World Aids Days

Today is the world Aids Day! I want all of you that are sexually active to go get tested. Not just on the December 1st, but every 3 months. Its important that everyone knows their status no matter what "lifestyle" you live you need to know your status.

More than 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection, and almost 1 in 5 (18.1%) are unaware of their infection. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, particularly young black/African American, are most seriously affected by HIV. By race, blacks/African Americans face the most severe burden of HIV. 

HIV Diagnoses (new diagnoses, regardless of when infection occurred): In 2011, an estimated 49,273 people were diagnosed with HIV infection in the United States. In that same year, an estimated 32,052 people were diagnosed with AIDS. Since the epidemic began, an estimated 1,155,792 people in the United States have been diagnosed with AIDS.

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men of all races and ethnicities remain the population most profoundly affected by HIV. In 2010, the estimated number of new HIV infections among was 29,800, a significant 12% increase from the 26,700 new infections among in 2008. Although  represent about 4% of the male population in the United States, in 2010, accounted for 78% of new HIV infections among males and 63% of all new infections. Accounted for 52% of all people living with HIV infection in 2009, the most recent year these data are available.

In 2010, white continued to account for the largest number of new HIV infections (11,200), by transmission category, followed closely by black (10,600). The estimated number of new HIV infections was greatest among in the youngest age group. In 2010, the greatest number of new HIV infections (4,800) among occurred in young black/African American aged 13–24. Young black accounted for 45% of new HIV infections among black and 55% of new HIV infections among young overall. Since the epidemic began, an estimated 302,148 with an AIDS diagnosis have died, including an estimated 5,909 in 2010.

Heterosexuals and Injection Drug Users also continue to be affected by HIV. Heterosexuals accounted for 25% of estimated new HIV infections in 2010 and 27% of people living with HIV infection in 2009. Since the epidemic began, almost 85,000 persons with an AIDS diagnosis, infected through heterosexual sex, have died, included an estimated 4,003 in 2010. New HIV infections among women are primarily attributed to heterosexual contact (84% in 2010) or injection drug use (16% in 2010). Women accounted for 20% of estimated new HIV infections in 2010 and 24% of those living with HIV infection in 2009. The 9,500 new infections among women in 2010 reflect a significant 21% decrease from the 12,000 new infections that occurred among this group in 2008. Injection drug users represented 8% of new HIV infections in 2010 and 16% of those living with HIV in 2009. Since the epidemic began, nearly 182,000 injection drug users with an AIDS diagnosis have died, including an estimated 4,218 in 2010. 

Now, its your turn to do research and get tested for your self, This time I need you to go get tested. Stay safe and wear a condom every time.

Role Model Couple #4 Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka

It's time for couple number #4!!!! I know it may comes to a shock to some of my new readers, but I am a support of Gay Rights. I have express my thoughts on the topic in an earlier post. I feel that Neil Patrick Harris and his Husband David Burtka are a great role model couple not just for the LGBT community but for everyone no matter what. They may be different than the other couples on my list, but they are the same as them too. They are the traditional family that we grew up seeing on TV and in movies the only difference is its two daddies. 

Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, producer, singer, and director. He is best known for the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold & Kumar series, and the title role in Joss Whedon's musical web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Harris was named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2010, and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2011. Harris has also hosted the Tony Awards on Broadway in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Harris confirmed that he is gay in November 2006 by saying,

 "I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love."

Harris attended the Emmy awards in  2007 with his fiance David Burtka, later confirming the relationship, which he said began in 2004, in an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 

On August 14, 2010, Harris announced that he and Burtka were expecting twins via a surrogate mother. The  twins Gideon Scott, a boy, and Harper Grace, a girl, were born in 2010.

Following the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in New York on June 24, 2011, Harris and Burtka announced their engagement via Twitter, stating that they had proposed to each other five years earlier but kept the engagement secret until same-sex marriage became legal.

LGBT FRATERNITITES

I saw something on Tumblr today that really had me thinking. It was a post about having more Christian and LGBT fraternities on college campuses. As a college students, I see Christian fraternities a lot, but my question is this How will the rest of the fraternities on campus feel about having openly express and showing LGBT fraternities on their "yard"? I am not dumb to the fact that there are some LGBT fraternities out here and you may be walking by a member of one with out knowing it.

