Saturday, March 10, 2012

     >"It's a new standard individuals seeking the benefits of sex must employ if they (we) really      > want to be safe. I say No more test drives before you buy. Check what's under the hood      > first."

An interesting approach to the testing strategy.

Friday, March 09, 2012

     > Yes I do suggest people Google Tested Together, and look at the fear mongering drivel you posted in your Blog on January 3,2012 titled “Has anyone ever tried to kill someone by infecting them with HIV?”

          http://goo.gl/RHRzTy


    > It just drives me nuts how people respond to Pozzies. For some reason the first thought that enters the mind for a large portion of Neggies is “You’re mad as hell at the world for getting HIV, and you’re trying to get even by infecting as many people as possible.” I always wonder about those guys. Is that what they’d do if they got it? They thought of it first. Remind me again, which one of us is supposed to be the sociopath?

          You can take credit for thinking first that I'm
          mad as hell, although I'm not HIV positive,
          and want to infect other people.

          Why would that be your first thought about me?
          Are you possibly a sociopath?


    > Are you one of those people?

          I don't think so. But you get credit for being
          the first to think that of me.


    > Time to update your blob, it’s been over a year since your last entry, but you’ve had plenty of time spam this same message several times in this thread, and several others I’ve read.

          Eclectic reading will help you see that there
          are a lot of ways to think about this subject.


    > Tested Together dot org is about straight couples starting a relationship. For gay couples there is a pilot program in Chicago and Atlanta. What about the rest of the gay world?

          I've been working on the "get tested together"
          issue for over thirty years. It takes a long time
          for this way of doing things to change. But it
          is finally happening.


    > With high rates of seroconversion among gay male couples, primary partners are an often unrecognized and under-studied source of new HIV infections. Many young gay couples stop using condoms as soon as they officially decide they’ve begun a relationship.

          Its almost as though they think being in love
          can cure AIDS. Ah, young people and their
          silly ideas about love!


    > If you’re starting a new relationship, and want to stop using condoms:

    > A. Get tested at the same time – Together if the local system permits

          You don't need to repeat my ideas here - although
          repetition is a good way to learn something.


    > B. Keep using rubbers for three months

          Ditto.


    > C. Test again.

          Ditto.


    > D. Have a serious discussion negotiating safety for both of you. Agree that if either of you slips up and plays outside your relationship you will use a condom. If a rubber isn’t used, you will both talk honestly and openly about it. Be realistic – it might happen. Promise not to freak out if it does. Recognize that you will feel hurt. Remember that by discussing it openly you are showing each other love, respect, and protecting each other. Acknowledge to yourself that you just might be the one that slips up. Be firm and confident in your agreement. Maybe even write it out and sign it.

          This is looking like a complicated series of steps
          that only an absolutely rational at all times person
          could manage. Complexity and irrationality is how
          the world will end up with a new HIV+ case.


    > E. If the second set of tests are Negative for HIV and other STIs, then decide if you still want to stop using condoms.

          In a perfect world with perfect people...


    > F. If/when a slip-up happens, keep calm and remember your agreement. Discuss the incident openly and honestly. Get couples counselling if you need it.

          Couples counseling doesn't cure AIDS. Probably
          better to consider a drug regimen.


    > G. Immediately start using condoms again.

          Maybe you should make a wall chart, covered
          with plastic, that everyone can put on a wall
          in their bedroom and/or bathroom. I smell a
          brand new business!


    > H. Test – condoms for thee months – Test again.

          And they are gonna need a countdown clock,
          or maybe an app for their phone, synched, so
          they both know where they are in this regimen.


    > I. Go back to letter D, and re-negotiate you mutual safety agreement.

          I'm thinking a youtube video. Here's a chance
          for Hollywood to step up.


    > J. Repeat as needed for hopefully a very long, loving and happy relationship.

          That repeat thing means an increase in the
          probability that someone is going to be a new
          HIV+ case. Hope is just another irrational plan.

          And this:
               http://goo.gl/iyIHIW


    > Just “Testing Together” at the beginning of the relationship isn’t enough.

          Finally, something we both agree with.