NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/soc/bi/17341

Text File | 1992-12-27 | 3.2 KB | 77 lines

Newsgroups: soc.bi
Path: sparky!uunet!think.com!enterpoop.mit.edu!world!wij
From: [e-mail] (William I Johnston)
Subject: Re: Questionnaire for HIV-negative people
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 18:50:56 GMT
Lines: 66

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Graham Toal) writes:
>
>The latter point I could understand, but that's not the impression the
>posting gave.  It came across clearly as a support scheme for people feeling
>guilty about not catching HIV.  Actually, it wasn't even a support scheme,
>it was just academic research, wasn't it?  Sorry, but over here we don't
>have as much sympathy as Americans for in-depth studies of underwater
>basket-weaving, especially if funded by the public purse.
>

As author of the questionnaire (see soc.bi post 17760) aimed
at HIV-negative individuals, I'd like to respond to Graham's
remarks about my study.

I can understand that studying HIV-negative individuals might
seem frivolous, when so much needs to be done to provide
services to HIV-infected individuals. And Toal is right to point
out that it is very "American" to create support groups for
practically everything under the sun.

However, my experience during the past two years as a facilitator
of just such a discussion/support group for HIV-negative gay and
bisexual men in Boston leads me to conclude that there are
important issues to address to help uninfected people stay
uninfected.

Eric Rofes, director of Shanti Project in San Francisco, for
example, feels that addressing the mental health problems of
uninfected men may help stem the epidemic. He cites statistics
that over 1000 gay men in SF who are currently uninfected will
become infected with HIV next year. And it's not because we don't
know what safer sex is.

In an earlier posting, Toal asked humorously if we're next likely
to see a support group for people who don't have multiple
sclerosis.

I understand the comment. Many people in Boston, including HIV-
infected men, felt anger that HIV-negative men had any needs
at all.

I wonder, though, if multiple sclerosis were sexually transmitted
and somewhere between 1 in 5 and 1 in 2 of your potential sexual
partners were infectious, whether we might indeed see the need
for discussion/support groups about MS as well.

I share Toal's suspicion of the plethora of "support" services
that Americans create for themselves. But in this case, I think
the issue is worth investigating. Preventing the transmission of
HIV involves educating not only those who are infected, but those
who are not, and means targeting education to specific subpopulations,
such as people who have been tested.

Finally, to clear up the issue of the nature and funding of my
study: My work is entirely self-directed. I am receiving neither
public nor private funds. I am not affiliated with any research
institution. I am proceeding with this study purely from my own
interest in developing another aspect of HIV/AIDS education.



--
[e-mail]
William I Johnston
P.O. Box 126
Boston MA 02117 USA