Stories From Aids Walk NY 2012

The AIDS Walk took place in New York on Sunday May 20, 2012. While every participant walked for a different reason, they all walked for the same cause, which was support the fight against AIDS and HIV.  Check out the video I shot during Aids Walk NY 2012 "Stories From The Walk". Hope to see you on the walk in 2013!

--Kyle Sweet

GET DOWN Youth Blogger

kylesweet2013@gmail.com

GETTING DOWN With Aids Walk NY 2012!!

It's May! And for GET DOWN, that means it's time for Aids Walk NY, the largest single-day AIDS fundraising event in the world.  Founded by GMHC, the world's first AIDS service organization, the 10-kilometer walkathon was designed to raise urgently needed funds for GMHC, and to battle the stigma so many associated with HIV/AIDS. The event took place on May 18, 1986 at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park, Fordham University's Robert Moses Plaza, and the streets of the Upper West Side. Today, the AIDS Walk begins and ends in Central Park.  In its 27 years, AIDS Walk New York has inspired nearly 845,000 people to walk, and millions more to donate, raising more than $122 million to combat HIV and AIDS. The funds raised at the event remain a vital lifeline that sustains GMHC's prevention, care, and advocacy programs for the thousands of men, women, and families affected by the disease in the tri-state area.

WHY DO WE WALK? Because Half of all new HIV infections

 in the U.S. occur in people 25 years of age or younger.

GET DOWN is just beginning. We are grassroots. You can read all about us here getdownpsa.blogspot.com, friend us at facebook.com/getdownpsa and follow us on twitter.com/getdownpsa. The GET DOWN PSAs are on You Tube and on our sites as well. 

We are walking with TEAM FACES NY (#0638) and are proud to have met so many young people at the Brooklyn Youth Conference that want to walk with us!

Please go here to donate to GET DOWN creator and executive producer Kim J. Ford's page: http://aidswalknewyork2012.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1000060&lis=1&kntae1000060=B930CD2C388249B6A1F4B6CE1518A3DE&supId=289403036

The GET DOWN team is thanking you in advance for standing with us in the fight against HIV/AIDS and helping spread awareness among youth and young adults.

--The GET DOWN Team

www.facebook.com/getdownpsa

www.twitter.com/getdownpsa

getdownpsa2008@gmail.com

Sex and Politics: The Condom Debate

The issue of contraception and women’s reproductive rights are not new to the presidential election debate, but President Obama’s recent contraceptive mandate stoked the fire among conservative candidates.  The federal mandate would require that all employees of insured religiously affiliated institutions (i.e. schools and hospitals) receive free contraceptives in their health plan.  Many religious conservatives saw this as a direct attack.  Like nearly every politician to grace the American spotlight, former presidential candidate Rick Santorum was no exception.  And, it was Santorum’s highly conservative and absolutist view on the issue of contraception that separated him from his former GOP competitors in the race for the presidency.  According to a Huffington Post article titled “Rick Santorum Contraception Stance Remains Out Of Step With Nation,” released in February of this year, “He [Santorum] believes states should be free to ban them [condoms] if they want.  He argues that the Supreme Court erred when it ruled in 1965 that married Americans have a right to privacy that includes the use of contraceptives.”  Santorum supports this view through his strong Christian faith, in which he believes access to contraception ultimately encourages permissive sexual activity.  

The Huffington Post indeed had it right when they claimed Santorum to be “out of step” with the majority of the nation.  In this case, we are not talking about abortion, despite the fact that Santorum planned to deny women this access, too.  In this case, we are referring to the basic methods of contraception, which include the Pill, condom and various other methods that are utilized by 99 percent of American women to prevent pregnancy in addition to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, according to the Guttmacher Institute.  But before we can examine the dangers that a ban in contraception poses to the American public, we must first distinguish how this issue differs from that of abortion.

Within the political sphere, we so often associate the issues of abortion and contraception to one another, many times blurring the lines between the two and classifying them as one sole topic of debate.  But what Santorum’s unique stance on contraception control proves, however, is that these two issues stand greatly apart from one another.  One of them relates to the HIV/AIDS epidemic (and other STDs), a fact that is not only overlooked, but many times disregarded entirely when these two topics of debate are addressed together.  And that is the issue at the heart of his belief system: The issue of access to contraception.

