Giving HIV+ Youth A Voice

[Andy Velez]

http://health.scribemedia.org/2007/07/24/reporting-aids-hopes-voice/

Thought this was worth drawing attention to. The interviewer, John Mikytuck, has been very supportive of HIV activism as well.

 

[aztecan]

Andy, we need more activism from youth. Sadly, they are being fed a pack of lies. As I am fond of saying, abstinence only work only until it doesn't.

I know, that sounds simplistic, but the reality is Bush and his cronies don't know squat about prevention. Judging from his family's behavior, he doesn't know much about parenting either.

I had a rather distraught mother bring her son to my office yesterday. It seems the young man lost his virginity this week to some girl he met at a park. The boy was somewhat taken with the girl, until he subsequently found she was literally having sex with anyone who will stand still long enough to give her a second glance.

He did not use a condom. His excuse was, "I didn't have one on me and it just happened."

So, he and I had a bit of heart-to-heart and I supplied the boy, with his mother's approval, with enough condoms to supply the Western Hemisphere.

I hope he learned his lesson. I am going to discuss testing with his mother. I will need her permission to perform the test.

Did I mention, the boy is 13. The "older woman" is 14.

Welcome to abstinence only.

HUGS,

Mark

[Queen Tokelove]

I didn't look at the link but am going by what Aztecan posted. It is sad that kids are sexually active like they are. I have a 16 yr old son, he'll be 17 in October, and I have been educating my son. Sadly, he lost his virginity when he was 9, no fault of mine, I didn't raise my son. But then maybe it is....another story. He knows to keep a condom on him at all times and to have his own. Sometimes people will put holes in them. Funny, this came up, he comes home the other night and starts asking questions. It would seem that my son let some female give him head but heard rumors she was poz. I gave him the information that I learned here about that but also scolded him for not using a condom. It's just crazy to me because I am from a small town and it seems like the people here have sex behind each other and don't seem to care or their only worry is being caught. No one is thinking about the big picture....

[ndrew]

We need to reach out to young people regarding sexual health issues.  If we wait around for the government to do something we will all be dead.

Drew

[Mouse]

Not to go against anything or whatever, but the majority of teenagers I know I have to give credit to for being safe and harping on their friends to be safe. At least the kids I hang out with - which means 80 percent of them are gay males.

I'd like to think that (at least the ones that know) having a friend that's + has given them a better idea of it, but honestly, teenagers aren't as stupid as most people think. We know what we should be doing. Most of us do it actually. It's just. We get drunk and high and pressured into things as easily as adults do. I know that's what happened to me, and I know it would be easy for me to take a lot of responsibility for what happened and I do, but shit happens. Whether we're educated or not. The only thing we can do is make sure EVERYONE knows what they should be doing and that they don't take it as a joke.


I am not defensive of my age group. =P

[Esquare]

The prevailing thinking among the young now is that as long as you are protected against pregnancy you can go wild and do whatever you want. Again, the reluctance to discuss the benefit of condoms in the face of sounding like you are condoning premarital sex has this country caught in a position that will not slow the spread of stds for a long time.