Speak Out : Status Disclosure
(This post is an opinion from a member and may not reflect Adam4Adam’s opinion. Everybody is free to choose, and we are not here to judge anyone)
We write about HIV disclosure a lot on this blog. That’s how important it is. If you are HIV positive it is very important to tell your partner and if you are asked about your status, to tell the truth.
Fear of rejection is probably the number one reason people who know their status, lie about their status. More and more states are implementing disclosure laws. Which would you rather have: rejection or jail time?
There is a man in jail in Missouri as I write this for possibly infecting 300 guys over a 10 year period. This person did this purposely. In most cases he told his partners he was HIV negative, in some cases he lied when asked about his status. This man will probably sit in jail for a long time. Is it really worth it?
I’ve been with guys in the past where we hooked up and nothing was said. From what happened I can only assume the guy was HIV positive or didn’t care. I’ve also been with guys who ask afterwards. Then I have been with guys who ask before anything happens.
Now, from my own experience I can say that 75% of the time the guy was asking either because he was HIV positive or was negative and wanted to protect himself. The other 25% ended how you think it would end and that’s OK. 25% is not worth it for me to lie about and hurt someone and/or end up in jail.
Protect yourself and others and by all means don’t go to jail over a hook up, it’s not worth it
Questions? Comments?
g skorich aka eastvalley
I’m hiv+ and, if there’s any possibility that the guy I’m chatting with might be a sexual partner, I disclose right up front and immediately. Not to disclose is, I think: (1) tortious (2) immoral (3) criminal
If I am having sex with anyone I want to see prof and not just be told. I do not trust anyone.
Who cares about being rejected. What this site should promote is the love of oneself first. Disclosing statusis a matter of confidentiality. It’s just a matter of morals and integrity. People are just hateful period. Think about it. How many fake profiles do you come across on this site period. To discover the person whom you have been conversing with is not the person in the pictute. It’s really a double edged sword if you ask me. I’d rather just not out anything up at all. Leave it up to the people involved to share that information. There are no medical professionals on here offering any advice or counceling. Just a bunch of hateful people who choose to down someone because of a condition. Keys face it would it be better if it were Leukemia,Cancer or any other ailment. This is not the 80’s when people were dropping dead. HIV is just a wake up call to take better care of yourself. Get treatment and live as long ad possible. We all have a reservation at domebodys morgue or cemetery so no one person is exempt from dying. Just assure as we alll wake up in the morning we are that much closer to dying. Get over it. Grab some integrity about ourselves and let’s face it. Some of you gay men are sdome lying hateful sons of bitches. You try to bring someone down to elevate yourself. That is a disease in itself called IGNORANCE. Let’s uplift instead of tearing down.
In light of
There is a man in jail in Missouri as I write this for possibly infecting 300 guys over a 10 year period.
These “300 men” NEVER had sex with another individual during that 10 year period EXCEPT this guy? Really? Hmmm. “300 men” pick the ONE guys in Missouri that has HIV? Something’s wrong with the stats on this count……
For reading’s sake, let’s say I was HIV+:
Just MY take on it. That’s like saying “I infected someone 30 YEARS ago”? Really? REALLY????
I’m the ONLY person that they’ve had sex with in 30 years?
(Just a comment, not a question)
Best solution would be for it to be a felony in all states, punishable by up to 10 years, but no less than 2, if you infect between 1 to 10 people with the virus. If you infect more than it gets bumped up to a max of 20 years, but no less than 5. In the rare case someone infects more than 100 then it’s given a possible life sentence with minimum of 10 years.
I was reading this and admiring the writer’s honesty and responsibility for disclosing his positive status until I got to this part:
“I’ve been with guys in the past where we hooked up and nothing was said. From what happened I can only assume the guy was HIV positive or didn’t care.”
“From what happened”? What is meant by that? It sounds as if the writer has sometimes had unsafe sex without disclosing his status in advance. I hope that’s not the case, but if it is, it runs completely contrary to what the writer is suggesting that others who are poz do–which is to meet their legal and/or ethical responsibility to disclose their status before having sex with someone.
Lets get some facts straight.
1). The Missouri man is being charged with not disclosing his status. He is not charged with lying about his status,
2) He estimates that he has had sexual contact with up to 300 men since he found out he was HIV poz. We do not know how many he infected (if any) or what his random acts were.
3) he had unsafe sex with his roommate without disclosing status and his roommate is also HIV poz, again, we don’t know how he became poz.
So, with that cleared up, I would say it is important to know your status. But it’s also important to assume that everyone you are in contact with is possibly poz. Therefore, you wrap it, or you knowingly assume the risk. This prosecution is pure bs.
Protecting yourself is VERY important. Even if you talk with your partner or hook up (person) about if they are HIV positive or not, you still do not know if they are telling the truth since you are not physically with them at the Doctors office and actually seeing the results.
There are more STDs out there than just HIV. We always here about HIV this, HIV that, etc etc, and although it is treatable, there are STDs that some feel are worse than HIV.
Bottom line is protect yourself and know who you are getting involved with always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HIV is not the only thing that is lurking in the sex world. Yes sex feels incredible and we all enjoy it. But I would much rather jack off or not go full intercourse unless I know all of my blood test results and know my partners. LIfe is too short and we can either make it beautiful or painful and suffer. I know not everyone feels this way and there are some cruel people out there that want to hurt people, but we (ourselves) have to take accountability and responsibility for our actions and think about not just the act of sex, but also the high risk involved and how and what may happen afterward the sexual act.
My intention for responding to this post is shine more light on ALL the risks and STDs instead of just one.
Never mind going to jail over a lie. How about carrying the guilt that you might have infected someone with an incurable disease that will eventually kill them? It is difficult to fathom the selfishness needed to lie about your hiv status simply to stick your dick in someone. Even worse is knowing you are positive, and not informing your partner and not using a condom. That borders on murder if indeed is isn’t murder.
I think that those are sad people to not say but then go around infecting people. If you’re mad then find some other outlet to take it out on. And if you’re really that mad then you need to go see somebody about that.
I always ask. I like myself and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life taking this and that medication just because some asshole decided that I was going to be one of his victims.
Then again I usually only play around with friends and only with friends that I’ve been with before. And they know better than to lie to me about something about that because I would raise HELL!
Let’s love ourselves more and stop all the hate. If you’re + then okay. If you’re – then great. I have both + & – friends alike and I love them both the same.
