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As a Forty-Three year old man, I have seen the
horrid results of HIV and AIDS. What I find that is really confusing to
me, is even after these Twenty some years that these medical problems
have been around. Many are very ignorant still concerning disease. We
live in a world where technology and the ability to learn more is
rampant. Yet many are still running around with little knowledge about
diseases and their prevention.
We
can do better than this, we can get rid of disease. It is up to
individuals to raise the bar for themselves and for others. One does
not have to fear sexually transmitted diseases. The key is for every
person who has had or will have more than one sex partner, to get
tested twice a year. We owe it to ourselves and to our partners. I have
known many an individual who has not ever been tested. It is primarily
out of fear that these have not gone through with the only means for
knowing if they have an std. Get tested if you are sexually active! You
are important, and so is every person you will ever have sex with. Once
you have been tested, you can rest a little more, with some peace of
mind.
The only true way of not getting
infected with a sexually transmitted disease, is by abstaining from
sex. Make no mistake about it no one is monogamous if they have had
more than one sexual partner in their lifetime. A monogamous lifestyle
does not make one monogamous. An acquaintance of mine on LifeOut
told me a phrase once ignorance is not an std. This
statement still has a profound effect on me even now.
Two huge myths concerning HIV/AIDS that I have
heard more than once:
1. The bottom is more at risk than the top.
2. The top is more at risk than the bottom.
Truth be told, BOTH
are at risk for infection. Don't be a fool, or be fooled by people
trying to talk you into bare backing (sex without a condom). I have
also known people who believe that if you don't cum inside your
partner, you will not be infected, this is not true. You can be
infected if you are engaged in sexual activity of any kind.
It
grieves my soul that this topic isn't covered more often on the gay or
straight networking sites. This is an important topic, that should take
higher precedence than two people hooking up. There are more diseases
out there than just HIV/AIDS. Make no mistake about it. I have a friend
who was infected with herpes, he was very angry. He actually put the
blame on his girlfriend. This is wrong, your partner doesn't give you
the STD. You do through your actions, by not taking the proper
precautions. I know another friend who is a woman, she actually still
believed that HIV/AIDS is a Gay Disease. Sexually transmitted Diseases are no respecter
of persons. Anyone and everyone can be infected.
I
am trying to do my part here, by writing about this important
topic.There is no possible way I can cover every angle and aspect of
STD's. So I will provide some links below for further reading. Please
take the time to educate yourself about STD's and their prevention.
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