JULY 23, 1993 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 11

AT RISK

With AIDS awareness high, we still have unsafe sex

by John Kennedy

AKRON CANTON BUREAU

When I am at a party with other gay men and they say, "So, what do you do?" I often respond by saying, "I teach gay men how to have sex." Once I get their attention, I explain that I am an AIDS educator, at which point they become much less responsive. Then they usually react along the lines of, "Well I'm glad someone is doing that." Or perhaps they are sympathetic enough to tell me that they donate money. Once in a while they confide in me in quiet tones that they have lost someone close or that they themselves are HIV positive. Rarely do I meet someone who understands the scope of the problem which we face.

In Ohio a full 75 percent of new HIVpositive cases are diagnosed in gay and bisexual men, and we suspect that next year more gay men will test positive than this year. The HIV positivity rates for gay and bi men in Cleveland, Akron, and Mansfield are approximately 14 percent, 10 percent and 8 percent respectively. So that, for example in Akron, one in ten gay or bi guys

being tested at an anonymous site will test positive. In Cleveland it's one in seven.

The lesbian and gay community has given its best and brightest for the last decade in order to advocate and care for people with HIV and AIDS. And while we are still immersed in the AIDS "movement" if you will, it seems that we are indifferent at times to our own personal risk behavior.

Of course there are reasons why gay men are inconsistent about using condoms for intercourse and not using protection for oral sex. We have been getting messages from the general media that HIV is less of a problem for gay men.

Unfortunately many of the studies that have been cited, such as VD rates for gay men in large urban areas, have since reversed and many venereal diseases are as common now as they were in the 70s. Also we haven't seen the decline in percentages of positivity for gay men in Ohio as they have seen in New York and San Francisco.

Percentages may be misleading at any rate. The total numbers of new HIV diagnoses are increasing, so that a higher num-

Dykes To Watch Out For

the

fairies' midwife

166

BABE, LISTEN. I REALLY CAN'T GET AWAY THIS AFTERNOON. DO YOU MIND GOING TO SEE THE MIDWIFE WITHOUT ME, JUST THIS ONCE?

WELL OF COURSE I MIND, CLARICE! BUT IF YOU CAN'T COME, YOU CAN'T COME. I JUST WISH YOU'D GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!

1001 LOOPHOLES

1993 TAK

ATAL INCOME THE

of CORPORATION

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ber of heterosexuals testing positive makes it look as if fewer gay men are testing positive. In reality the absolute number is going up. Please keep in mind that the majority of people in our area are very closeted about their status. They have much to lose by revealing it. Many people who are positive are not able to tell their status to their sex partners. Again this helps give us an idea that HIV is less present than it truly is.

Behavior change is always difficult, and people in alcohol and drug recovery will tell you that relapse is often part of that process. It seems that awareness of the problem is the first step to reversing the trends. I am often discouraged by the reaction of lesbian and gay leaders when I try to explain this problem. Resources are extremely scarce within our community, and of course much competition exists. We also have a community with many needs. We are affected by violence, chemical dependency, etc.

So it's hard to get gay community leaders to address a new priority. Please do not misunderstand me; I think that lesbian-gay

LATER, AT THE

BIRTH CENTER...]

TONI, WHEN YOU'RE DONE WEIGHING YOURSELF AND TESTING YOUR URINE, MIRIAM'S READY TO SEE YOU.

SEATTLE ANDWI

SCHOOL 1979-20

TACTING DIRTH

VISA

FULL YOUR

OWN CHART

leaders in our area do a tremendous job with the very limited resources available to them. We have to remember that people in antigay groups are giving big money to make it illegal for gay folks to have the same rights as other Americans.

The AIDS organizations in Ohio are struggling to keep up with current case loads. They are also devoting resources to develop services that are more tailored to heterosexuals. It's typical of our system in general to deal with problems only after they take place, often at a tremendous cost economically and emotionally with loss of life. I am going to devote a series of articles to prevention of relapse and I strongly encourage you to get involved. If you need more information we would be happy to provide that for you.

Call the Summit County AIDS hotline at 375-2437 (375-AIDS), or the Health Issues Taskforce at 621-0766.

John Kennedy is AIDS education coordinator for the Northeast Ohio Task Force on AIDS, in Akron.

TONI! COME ON IN, HON. YOU LOOK RADIANT! WHERE'S CLARICE?

