Today is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. On this observance day, we encourage gay men to speak out about their experiences of living with, or being affected by, HIV.
At AIDS.gov, we’ve been proud to share these stories. Through our Positive Spin digital tool, we’ve featured the real stories of gay black men who have traveled the HIV continuum of care from diagnosis to viral suppression. We hope you will take some time to listen to their experiences.
We’ve also featured the stories of Dr. Rich Wolitski, Acting Director of the HHS Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy (OHAIDP), who throughout the year has shared his insights as a gay man living with HIV. Here are some quotes from his blog posts:
- The work isn’t done yet: “It’s important to recognize and celebrate the incredible progress we’ve made, but we can’t afford to let up now. Too many lives remain at stake, and we still have work to do.” (January 22, 2016) [Note: Dr. Wolitski’s point is borne out by newly released data on the National HIV/AIDS Strategy indicators showing increased disparities in new diagnoses and HIV risk behaviors among gay/bisexual men.]
- Testing is critical: “I know that I wouldn’t be alive today if I had not been tested and found out that I was positive early in the course of my infection.” (June 27, 2016)
- Tools make a difference: “Now we also have tools (e.g., PrEP, PEP, and ‘treatment as prevention’) that can dramatically lower the number of new HIV infections.” (January 22, 2016)