Its bad enough hat we have to deal with bible-thumping homophobes that say we should rot in hell because we like the same sex. Plus we have to deal with our own that want to knock us down?? Sometimes this is why I ignore most people.
Brian here.
commenting again.
I’ll be blunt. Not being honest about your status is stupid. Not only is it stupid, in many states it is criminal. You can go to jail for that. As far as my status, I’m open and honest about it. What it is, is not only listed in my profile, before things get to far along, I bring it up. Does it mean some folks break things off at that point, yes they do. That’s up to them. But at least I’m honest about it.
I myself know firsthand about being hiv poz since I was diagnosed recently. As soon as I found out, I changed my profile status from negative to positive, and although I don’t meet as many guys as I used to when I was negative, I do feel that disclosing my status was the right thing to do. I sleep better at night knowing that guys who ACTUALLY read my profile, will know my status and decide for themselves, whether I’m worth their time to meet and go from there. I DO KNOW FOR A FACT, that the person who infected me has NEVER to this day, changed his status on his profile so continues to infect others on purpose! Playing safely via condums is the ONLY SURE way to protect yourselves from liars like them!
End result, never trust or believe anyone, and always play safe. Sounds easy enough, don’t it? But I have noticed alot of “anything goes” here on a4a, it seems like more of the gay population don’t give a damn about there health or anyone elses.So in the end, we have to care about our own safety and play as safe as possible, and if the hookup don’t go for it, walk out and leave the already miserable person to keep looking for his next “victim”.
Would you mind linkin an article about the man in Missouri who purposely infected approx 300 people?
When I lived in Missouri, I lost my virginity to some guy in Topeka (about an hour away from KCMO) when I was a teenager to try and hurt myself and show others that they’d miss me if something happened to me; all of that happened but the most rewarding experience was one that I had not expected: I proved to myself that I can survive anything alone and am far better off without being an extension of relatives and other people etc.
Anyway, to get to the point, the guy put his cock inside me without a condom and even though I said no, I was too scared (another reality that went over my head until that moment) to actually fight back. It wasn’t until weeks later when everything had subsided that the possibility of infection woke in my mind and I grew paranoid and began mentally adopting symptoms. Eventually, I had an HIV test and was cleared but the fear never left me and it’s why I seldom have penetrating sex and why I never do oral.
I had no idea what a person afflicted with HIV might look like but after meeting a bunch of men at events in such who shared their life as HIV+ in NYC, I realized that the guy I lost my virginity lookd like someone who was infected with something; the cheeks, the body, etc.
Yes, I was a stupid teenager when it came to actual life. I actually met him on here when I 1st created account a few years back (have I learned my lesson? Yes. Why am I still here? Because I’m no longer a teen and I understand how things work now). It’s why I tell other teens to wait; the emotional imbalance is like cheese to the rats.
Failure to disclose your status, and knowingly having sex with someone when you know you are HIV+ and don’t tell your partner is the equivalent of attempted murder, and the person that does this should be put in prison.
I say stop disclosing all together. Assume each and every one is positive that way people will stop asking the question which would end all these so called negative guys having bareback sex.
“Now, from my own experience I can say that 75% of the time the guy was asking either because he was HIV positive or was negative and wanted to protect himself. The other 25% ended how you think it would end and that’s OK.”
Sorry, but could you restate that in English?
I recently went with my partner to a gay cruise over the mediterranean sea ( Venice to Rome) 2800 gay guys…
then in the daily basis was scheduled an HIV+ meeting, so guys that were pos could meet and talk about it…
only 5 people showed up! you cannot tell me that from 2800 gay guys only 5 were pos…
the shame of being identified publicly as pos and the fact that others wanted to hide it was quite frustrating and terrifying…
this really does scare me of men who are either afraid to reveal their positive status or deliberately lie about their status. It’s reckless and down right dangerous! I’m just saying. The truth is if one ask about your status and know you haven’t been tested or it is OK to say, “i don’t know” instead of saying negative. Or perhaps lie about being negative, just for quick nut is WRONG! It’s not worth, it is more accessible to get tested nowadays and there is NOTHING WRONG with wrapping it up so there’s no excuse! Insecurities need to be solved by educating yourself first followed by respecting yourself and others. Bottom-line is who will respect you, if you don’t respect yourself. I’m too pretty to be in jail nor do I want to be casket sharp either for ignoring my health. lol We all wanna live long and have fun! Speak the truth fellas 🙂
it’s my belief that if you meet a random stranger in a club or on line and you’re dumb enough to let them bb you.you deserve what’s coming to you in this day and era everyone knows how it is out there with the hiv and std rate so why would you chance it!
i think we should all use protection and assume that we might all be hiv pos…after one knows someone well then perhaps perhaps one might have anal sex without a condom…i would not trust anyone otherwise…i have had guys give me a “fake forged” paper and that is so horrible…like i am stupid…i dont have sex with these jerks
First, why would anyone want to lie? I mean, the internet has so many options for (+) People to find hook ups with people who are POZ-Friendly.
Why risk someone else sanity, health and life.
It doesn’t make any sense.
Yes – some are angry and want to infect other people intentionally, but does it make them better than the people that infected them.
Now, so far I’m Negative (knock on wood), but I find it upsetting that men I hook up with get upset when I ask for their status or why I won’t let them top me, unless they wear a condom.
Is it bad that someone out there cares about their own health? And the Health of others?
I mean, if I came out Positive, I would probably shut down and become celibate (personal choice). I just couldn’t live with the idea of risking some stranger or true love’s health for the sake of ‘getting off’.
It’s not worth it to me. And I’m glad they have laws like these, to keep assholes like that guy in Jail!
Yes – men love sex, I love sex, we all love sex. But should people who are negative suffer from others mistake and recklessness (no offense – everyone’s different and in unique situations).
But come on! Own it and be responsible!
Catching a disease ain’t worth it. Either wrap it, or don’t do it. Be Safe! Always.
Not hooking up is far better than catching anything ya don’t want.
This is exactly why there should be more poz friendly sites, even a version of a4a for just poz or poz friendly people because this post hints to the fact that even revealing your status that rejection is ok for poz people to go through.
I believe an HIV- person has an HIV status too and it’s their sole responsibility to protect it. So often the responsibility is left up the potential sex partner, as well as all of the blame when things go wrong.
