COLUMN: A Red Ribbon Wake-up Call

From Stephen Houghton's "Ecce Queer," Fall '94 From Stephen Houghton's "Ecce Queer," Fall '94In the spirit of HIV/AIDS Awareness month, here's a humble public service announcement. Fuck that shit. I would rather tattoo a bloody handprint on my forehead. AIDS is not about fashion statements. Red ribbons are repulsive. Little tokens do not amount to much. If you really cared about doing something, as those who wear ribbons purport to do, what are you doing? If wearing a ribbon is the extent of your AIDS activism, don't bother. Lip service and meaningless symbols are just as worthless as doing nothing. And stop hiding yourself behind that quilt! I, too, have cried many times at the sight of the hundreds of thousands who have been killed by AIDS. However, this is not a time for pity and remorse. Remember the dead, but fight like hell for the living. AIDS is not about victims succumbing to the disease. Don't even use that damn "v"-word. This is about people living with AIDS. People are fighting for their lives. Face it. AIDS is not a gay male disease -- 40% of all cases are women. It is everyone's problem. If you ever plan to be sexually active whether under the auspices of a patriarchal, sexist, heterosexual marriage or a quick, consensual hook-up, you have to deal with all STDs, including HIV and AIDS. If you ever want to breed and produce little humans, you need to contend with the infection of your partner or children. AIDS is an issue for everyone who is alive now. Is AIDS that big of a problem? Do the words crisis and epidemic, make that, pandemic mean anything to you? Worldwide, there are an estimated 14 million people infected with HIV, with over one million here in the United States of America. Estimates for future statistics vary. At the rate things are going, the World Health Organization (WHO) believes that by the year 2000 there will be over 40 million people infected. The independent Harvard AIDS Institute gauges by the end of the decade the numbers will be higher, over 100 million. Rates of infection are higher than ever. Women, especially women of color, make up the largest portion of new infections. In the United States, infection is up 70% among all 13-24 year-olds. For those of you who are not affected unless a certain sacred notion of "family" is threatened, consider the following -- by 1995, that's next year, over 45,600 children will have lost their mothers to AIDS. Remember, HIV infection is different from AIDS. How does the state that you are now fornicating in compare? In terms of reported AIDS cases, as of June 1993, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says there are 8,737 confirmed AIDS cases in Pennsylvania. It ranks eighth in the country in reported cases, with an incidence rate of 18 cases per 100,000 population. To bring it closer to the University's backyard, over half of the state's cases are here in Philadelphia. AIDS is the sixth leading cause of death of 15-24 year-olds. Almost one quarter of people with AIDS are in their twenties. That's people like you and me. Tired of hearing about it? Having AIDS is murder. AIDS has killed more Americans than the Vietnam, Korean, and Persian Gulf wars combined. The number of killings shows no sign of decreasing. Every day, more and more people die. In 1992, AIDS became the 8th leading cause of death in America, up from 15th in 1988. Depressing, huh? Education would help. Despite the high number (14,124) of reported AIDS cases among 13-24 year-olds, most schools do not have a comprehensive AIDS prevention program, as defined by the CDC. All states mandate or recommend HIV/AIDS education. Two-thirds require it through law or policy. All stress abstinence, but only 11 provide balanced information on safer sex and a mere five inform students on how to use, obtain, and dispose of condoms. AIDS is 100% preventable. Education, condoms and clean needles will reduce infection. Repeat after me: the three ways to contract HIV are through sexual exchange of fluids, blood, or pregnant mother to fetus/baby transmission. Nothing else will cause AIDS. HIV is a virus. This means it infects whomever it can, with no discrimination. 75% of all infection is through unprotected HETEROSEXUAL contact. Should I repeat that? Straight people die too. Women die faster. It pisses me off to hear my het (as opposed to queer) friends whine about birth control. Having a baby at our age would suck, but dying is a slightly bigger problem in my book. Your pill will not save you from HIV. Nor will your diaphragm. You say that using these gives you boys heightened pleasure? Condoms cramp your feeling? You cannot feel much when you are dead. I don't care how much you love you partner, are you willing to die for them? Commitment means one thing, but even married couples can get AIDS. It does not matter how long you have been going out with your sweetie. One can never know if someone is cheating on them. How much do you trust his/her account of their sexual history? Do not put yourself at risk. True love means respecting the other person enough to use safer sex. READ: Use a condom. Valentine's Day just passed, did you practice safer sex? Abstinence and masturbation are the only surefire ways to avoid the virus. Yet the erotic possibilities within safer sex are endless. If you are sexually active, condoms and dental dams reduce the risk of getting AIDS. Back to my red ribbon bashing. Dancing at benefits only does so much. Granted, donations are desperately needed, but we all aren't Madonna. AIDS is a crisis, not a charity. Do more than give money. Donate some time. Take some pro-active steps to combating the AIDS crisis. Our own University's Health Education of the Student Health Services provide peer education through F.L.A.S.H. (Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health) and other resources. There is a whole schedule of events and programs sponsored by Health Education this month, get involved, call Kurt Conklin at 573-3525. Also, the AIDS Information Network (AIN), is a resource center and library, 922-5120. It sponsors Critical Path, a bi-monthly newsletter of the latest medical and treatment aspects of AIDS and 24 hour information line, 545-2212. Without the help of these two, I could not have written this column. Check them out if you want to get involved. They could always use volunteers, as well as refer you to more specialized groups combating AIDS in the Philadelphia area. Get off your ass. Stephen Houghton is a junior Fine Arts and French major from Rockledge, Pennsylvania. Ecce Queer appears alternate Wednesdays.