On Tuesday, December 2nd, I spoke on a panel at SJSU in the event of World AIDS Day. It was really great to connect with young people on HIV and STIs prevention, communication with friends and families, and the stigma or cultural taboo. Here is the article written by Rie Nakanishi from Spartan Daily.

Panelists promote HIV testing, communication with family to defend against virus

Tran, a Vietnamese-American, shared her experience of how topics such as AIDS, sex and sexuality were taboo growing up in her native culture.

She said she couldn’t talk to her parents, teachers or friends about sexual health when she first became sexually active. She said she researched and learned about it on her own.

Tran said becoming open to one’s parents and being able to talk to them about sex-related topics is a process.

She recommended that students talk to their parents by asking them about their dating scene and experience.

Melissa Wang, an open university student in the health science department and peer health education volunteer, said young people think that AIDS has nothing do with their lives.

“(Students) don’t think they’ll be affected by AIDS,” she said. “It’s always something other people have or whatever, so they might not take the precaution to protect themselves.”

Wang said she has been getting tested for HIV since she was 19 years old.

If students are sexually active, whether or not they are in a relationship, getting tested can help people “know where both of you stand,” she said.

All of the panelists emphasized the importance of breaking down the walls of communication and stressed the importance of getting tested for HIV.

“If you are sexually active, every six months, get tested,” said Smith, from the Health Trust. “Not only you are saving yourself, you could be saving some one you are with.”

As an HIV-positive individual, he said he doesn’t want anybody else to go through what he has gone through, having had to hear his diagnosis alone and tell his parents that he’s HIV positive.

“I have to live each day knowing that I have a disease that, as of today, is not curable but manageable,” Smith said. “(HIV/AIDS) happens to anyone, any place, any religion … You never want to go through that – I can’t express that enough.”

Viet Pham, a senior justice studies major, said he came to the panel because he became interested in AIDS awareness after taking a health class.

“What (the panelists) are trying to do is tell people to bring down the barriers,” he said. “It’s very understandable if you don’t know what you got.”

Although Pham said he has never been tested before, he realized how important it is to be educated about getting tested.

“Just go get tested. It’s not going to hurt you,” he said. “It just helps you. That’s what it is.”

The panelists said that if students are scared to go through testing alone, they encourage them to get tested with their friends or partners.

The Student Health Center offers free HIV testing for students.

To read the full article, please click here.