Of course an HIV+ person should have scruples enough to be honest and disclose their status without even being asked what it is.
On the other hand; if an HIV- person simply chooses to take the word of a potential sex partner about their HIV status, without any real proof being provided by that potential sex partner then that HIV- person is just as responsible for the outcome as the person they had sex with. If something goes wrong then both are at fault.
I see no reason for there to be laws to protect people who choose to take risks other than a law that punishes both parties for their stupidity.
I’m a top and I found out recently I am positive. And I changed my HIV status on here and on other sites, and the contacts from others have just stopped. I may as well not have a profile anymore.
I think letting people know so they can protect themselves (and I can protect myself) is worth having fewer sexual encounters, but I’m new to this and already I catch myself having to fight off that feeling of frustration when I want to hook up and can’t find poz-friendly participants.
I pray things get better in time but right now it’s tough. Not condoning what this guy in Missouri did, but being positive can be a scary and lonely existence depending on where you live and the resources you have (or don’t have) available.
It needs to be both parties that tell the truth… The best thing is assume everybody has it!!! Nobody is responsible but your self!!!
Ok alot if yall are confused about HIV. First off, no 2 people most likely have the same strand of the virus unless you know the person who gave ut to you. Second, theres a negative aspect to telling and being HIV.. When you first let someone know about your status, automatically they assumed that you either slept around with hundreds of men or did drugs & you deserve what you got. My fiance became HIV positive april 2013 before he meet me. In matter of fact he got it from his ex who cheated on him.. My fiance can count in both hands who he slept with and hes not a whore.. He never had 3some/group sex or open relationship. He didn’t do anyrhing to si-call deserve this, but guess what, life doesn’t give a shyt. Everyday he gets the looks and stares cause he’s honest about his status. Rejection is not the problem, the real problem is how naive people are and assuming how they contracted the virus. Not all gays are promiscuous or drug users. I think my fiance best said it in his comment on your blof about the direction of the gay community..
Its quite funny how the gay community has turned it’s back on our brothers whom are HIV Positive, as soon a we find out their status we shunned them from the community and now a lot of comkenters are wanting to put POZ people in prison to take them off the streets so we can forget about them.
If the gay community from the 1980s could see us today they would be ashamed that we turnd them out and want nothing to do with them. When I found out about my status and told my friends every single one of them stoped talking to me.
Missouri Man Arrested, Charged With Allegedly Failing To Inform His Boyfriend About His HIV-Positive Status
A Stoddard County, Missouri man has been charged with failing to inform sex partners, including his ex boyfriend, about his HIV-status before intercourse.
David Lee Mangum, 36, reportedly told police he had at least 300 unprotected sexual encounters with people he met online or in parks since he was diagnosed with HIV in 2003, reports CNN. Mangum was arrested after his former partner, who has tested positive for HIV, told police that Mangum had lied to him about his status. Mangum later told police that between 50 and 60 of his partners lived in Stoddard County.
Under Missouri law, knowingly exposing someone to HIV without their consent is a felony that can bring incarceration of up to 15 years, while infecting someone can bring a life term. The Missouri law is one of a growing number of similar laws across the nation, leading to a huge increase in prosecutions. The laws are considered draconian because they place the onus entirely on allegedly HIV-positive people to report their status rather than on a negotiation between both partners. They also may discourage some people at high risk from getting tested for fear of prosecution.
Full story here: http://www.queerty.com/missouri-man-arrested-may-have-exposed-more-than-300-people-to-hiv-20130906/#ixzz2euvoWbq3
Thanks Antonio but as your fiance you left some stuff out.. Yes the stares & looks I get when i tell someone I’m positive is very annoying, but let clear some stuff up.. First i had always use condoms during intercourse. Now, those out there who think you can’t get HIV from a bj, think again, cause thats how I got it(through a small sore in my mouth i didn’t know i had from biting my the side of my mouth). Second, I’m always safe, but now I got to be safer. I take my med (just take 1 pill a day), refine my healthy lifestyle, and elimate the drama & stress from my life. Lastly, if you judge me just cause I’m HIV positive, then you’re as dumb as a box of bricks.. Thats just one aspect of me, not all of me!!
After all the coverage this has got, I am glad this finally made it on here. . The gentleman and I use that term lightly, is local to me and is a prior partner. I was one of the lucky ones in that I did not get infected but as the article states, his roommate wasn’t. Before we ever met and did anything I asked multiple times and he said he was ddf and I as many others believed this piece of shit. After all the attention this is getting, I hope more people get tested and be safe out there people.
He was a former member here and he met many guys on this site in the local area.
I had an entire speech set in my mind to post to this issue (it sure as hell isn’t a BLOG)! After reading Antorio’s post I decided to simply say I agree with him.
You are on a damn HOOKUP site. This site is not in anyway shape or form a dating site!
Here is *MY* deal, if you tell me you are HIV POS I move on, it’s as simple as that!
When I ask myself *IF* I were positive and spent more time being rejected on these hookup sites as I do for simply being over 50… I really would have to take a good look at what I would do. I consider myself a very honest person and yet I am troubled by this question.
I’d like to ad in my post the number of you people using the “Safe Sex Only” card but when you get to my house ask *ME* if I’ll fuck bare back.
Asking people on this site to be honest about their status is like asking Lucy Recardo to stay at home and make Ricky a happy man with no antics!
We try and make ourselves feel better and safer by posting blogs (and again, this is far from a blog)like this in the hopes that at least one of us will own up to telling the truth.
I would give a lot to be the fly on just one of you self righteous assholes wall who send me posts trying to help me save myself since I post “Anything Goes” in my profile or you are to stupid to know that the picture of my ass is NOT a dirty shit filled one but there is such a thing as pigmentation, to see what happens to *YOU* when you reach 50+ or become HIV POZ.
People… This is a FUCK ME UP THE ASS site and if I were you and worried about getting HIV, I sure as fuck wouldn’t be hanging around sites like this.
Anyone who has in their profile the date of their last test I am very suspect of. Anyone who believes in bareback or raw I am suspect of. All you have do is ask a person their status. And for you people who declare they would rather not have sex with someone who’s poz, you’ve probably already have had sex with a poz person. I treat everyone as poz that way I won’t discriminate.
