Angry Birds and AIDS

Do you know what is the most popular post on the Courage Philippines blogspot? According to my Feedjit stats it's about HIV Testing Centers in the Philippines. It's both good and bad news - good because those who are most at risk are taking a huge step to confront HIV/AIDS and bad because that could also mean the cases are rising at a very fast pace, and this we know for a fact.

One brother from Aftercall, a Catholic ministry for persons struggling with SSA, works in the Department of Health Manila and is conducting free and confidential HIV/AIDS testing and counseling. Consultation is free as are the medicines for selected STDs. You can contact him at 09224537826.

If you love yourself enough, get tested now. If your results come back positive, they can refer you to appropriate support groups and facilities for treatment. If your results come back negative, give thanks to God for giving you a second chance. And please, please, as much as possible, abstain from future sexual encounters. Also, don't buy the idea that condoms can protect you from future infection; that's a big lie. For the majority of gay men, the root cause of the escalation of HIV/AIDS epidemic is risky behavior and not merely ignorance, and using condoms only makes you indulge in riskier behaviors because of the sense of security that it provides. By doing so, it effectively neutralizes whatever benefit the condom may offer you. Please take note that anal sex puts you at a very high risk to contract this disease because the linings of your anal canal are thin and rupture easily, providing an easy route for HIV to enter your system.

I have always believed that true love does not contribute to the spread of AIDS because it is a love that is ever ready to sacrifice for the sake of the beloved. True love does not put others at risk; it does not compromise.

In the final analysis, only abstinence, education/awareness, fidelity (for married heterosexual couples only), and a proper understanding of human sexuality are your best weapons against HIV/AIDS and so please control your angry birds (with pun intended).

Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day.