Santorum’s belief centers on the fact that condoms are used solely as a means of birth control; or rather, that the use of a condom provides one with “a license to do things in the sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be,” ultimately allowing people to act without the intent of procreating.  In order to test the validity of his assumption, I randomly selected 20 male friends and asked them what they believed to be the number one purpose of putting on a condom before sexual intercourse.  In other words, what is the most important reason for utilizing this form of contraception? To my surprise, 17 out of the 20 young men answered to prevent pregnancy.  I was relieved to find that all 20 admitted to using a condom on a regular basis, but was shocked to find that pregnancy was their number one concern.  What about sexually transmitted diseases?  What about incurable viruses such as HIV that, once acquired, one will have to live with forever?  Aren’t these legitimate dangers?  Why have so many of these young men, and Santorum himself, failed to consider this fact?

As “out of step” as Santorum may be, his belief highlights a few important truths: that the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases is not at the forefront of concerns regarding sexual health among the American public today.  That more young men are willing to put on a condom to prevent an unwanted pregnancy than to prevent acquiring a deadly sexually transmitted disease.  That too often, the ethics surrounding contraception control are dictated by religious views that are more than out of sync with reality.  As we continue to make advancements in the field of HIV/AIDS research, it is important that we utilize what we know to prevent the further spread of this disease.  And what we do know is that using a condom can help keep this disease under control.  So regardless of the beliefs one may hold, we cannot deny the obvious truth: that using a condom can prevent HIV/AIDS. And that alone can save lives.

--Rebecca Florcyzk

GET DOWN Youth Blogger In Chief

florczy3@tcnj.edu

Rebecca Gets Tested: Women's HIV Awareness Month

A few weeks ago, three of my college housemates and I were hanging out in our living room as we usually do on Sunday evenings.  Only on this night, our conversation took a turn from what is usually lighthearted and playful, to a non-joking matter entirely.  The three of them had confessed that night to never having gotten an STD or HIV screening in their lives.  I was shocked.  And before I knew it, I was scolding them as a mother does; yelling at them about the dangers of not getting checked and demanding that they make appointments first thing in the morning.

Before bed that night, I thought to myself: How could these girls, all twenty-two years of age and older, go so long without getting checked?  To me, it seemed like sheer neglect of oneself.  Since I was sixteen years old, I’ve been making yearly trips to my doctor for routine check-ups.  I also found myself in her office sporadically over the years; some times at the end of a relationship, other times, out of the simple need to be “safe.”  Either way, I was on top of my health. Or so I thought.

Long before I attended Sundae Sermon at El Museo Del Barrio on Sunday, February 26^th, I was asked by my GET DOWN supervisor if I’d ever gotten an HIV screening done.  The answer was no.  I visited my doctor every year, was an HIV screening truly necessary?  The answer to this one is yes.  I, along with many people, believed that such check-ups test for HIV, when in fact, they don’t.  A standard STD test will check for a number of sexually transmitted diseases, but won’t check for HIV unless you specifically ask for that screening to be done.  And by the time Sunday rolled around, I knew I couldn’t leave El Museo until I had gotten my first HIV screening.

Up until that point, I had been so sure that I was healthy and free of every sexually transmitted disease imaginable.  After all, I was on top of my sexual health better than anyone.  But words cannot describe the feeling that overwhelmed me once I sat down in that chair.  Just moments prior, I was more than certain of what the test would read.  It hadn’t occurred to me until that very moment that a negative result was not guaranteed.  This was my first time getting tested, so in actuality, I had no idea what the outcome would be.

An HIV screening can be conducted various ways.  I had a rapid oral HIV test, in which a small swab was lightly scrapped along the walls of my mouth and then placed aside for approximately 15 minutes to produce a result.  When a person is infected with HIV, their body responds by producing special proteins that fight infection, called antibodies. The oral HIV test is designed to look for these antibodies in the saliva.  If antibodies are detected, it means that person has tested preliminarily positive for HIV.  That’s when a tester will draw blood in order to submit for a confirmatory test.  If that test comes back positive, the person being tested is HIV positive, for sure.  The confirmatory test might also come back HIV negative.

After my mouth was swabbed, I had to wait 15 minutes before I could find out the result.  During that time, the woman who administered the test questioned me in great detail about my past sexual experiences.  My answers are then included in reporting to the Center For Disease Control (CDC) for their research reports.  Each question caused my heart to beat faster and faster, for I knew that each honest answer put me at greater risk of contracting this virus.  Halfway through the questioning, I started to get mad at myself; mad at a poor decision I had made one night, mad that this was my first time getting tested, mad that I had thought I was invincible to something deadly.  I was not as responsible as I had thought and now I feared the results.  What if it came back positive? What would I do? With each minute, I grew more and more anxious and after what felt like an eternity, I got my results. Negative.