I was with a guy recently and neither one of us ask about our statis. When we had sex there was no cuddle, no kissing, he just sucked on my nips and we both finger fucked each other. He said, that’s what he liked to do best. I sucked his cock just for a second, fingered his ass till he shot, and that was it. He ask me if I wanted to get off, I said that was OK, I didn’t have to, and he got dressed and left. I am wondering if he was poz and didn’ want to do anything risky. He was so cute, ” Aren’t they all” but I would have thought he would have like to cuddle or somekind of warmth. It’s really sad you would think if any kind was POZ they would like to cuddle and be comfortable with the other person. If he was POZ nothing I can do about it now, but there sure wasn’t any bareback, kissing or exchange of fluid. The sad part is I could marry him, he was soooo nice, and had boring sex and be satisfied with it.
The rule of thumb is… “It’s your responsibility to ask and your responsibility to tell.” Therefore no one didnt do their due diligence.
My last BF was HIV+, and I am HIV-.
He told me before we got the moment of no return… you know what this is… And I respected him for it. That night, we stayed smart, and just kissed (awesome by the way), I did some research, and then we “gloved up”. We all should do this all the time, but you know, sometimes I don’t want to… Just because a sweet boy has HIV, doesn’t mean he doesn’t need some loving…
Be honest, be safe, be smart, but don’t be judgmental.
All the POZ guys, know you are allowed to be loved!
Just to add from the “virally enhanced” side of the gay house….I too changed my profile the evening I found out I was hiv+….I couldn’t live with myself and like others posted the “interest” factor declined significantly as I would have expected. However, what truly shocked me the most were the guys that had negative in their profiles and hit me up looking for bareback sex and saying “hey, I’m poz too”…and then they couldn’t understand why I tried to politely imply they were morally offensive to me!
So – message to the HIV- guys…please don’t put the DDF and “healthy” description of yourself and “looking for same”….yes, I do have a chronic condition, I manage it and likely am far more healthy than 80% of the gay men I meet and interact with non-sexually.
You might find that more would “own it” and disclose it. In some ways it is like the str8/gay comfort of staying in the closet and not being able to admit who you are.
Just trying to share another perspective and maybe enlighten a few. Otherwise the standard advice remains – absent a conversation you must assume that the guy is hiv+!!! And care enough and love yourself enough to make that an important decision/requirement.
My sole issue with the HIV disclosure issue is why some gay men are so willing to leave others responsible for their decisions about safeguarding their own well being? I never play scare tactics with myself — everybody is HIV+ – I simply have condoms and lube as part of my sexual preparations. There is no need for any rationalizations. By now we all should know a man could be HIV- at the moment of sexual contact but that status could be because he’s transitioning to positive. Not to mention a host of other nasty STDs that can be contracted from unprotected sex. When will we learn to shut up and just put on the damned condom?
@J.Irving: Men lie about their HIV status because of the ignorance and exclusion dealt to them by other gay men. Despite having lived with the virus for the past 30 years, there are still gay men who regard HIV infection as a kind of moral or divine judgment. As gay men we all face a degree of ostracism from the world at large; it’s doubly painful to be separated from the very “community” that should embrace us.
I don’t doubt there are HIV infected men who wage a private vendetta against gay men but I am sure these individuals are the exception not the rule.
It’s easy for you to write that you would “become celibate” if you were HIV+. The fact is the life of an HIV infected man does not end with contracting the virus. It’s natural to seek physical closeness with another human being. Sex is part of that closeness, an integral part of a well adjusted adult life. When one is HIV+ just put on the condom — which you should be doing in any case.
I was in a similar situation. I got to his apt, we chatted for lik an hr n we had lots of things in common, so we decided to hav sex bb. Months later i found out he had been hiv pos for yrs and that he was mad n wantd to infect all that he could, his headline in his a4aprofile is “dnt fear cock, fear the man behind it”. I was lucky not to gt infected n sinc then i always wrap it up, DNT TRUST NO ONE.
I have mixed feelings about this…on one hand I know the need to be truthful with partners, and I know how it feels to be rejected. Rejection by the gay community is worse than being rejected by the hetero community because its the gay community that SHOULD understand and accept those that are +. Positives can still have sex, it just has to be covered and safe for each involved. You just have to be willing to not put a stigma on a + person. They are still people, people with a chronic disease. I have met heteros that were more accepting than gays…now that should tell you something! If you are + and don’t disclose your status or lie about it, then you have set the grounds for how far you will go until you morally should tell them! ALWAYS USE CONDOMS, then you don’t have to worry about HIV or STDs!
While HIV is a serious health concern, Hepatitis C seems even more damaging as it attacks and destroys your liver. One more reason to wrap it up and make sure your man is not carry any diseases.
How about the guys on A4A with “Don’t know” as their HIV status… WTF? You can get anonymous testing done in so many places. There’s no excuse.
As far as I’m concerned, if I meet someone who could be a new friend, the subject of HIV status doesn’t really matter to me. The subject can happen whenever it happens, and if it never happens, that’s OK because we’re only going to be friends. On the other hand, if I meet someone with whom I’d like to have sex, or I think would like to have sex with me, then HIV status has to be broached before we go home together. It doesn’t have to be the first conversational subject of the evening, but it does have to happen before we get in our cars to go to his place or mine. I have no problem having protected sex with someone who is HIV+, but I want to know about it long before we are naked, in bed, and leaking pre-cum all over each other.
Wow…after reading some of the post all I can say is wow. A person with HIV doesn’t have a certain look, sorry to burst your bubble. HIV however is a very treatable CHRONIC disease, just like Diabetes or High Blood Pressure. A person on meds that take them as they should will live a long normal life assuming they don’t have other issues. Now does that make it ok to not disclose? No. But uninformed guys making comments and trying to pass them for fact is sad. This isn’t the 1980’s when it was a death sentence. People are now able to take one pill a day that does not affect the liver negatively and doesn’t have the side effect of muscle wasting. Know your facts before you judge these people. For the guy who said he’d rather have cancer instead of HIV, you are just stupid. Cancer that has moved into other organs of your body can be untreatable, then you die an agonizing death. HIV isn’t cureable but it is treatable and you can live a normal life. Know what you’re asking for before you ask for it.
Like my profile said for some time: Positive or negative is irrelevant. I know what to do. You should too.
