V for Vixen

Reported December 12, 2007

No cure this sure yet, sadly

World AIDS Day is Dec. 1, and while this sounds like a doom-and-gloom topic just waiting to stomp your visions of a hot post-sex afterglow, it's also a terribly important one. Time out for some statistics!

In Canada, there are approximately 58,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, and about 27 per cent of these people don't even know they're infected. These figures are from 2006, and infection rates are on the rise as many Canadians seem to think that AIDS is a problem that only exists in distant lands like the U.S. and Africa.

Another huge part of this problem, according to local youth advocacy group Head & Hands, is the fact that two-thirds of Grade 7 students and one-half of Grade 9 students currently believe there is a cure for AIDS. Similar numbers of Canadian youngsters believe there exists a vaccine for the prevention of AIDS. As nice a dream as that may be, the reality is harsh: There is still no cure for AIDS, and no magic-bullet drug or shot one can take to avoid infection.
 

So why, one might ask, would the provincial health and education ministers decide, amidst all this confusion amongst teens regarding sexual health, that there is no real need to continue funding sex ed in schools? Apparently the health and education ministers don't find these dangerous beliefs - held by real-life Canadian school kids - to be reason enough to keep Quebec's students informed. And this lack of information could cost them their lives.

Luckily for Montreal students, Head & Hands have been picking up where
the ministers have left off for the past two years, and as part of their continuing effort to educate the populace and prevent the spread of a variety of nasty STIs in the province, they'll be hosting a postcard campaign and sex ed benefit party this Friday, Nov. 30, at Main Hall (5390 St-Laurent).

Keeping things positive and upbeat is Head & Hands' raison d'être, so don't let the social stigma of the disease or the fundraiser aspect of the event keep you from their Red Light Party. It promises to be a hot one, with performances by the Dead Doll Dancers, Kate Lamothe's Radical Vag (a queer take on The Vagina Monologues), some "aesthetics of a dyke" poetry set to discordant ballet by Nora Rohman and Carina DeKlerk, and Vincent Cavalier's "torture by birthday cake." Also included: music by DJ DirtyBoots, Xavier T and B'Ugo, plus a raffle, kissing booth and lots of treats for everyone! Organizers suggest that attendees wear red, in keeping with the red-light theme, and entrance is a suggested donation of $8. The night is part of the ongoing Faggity Ass Fridays weekly event at Main Hall.

In addition to their awesome community events, Head & Hands also offers a free clinic for people under the age of 25 at their NDG home base (5833 Sherbrooke W.). You can get tested for HIV or just ask a doctor your sex-related questions without fear of judgment. World AIDS Day seems like a great time to get your yearly HIV test done, particularly if you've had multiple partners or have any reason to suspect you could be infected. Head & Hands can do the test, as can any CLSC, clinic or even your family doctor, upon request. Anonymous testing is also available at the CLSC Métro (1801 De Maisonneuve W.) and CLSC des Faubourgs (2900 Édouard-Montpetit) locations.

If you do find yourself facing the dreaded HIV-positive pronouncement, take a deep breath and seek out one of the many groups throughout Montreal that are specifically aimed at helping you cope with your new reality. AIDS Community Care Montreal has a great website at www.accmontreal.org and can partner you with a caseworker, should you choose to become a client. They can be reached by phone at 514-527-0928.

The Quebec health and social services website (www.santepub-mtl.qc.ca) also features a short list of Montreal groups that can help, including Action Séro-Zéro (www.sero-zero.qc.ca), focusing on the health of gay and bisexual men; Cactus Montréal (cactusmontreal.org), for intravenous needle drug users; and Stella (www.chezstella.org), for women working in the sex industry. Additionally, I would add to that list the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy (www.centre2110.org) and the oft-name-changing Queer Concordia, both at Concordia University, for students faced with HIV/AIDS issues, questions and concerns, or those looking to get involved with community outreach programs.

HIV/AIDS awareness starts with World AIDS Day, but hopefully it doesn't end there. Let's keep hoping this year's Head & Hands fundraiser is the last we'll ever see, but keep on playing it safe in case it isn't.

Head & Hands presents the Red Light Party, Friday, Nov. 30, starting at 9 p.m. at Main Hall (5390 St-Laurent).