For Those with Access ‘Undetectable' and ‘PrEp' Are The Cure To Have a Life Without a Cure
No matter who you are, how educated you are, or when you were diagnosed, HIV has a way of forever shifting your perspective on life. And even though I have dedicated my career to advancing the lives and well-being of those living with or at risk for HIV, I must admit something. In general, my life and my livelihood have remained relatively unaffected. Sure, my pill has gotten smaller over the last decade, and I think about the longevity of my life in a whole new way now that I am a parent, but I still rest assured that my treatment will only improve — if not one day be unnecessary.
For those living with HIV who are undetectable and insured, the future looks bright. We are on the precipice of change when it comes to new treatment options that will make less and less of an impact on our daily lives. But I can’t help but feel embarrassed by how little HIV has an impact on me when so many are being left behind by our health care system.
Whether it’s due to lack of access to insurance, the inability to prioritize health due to unlivable wages, or simply the fear of being “found out” that many in more rural, Southern areas face, the equity gap among HIV-positive people is growing by leaps and bounds. And I often wonder this: Is it because people like me (white, financially secure) occupy the space for visibility and we are so focused on PrEP that HIV advocacy has taken a back seat within our own communities?
I get it. Messaging around PrEP is sexy and fun. I follow LGBTQ+ influencers who are often paid by sexual wellness organizations or PrEP delivery companies to ask provocative questions and post flirty/dirty polls about whether their followers are on PrEP, would be on PrEP, or are opposed to PrEP. As you can imagine, this irked me quite a bit. So much so that I finally pushed back on one particular account with over 100K followers.
As I perused through all of the cute Instagram PrEP stories with Ken dolls perched in precarious positions, I urged him to include “undetectable equals untransmittable” messaging so as to not exclude any followers who may either test positive while seeking PrEP or already are positive. I pressed again on another post where he asked his followers whether they prefer being on PrEP or using condoms. I replied that I preferred being undetectable and once again urged him to incorporate some status-neutral messaging. Every message was “hearted,” but there has been nary a mention of U=U to this day.
This is, of course, a very trivial example of a much larger problem, but an example nonetheless. Whether it’s the fault of our health care organizations, our platforms for LGBTQ+ voices, or our desire to focus on PrEP as a much less complicated piece of sexual wellness, who are we leaving behind? Until we have truly normalized what it means to be U=U and grasp the importance of equitable outcomes for those living with HIV, there can be no moving forward. I am not interested in the progress of treatment until it is accessible to everyone.
I am not a representation of HIV; I am a representation of privilege in America. But I am willing to challenge the privilege of those ready to “move on” because we still need every voice in the fight against HIV.
For those proudly a part of the LGBTQ+ community, we cannot claim HIV as our legacy until everyone is able to leave it behind.
Editor at large Tyler Curry is also a contributing editor of The Advocate and the author of A Peacock Among Penguins. (@IAmTylerCurry).
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Editorial with Introduction to Page 6 on adamfoxie blog International
The following link will take you to Page 6 on the ladder of numbers here on Adamfoxie.
In library style (it starts with today and it runs years back since the page was formed), so you can go back if necessary and check all the most important information that has come out about HIV, Undetectable and PREP. Please go back to this page and check it with the information you think you know. If you have ever felt worried, scared or gotten a bad HIV test result, YOU Should know what is in there, it can only help!. I am not talking about names, numbers and dates but what is there that you need to know in case you have sex with someone who is not being open or truthful about their HIV status. Or it could be someone you really like, someone you trust and see this person as a keeper but he is HIV+ and told you also told you he is Undetectable and you are not. How do you have sex without condoms which you don’t like and neither does he (that is why he is HIV+) and enjoy it instead of being worry you might get something.
If a discordant couple (one + the other not) are together in a monogamous relationship and the one who came out HIV+ is on meds and has been undetectable for over six months and maintains it there is nothing to be worry about except making each other happy in most ways including sex. That is the glue that keep the relationship vibrant and sealed together. There are people that loose that seal or part of it. Because the trust and love they can still keep it together but is so important to keep it going as long as one can. For some age is not a problem. I know for my dad it wasn’t, he had over 20 kids all of which he maintained and lived way past 90.
Adam Gonzalez, Adamfoxie Publisher since 2008
Editorial
Some guys and girls see getting married and see this as a license to treat their bodies any way they desire. But there are two of you.. If your partner gets happy when you gain way is because he or she does not trust you completely. They want you undesirable so no one but them can touch you. How about the one that tries to make the partner overweight while he goes to the gym and and looks hunkie. I don’t have to tell you if you are a mature adult to know what is going on.
The point is that, sex is important and we are at a point in medical science that of all the problems in this world, blowing steam and making love to someone by sharing their bodies should not be one of the causes of worry.
So what you need is knowledge and the knowledge is out there for free. You just need to know who is giving to you because that is how people think vac res will kill you, even as they lay dying of COVID-19. The one talking to you now on this editorial has been poz for 30 years and Undetectable for 8 yrs (since there was an undetectable slot). Following this introduction I will give you the link to page 6 or you can go back on Adamfoxie and do it manually or copy and paste on your browser. If you don’t know what is there you are not being responsible for yourself and with other potential partners. This information is not a secret and is not brand new. Please check and see how you measure. The names of Doctors or scientist or experts are named as usual.
https://adamfoxie.blogspot.com/p/in-past-few-years-tiny-but-slowly.html
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More news in which a lab believes it has the cure. They have given it to 4 people and it consists not of a vaccine but a treatment that last for hours. It destroys HIV in the blood or when it first arrives no matter what changes it does through. They change the DNA of the virus for the immune system to look for it but not like previously looking for the keys on the corona. This way it goes looking for the molecules its been taught to recognize. For the first time ever they have HIV on the hairline of the shooter’s weapon. Thanks t\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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