I know my status tested neg 9-6-13 in full range of test worth every centmy fwb is doin a celibacy thing for 6 months.thats ok I can wait I hope he tests neg also will have 2 wait n see what happens.yes full disclosure
And everyone seems to be so hung up about HIV, but they forget all the other things out there that can be as bad as that disease. For example, how about protecting yourself against clamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, hepatitis, and any one of a number of other diseases that are also encountered during sexual activity. Worry about herpes, or genital warts. Do we hear people worried about these? It seems as though everyone is wandering around with his head in the sand when it comes to anything other than HIV. How ridiculous. Like I said: I know what to do, and you should too.
After going to three funerals count one for an ex i would much rather no one way or the other. This way it is my choice as well as his if we play safe or not. Since I am mostly a top there is less chance of getting hiv but know that i can get other things too. Besides neg for hiv and other stuff last month does mean he is not caring something that he picked up two week ago.
If you are going to be sexually active, then you need to be an adult about it and get tested. I agree with the other posters on here that say it is stupid to risk infecting someone else if you know you yourself are infected with an STD. Any person that tries to convince you that barebacking or multiple partners is safe should be viewed as a very dangerous person and their motives questioned.Obviously their intentions are malicious. Those people that spread STDs knowingly or do not get tested and continue to engage in risky activities should be viewed as sexual predators. Having said that, we are all responsible for our own actions and need to protect ourselves by always using a condom and limiting our partners, otherwise we are hypocrites and just as bad as those evil doers. Monogamy is a smart choice while random hook ups and multiple partners is simply stupid. You will get what you ask for.
men lie about WHY they are online,, men lie about WHY they are writing you…..when underneath it all,, they want to get off basically so i say BE UPFRONT about your status and be UPFRONT w/ what you want… i hate HATE HATE the long drawn out hello’s and SUPS… before after forever, they THEN bluntly ask about sex,,,,, if you want sex,, you’re profile should reflect that, and so should your status… if you are on a site JUST to date,, you status SHOULD STATE SO,,,, lies is a main reason one could possibly get infected in the first place so WHY CONTINUE THE CYCLE…… BE HONEST and the REST WILL FOLLOW…..so sick of the DL guys and the DL disclosure….. BE WHO YOU ARE and you’ll find one that WANTS YOU regardless,,,, stop w/ the HIDING YOUR FACE,, HIDING YOURSELF only causes guys to get irritated and hiding your status or lying until the MOMENT, or AFTER SEX is a PUSSY move and those guys should GET OFF ELSEWHERE
More steaming claptrap from this blog, repeating sensationalism and conventional HIV dogma that perpetuates an industry. You guys don’t care about preventing HIV, and certainly not eradicating it. Otherwise you’d be critical of the condom “solution” that everyone at the grass roots, even back in the 80s wasn’t afraid to say, because it wasn’t controversial to say that “Condoms are not a prevention solution for the long term. Because they’re unnatural and negatively impact sex, they will only be effective for a few short years, as a bandage approach.” 30 years later, as plenty of effective antimicrobial lubricants effective against not only HIV but bacterial STDs are NOT developed and SWEPT under the carpet, this blog asks no questions.
And of this man in question, what of his justice? Was it wrong for him to lie? Of course. Did he infect anyone? Well, even after 300 encounters, if he had a zero viral load the entire time, it’s unlikely. And even though he forced no one to do anything against their will, and cause no one any danger that they themselves couldn’t have unilaterally prevented, he’s facing life in prison for charges akin to using a deadly weapon on someone 300 times, when and HIV infection these days is herpes. It’s a few pills a day. It’s anything BUT like being shot at by a gun, that you could freely choose not to subject yourself to be shot at by.
I’m glad hardly anyone reads this blog, or the cowardly, probably un-fuckable moralizing queens that drone on “be responsible, wrap it” when the responsible thing is to demand a better solution than the plain stupid notion that people will ruin sex with a condom consistently.
I think I’d rather be told about stuff that I can catch easier than HIV.
One of main problems is STIGMA associated with HIV. Sadly, most of the stigma gay men encounter on a regular basis isn’t from straight people. It is from other gay men. Wearing a negative status as a badge of honor or using words like “clean” perpetuates the stigma of HIV. In the end you should never believe what anyone tells you about their status online. It is up to YOU to always protect yourself.
I think some of you HIV neggies need to get a grip on yourselves.
Here’s the thing. WEAR protection and you don’t have to be so paranoid. Just think everyone is HIV+ and protect yourself.
@mark – the victim in the case specifically asked the guy if he was negative, the man lied. read CNN.
@steve – dude, you are angry about something but i’m glad you are reading the blog
men lie, people lie. the important thing is to protect yourself and others. if you are negative do all you can to stay that way, if you are positive, do everything you can to not spread it. its common sense
@Steve: your type of rant is why this and other blogs must be read. We may not agree with the thoughts posted but these opinions give a small segment of the thought processes that many man hold and act upon.
One reason why HIV spreads even today when we know so much more about it is because people like you trivialize the treatment as “a few pills a day.” Antivirals are not vitamins that you can stop taking or skip when the mood strikes. They are powerful poisons that help prolong the lives of the HIV+. The lasting side-effects of these drugs are not worth risking contracting HIV. The treatments may be more streamlined, less onerous, but the underlying message is the same: DO NOT CONTRACT HIV. PUT ON THE CONDOM ALWAYS NO MATTER WHAT A MAN SAYS OR PROMISES OR THREATENS.
This guy is a textbook example of why there are some guys out there who get accused of being “too picky” when someone wants to hook up — because there are liars GALORE online (and especially on A4A)!
I know of a guy here in town who has compiled a list of guys on A4A whose statuses have gone from negative to poz, to no status listed, to NEGATIVE again (he’s got screen shots of their changing profiles and all). I got ahold of a few names and it scares the fuck out of me that these guys on that list are lying just to get laid…or whatever the fuck it is they think they’re doing by lying about their status.
Am I freaked out by HIV guys? No. Am I going to be pleased that a guy I’m chatting with and we make plans to get horizontal lies to get laid and then he tells me “oh, I’m poz” right as we’re going to do it? FUCK YEAH.
You lie, you get turned away. That goes for anything a guy is hiding (another STD, a history of drug/alcohol abuse, etc), but especially HIV. You don’t fuck around with someone’s life to get laid. EVER.
I find it kind of ironic that a lot of guys I have known (not friends of mine) have themselves stigmatized others (some were once close friends) who were HIV+ and now that they are HIV+ too they expect others to have some sort of sympathy for them because they are now being stigmatized.
