Sex and the Diaspora

The Face of HIV
By Renee B.

As of today, according to UNAIDS, the Caribbean region is second in the prevalence of HIV cases in the world, following Sub Saharan Africa! Already, reading that first line has prompted many of you to abort reading the remainder of this article and find a happy place in your minds where that chilling fact cannot find you. Who can blame you? This tragedy is nothing short of heart wrenching; no one wants to associate a paradise represented by beautiful people, rich culture, and amazing vibes with this pathological beast from hell. This story has grown in the media before our eyes into a full-blown social crisis in the Islands in the past decade. Granted, the media has their way of sensationalizing stories, making it cumbersome to determine fact from fiction, but this information is very real--whether we like how it's presented or not. Still, the dialogue about HIV in our community is not as prevalent as it could or should be, leaving too many people in the dark and at risk of this grave disease. Here we are, in the midst of a social health crisis, and no one wants to talk about it? A phenomenon like this is more than likely attributed to old habits...View More