Let's Kick (ASS) AIDS Survivor Syndrome

I love this article in the latest Instinct Magazine.

It’s been more than three decades since HIV/AIDS first hit the scene, cutting short the lives of more than 25 million people globally. For many in the LGBT community, that seems like no time at all. They still cope daily with the psychological scars left from losing their friends and lovers. For others, particularly the 20-to-35-year-old set, three decades is a bit too long. They missed the lessons from the disease’s devastation and, thanks to medical advances, think of HIV as chronic but manageable rather than as a death sentence.

Despite some of our best efforts, we haven’t quite licked this formidable foe. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are 50,000 new infections in the United States annually, the majority of which are men who have sex with men. Most of us are familiar with the large AIDS service organizations, but in honor of World AIDS Day, we thought we’d spotlight the important work some of the little guys are doing out in the community.

LET’S KICK ASS, San Francisco
What it is—A social networking group for San Francisco’s long-term HIV/AIDS survivors (typically aged 50 and over).

Its beginnings—Let’s Kick ASS (AIDS survivor syndrome) started earlier this year as a blog written by Tez Anderson, who, despite having successfully fought HIV for 30 years, began feeling depressed, anxious and detached from life. “As an AIDS survivor, I had dealt with death and illness and had prepared to die, but I wasn’t prepared to live,” he says. Turns out he wasn’t alone.

Its mission—To build a community for long-term survivors. Anderson says that it’s healing for people to come together and share their stories. “We are living in a future we never could’ve imagined,” he says. “I’m trying to help people imagine it.”

Its success story—With the power of Facebook, Anderson rounded up nearly 200 long-term survivors in San Francisco for the group’s first town hall meeting. He’s now getting requests from cities across the globe.
Its rallying cry—“I think it besmirches the memory of those people who did not make it for us to give in to our depression, isolation or weakness instead of embracing our strength, resilience and heroism,” Anderson says.

Its long-term goals—It’s not only about harnessing the healing power of camaraderie—and just overall kicking ass. The group plans to psychologically profile long-term survivors. “We want to find out why some of them are more resilient and learn what it would take to make others more resilient,” Anderson adds—an important task given that many more could face AIDS survivor syndrome. The CDC estimates that by 2015, half of Americans living with HIV will be 50-plus.

Find out more—LetsKickASS.org

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