I let out a huge sigh of relief.  For years I had lived under the assumption that I was clean and HIV negative, but hadn’t known for sure until this very moment.  The yearly trips to my doctor were not enough because I had never asked for an HIV screening to be done before.  But now I knew and knowing is truly one of the greatest feelings in the world.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommend that all people between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV, regardless of whether you think you’re at risk or not.  According to the CDC’s 2009 statistics, women comprised 51% of the US population and accounted for 23% of new HIV infections.  According to the CDC 2009 report by age, the age group 20-24 accounted for the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses, at 36.7 per 100,000 population.  Those figures have increased from 2006 among those aged 15-19 and 20-24.  My friends and I fall into that age group.

March is Women and Girls HIV Awareness Month, which is coordinated by the Office on Women's Health (OWH), within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  And because getting tested for HIV is this easy, there is no excuse for anyone not to.  I am sure the living room conversations will be a little more interesting at my college apartment. 

Just remember: No matter how you get down, protect yourself. Get tested.

To see more photos of GET DOWN at Sundae Sermon El Museo Del Barrio Kickoff:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2776992794916.2116464.1561001943&type=3

--Rebecca Florcyzk

GET DOWN Youth Blogger In Chief

florczy3@tcnj.edu

Gun Hill Road: A Must-See About What it Means to Love and Be Loved

On August 5^th, Gun Hill Road, a favorite of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, premiered in select theatres nationwide. Written and directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green, this riveting and authentically acted film addressed the complicated issue of sexuality, as well as the importance of love and acceptance by one’s own family.

Set in the heart of the Bronx, father Enrique Rodriguez (Esai Morales) returns home at the opening of the film after three years of incarceration.  In his attempts to regain control of his life and family, his feminine son, Michael aka “Vanessa” (Harmony Santana), continues to distance himself from the home to live a secret life unbeknownst to his father.  As Enrique becomes more aware of the divide between himself, his wife Angie (Judy Reyes) and his son Michael, he enters a state of confusion and denial.  He soon discovers that Angie has been supportive of Michael’s decisions, which causes divisiveness within the family.

This independent film is unique in that it marked the completion of director Rashaad Ernesto Green’s thesis feature film.  Emerging director Green is an NYU Graduate Film program alum and former actor who moved behind the camera to direct critically acclaimed shorts such as “Cuts”, “Choices” and HBO Short Film Award at ABFF winner “Premature”. 

Also, making a debut is lead Harmony Santana, a 20 year-old transsexual actress from NY’s Lower East Side, who was able to relate to Michael’s struggles in a way that many other actresses would not have been able to do.  The authenticity we see, from Michael’s fear of facing his father to the rejection “Vanessa” encounters after her first relationship comes to an end, stems from a place so undeniably real that we want nothing more for Michael than to make peace with himself and his father.

This movie is a definite must-see! For all those struggling with sexual identity, currently in the transgender community or for all those wanting insight into what it means to be transgendered, this is the movie that brings it all to light.  What’s more, Director Rashaad Ernesto Green tackles the subject of family acceptance and proves just how important love and encouragement from our families is. And that is something we all understand.

--Rebecca Florcyzk

GET DOWN Youth Blog Squad

florcyz3@tcnj.edu

NY Gay Marriage A Triumph, But Challenges Remain

On Sunday July 24^th, 2011, 30 days after it was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York’s gay marriage law took effect.    Minutes after, hundreds of eager gay couples were wed across the state.  The passing of this law is a momentous occasion in the LGBT community. For same sex couples to finally be able to legally wed, and enjoy all of the benefits associated with marriage is a major triumph.

The LGBT community has been celebrating since the Governor originally passed the bill on June 24^th.  Just two days later, New York City’s annual Pride Parade took place.  The parade has been in effect for over 40 years.  And while each year the celebrations and festivities grow in support and number, the streets were in no way ready for the massive turnout that occurred on June 26th.

Because of the bills passage, people flocked from nationwide to show their support for the LGBT community and this country’s latest same-sex marriage law.  This is certainly a triumph for the LGBT community, but 40 years after the Stonewall Riots, many challenges still remain.  For those who identify with the LGBT community, these include coming out to friends and loved ones or just merely as they live their lives amongst people who may not agree with their sexual orientation.  As I walked along the NYC Pride parade route this year, I wanted to find out some of the challenges and triumphs that LGBT youth, in particular, face today.

