Samstag, 25. Juni 2011

HIV-POSITIVE MANIFESTO

in 1969 queers fought back. in 2011, queers [with hiv] say ok“.
there is a general fear among queers with hiv of speaking out. the ever present fear of social stigmatisation looms quietly in the background and prevents any form of of politicisation. left only to congregate in bareback communities or self pitying discussion groups, the queer with hiv has taken on a passive anti-identity at best to finding a shoulder to cry on or an escape from their role as a social leper. oddly enough we seem to be completely complacent with this incapacitating status quo. instead of productively channeling our feelings against such a negative image we would rather keep our feelings to ourselves. it's time to change that!

we demand the abolition of a law which, in essence, holds anyone with hiv holely responsible and allows hiv-negative persons to be victims!
everyone should be responsible for themselves. sex is always something between two consenting adults as equals. It should not seek final responsibility in the person with hiv by holding him liable in any case of an infection.

the state and its programme of hiv-prevention should not dictate how one should or should not have sex!
every person is responsible for himself and must take care of himself. hiv-prevention should not dictate a certain desirable state of health. let us regain the right to determine our bodies ourselves. we refute being perceived as „dummies“ or being deemed pathological. we demand the respect any autonomous choice deserves.

if somebody contracts hiv through a blood transfusion it is not considered his fault.
a heterosexual woman having unprotected sex is deemed a victim and is generally pitied.
a gay man fucking without a condom once is considered considerably more to blame.
a gay man continuously having unprotected sex and contracting hiv is deemed the most blameworthy.
why isn't everybody effected in the same way? why is hiv a question of blame for one's infection?

people with hiv do not encounter their biggest problems at the dentist or at work but in sexual rejection and its consequences!
we must live in fear of being rejected every time we chose to disclose our hiv status before sex or during a relationship. We are often subject to the disgust and judgment of others. The belief in prophylactics is in fact often shattered when confronted with the mere possibility of sexual intercourse with someone positive who is therefore categorically rejected. this leads to many hiv-positive people avoiding sex altogether resulting in isolation and psychological illnesses. restricting themselves to other hiv-positive-people out of fear of being rejected by hiv-negative-people entails a number of negative consequences: not putting these fears to the test reinforces the inner stigma of being bound to an hiv-positive-community in which there is also a hightened risk, given certain sexual practices, for hepatitis c and other stds.

feel some rage! if that doesn't empower you, try panicking! scream! try anything to tear you out of your dolefulness and passivity. they both stem from a heightened sense of powerlessness!
even if rejection always leads to loss and dolefulness, a melancholic anger or even an angry dolefulness are better than a stifling passivity.

we must learn to understand the ideology teaching us to feel shame, remain silent and accepting moral judgment at all time. we must realise the mutable nature of this ideology and begin to verbalise our anguish and organise ourselves in order to regain control over politics and the images of hiv!


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unsäglich vielen dank an sean für die übersetzung.

1 Kommentar:

  1. Written 25:th of June. And no comments. Silence, is the true killer. Not the infected.

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