I guess besides always using protection it’s a good idea to be a better person and pick better friends too.
adam4adam should just delete the HIV question, those who say negative have probably never been tested and if they are + are more infectious than those on treatment, provable fact.
well let me say this……Guys won’t post their real age and post old or distorted photos,also they even post someone elses photos to try and trick and lure you. So why in the hell would you expect then to tell the truth about their status???? REALLY??? ARE YOU SERIOUS??? We all are responsible for our own behavior and truthfully can’t blame anyone for our choices. Unless you were raped with a knife or a gun to your head you had a choice. Let’s man up and take responsibility for our own actions and choices. Alcohol and drugs can muddy the waters in the decision making process, but you had a choice there too. So really who is to blame. If I give you a gun and tell you to put it up to you head and pullthe triger and i tell you it is not loaded, I ask you who shot you? You or Me? Food for thought maybe???
One of my long long time fuck buddies found out he was poz last year… We had bbd because we were both neg. After I freaked out for a couple of weeks I found out that I’m still neg. I’m now all safe all the time. It’s actually liberating…. Can do crazy things (bath house, bookstore) .. And feel no anxiety
I’m not telling anyone anything I’m positive and its no ones business but myself. We should all be using protection anyway negative, undetectable or not so i make sure that I don’t make the same mistake i did in the past.
I feel that since I am making that stance about using condoms 100% of the time I can keep my business mine!
I feel being Hiv+ is not a easy topic to start off a convo with someone you are turned on with if there not hiv+.You
should let them know your status.If the other partner never asks your status and willing is going to have unprotected sex with you then who is wrong they both are.If one is hiv+ and the other claims neg and they use protection very well but the neg doesnt know untill after because of that thought of rejection is a hard feeling to handle because your hiv+ isnt any worser than all these other deseases that are transferable through sex hpv,herpes to name a few
hpv being the male is the carrier.Even if you dont have it you are the carrier all men are also cancer we all have cancer cells in our body.Hiv is only your immunity has been disturbed from someoneelses like catching a cold.There is a cure and treatment dont believe the hype and prevention pill for hiv-
if you can afford it.I encourage you guys to get educated about your body.Aids is the killer not hiv its the warning sign saying this doesnt belong and you can heal dont give up
ask yourself this they can cure cancers what makes you think they cant cure a simple immune defficency.(sid)lol
I don’t think disclosure should be required by law. It takes two to tango. A guy may be poz and not know it. Does that make him a bad person for spreading it to another? Even if someone does lie about their status the other party was/is willing to have unprotected sex? I think you should be responsible for yourself and your own actions. If you wind up with HIV it’s because you had it coming based on your behaviors not because “one” guy deceived you.
If you are going to lump HIV transmission into the murder category, then also add things like environmental pollution of all kinds, secondhand smoke, driving, carrying a gun, not carrying a gun, stress, sneezing, coughing, alcohol, poverty, unhealthful foods, other STDs, etc… all of which may eventually lead to premature death as well. HIV is not the death sentence for everyone it once was, although it is not necessarily a cup of tea. It is wrong to give someone else an unnecessary burden of any size in life, but is it fair to call it murder?
I agree with Speak Out, there are other std’s out there with far more immediate adverse reactions/consequences if left untreated. case in point; syphilis a deadly silent killer as well which is totally treatable with a penincilin shot. how do I know, cuz sum jerk gave it to me. I got sick, got a rash and went to the dr and had it diagnosed. Wyphilis reacts in the body far more faster than hiv but doesn’t get near the attention hiv does. if I hadn’t enquired what my rash was, I’d be dead
Protection is the best thing. not ignorance.
In my short year of knowing my status, I have found that I have been too honest. Don’t get me wrong I’m glad I was. But, looking back now some of the people I have told had no reason to know. I was in a commited relationship. I wasn’t screwing around so why did I feel the need to tell people? I have since lost the only person that has been there with me through all of this. Of course he says he will always be here for me but its not the same. I have a huge fear of being involved with anyone. I’m afraid of rejection. I shouldn’t be. But I am. I cojld not imagine not telling someone. Before I found out I was positive. I had had unprotected sex with my partner. I was a mess worried that he was gunna be sick. Thank god he is fine. But the thought was and is always in my mind that I would never be able to live with myself knowing that I was the reason he has to go through what I am going through. This life is not what it was in the 80’s no. But it is still a major lifestyle change. Its not easy either. Every one should be held accounable for their actions but, that also includes yourself. If you are going have unprotected sex then you have to realize there is going to be consequences to your actions. I have come to terms that I was stupid as a young man. Now I’m paying the price. We as a community do need to learn to love each other more regardless of race. Wealth. Status. Everything. We give ourselves reasons for people to have hate and ignorance towards us by how we treat each other. I love everyone. Until you cross me. Live laugh love. The way we all need to learn to be.
Many of the responses in this forum bother me.
Anyone who thinks it’s OK to fail to disclose any serious medical condition with a sexual partner has a very f*d up ethos. Hurting other people, intentionally or ignorantly is not OK.
As for the people who argue, “assume everyone is HIV+, protect yourself…” and being harshly judgmental of people who, for whatever reason, make different decisions than you do: So, you assume everyone is HIV+. Ok, the safer assumption. Do you also assume everyone has hepatitis B, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital warts, herpes simplex I and II (unlikely, but possible to have both)… and every other sexually-transmitted infection? What about the flu? Condoms pointedly won’t prevent the transmission of many of them. Oral sex can transmit most of them. So the only “safe” decision is complete abstinence. So if you make the risky decision to have intimate contact with another person and catch any kind of infection, just remember you “had it coming”.
We all made choices that might lead to something bad happening, but our society usually doesn’t blame people for becoming the victims of someone else’s harmful actions. Some choices are certainly riskier than others, but we ALL make them because we believe that what we have to gain from that choice is greater than the threats. Most of them are perfectly normal – driving, eating food, or exercising. All of these things come with serious risks – and people assume they won’t happen most of the time and choose to do them anyway.
If you don’t acknowledge that you make your own choices that could lead to you being a victim, (for which others are then justified in harshly judging you, right?), then you’re being a hypocrite.
“Now, from my own experience I can say that 75% of the time the guy was asking either because he was HIV positive or was negative and wanted to protect himself. The other 25% ended how you think it would end and that’s OK.”