Jo, 21, of the Bronx:  “My family is strictly from the West Indies and we’re Catholic, so it was definitely hard [coming out] but it’s something that they have to live with and they came through…and I’m here five years later all in one piece!” 

Ashley, 22, of Teaneck, NJ: “I'd say that the biggest challenge in coping with my sexuality was having to deal with other peoples’ ignorance and prejudices. It can be draining having to argue with people in order to legitimize my sexuality. In the end it's my life and not theirs and what I want to do and who I love is none of their business. The only thing I ask is to have the same rights as everyone else.”

 

Henry, 22, of Teaneck, NJ: “For me, the biggest challenge is actually admitting to yourself who you are and coming to terms with it regardless of religious or political stances. We still live in a very theology-driven society and the process of mustering up the courage needed to acknowledge one's sexuality defies social mores and (perhaps) cultural values. In my opinion, the most difficult part of coming out was the process of self-discovery and coming to grips with who I am.”

New York’s passage of the same-sex marriage bill presents young people of the LGBT community with opportunities that those before them were not as fortunate to have. Now they, too, can fulfill the dream of a legal marriage that just weeks ago, they were not entitled.

 

Sarah, 25, of Clifton, NJ:  “I’m bi-sexual and I’m open about it. The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was come out to my parents. They had a hard time getting used to it but are still supportive…and my mom is here for the first time this year!”

Like Sarah’s mother, this year’s Pride Parade was a first for many. From 36th street & 5th Avenue, all the way down to Christopher & Greenwich Streets in The Village, hundreds of supporters, both new and old, were in attendance. I guess we can say that New York’s latest legislative reform has impacted New Yorkers in more ways than one.

And that is truly a triumph.

--Rebecca Florcyzk

GET DOWN Youth Blog Squad

florcyz3@tcnj.edu

 

 

More Than Just A Parade: NYC's Gay Pride Parade 2011

On November 2, 1969, the first gay pride parade was organized in New York City by American gay rights activist, Craig Rodwell. Today, the march has evolved into a week long celebration known as Gay Pride Week, during which numerous rallies and festivities take place in support of the LGBT community.   There is another difference, however, between this year’s events and the first parade that took place over 40 years ago. This year, there was something new to celebrate.

On June 24, 2011, just two days before NYC Pride, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law legalizing same-sex marriage in the state of New York.  New York is now just one of six states nationwide in which same-sex marriage is permitted.  With this new and exciting news, hundreds upon hundreds of people from New York and nationwide came out to make this year’s parade one to remember.  

GET DOWN's New York based partner organization, FACES NY was there to show their support with a float of their own.  The parade began at noon on Sunday, June 26th at 36^th street & 5^th Avenue and ended at Christopher & Greenwich Streets in The Village.  

Our partner FACES NY entered the parade at 37^th Street on a large float themed “Paris is Burning.”  Those who participated wore either a fire inspired costume or dressed in a red, orange or yellow shirt. At the center of the float was a reconstruction of the Eiffel Tower in flames.  Throughout the course of the parade, I was able to speak with many young people to get their opinions on the passage of the same-sex marriage bill.  According to Kristin, 22, of New York, this is “the greatest thing that could have happened to the city.”

 

Chelsea, 18, of New York said, “I was excited because we [the LGBT community] fall in love, too and we all wanna get married.  We have our own plans and desires, you know, like everybody else. I felt that it was fair and about time!”  The large turnout at NYC Pride proved that many people share the opinions of these two young women. Jay, of New York, however, brought a different opinion to the table in response to New York’s latest legislative reform. 

 

Jay, an HIV education counselor in the New York area, stated “I think it’s a wonderful first step, but I do believe that as a man of color, who is a man of same sex desires, that there are a plethora of issues that the black and brown communities should see as more important than gay marriage.  We’re more likely to be incarcerated for crime, we are more likely to be poor, more likely to drop out of school, more likely to catch HIV/AIDS.  There are so many other things that I feel our white brothers and sisters within the LGBT community are not comfortable with addressing.”  While Jay recognizes the positive impact of the same-sex marriage bill on the LGBT community, he brings to light the fact that there are still many issues facing minorities within the gay community; issues that he believes are of greater importance.  

 

Overall, the 2011 Gay Pride Parade was a joyous and celebratory event.  I, like many others along the parade route, believe we should consider the efforts of New York’s Governor Cuomo a step in the right direction for New Yorker’s and the LGBT community as a whole.

--Rebecca Florcyzk

GET DOWN Youth Blog Squad

florcyz3@tcnj.edu