Thread by @MatthewWolfff

🏳️‍🌈#LGBTVoices Celebrates🏳️‍🌈
FIFTY YEARS OF PRIDE

Today: How to Survive a Plague

By the end of the 20th century, 33 million people were living with HIV, and 14 million had died world wide.

Today, 1 in 7 infected are unaware of their status.
HIV is still a killer.
#Pride
1)

HIV appears to have originated with the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), and jumped to human infection through the consumption of wild chimpanzees. It mutated to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus by the early 20th century.

By the early 70’s, infections were global.
2)

The earliest well documented case of HIV originates from the Congo in 1959, the earliest retrospective case of AIDS was in Norway in 1966.

The vast majority of none sub-saharan infections can be traced to one carrier who brought it to the US in 1969.
3)

HIV has a long dormant phase of, on average, 10 years.

In 1981, young, otherwise healthy gay men began to be diagnosed with rare lung infections, and an unusually aggressive cancer called Kaposi’s Sarcoma.

By the end of the year, IV drug users were also being affected.
4)

The disease was originally named GRID, gay related immunodeficiency disease, or “gay cancer,” as it was thought to be sexually transmitted only between gay men.

By the end of 1982, heterosexual females and people who had received blood transfusions were also affected.
5)

In 1983, the name of the disease was changed to AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

In 1984, the cause of AIDS was announced by the National Cancer Institute as the retrovirus HIV.

In 1985, it was clear that the blood supply was contaminated with HIV.
6)

The AIDS epidemic erupted a backlash of homophobia against the gay community. People were afraid, and refused to accept the fact that HIV could not be spread through casual contact.

AIDS patients were ostracized by friends and family, and often denied care.
7)

AIDS killed 324,029 between 1987 and 1998, disproportionately gay men. In the US, 1 in 9 had been diagnosed with AIDS, and 1 in 15 had died, almost decimating the gay male population.

Conservative forces condemned the sufferers as immoral, and deserving of their suffering.
8)

Watch this video for a chilling snapshot of the publics perception of AIDS in 1983, as Reagan’s press secretary cracks jokes, and the press core laughs at the horrible deaths of gay men.
9)

If straight white men were dying of an unknown disease at the rate that gay men were in 1983, funding for identifying the cause and cure would have been unprecedented.

Instead, funding was meager in the early ‘80’s, and Reagan wouldn’t even mention the epidemic until 1985.
10)

Chapters of ACT UP began forming in 1987, with the purpose of political agitation through “in your face” activism to give AIDS full visibility and to push hard for increased medical funding.

Demonstrations targeted the CDC, politicians and churches, forcing attention.
11)

In 1995, the FDA approved the first Protease Inhibitor, ushering a new era of highly effective anti-retroviral treatments.

Today, people living with HIV can reduce their viral loads to undetectable, and expect a normal lifespan through treatment.
12)

Yet, people are still dying from AIDS. In 2016, 15,807 people died of AIDS in the US.

While treatment can render HIV a chronic, treatable illness, that treatment requires identification of the disease and daily medication to fight the virus.
13)

Today, 1 in 7 HIV infected individuals in the US don’t know they have the disease.

The CDC recommends that every person be tested for HIV.

Gay men who have sex with multiple partners are in a high risk class, and should be tested every 3-6 months.
14)

hiv.gov/hiv-basics/hiv…

Stigma is still a huge contributor to HIV infections and lack of treatment, particularly in more conservative communities.

While 1/3rd of the US population lives in the south, 44% of HIV diagnoses, and 47% of AIDS deaths occur there, particularly high amongst black people.
15)

More than 56% of all black, trans women in the US are HIV positive, and half of all of those live in the south.

32 states currently have inhumane laws criminalizing HIV exposure, disproportionately targeting black people.
16)
out.com/pride/2019/6/1…

While racism & poverty have helped the spread of HIV, religious institutions spread disinformation on HIV and condoms. The Catholic Church claimed condoms help spread HIV.

The truth is, appropriate use of condoms prevent transmission by 100%.
17)

salon.com/2015/11/30/cat…

So, what can you do to protect yourself? The first step is, if you are LGBT+, come out. Coming out means leaving behind the shame of who you are, and taking full responsibility for your sexual health. Coming out can save your life. More on that below.

https://twitter.com/matthewwolfff/status/1134791414481661952?s=21

18)

Next step: Get tested. A sexually active gay man, who has multiple partners, should be tested every 3-6 months.

Remember, you can’t avail yourself of the miracle of modern medicine if you don’t know you’re infected, and 1 in 7 in the US don’t know. Ignorance kills.
19)

This may seem trite, but PRACTICE SAFE SEX.

HIV is now a treatable disease. The newest drugs can mean a full and active life, but it means taking medication daily for the rest of your life, and there are side effects.

Condoms are 100% effective.
20)

healthline.com/health/hiv-aid…

If you are a sexually active gay man, talk to your doctor about using PrEP, like the drug Truvada. It can reduce the chance of HIV infection by 92%.

Gilead charges up to $2,000 per month, but Truvada is due to go generic in 2020.

More on PrEP 👇

https://twitter.com/allcapstweetx/status/1137233926320091137?s=21

21)

Know your partner’s HIV status. There is still a major stigma with positive status, and many positive people face anxiety about disclosing.

An HIV positive person can have an undetectable viral load if under treatment.
Undetectable = untransmittable.
22)
sfaf.org/collections/be…

Do your part in spreading the facts about HIV and combatting disinformation.

Many believe that it can be transmitted through casual contact, or saliva. It can’t. The chances of being infected from oral sex are extremely low.

Learn more from the CDC.
23)
cdc.gov/hiv/basics/tra…

Help lower the stigma on HIV positive people. If you are LGBT+, chances are you know someone who is HIV positive, whether you know it or not.

Take steps to protect your sexual health, but treat them with respect. They are our brothers and sisters, and they deserve our love.
24)

Join #LGBTVoices in celebrating 50 years of #Pride ! New tweets on LGBT+ topics every day in June.

How far has the LGBT+ community come? What work do we still have to do?

RT and join in on the discussion.
Tell us your stories!

🌈❤️Happy Pride!🌈❤️
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