LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Safe: Knowledge = Power, Know Your HIV Status |
by Salvatore Seeley |
Most of us regard an HIV test as something we pass or failtesting whether we've had the "right" kind of sex. No one passes or fails an HIV test, it merely give us knowledge that can be used to increase the choices we have with regard to sex and our health. However it may be knowledge that we do not want to hear. Early in 1998 the HIV sector responded to the availability of new treatments with a concerted effort to encourage at risk persons to consider HIV testing. There was a clear agenda to get gay men tested and linked into medical services, to monitor their health or begin the new treatments. Many agencies ran media campaigns encouraging men to think about testing. Despite these campaigns, there was no real shift in the percentage of gay men coming forward to be tested. The percentage of gay men in the US who test for HIV has stayed much lower than in some similar countries. One of the debates that accompanied the campaigns was whether we should actively encourage men to test. While some benefits were clear, there was a fear that testing could be detrimental to their mental health if they received a positive diagnosis before thinking through the implications. What I favor is an empowered and equipped gay community. Knowledge is central to this. In particular, knowledge about one's own HIV status empowers us to make better choices about the sex we have or the medical treatment we access. Men choose different behaviors from those promoted by agencies. If two men want to have sex without condoms and don't know either's HIV status, their ability to make an informed choice about risks is seriously compromised. If the same two men know their HIV status, then they know either that there is no possibility of one infecting the other, or that there would be a point to trying to reduce the risk of infection because of their different HIV status. The behavior may be the same, but knowledge reduces the risk. This is easier said than done. It's easier to know our own HIV status than that of our partnersand as a community we haven't yet come to any understanding about how or if we should ask the status of others. Power Tools One of our challenges is to help gay men understand that knowing your status can be a powerful tool in increasing the options open to you. It can reduce HIV transmission or provide a broader range of treatment options. Rather than a stand alone intervention, the benefits of applying knowledge gained through an HIV test could be woven through several interventions. This makes the benefits tangible and usable to gay men with different health strategies. This knowledge should never be forced onto usnor should we feel pressured into seeking it. Knowledge about your HIV status is something you own. Only you can decide if that knowledge can be used for your benefit and how. The silence = death badges have mostly disappeared. Perhaps they should be replaced with knowledge = power. Reasons for Testing Testing for HIV is an individual choice. No person or organization has the right to judge you either for choosing not to test, or whether you are getting tested for the right reasons. The reasons are neither good or bad except when knowing your HIV status helps you have more control over your life. If you want to have sex with someone without using a condom, getting tested can ensure that you both have the same HIV status. Getting this knowledge shouldn't just happen when you start to have sex without condoms. For knowledge to be current, you will need to be re-tested if you put yourself at risk of exposure with someone other than your partner. If you don't have the same HIV status, you have more information to help you decide whether or not you still want to use condoms. If you do, there are ways that, while not eliminating all risk, dramatically reduce the risk of transmission. If you are HIV positive, an HIV test is not what makes you positive, it only gives you knowledge that can help you deal with being positive. I'm not trying to underplay the trauma that a positive result can put you through, but a test can act as a catalyst to dealing with your HIV status and help you focus on what you want to do in the future to keep yourself healthy. Not having definite knowledge about ones HIV status isn't a problem for most people (that's why lots of people don't get tested) and most negative men practice safer sex because they don't want to become HIV positive (no great surprise there). But for some, not knowing whether or not they are HIV negative can undermine their motivation for practicing safer sex. The knowledge that you are HIV negative can help you make sure you do the things that keep you negative.For more information on hepatitis A, call Sal Seeley at CAMP Rehoboth, 302-227-5620. To schedule an appointment to be vaccinated, call Sandra Norris, RN at 302-856-5241. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 14, October 19, 2001. |