Please Forgive Me Guys...!

But I COMPLETELY forgot that September 27th was National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness day and I TOLD myself I was going to post because I heart the gays. I really do. They're the best and they have great taste in shoes. Me + gay men+ shoes = bliss for all parties involved. But I digress which I always do when the topic of shoes come up. Anyways, here is some information about this day:

The very first National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness day was September 27th, 2008. NGMHAAD (what an acronym!) was designed to refocus attention on a community that has been affected by the HIV epidemic in both the U.S. and internationally. Since the disease was first recoginzed in the early '80's, more than 487,000 gay and bixexual men have been diagnosed in the United States.

Despite the statistics, the gay community took responsibility for understanding the science of HIV/AIDS and has never wavered in it's courageous advocacy for HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and treatment (YEA!!) "By educating themselves about HIV/AIDS and arguing cogently for improvements to the status quo, gay activists gained a seat at the table to design HIV/AIDS studies. In so doing, they created a new model for the relationship between patients suffering from serious diseases and scientists developing and testing ways to better detect, treat, and prevent these diseases." (Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2009/GayMenHIVAwarenessDay.htm)

I think the rest of the world can really take something from the way gay men are fighting this disease. No, HIV/AIDS is not a "gay disease" however they are doing their part to make sure their community is educated and protected.

My own experience with this: I live in Jacksonville, FL and have gone to gay clubs many times with friends. Even though I've seen some crazy things happen, there is ALWAYS information about HIV/AIDS, ALWAYS information about where you can be tested, and ALWAYS condoms available. "Straight" clubs in Jacksonville, FL? There is ALWAYS a flyer about what's going on at the next club night. *blank stare*


So, Project Nefertiti is taking this time today (and everyday) to honor those gay men who continue to make an effort towards educating others and those who have lost their life to the disease. I hope that their spirit of love and family is passed on to all, and that in the future, everyone can come together to make an even bigger impact on our world. I love you all and be blessed!



sources: www3.niad.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2009/GayMenHIVAwarenessDay.htm; www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/msm/index.htm