Tomorrow is World AIDS Day. This is an important day to recognize, not just for those of us that love to talk about sex and sexual health, but for everyone. But does having one day a year set aside for such an important issue really address the significance of AIDS? Claire Keeton, the senior HIV reporter at the Sunday Times newspaper, recently had a blog post about World AIDS Day and what this day means:
“ Some people with HIV/AIDS and activists object to World AIDS Day – essentially saying it allows people to ignore the epidemic the rest of the year, as long as they remember it for a single day.
Paying lip service. Window dressing… From my side, World AIDS Day does have advantages. It’s the one time of the year that all media make space for HIV/AIDS stories.”
Many people still don’t know the facts about HIV/AIDS- like how it’s transmitted, how to get tested and how protect yourself, or that it’s not curable, though it is treatable. The goal of having a day about AIDS that is advertised and supported all over the world is so that more people will learn important information for their own sexual health. World AIDS Day is important and necessary. As Keeton says, having a day set aside ensures that AIDS is not forgotten and not ignored. But having one day a year is not enough. Hopefully tomorrow will encourage people to get tested and get information. But more importantly, it will hopefully encourage people to take action and educate themselves and others all year long. If this day exists to make sure people don’t forget about AIDS, then we can’t stop there. What happens on December 2 and for the next 364 days until World AIDS Day 2010? Let’s make every day a day to talk about HIV/AIDS and sexual health, to support those living with HIV/AIDS, and to make sure that in the future, we won’t need one day a year to tackle this enormous issue because we are always thinking about it.
Don’t forget that Head & Hands is hosting a free anonymous HIV screening clinic for youth 12-25 on Tuesday, December 1 between 5-9:30 pm. Check out http://www.senseproject.org/2009/11/know-your-status-savoir-cest-pouvoir/ for more info.