It is NOT OK, sir…just cause someone doesn’t ask doesn’t mean you can just say “fuck it” to disclosing your status. How dare you say….”and that’s OK.” Not according to law, it isn’t, nor any other decent human who values others’ lives over your few moments of passing pleasure.
I never expect a guy to disclose and I don’t see the point. He might not know his status, he might be lying, he might be poz and undetectable and very unlikely to infect.
It makes no difference I just assume all are poz and use condoms. It’s easy and reliable. So far it has worked for me for over 20 years but I am still realistic there is only safer sex.
I have a lot of respect for a guy the rare guy that does disclose. It won’t stop me from having sex.
In 20 years only about 4 guys have disclosed to me.
I take responsibility for my own health and don’t leave it to another guy’s honesty.
I love how hiv negative guys feel so entitled to speak so negatively about the topic. Mere speculation…
Sean is right, they should delete the question. Treat everyone like they are positive to do anything else is irresponsible. Its everyones own responsibility to keep themselves clean. Its stupid to just ask someone you dont know their status and then to change your behavior based on the answer you get. Crazy, I believe Adam and other sites who ask this question are encouraging this behavior. TREAT EVERYONE AS IF THEY ARE POSITIVE and act accordingly.
“Knowingly exposing a person to HIV without their consent is a felony”. In my book agreeing to not use condoms is to give your consent. It’s like leaving your front door wide open and being shocked when someone robs your house.
What Steve above sees as conspiracy I see as natural progress. I was 20 when HIV first appeared on the scene. It put me off any sex for 5 years and when my natural urges overpowered my fears, fucking was still scary as I knew that a bit of rubber was all that prevented me from a certain and horrible death. Going for a HIV test took incredible amounts of courage and stamina.
When the meds came out I was a bit more relaxed about it and more able to enjoy sex. My defence against HIV was condoms and education (I read everything and so knew about seroconversion, window periods, etc.). Still I was uneasy.
About this time I had my first boyfriend who as luck turned out was positive. What I learned from this was that safe sex really did work as he didn’t pass it to me (the bottom in the relationship).
Now with the modern meds and especially with PEP i can relax and enjoy protected sex in the knowledge that I am unlikely to ever contract HIV. I can live with the rubbers and in no way feel that I haven’t had satisfying sex (more like OMG! I never thought I would have had so much hot sex). 25 years of safe sex has so far left me negative. Sure it could still happen but then I would have the meds. Don’t get me wrong I would be devastated if I became infected but I know I would get over it and live a normal lifespan.
We now know for sure that HIV is curable, we have the proof. I now fully expect to see a cure in the next 10-20 years. Yes I am sure the drug companies would love to continue to have a market for their nicely expensive and profit making drugs but there are far too many excellent scientists that have integrity and want to cure HIV not for profit but to help humanity. Not to mention the incredible worldwide acclaim and a noble prize that awaits them. No amount of measly conspiracy can hold down the natural human desire to benefit greatly their fellow beings.
My advice to young guys is to stay protected, stay negative and enjoy the bonus of unprotected sex a bit down the line when the cure appears.
I write this from a different point of view. Yes I am Poz and have been for almost 30 yrs. I purposely post my status do to the laws that have been put on the books in all of the 50 states and even in federal statutes. This is called CYA ( Covering your Ass). In a court of law if you as a defendant cant prove that you informed someone that you told them of your status other than by word of mouth then its a he said he said incident. The burden of proof is then on you as a defendant. For those of you who do not know you might want to learn how the law is enacted against people with HIV. Some states can even go so far as to file terrorism charges against you. According to Federal law people with HIV can be charged as terrorists as well. They use HIV as bioterrorism. Don’t think it can’t and wont happen to you because it can does happen. So next time you think your covering yourself by telling your potentional partner that your POZ just remember it might just come down to his word against his. There are men sitting in jail right now who because of someone being vindictive like a boyfriend or ex partner were put there because they said they were never told of their status. It happens. Be safe and cover your ass if you post it you’ve done your legal due diligence. Its their responsability to read your profile. If they don’t they only have themselves to blame. Yes it does make life hard as i well know,but the piece of mind it gives is so worth it.
Thanks guys.
Why is the onus ALWAYS on the HIV positive person? I call bullshit on this story. I agree with another poster the positive guy had sex with 300 people but I seriously DOUBT HE infected ALL those men.
The legal system is FUCKED UP! I will explain my reason why, there are so many gay men out there having UNPROTECTED SEX in the bathhouses, hooking up, yet the law wants Positive people to HAVE the ONUS policing the behaviour of negative men! Give me a FUCKING BREAK!
PEOPLE WHO ARE ADULTS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN SEXUALITY!
At the bathhouses NOBODY is talking about who is positive or not people are just FUCKING!
John and Sean, who commented just before me, both make great points. I had been nervous around poz guys in the very early days. I hadn’t come out, then, but they were friends and likeable guys. My concern was for good guys with a death sentence. I had to treat them as though my conscience depended on it. One of them, I came out to, and eventually we had a safe encounter. He did without sex because of the low success of drugs then. He was very careful of others’ lives. Now, years later, successfully on meds, having caught it from a friend who had just caught it, I am aware that many people are informed and know how you can’t get it, though too many still get their information from old tv shows, from the witch hunt days. I suspect some guys dodge the poz because they don’t want the guilt of dealing with them as fully human. That implies a communal responsibility. Some simply can’t handle the constant reminder of resposibility. Some don’t disclose because they don’t want the rejection either. Ultimately, selfishness hides truth, and selfishness punishes truth. I say this much, I treat disclosure as appropriate. If we are acquaintances or non-sexual, they don’t have to know. If we hit it off and sex may come up, I disclose. Now, we discuss or they run. But I no longer feel bad if they reject me for that. If I was desirable before I said it, who is the one with the problem? The one who told the truth, or the one who ran from a truthful man?
Before feeling high-and-mighty about how using a condom to prevent HIV makes them ‘safe’ and ‘smart’, they should consider a number of factors:
Do you check the date on the condom – every time?
Do you visibly examine the condom for any apparent flaws (as recommended on the box) – every time?
Have you made sure that the condom hasn’t been exposed to adverse environmental conditions that will weaken the condom? Excessive heat or cold will do that. If you’re not sure, the only responsible thing to do is to dispose of the condom.
