficiency (GRID), I recall the exact moment where I was and what I was doing when the news report made it to me. Going on 21 years after my own diagnosis, I can not imagine my life without AIDS.

So I got my ass kicked by a toddler. It is great comfort still to be alive, but I do miss my friends and the carefree life that I thought I had before this all happened. The cool thing for the rest of you is that you have total control in keeping this from happening to you. Play safely and with intelligence. Use condoms. Talk about AIDS openly. Talk about sex openly. Hell, talk about everything openly. In truth, there is power. In silence and secrecy, there is control and disease.

Peace and safe journeys!

Categories: HIV/AIDS activism