1.2 million people are living with HIV in the U.S. We make up about 25% of all people living with HIV and AIDS. Today, HIV Long-Term Survivors (HLTS) represent a diverse group of people diagnosed with HIV before the advent of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, or HAART in 1996. Jis considered the start of the AIDS pandemic. When the CDC first reported on five cases of a mysterious disease affecting young gay men. The selection of June 5 for this annual observance coincides with the anniversary of the first official reporting of what became known as the AIDS epidemic on June 5, 1981. We don’t have the luxury of time to wait for the government to do the right thing. HLTSAD is an opportunity to raise awareness that leads to action. On, the organizers spell out some priorities, define “long-term survivors” and give historical context for the annual awareness day: Magic H8 Ball is available now on Vimeo.A post shared by HIV.gov the organizers of #HLTSAD, the folks at Let’s Kick ASS describe AIDS Survivor Syndrome in the short video below, filmed at the National AIDS Memorial in San Francisco: His comedic timing is on point, and he isn’t afraid to shine a light on some of the darker parts of our Id in the film’s exploration. Hass, a 20-something Associate Creative Director at Viacom, worked with an almost exclusively LGBTQ cast and crew in creating Magic H8 Ball, and it’s one of the best dark comedies I’ve seen in a long time. He wasn’t ready to look that deep so it feel on this toy that’s supposed to magically answer your questions to force him to look at himself and deal with his emotions.” It’s time to look at yourself and figure your shit out. “When you’re in the situation that Adam’s in, nothing can give you those answers really. “With the Magic 8 Ball, it’s all about asking questions and getting answer,” Hass continued. The fact is that we are more prone to being diagnosed with STDs or STIs and that is because we more actively have ourselves tested. This has further stigmatized the queer community, with a government sponsored cloud that hangs over us that we are somehow dirtier or more prone to disease. It will surprise hardly anyone at all that the CDC and other government agencies have rarely put forth protocols for recommending asymptomatic straight men be tested for most STDs unless they are or have been in prison with the assumption that they of course came into sexual contact with other men while incarcerated. This lack of testing seems to fall back to government regulations and recommendations. It doesn’t take a degree in math to recognize that a small portion of bisexual men are infecting 800,000 women per year, and if there was anything we can pass along to our straight brothers across the aisle, it’s that testing saves lives and improves overall health. Gay men follow behind that demographic in second, and men who identify as bisexual in the third. As recently as 2017, the CDC reported that the most commonly treated demographic for chlamydia, the most commonly diagnosed STD, is straight women at 45% of reported cases. It’s a lesson, quite frankly, that the straight male community could learn from us. Especially after the initial onset of the AIDS crisis in the 80s, we’ve learned to pay attention to our bodies and make those regular visits.
The feeling certainly resonates for a lot of the queer people I know.
And you all kind of know that you’re there for the same reason, but it’s still slightly uncomfortable.” “And you’re sitting there and you try not to make eye contact. “The film was kind of born out of that awkward Sunday morning visit to the clinic that gay men make a lot more often that straight people do,” Hass told me. Go make a scene at your ex’s house? We’re there! Kill your ex? Wait…what? Steal a bicycle? Sure! Eat a ton of junk food? Absolutely.
This 8 Ball has a sinister edge, and Adam soon finds himself following its instructions to the letter. This isn’t your garden variety toy from Walmart, however.
Gay men making out vimeo torrent#
When the doctor informs him he has chlamydia, Adam obviously goes through a torrent of emotions until he discovers a very special Magic 8 Ball. That’s what happens to poor Adam in Dan Hass’s dark horror/comedy short film Magic H8 Ball.Īs the film opens, Adam (Nathan Mohebbi) pays a visit to his local clinic. There are break-ups…and then there are break-ups when you find out your ex-boyfriend mixed a little low-key chlamydia into the bargain.