Written by La-Kenia Green, TDN BOLD Initiative intern. Nov. 7, 2013

It saddens me to know that people would purposely diagnose themselves with AIDS just to get off the streets and better their life. It may seem logical at the moment for some being that they feel it’s the only way to obtain services, however it is still absurd. I’ve learned that people would go to extreme measures just to survive even if it meant putting their life in jeopardy. Being that this information is critical, it is important to inform others about this kind of mindset. Many do not know of such organizations that can help them in a more positive way.

As an intern, I will use this information to help stir the minds of those who think HIV is always diagnosed by accident. However, I don’t want to send people the wrong message as I explain that when you do get HIV that you receive benefits. With that being said, this info will hopefully be used in a workshop in which the participants in a group can come up with situations where they portray the difference between an accident and doing it on purpose. In regards to the article about the man Tye Fortner who has AIDS (read below), he explains his struggles as a homeless person and how his choices have affected his life drastically. He first heard about young homeless people rationalizing HIV infection as a means to obtain benefits as early as 1987, when the virus was still untreatable.

I’ve noticed that this article only talked about men and not women, how come? Young gay men also feel alienated from social programs designed to help them find jobs and develop vocational skills which resulted in social struggles. Maybe if those men who look forward to being diagnosed had been educated about HIV/AIDS, many of their choices would have been alleviated. Another factor to their decisions are rooted within their self esteem and will to do things the right way and their past. For example, Fortner was taken into foster care at the age of 14 and his parents were crack addicts. Such devastating events at a young age have conditioned his mind to negativity, leaving nothing but hopelessness and corrupted thoughts. This is why it is important to stress the dangers and signs of potential critical lifestyles because starting with young people we can change the statistics.

*Article: The Men Who Want AIDS and How It Improved Their Lives.

COMMENTS:

“Friend, I read your article and I believe the following to find ways to help because of HIV in your country there are many organizations that help men look and have beneficios but the women you spoke are excluded or not seek such aid. I want to comment on what I know of Brazil, here is very difficult to seek help from the government in this regard even those who pay for years for the Brazilian social security, cannot often get the benefit you are entitled, the arguments that medical experts use you can live very well as viruses and be able to work. But there comes another question that we need to look deeply positive mothers and children of drug users who are born already pre destined to disturbances of behavior and really need help when they are young, intense face barriers to global level about who and how to get these special benefits often as necessary to the people are really needing qe this humanitarian aid and people you meet on the streets with no option until positive choices in food, housing need to come together at a global level to reach a platform for studies on this subject and try to form guidelines positive and exchange of experiences of what works and how it works in each country. I am truly open to dialogue and shared experiences for the benefit of citizens infected with the AIDS virus….” – Magda Maciel Bueno, Presidente, Espaço Terapêutico Alternativo Saudavel, Brazil (Nov. 9, 2013)