This letter (in Italian) sheds light on a forgotten issue.
Online resources on HIV will be added soon to my blogroll (both in Italian and in English). I am a volounteer of an Italian NGO for the fight against Aids, this is NOT a forgotten issue to me.
My experiences living in Milan have been varied and interesting. Obviously I have moved from the wilds of North West Herefordshire to a big city and, at the same time, from a stable relationship of over 20 years to a brief time looking for Mr Right to, hopefully, finding him.
ReplyDeleteBut I was, quite honestly shocked during my brief period as a 'single' guy.
Sice I've been single I've met more HIV+ men than I have ever done before (OK, so North West Herefordshire is hardly London, for example) but worse than that is the number of bi-sexual men that I have met (although only on-line - that I know of).
One of them, who I 'chatted to' on a number of occasions was, quite obviously, with his partner (wife/girlfriend?) and one of the chats was obviously interrupted by the said partner entering the room! I guess (and this is all conjecture) that it was a 'she' and that she knew absolutely nothing about his 'other life'.
I really don't think this is so common in the UK as it is here (but I don't know for certain, of course) and it should be made a priority to educate people here, in Italy.
Even if you think you are 'safe', as a heterosexual, in a 'stable' relationship it is not necessarily so safe as you would like to think.
The first people that should be made very aware of the situation are the heterosexual women, like the writer of the letter, who are put at risk by the low-life men who would jeapordise both their lives and the lives of their families by these actions.
As a gay man, with a strong set of values, it just makes me so angry.
Thank you so much for your comment, Andy.
ReplyDeleteThere's another article in the same newspaper today: 22.000 HIV+ in Milano, 2 new people infected every day (one out of two is heterosexual). According to the article, most at risk of HIV infection are young people between 24 and 29 and men over 60.
I totally agree with you. I don't know the situation in the UK but here -to my knowledge- the main problem is not within the gay community. As you pointed out, there's a lack of sexual education and there's also a wrong approach that is culturally driven. If you are "straight" you are safe... it couldn't be more wrong! Heterosexuals don't to the test because they assume they are fine.
Usually women do the test when they have to (if they are pregnant). They don't even talk about: it's still a taboo, I can see it among my friends as well.
I am as angry as you Andy for several reasons: ignorance, wrong approach, stereotypes and so forth. As a volounteer it's so hard to deal with all. As a woman is even worse.