The reason I post this question is this: We all know how much hate is shown towards the LGBT community. Now with fraternities out in the open, where they should be because no one should have to hide or a group should not have to hide, wouldn't that cause more hate crimes on College campuses? Like I said in my previous posts about this topic, I do not care who you love just as long as they are respecting you and giving you the same love back as you giving to them. I think that there are still a lot of work that needs to be done against the bad stigma of the LGBT community before we can go to next step as in fraternities. I have many gay and lesbian friends and I do not want them to be shun or hurt because they joined a LGBT fraternities. TO BE FRANK... we need more work as a whole. More understanding and peace between us as humans before we can truly say we have made a difference in this world. I think it be a good idea to have the LGBT fraternities bond and build a friendship with the Black fraternities since at one point they were kept off college campus and had to fight from their own piece of the pie. what do you think?

Spirit Day

Today is Spirit Day. This is a day to educate people on the horror of bullying, and teach young people to stand up to bullying. Today is the day to teach children to stand up to bullying, but not through fighting, yet by speaking up to up against the bully and tell an adult. It’s important for us as adults to teach children not to bully others because their different, and to tell an adult there is an act of bullying taken place.

I have my own personal stories of bullying. I experience bullying from classmates all the way to my own family members. It was a hard time for me and I still have my own struggles with it even today. I had friends who would stand up for me, and even teachers who took a stand against. My bullying story started in the fourth grade. It was valentine day and I gave a boy I had a crush on a card. He came over to me, and he picked up a red dictionary and began to hit me over and over again. Ever since then I would be scared to tell a guy I liked or crush on him. I even wore black every year until recently. I remember the school faculty tries to blame me for the fight. My parents took me out of the school.

Bullying is a topic I take seriously. To all you out there that are going through bullying, it will get better, trust me! I know it’s hard but it will get better. If you being bullied, tell an adult you can trust. If you see someone being bullied, take a stand! Tell an adult immediately and tell the bully it’s not cool to bully someone. We can end all the acts of teen suicides and youth trying to harm themselves. Don't let NO ONE convince you to end your life or hurt yourself. Keep your head up! I LOVE YOU ALL!

SELF LOVE/WEIGHT LOSS *LEAVE A COMMENT *

*LEAVE ANY WEIGHT LOSS TIPS THAT MAY HAVE WORKED FOR YOU ON THIS BLOG*

The topic of weight and weight loss has been in a heavy rotation in my mind for months now. It really had been a part of my life all my life. For many years, I always was the “fat girl” in my group of friends, and trust me; I played up every stereotype you can think of when it came down to it.  I did everything to show that I was happy, but I wasn’t. Until lately, I always played my weight and size as a joke so no one would feel sorry for me. Then I realize I was the only person feeling sorry for me. I realize I was attracting all the negative things to me by the way I was thinking.

                One day I went to the doctor for my annual checkup, when she asks me if I was thinking of starting a family any time soon. I said no, but it is part of my future plans. That’s when she drops the bomb on me. She told me at the weight I am now; carrying a child would be risky. I even could be on bed rest the whole time. Anyone who knows me know, I want children, and I do whatever it takes to have my children healthy,and being a mother is more important to me than anything. I started on a diet. Now, I’m being honest, it’s not a hard diet if a true diet at all. I walk more now that I am back in school and I do 20-30 squats a day. I can start to see my body changing. My friends are very supportive, but I learned that if you not happy with whom you are as a whole no matter how much weight you lose you still be unhappy.

By typing this post, IF I could help one person see how special they are and how they are worthy of love and happiness then I can say my job is done. There have been times I wanted to “end it all”, or felt unworthy to be loved. The day I realize that if I did all of the things I was thinking then I could not live my dream, and the ones who hurt me had won. I’m sorry, but I cannot go out that way. I’m here to tell ANYONE of you who have those dark thoughts of harming yourself or that you not loved.  I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!! If I can make it through the bullying from strangers all the way to my own family members, so can you. Everyone is here for a reason or purpose. DON’T LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR PURPOSE FROM YOU. I have been where you are, and I KNOW the pain and tears you cry, but trust me you are stronger than that. If you need someone to talk to write a letter to yourself and hide it from your sight for a day or two, and when you re-read the letter you wrote you will be amazed how strong you became after you overcame the problem. If you want, you can email me if you just want someone to talk to, or if you can’t talk to anyone around you about it. I just don’t want anyone to go through what I went through.