Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Blade- December 7, 2007
Kevin Naff
Part of what we reported was that the Bush administration was planning to hold off releasing the new statistics until the week between Christmas and New Year's, when few people would be paying attention. With all the mainstream coverage last weekend, that plan is happily foiled.
What needs more attention, however, is what these numbers say about the strategies used for combating HIV, particularly among gay men. In D.C., which has the sorry distinction of being home to the highest AIDS rate in the country, Mayor Fenty's administration responded, in part, by pledging more free condoms to be distributed in the city.
Free condoms are fine (assuming they're not made in China and prone to breaking), but that does not constitute a comprehensive strategy. The success of protease inhibitors has had the unfortunate effect of lulling too many gay men into complacency. We need better educational strategies to effectively combat the disease. An overhaul of middle and high school sex ed programs would be a great place to start, with an emphasis on frank talk about gay sex and how HIV is transmitted.
Sadly, many school districts - including in D.C. and neighboring Montgomery County - are forced to devote time and resources to combating the ignorant assaults of the religious right and the "ex-gay" crowd, who want their debunked views on reparative therapy taught in schools rather than scientifically grounded, honest information on disease prevention.
At a hearing last week, health professionals, parents and gay health advocates expressed support for proposed sex education standards for the D.C. public schools that call for teaching about sexual orientation in the sixth grade.
Predictably, representatives of anti-gay conservative groups were there urging abstinence until marriage, a non-starter for gay kids. Let's hope the city doesn't have to endure the same expensive, time-wasting lawsuits that were filed by religious conservatives in Montgomery County just so we can teach students the facts about sex.
Without more effective messaging and educational campaigns, no amount of free condoms will make a dent in the city's HIV and AIDS rates.
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