Wednesday, September 28, 2011

When Fiction Comes To Life


HIV/AIDS

There are two items that make an appearance in just about every Twislash story: Lube and Condoms.   They are packed for ever trip, sometimes stashed in every room, and nearly always readily available.

And just why are they so important? Let’s leave the lube for another day, but those condoms are crucial to preventing sexually transmitted diseases, and most crucially of all, preventing the deadly HIV/AIDS virus from spreading.

I know very little about HIV/AIDS, so I plan to share links where much more information can be found.
First, from the Mayo Clinic, just what is HIV/AIDS?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiv-aids/DS00005

I remember first hearing about the disease in the 80’s and truthfully being very frightened about it.  There was so much that was unknown at the time.   I will never forget hearing the “sex with a monkey” story about how it was caused.  Then everyone started placing blame on the gay community, when in fact, they were the victims.  There have been so many conspiracy stories that have come and gone.  In fact, they actually list and debunk the stories that have been told:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS_origins_opposed_to_scientific_consensus

Even the most scientific of stories still involve some guesswork.   Personally I believe we will never know exactly.  MSNBC reported a finding that seems to indicate the most likely scenario:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12966623

How is HIV/AIDS transmitted?  http://www.aids.org/topics/aids-faqs/how-is-hiv-transmitted/

How can it be prevented?   http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiv-aids/DS00005/DSECTION=prevention

Many Twislash stories include mention of being tested.  How is that done?  
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiv-aids/DS00005/DSECTION=tests-and-diagnosis
These tests come back either positive or negative, which have become common terms.  If one is HIV positive, sometimes that is simply stated as being ‘positive’.

And what of treatment if that is needed?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiv-aids/DS00005/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs


A very comprehensive, must see documentary on the subject of HIV/AIDS and the driver of safe sex is Daryl Wien’s “Sex Positive” http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Sex_Positive/70113297?trkid=2361637

The most popular movie on the subject was “Philadelphia” starring Tom Hanks
http://movies.netflix.com/Search?v1=Philadelphia&oq=phil&ac_posn=2
However, I recommend a more personal look at the original impact of the outbreak in the movie “Longtime Companion”
http://movies.netflix.com/Search?v1=Longtime%20Companion&oq=longtime&ac_posn=1


There are two Twislash stories I recommend that involved HIV/AIDS.   First is the tear jerker one shot The Cock and La Poule by PolkaDotMama

And then one slightly longer (understatement) story that does an awesome job of handling the topic, relating its impact, and addressing how one lives with HIV/AIDS.
Troy (who is Positive) and Zack (who is not) are not the main characters, but their story is very integral to the whole story.  Errors and Omissions by Oh Jasper My Jasper

Is there hope on the horizon?  Maybe.  Recently Online gamers made a big breakthrough on that path:  http://news.yahoo.com/online-gamers-crack-aids-enzyme-puzzle-175427367.html

This weekend, a group of Twislash fans (including me!) of the story Deep Dish by Starfish422 are doing a meet up in Chicago, and some will be doing the Chicago Aids Walk.

If you would like to support the cause, and every single little bit helps, please visit the website:

http://afc.aidschicago.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1260&frsid=18127

2 comments:

Tricia said...

Thanks so much for this post. I would add the movie And the Band Played On, which looked at the outbreak and how it was tracked by the CDC, the fight over who would get credit for discovering it, and the impact on the gay community. The movie was based on the nonfiction book non-fiction book And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts.

I've been a long-time reader but never commented, so let me thank you here for feeding my slash addiction.

LovelyPenguin said...

Thank you so much for reading Tricia, and thank you for the tip! I added it to my Netflix queue. Those movies are so sad, but I guess if we don't watch, we don't learn.