BUSTAGUT TRIATHLON

OH, MIRIAM. SHE'S TOTALLY WRAPPED UP IN THIS NEW JOB! LAST NIGHT SHE MISSED OUR PRENATAL CLASS. I FEEL LIKE SHE'S BACKING OUT ON ME.

HAVE YOU

TALKED TO HER

ABOUT IT?

YES, BUT SHE SAYS THERE'S NOTHING SHE CAN DO. IT'S A DEMANDING JOB AND SHE JUST NEEDS TO PUT IN A LOT OF TIME RIGHT NOW.

HM. SOUNDS A BIT LIKE MY EX-HUSBAND WHEN I WAS PREGNANT WITH ALEX YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND GET ON THE TABLE.

WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT IT?

LEFT HIM AND MOVED INTO A LESBIAN COMMUNE.

MIRIAM! I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE HER! BESIDES, I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE LESBIAN COMMUNES ANYMORE.

OH, DON'T WORRY, DARHN. I THINK CLARICE IS THERE FOR YOU. MAYBE SHE'S JUST UNSURE OF HER ROLE. SOMETIMES IT'S HARD FOR THE NONBIOLOGICAL MOM TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE SHE FITS IN.

WE'VE GOT A LOVELY HEARTBEAT HERE. HAS

THERE

BEEN MUCH

MOVEMENT

GOING

ON?

YES, A LOT! LAST NIGHT IN BED, I WAS HOLDING CLARICE,

AND SHE FELT

THE BABY KICK

HER IN THE BUTT!

MURDYBUTT

MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL

IRONBUNS MARATHOS

MEANWHILE...

OUR COURT DATE

DABY

IS WHEN?

HE MOSTLY UNFABULOUS Social LIFE OF ETHAN GREEN... ASTONISHINGLY, YOU AWOKE TO FIND YOUR-ET SELF CAUGHT UP IN THE BRISTLES OF A MAMMOTH HAIRBRUSH... ·

AS FOR THE GQS-THEMSELVES, WELL, TWO OF THEM WERE IN THE LIVING ROOM, PRAC -

TICING POSTURE...

MY GAND HAS NO ONE TAUGHT You To STAND

PROPERLY

P

www.

NO.NO.NO.. WEIGHT

ON THE LEFT HEEL! NOW WAVE AND TOUGH PEARLS.. NOW POINT TOES.. NO

NO NO THE TOES

THE TOESOY,...

YOU JUST CAN'T FINDA GOOD MAPAIR NOWDAYS

BALANCE DEAR..

THIS IS GIV

CHERRY SUCH A HEADACHE...

MADE NO SENSE AT ALL, REALLY NOT 1 IOTA... BUT THE IMPLICATION WAS CLEAR, YOU WERE STRANDED... STRANDED IN THE 田

LAND OF THE GIANT QUEENS.

A THIRD CRITIQUED FROM THE SIDELINES AS SHE FIXED HERSELF A GIANT COCKTAIL...

My boyfriend is a horrible kisser, what should I do!?...

ASK DR. RUBY

Send your questions about sex, safer sex, and matters of the heart to Dr. Ruby c/o the Health Issues Taskforce, 2250 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115

TRY WALKING, DEAR,

THINK

PEBBLES BETWEEN THE CHEEKS.NoToo LOPPY THINK DIME BETWEEN& THE CHEEKS

الحلف

...

By Eric Orner ©'93.

MAKING YOURSELF PRESENTABLE PROVED PROBLEMATIC... YOUR PLAN TO UTILIZE AVAILABLE HAIR CARE PRODUCTS, UNSUCCESSFUL.

STI

STIF HAIR

OU KNEW THAT YOU SHOULD ESCAPE, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDVRE FOR FICTIONAL HEROES WHO FIND THEMSELVES AMONG HUGE (& BITCHY) BEINGS...

BUT YOU KINDA' WANTED TO STICK AROUND AND TRY ON ONE OF THEIR GIANT FREDERICK'S OF HOLLYWOOD PUMPS...

MYMY, WHAT WE

OURSELVES IN HE LONG

LIVE LONG ENOUGH BUT S'M ONLY 21

YEA, AND I'M ONE OF TH

CUBS FROM BORN FREE.

CLOM

PARK

GAY MANS TAKE ON JURASSIC

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