Did you bring the condom? How can you trust someone else who you assume to be irresponsible (HIV+ and / or lying about his status / never even tested) to have also taken all precautions with the condom? You can’t. And since the other guy can’t reasonably trust that you’re responsible either, the only smart thing to do is both go to the pharmacy together and buy a brand new condom. Every time.
Do you / he remove any genital jewelry or other objects that might damage the condom – every time?
Do you leave sufficient room at the tip of the condom for your / his semen to help reduce the chance of breakage – every time?
Do you engage in rough anal sex? Because that will also put wear and tear on the condom, which decreases its level of protection. It doesn’t have to break to be damaged. In fact, it doesn’t have to be damaged at all to allow the transmission of HIV. Condoms are meant to prevent pregnancy – and while they reduce the transmission rate of HIV when used responsibly, they are not guaranteed to prevent transmission. Of course, rough sex definitely increases the chance the condom will break, too. So to be safest and smartest about it, you should only engage in slow, gentle anal sex with plenty of condom safe lubricant.
Speaking of the lubricant – are you sure it’s condom safe? Did you bring it, or did you trust the already-assumed irresponsible guy to have condom safe lube? Like the condom, you can’t trust one another, so to be truly smart and safe, you should both purchase a new container of condom safe lubricant at the store and only use it together.
Do you pull out prior to ejaculation, or ask your partner to pull out prior to ejaculation? Since condoms are not absolute protection against HIV, ejaculating inside the condom while inside another man definitely increases the risk. Men who precum (most of us) will also increase the risks.
Do you engage in oral sex – ever? While a low-risk activity, according to the CDC, there is still a chance of transmitting HIV. You should never have oral sex, unless you use a condom. In which case, all condom-based risks still apply.
Did you or he use an anal douche before sex? While it might help reduce the occurrence of unpleasant odors / materials during anal sex, it also may cause damage to the lining of the rectum, which increases the risk of transmitting HIV.
Since using a condom only lowers the risk of infection, but does not eliminate it, you may have still been infected with HIV, which you might then ignorantly transmit to someone else. So of course, you should then abstain for sex for six months. After the first three months, test for HIV. Provided the results are negative (which may be a false negative), you should wait another three months and then test again. After a second negative result, the chances that you would have been infected during your last sexual encounter are extremely low. Even a medical professional isn’t going to recommend you wait another three months. So, you only have to wait a minimum of six months, testing negative for HIV twice in the mean time, before each sexual encounter.
So if you’re skipping any of those precautions, you’re taking risks. In fact, if you have sex with anyone – ever – you’re taking risks and may infect yourself or someone else with HIV. If you don’t acknowledge that, you’re being unrealistic.
FUCK ALL THIS TALK ABOUT HIV!!
LETS TALK ABOUT SOMETHING WORSE!!
SYPHILIS!
Question: For all the talk about being safe and wrapping it… What if the condom breaks? What then? Having NO risky contact whatsoever is the only sure solution, IMHO.
As for the “treat everyone as if they were HIV+” crowd… sound to me like that should translate to you having absolutely zero bias against having “protected” sex with someone who discloses they are HIV+. If not, then you’re not practicing what you preach.
“As for the “treat everyone as if they were HIV+” crowd… sound to me like that should translate to you having absolutely zero bias against having “protected” sex with someone who discloses they are HIV+. If not, then you’re not practicing what you preach.”
As far as sex goes; not really. Risk is still risk and people should obviously be concerned about any risk they take. Sticking one’s hand in to a fire that’s known to exist may be a bigger risk of getting burned than not knowing if there is a fire.
Just because some people choose to protect themselves in the best way they feel they know how does not make them haters or hypocrites any more than those who have a headache choose to take aspirin over Tylenol.
If an HIV+ person’s friends choose to shun them because of their HIV+ status then they didn’t choose very good people as friends to begin with. The choice of one’s friends goes further than one’s HIV status.
Having unprotected sex with an HIV+ person who is on Meds and undetectable, you have a 96% chance of not becoming HIV+. Having protected sex (with a condom) with an HIV+ person, you have a 98% chance of not becoming HIV+.
Sex is between two people and so should be the responsibility, both parties are responsible for protecting themselves from each other. Disclosure might not be required if safe sex is practiced. Who is responsible when the person who you are having sex with don’t know that they are HIV+? You can be HIV- today and HIV+ tomorrow.
Educate yourself about facts before sex and you might reduce you chances of contracting any disease.
For our beloved one that was infected by HIV epidemic soon you will be saying that I was having HIV
AIDS Infection Cancer
In a significant breakthrough in medical history, a team of scientists have developed a vaccine that can remove the AIDS-causing virus completely from the body.
Researchers from the Oregon Health & Science University in the US proved the effectiveness of the vaccine by conducting experiments on monkeys infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a retrovirus that causes AIDS in non-human primates.
During the experiments, the scientists combined a common virus known as cytomegalovirus (CMV) with the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). The modified CMV further helped create “effector memory” T-cells, to destroy the SIV-infected cells.
“To date, HIV infection has only been cured in a very small number of highly-publicized but unusual clinical cases in which HIV-infected individuals were treated with anti-viral medicines very early after the onset of infection or received a stem cell transplant to combat cancer,” Louis Picker, associate director of the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, said in a news release.
“This latest research suggests that certain immune responses elicited by a new vaccine may also have the ability to completely remove HIV from the body.”
Nearly half of the monkeys included in the experiment showed positive response to the vaccine and their bodies could successfully eliminate the virus.
As a next step, the scientists are planning to conduct more experiments to get similar results on human beings. “Through this method we were able to teach the monkey’s body to better ‘prepare its defenses’ to combat the disease,” explained Picker.
“Our vaccine mobilized a T-cell response that was able to overtake the SIV invaders in 50 percent of the cases treated. Moreover, in those cases with a positive response, our testing suggests SIV was banished from the host. We are hopeful that pairing our modified CMV vector with HIV will lead to a similar result in humans.”
According to World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 34 million people were diagnosed with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) in 2011 and 1.7 million died of AIDS. Efforts to beat the sexually-transmitted disease have been going on for a long time. In 2011. A team of Spanish researchers developed a vaccine known as MVA-B to lower the impact of HIV on the people already infected with the HIV, The Guardian reported.
Earlier this month, researchers at the Western University in Canada announced that they have successfully completed Phase 1 clinical trial of a preventative HIV vaccine, named SAV001-H, in human beings.