December 3, 2005
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Wow, I haven’t updated in like forever. So, Oprah was on Dave. I
thought the show was pretty damn good, except he did an awful lot of
disgusting ass kissing of Oprah. Now, I love Oprah, but I love Dave
even more. I just felt he layed it on a bit thick. Still, it was a
sight I didn’t think I would see anytime soon: Oprah and Letterman
strolling hand in hand down fucking Broadway.Yesterday was also World Aids Day. Now, I know I’m probably in the
minority on this one, but not only have I never known anybody that has
died from AIDS, I also do not know anybody who has even had AIDS. Being
a gay dude, I am a little more sensitive to AIDS than straight people.
Obviously, AIDS among gays is a problem, but, and not to sound mean
about it, it is preventable by having safe sex. We all know it is out
there, we just have to protect ourselves. That is what it is like for a
gay American. It is a different story, however, in Africa. It is a full
blown epidemic there. And the sad part is that not only do a lot of
people not know they have it, but many young children are born with
AIDS. And its a different situation than us. Many of these people do
not know what AIDS is and have no idea how to prevent it. They are
people that are not very educated and maybe they can’t read or they
can’t understand the concept of a contraceptive. Worse yet, they don’t
have the money or the means for condoms. It all adds up to a vicious
cycle of people infecting each other and infected men impregnating
women who then pass it on to the unborn child. In Africa, more than 17
million people have died from AIDS and another 25 million are infected
with the HIV virus, approximately 1.9 million of whom are children.
Every day in Africa, HIV/AIDS kills 6,300 people. 8,500 people are
infected with the HIV virus and 1,400 newborn babies are infected
during childbirth. Those are mind boggling numbers. The situation is so
grave, that 12 MILLION African children have lost one or both of their
parents to AIDS. I know these numbers are overwhelming, but the world
can make a difference. First, gays and straights EVERYWHERE need to
learn to have safe sex. We need to look at Africa and learn from what
has gone on there and prevent anything close to that from happening
anywhere else. We also need to offer support to those in Africa. ONE
way is this, which I’m sure many of you have heard of, is the ONE
campaign. If you don’t know about this, check out the website:http://www.one.org/
Please, don’t feel overwhelmed by the scary numbers above (btw, thank
you one.org for the info); if it sounds grave and grim, its because it
is, but it is not hopeless. With campaigns such as one andhttp://www.healthgap.org/camp/tac_ltr.html
http://www.aft.org/partners/africa-aids/overview.htm
we can make a difference in the lives of Africans. As Americans, we
should not turn a blind eye to the plight of this poor continent. As
humans, we should offer support and help to those that need it most and
that can not help themselves.
