I originally joined team bucket because it seamed like a fun way to support my friends' cause. My whole life and work basically consists of a gaggle of boys in various stages of queendom, but I never once considered HIV or AIDs a part of my life at all... that is until i was asked for a team bucket testimonial.
I was ready for any fundraising events or to help with anything asked of me but when Daisy mentioned personal stories I realized that I had absolutely nothing important to say. I had no history, no one I knew was positive let alone living through or suffering from aids. So I talked to some of my closest friends about it, asking them if they would speak and what they would say. It was at that moment that my point of view changed and I definitely had something to say.
As an honorary member of this community...this group of incredible people who celebrate life and love and the pursuit of fabulousness...my best friends, my inspiration, my family, my heart...I have this to say:
In a day where so much is said and done and known about illness and issues, where facts about HPV and breast cancer are written in lights across the sky, the rally behind HIV and AIDs is surprisingly silent. Even though the sentiment is out there and I am educated about it, as are some of my fellow heteros, the open discussion within the community it most affects is almost non existent, at least to the naked eye.
Just in the last few days I found out that many people I know and often see are positive. I never knew it. Never even suspected it because those closest to me waited to tell me, still haven't told me themselves, or will never say anything at all.
Because talking about it makes it real.
Because it really can happen to anyone, even those that play by all the rules or only slip up once.
It is beyond incredibly scary to be positive, not to mention if you have aids.
Most that are infected are not open about it and most that are not infected don't know what to say.
What all this boils down to is that it seriously threatens a community that means more to me than anything, and I can't sit by and watch it happen.
Be amazing.
Be strong.
Be willing to stand up and make dialogue happen and put research in the forefront of everyone's mind.
Talking to a friend, whether you are positive or not, opens the lines of communication. It makes talking with the next person easier. Next time you can ask a future lover if they are positive or tell them you are, BEFORE you become intimate with them.
Find the courage to speak out with words and deeds and DONATIONS for a cause that is your own, effects someone you know, or just because you love me enough to know that my brothers and sisters may one day suffer a less glamourous end then they deserve and YOU can help to change this.
No donation is too big or too small and will benefit AIDS Service Foundation of Kansas City who works to raise money and awareness for organizations that provide shelter, medical care and emergency services for the more than 5,000 men, women and children in Kansas City affected by HIV/AIDS.
Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. Please pass this page on to anyone that may be interested in supporting or helping our cause in any way.
I thank you with much love and wishes for good health.
- Ashley