Day 102: Party Drug?!?!?

HI everyone, it’s been a pretty busy week here for me, and I thought this as good of a time as any to check in with you all. As I write this, we are currently making our dissent into Atlanta, Georgia. Aaron and I were selected to be part of a photo shoot for the CDC in regards to compliance with HIV medications. While this is not directly addressing PrEP, adherence to medication is a vital part of my prevention life. Both my adherence to PrEP and my partner’s compliance with his Anti-retroviral regimen are important factors in my ability to remaining HIV negative. So I’m very excited to lend my voice and my face to this campaign. I also got a new job with a promotion company, which is very exciting and welcome news in my world.

Another important part of this past week was an event I went to that addressed Missouri’s HIV criminalization laws. It seems absurd to me that technically, in spite of any safety measures we might take, by his being with me, my partner is in Missouri a criminal for exposing me to HIV. These laws are clearly antiquated and really do need to be addressed. It’s not just Missouri that has laws like this criminalizing and basically forcing people with HIV into an abstinent life, there are more than half of the states in this country that have laws like that. DUMB.

Speaking of DUMB, I am brought to my final and perhaps most pressing topic of discussion. There was an article in today’s USA Today that talks about the debate that exists about PrEP. Now the fact that there is still a debate about whether PrEP is an effective tool in preventing new HIV infections is asinine in my opinion. Now the debate about whether PrEP is an effective prevention tool for EVERYONE, that seems to be more appropriate. No, I don’t think PrEP is right for everybody. But there was one comment in this article that really blew me away. Michael Weinstein, the head of AHF (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) made the comment “If something comes along that’s better than condoms, I’m all for it, but Truvada is not that. Let’s be honest: It’s a party drug.” So, there are SO MANY issues I take with this, especially as someone who takes Truvada as PrEP.

First of all, I have no idea what kinds of parties Mr. Weinstein is going to, but Truvada resembles nothing to any other party drugs I know about. In fact, it takes a few days for the Truvada to build up in your system. It’s not something you can just pop and go. In fact Truvada as PrEP helps promote a healthy lifestyle. It requires an HIV test every three months in order to obtain the prescription. But even more than attacking the drug, he just alienated anyone who takes Truvada and shames them for wanting to stay safe while having an intimate physical relationship. Yes, there are still risks related with unprotected sex, even while on PrEP, any other STDs are not prevented by PrEP and that is something to consider. HOWEVER, if condom only prevention were an effective tool, we wouldn’t still be getting new infections. But we are, and the people who are choosing to take Truvada are doing so because we want an extra layer of protection. We are not the ignorant party boys that Mr. Weinstein makes us out to be, but people who are taking their health into their own hands, if we are smart enough to assess the risk of HIV we are smart enough to asses the risk of other STDs as well, and if we determine there is a risk, I’m sure just as taking Truvada supplements our prevention regimen in the case of HIV, a condom will help supplement our protection regimen from those. But I think we deserve a little more credit.

That’s all I have for you right now. As always please share this with anyone who might appreciate it and any questions or comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading and have a GREAT day.