The CSUN Pride Center hosted a World AIDS Day event to destigmatize the conversation surrounding HIV and AIDS and raise awareness on campus.
The event took place on Monday, Dec. 2 at the University Student Union Pride Center, where staff members Vesper Martinez and Quinn Island opened with an educational presentation about HIV and AIDS.
“World AIDS Day is an event centered around trying to bring awareness to AIDS and HIV, and celebrating the lives of folks who we have lost in the AIDS epidemic [or] pandemic,” said Martinez.
In addition to honoring those impacted by the AIDS epidemic, Martinez emphasized the importance of education on sexual health, particularly for college students.
“I [also] think it’s really important because statistically speaking, one out of four college students contract an STD,” said Martinez. “And I think education about it is very important to prevent that, and even bring it to a much lower rate.”
According to HIV.gov, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) impairs the immune system, making it more difficult for the body to combat infections and diseases. If untreated HIV can lead to AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which represents the most advanced stage of the infection.
The conversation about HIV and AIDS encouraged attendees to express their opinions and experiences about sex education and HIV and AIDS representation in the media.
Island believes that having representation of HIV and AIDS in the media can help spread awareness.
“It is a good idea to have a good representation [of HIV and AIDS] in the media, because it can be very real. I feel like for some people, they don’t even know it exists,” said Island.
The history of HIV and AIDS along with the ACT UP movement was brought into conversation to inform the attendees about the brutal treatments of those who were affected by the HIV and AIDS epidemic. The CDC states that in the 1980s, AIDS became a significant cause of death among young people in the United States. It was estimated that over 100,000 people died during the epidemic.
