Comments on: D.C. HIV Rate: 3 Percent

By: “Condoms Are So 1985″ - The Sexist - Washington City Paper

“Condoms Are So 1985″ - The Sexist - Washington City Paper — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:23:36 +0000

[...] agree with Hunter that this does not bode well for the future of the HIV epidemic in D.C. Still, I’m impressed that the condoms-are-lame trend is so specific! One respondent narrowed [...]

By: Are Condoms As Important to Straights as They are to Gays? - The Sexist - Washington City Paper

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:37:00 +0000

[...] am but one woman, and I do not speak for The Straights. But D.C.’s newest AIDS numbers included two statistics that may have something do do with each other: The leading mode of [...]

By: “DC Abstinence Awareness Week” Passes Us By - The Sexist - Washington City Paper

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:50:56 +0000

[...] day after Abstinence Awareness Week concluded, the D.C. government released its report pegging the local AIDS rate at 3 percent. var addthis_pub="washingtoncitypaper"; var addthis_options="facebook, twitter, google, [...]

By: Heterosexuality and HIV in D.C. - The Sexist - Washington City Paper

Heterosexuality and HIV in D.C. - The Sexist - Washington City Paper — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:42:39 +0000

[...] on the District’s shocking HIV/AIDS numbers and how they affect everybody: Along with its 2008 HIV/AIDS Epidemology Update [PDF], D.C. has [...]

By: The Blame Game: Let the Debate Begin - The Sexist - Washington City Paper

The Blame Game: Let the Debate Begin - The Sexist - Washington City Paper — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:35:40 +0000

[...] I wrote a post calling out Black Informant, a blogger who called out homosexuals for the striking new HIV/AIDS numbers in the District. The blogger then proceeded to call me out, in a post titled “Calling Amanda Hess [...]

By: Amanda Hess

Amanda Hess — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:24:31 +0000

When you think about it, a lot of these statistics depend on how cases are discovered & reported, so comparing AIDS rates on two different continents really doesn't make a lot of sense. And the differences between strains of HIV throws the whole thing for a loop. But invoking Africa makes headlines!

By: Rex

Rex — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:17:38 +0000

Yeah, yeah, thanks. I didn't mean to minimize the problems anywhere. It's tough to look at these things without being tempted to rank them, and it's especially tough when friggin' imperialism gets involved.

By: Amanda Hess

Amanda Hess — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:46:05 +0000

Good points, Rex---Africa's AIDS rate is often pointed to to figure out How Fucked Your U.S. City Is, and that's pretty fucked up, I'll admit. And you're right that West Africa has a low AIDS rate compared to sub-Saharan Africa. I agree that the numbers in D.C. are really, really scary, but the numbers in West Africa are really, really scary too, even knowing that the numbers in sub-Saharan Africa are really, REALLY REALLY scary. But I totally agree that coverage should focus on "AIDS is really really scary" instead of "Africa is scary, and it's scary when we're like Africa."

By: Rex

Rex — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:23:08 +0000

I'll admit that I'm not really knowledgeable here, but my South-African-public-health-degreed-HIV/AIDS-educator sister says that the HIV/AIDS rate in West Africa is actually pretty low, and it's a different type (type 2 versus type 1) than in the United States, and the comparison isn't really useful. All that's not to say that the numbers in DC aren't really, really scary, but I worry about how people use the specter of AFRICA to drive the point home...

By: HIV In D.C.: Let the Gay Blaming Begin - The Sexist - Washington City Paper

HIV In D.C.: Let the Gay Blaming Begin - The Sexist - Washington City Paper — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:02:56 +0000

[...] didn’t take too long: Blogger Black Informant reacts to our District’s stunning new HIV numbers by blaming homosexuality for the spread of the [...]

By: All the AIDS Figures You Never Wanted - The Sexist - Washington City Paper

All the AIDS Figures You Never Wanted - The Sexist - Washington City Paper — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:55:57 +0000

[...] 2008 report has just been released on the D.C. Government Web site. Eighty-four pages of bummer statistics: [...]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:06:33 +0000

"Good morning, everyone in DC has AIDS!". That's one startling Monday morning news bit.