LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Safe: |
by Sal Seeley |
Crazy about Responsibility
Boy has it been crazy around here this week. It seems like the last week everyone has been moving into a "fast forward" kind of mode. More and more tourists are coming to the beach to get in the last bits of sunshine before summer ends. The boys have been coming in droves to show off those fantastic tans they have built over the summer and from the numbers of condoms we have handed out this summer, we must have a whole lot of guys showing off their tan lines too! Keep it up. Being safe is so sexy! A good friend of mine told me that when he first came to Rehoboth, it was made clear that this is a town that you don't have sex in without a condom. I am glad that the CAMPsafe program is getting that message across! It has been pretty crazy around the office too. We are busy getting ready for Sundance! You would be surprised at the amount of effort and planning it takes to make Sundance such a great event. Speaking of crazy, you all know I recently attended a conference in Atlanta that was about HIV prevention. Anyway, a lot of people were angry with the CDC because they are changing their prevention efforts. This change in prevention initiatives worries many people who are advocates of HIV prevention programs. Soon the CDC will be moving its prevention efforts from the HIV negative population to the positive population. I fear that if this change occurs, men who are negative will be lulled into a false sense of security and begin to forget the messages that we have been so tirelessly promoting for the past few years. The increase of numbers of newly infected gay men shows that obviously we can't effectively reach negative populations. Why switch midstream? I think what we really need to do is look at both sides of this coin. We need to target both negative and positive people. What is the condom fairy to do? You guys know I take my job very seriously. I don't want anybody to suffer the consequences of becoming infected. It is time we had that talk. So here goes. The best way for all of us to insure that we do not get infected or do not infect anyone is to practice safer sex and to take personal responsibility for our actions. Responsibility is a big word. You may have gotten that lecture when you were a teenager that becoming sexually active has responsibilities with it. While the folks giving us that lecture were probably thinking of pregnancy, it is still so true. If you choose to have fun, be responsible. Wear your condoms and make sure your partner does. It takes two (or more) to tango! So make sure you have plenty of condoms, lube and information before you hit the bars, beach and the internet. Recently, I was talking to someone I haven't seen in years. He was complaining about an ex boyfriend. After a while, he told me that his ex had infected him when he had sex with him without using a condom and he later found out that he was positive. My friend took no responsibility for this at all. NONE! The fact of the matter is that he was just as responsible as his ex because he participated in these encounters without practicing safer sex. It's a hard lesson to learn. He is now very responsible. He insists on his partners using condoms now. He is now spending about a thousand dollars a month on medications, too. Had he been responsible a little earlier, and had his ex been responsible a little earlier, he and his ex would have an entirely different set of options facing them than they do today! So take personal responsibility for your health, safety and your fun. Always be prepared. Discuss options with your partners and choose the options that best guarantee your safety. Do not depend on others to provide for your safety. If we all take responsibility for our actions, the world will be a better place, a safer place. Remember that no matter what the CDC decides is its next target population you must take responsibility for yourself. Safety starts with you. Being safe is caring. Being safe is fun. Being safe is responsible. CAMPsafe is an HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention program funded through a contract with the Delaware Division of Public Health. Free, anonymous HIV testing is offered at CAMP Rehoboth, 39 Baltimore Avenue. For information or to schedule an appointment, call Sal Seeley at 302-227-5620. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 13, No. 12, August 22, 2003 |