December 1 is World AIDS Day

luka82

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Exactly 12 years ago today, a small group of friends and I decided to begin regularly breaking the law in Atlanta, GA.

We were members of ACT-UP there, and we saw how the epidemic was shifting its demographic: the frequency of transmission was declining among gay men and skyrocketing among intravenous drug users and their partners. We understood that a health epidemic like HIV never stays contained within one community; although most people look at needle drug users (or gays) as "them" and not "us," an infected user can transmit the virus to a partner who can transmit it to another partner and so on, etc. ad infinitum, until there is no more "them and us" - there is only "us." Many people start to know a "regular person" who got infected. The epidemic becomes a tragic problem for everyone, not just some despised and disenfranchised subculture.

So without resources, or anything really except a desire to help, we started strolling regularly through neighborhoods where injection drug users hung out, giving them clean needles in exchange for dirty ones which we put into sharps containers that we carried with us. We also handed out condoms, gave information on how to protect oneself and others from infection, and offered contacts for people who wanted to try to quit using (but even for those who wanted to quit, there was at the time a 6-month wait for a treatment bed, which discouraged most).

Needle exchanges were already sprouting up around the country (and world) but this program was the first one in the US South. Many thought we would never make it because of Georgia's conservative political climate, but we stayed underground. While we had some close calls, the police never stopped us (carrying drug paraphernalia is a criminal offense); we believed they deliberately looked the other way since they suspected what we were doing. We raised money for the needles by carrying plastic buckets through a busy intersection in Midtown while cars were stopped at a red light - with 10-12 volunteers we could raise $1,000 an hour. 12 years later, the program still exists, works in several neighborhoods, has paid staff, and exchanges thousands of needles a week. It would be difficult to estimate the number of new HIV infections the program prevented, but it is certainly in the thousands.

What's the point? Anyone can make a difference if they want to. You don't have to have special training or resources - just a heart and a will to help. So on World AIDS Day, here's to everyone living with HIV and affected by it. And here's to the Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition and everyone who decides to roll of their sleeves and take a stand. If we act together with our communities, we will change the course of history for the better, and we will beat this disease.
Bravo!
One of the best posts ever!
Brave guy!