None For You...

 

For most of my life, I've never felt I was the intended audience or target of any beneficial actions or possibilities.  It was annoying, but I learned to live with it & make what I could the things available.  Then something happened & I was the target audience.  I found out I was HIV+ & I was Gay.   Woohoo, for once I was in the focus group.  Even if it was for something horrible like HIV. 

The purpose of this blog was for me to record my life & experiences being HIV+ while living in a rural area.  This has never been easy.  At 1st, it was mainly just the rural concept that was the problem.  The research hardly ever considered such areas.  If it did, the works concerned the deep South or other countries.   Basically still not applicable to my situation.  I could count the number of articles aimed at Oklahoma on my fingers.  I'd need just a hand, if it was focused more on rural Oklahoma.  That's less than 10 pieces out of 13 years of daily blogging. 

Now, I'm no longer the focus of even HIV.  It's shifted to racial/ethnic groups.  And there's always the boatload of works over transgender women.   Funny, I hardly ever see anything over trans men or women.  I suppose if you were an mixed race, homeless, drug using, transgender street walker, you'd be the optimum focus group.

Maybe that sounds hateful.  Maybe there is some disdain.  But it really isn't at the trans groups.  It's at all the people who keep politicizing & fracturing the fight against HIV.  I shouldn't be surprised.  This is what happens to every social group & movement.   They splinter into the tiniest of niche groups & then scream when the movement focuses on the original core.

There are lots of articles on trans & racial issues.   They won't be covered here.  That's not the point of this blog & there's a host of trend chasers covering those matters.   I wonder what those groups will do when the focus is no longer on them.

Cya...

Maybe Storms...

 

The sky's looking a little weird & there are storms in the forecast.  I'll post something for now.  It's not like there were any good articles out today.  They keep posting pieces about how well the HIV numbers are in the US, but then have to bring it down by stating there's still racial inequity in the fight.  What do they want?  Are people supposed to track down HIV+ POC & test/dose them?   If people of other races & ethnicities refuse to get on board with the fight against HIV, what is everyone else supposed to do?  I'd like so serious answers to that question.

Cya...

Starting...

I'm by no means at 100%, probably more like somewhere in the upper 60s.  Still, it's better than I was before.  I'm trying to get my normal schedule back.   Have to wait & see how that works out for me.  

This article, while a little wordy does discuss the importance of understanding HIV through the lens or race, gender & biological sex.   Many people getting twitchy about admitting the physical reality than all racial ethnic backgrounds can have some differing medical needs.  This a physical thing as well sociocultural.  

There is the idea of gender.  But perceiving yourself as a gender is not the same as being raised that gender.  There are probably still a lot behaviors closer to what the person was assigned than they feel like.  The sexual behaviors & attitudes of women; cis & trans, often differ.

Finally the aspect of actual biological sex does play a large role in how medicine works.  The body of chemistry & composition of a person born female does not match that of male or transgender.  There needs to be more research concerning this.

We live in a world where woman, especially those of color, are the most apt to be impacted by HIV.  Why are we still studying men & trans more?  If a cure is to be had, biologically born women will have to be at the top of the list, not all but pushed aside.

Cya...

Insensitive, Maybe...

 

Plans for fighting HIV faltered during the pandemic.  A lot of things did.  Programs are doing their best to get back on top of matters.  But there are some  groups scattershooting blame for failure of HIV treatment approach strategies for certain communities.

Very often, articles state those treating HIV in ethnic or cultural communities are failing.  Often it doesn't come off like these groups tried  & failed, but that the writers are accusing these groups of purposefully  under performing for the non mainstream. 

They call foul for the way HIV strategies have been applied to Black, Hispanic or other groups.  They call for blame when failing to compensate for all the IV  drug users.  

Yes, these strategies have to be well developed, delivered & constantly modified.  Sometimes they won't succeed as well as intended.  But, it doesn't matter if the community is Mexican, Black or Purple Spotted Woozles, at some point these groups have to own up to their part of the issues & not just blame faceless programs.

Not taking responsibility for your well being is easy.  Blaming others is very easy.  Being accountable for you part in the situation can be a bitch.  But accountability & effort are necessary from all sides if  the fight against HIV is every going to get ahead.

Maybe this will be come off as being insensitive.  I'm fine with that.  Just call me Mr. Insensitive, but at least I told you the truth on this point.  

Cya...

Put Off...

 

The weather started it's week long downgrade.  We had to have the heater on last night.   My breathing is more off than it has been the past few days due allergens.  With any luck this will be gone by next Monday.  Winter sucks!

What has really out me off are these racial disparity articles regarding HIV.  I know it's there but the articles are crap.  I saw a piece I thought I could use.  It was over how HIV+ Black men were more susceptible to cancer & had worse outcomes when diagnosed. 

It became clear,  the authors were merely reporting circumstances.  There wasn't  much in the way of actual research.  They simply took at broad numbers after the fact.  It was like most the other race/gender based articles I've read concerning HIV alleging these groups' harsher realities.  There was no support to their statements.

I believe the numbers are there.  These populations are probably having the issues reported.  But without actually researching the hows & whys of the matter, this is data interpretation, not research.  This is the beginning of the issue, not the conclusion.   If they're going to report on these disparities they need to research why the differences exist in the 1st  place.   Only then can the matter be  addressed.  This wasn't research, it was  bad reporting.

Cya.

Needed...

 

I read fairly often stating this or that is needed for the  fight against HIV due to Race/Culture/Gender issues.  I somewhat call BS on most of that.  They often refer to things as telemedicine, at-home testing & mail order meds.   

They say these help people in racial & gender minorities or those living in restrictive cultures.   That may be so.  But it isn't because a person is not White that these things a beneficial.  These are socio-cultural matters.  What's happening here is that telemedicine & processes that can be handled remotely feel safer & more accessible.

This isn't so much a matter of type as it is of shame, poverty & lack of access.  These other methods work better because they can often circumvent those things.  Stigma/shame are things that aren't going  away, if telemedicine can help, that's great.   However, there is still an access problem for a lot of people in remote areas.

A person's health is a private matter.  If there is a way to better maintain anonymity than by all means use it.  If there are more secure means of accessing doctors, healthcare & meds, then they should be promoted.  Health professionals aren't going to change cultures.  But they can do end-runs around them & maybe bypass some of these issues.  HIV has never been just a medical issue.

Cya...

Well, OK Then, Cold...

 

It's not as bright this morning & the weekend is going to be cold, overnights in the low 20s.  Looks like next weekend is going to do the same.  I know it's February, but I'm sick of the cold.  Today would've been my mother's birthday.  She was born on the same day as Lincoln.  When I was little, both Lincoln & Washington's birthdays were on the Calendar, now there's just President's Day.  

There are constantly articles about disparities between the medical situations of the mainstream population & other groups, especially those based on ethnicity, race, religion, ideology or socioeconomic class.  For some poor people, medical attention may be difficult to access or afford.  For the rest, it's something else.

Most often these articles refer to Black people.  I'm sure they have their reasons for avoiding conversations or treatment for HIV, COVID & other things.  The point is, it doesn't matter.  Without education, prevention, conversation & treatment these people are going to continue to be disproportionately affected by these illnesses.  There's nothing anyone outside  this community can do about it.  At this point, this is their fight.

That's all for no, take care.

Cya...