Harsh Words- Harsher Reality

ATTENTION ! I make no apologies with this write up about HIV andAIDS . Sometimes to get a point across ;one has to yell rather than whisper. Although coverage on this subject is not once what it was; it is still out there ; there being everywhere . We need to continue to discuss and not distance ourselves .

“AIDS INFECTED BITCH ! ” Harsh words ;aren’t they ? I heard that this morning when some woman in an alley downtown approached a guy for spare change . Since the acronyms AIDS AND HIV came out years ago ; those infected and affected have been suffering with the stigma attached . Almost 30 years later I doubt most people know what AIDS and HIV stand for . I don’t even know if they teach it in school on a wide basis . AIDS is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and HIV is human immunodeficiency virus which most scientist believes leads to AIDS . There are so many people in the world who are infected and many more who may not or do not know. There is a very big misconception that AIDS and HIV are a disease of gay men, drug users, or “easy women ” . I have heard and seen so many definitions for AIDS which are really disgusting and I won’t even state them fully. One I hear so often is for AIDS -Another Infected D@@@ Sucker . Thats disgusting and just shows how uneducated and crass people can be. There are literally millions of orphans ; mostly in Africa ; who have lost one or both parents to AIDS.

There has been a slowdown on news concerning AIDS and HIV because either A) people lack interest B) think it will never touch their lives or C) they don ‘t like to hear bad news. Bad news is a reality and if we think we can shelter ourselves and our children from it; we are really doing a disservice. To me; Common Sense dictates compassion. We don ‘t need to know how people got infected or judge them on their moral fibre. We have to support them and learn what we need to know .

We are getting a local AIDS Outreach Centre in Cambridge . I know part of some Outreach Programs in other cities involves handing out condoms and clean needles. I also know that some people will give their two cents worth saying things like “Sure ! Promote bad behaviour ” or “sure give them free stuff -that way they have more money to shoot up ! ” It is not advocating bad behaviour. It is protecting them and is only part of what Outreach Centres do. They also educate .

People living with HIV and AIDS are sometimes made to feel like social outcasts which only adds to the stress . I am hoping to stop by the Outreach Program and welcome them to the city. Compassion goes along way . No; I am not on a soapbox . I know people who have HIV or AIDS and I knew people who had it. I will freely give them hugs and feel no different. Fear is the enemy . Compassion can cure.