Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of HIV medication to keep HIV negative people from contracting HIV. This includes the use of condoms, PrEP and/or choosing partners with an undetectable viral load (UVL). There are a range of ways to prevent acquiring HIV, referred to as combination prevention. With appropriate care, treatment and support, the impact on a person’s health and life expectancy can be greatly reduced.įind out more about HIV prevention, testing and treatment on our Ending HIV website Many people with HIV consider the condition a manageable illness. Studies indicate that starting treatment very soon after infection can make a significant difference. Not everyone will get this illness.īeing on appropriate treatment can reduce the risk of developing a range of health conditions associated with HIV. When someone contracts HIV they may experience something called a ‘seroconversion illness’ which is associated with flu like symptoms. Among other things, a damaged immune system can impact on a person’s ability to fight off infections and illnesses. HIV causes significant damage to the immune system over time when left untreated, although the precise impact can vary from person to person. Other forms of transmission include vaginal sex without condoms and sharing of drug injecting equipment. HIV can be transmitted in a number of ways, but for gay men, anal sex without condoms is the most common way. HIV is transmitted when infected body fluids (blood, semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk or anal mucus) pass from a person with HIV into the bloodstream of an uninfected person. However in New South Wales, the group most affected by HIV is gay and bisexual men who account for around 75% of new HIV diagnoses. For those on effective HIV treatments, the likelihood of receiving an AIDS diagnosis is very small. It’s possible to have HIV for many years before getting any of the illnesses usually associated with AIDS. If untreated, HIV weakens the immune system over time, leaving the person who has HIV open to other life-threatening infections.ĪIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome which refers to the range of specific illnesses that a person with HIV may get when their immune system becomes weakened by HIV. The virus affects the body’s immune system, its main defense against disease. As he becomes bolder in his lyrics and creative vision, Lil Nas X begins to transcend confines of "The Gay Rapper" stereotype, carving out space for himself as an unapologetic messiah for today's young, queer generation.HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. However, when considering Lil Nas X's career path, Montero State Prison is a setting that mirrors reality as he is repeatedly criticized by evangelical Christians and Twitter trolls alike for elevating gay representation - particularly for the prison's namesake, his last single " MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" - it's understandable Lil Nas X would consider homophobia a prison, claustrophobic and imposing, especially in the music industry. Because of structural violence inherent in this country's carceral system, positioning the institution as a gay utopia is a risky choice.
The song is one of his best, but its real power comes from the accompanying, highly-stylized video wherein Lil Nas X breaks out of a prison populated with Black gay men (and, for an unspecified reason, Jack Harlow in an unseemly role as the Straight White Savior who delivers a verse that is mid at best and inappropriate at worst). His latest single, "INDUSTRY BABY," is an exercise in braggadocio a triumphant, horn-driven beat from Kanye West and Take A Daytrip backs up bars like "Couple Grammys on him, couple plaques," altogether crowning the "Old Town Road'' hitmaker king of the rap-pop crossover throne. Lil Nas X is unprecedented: he emerged from the depths of stan Twitter to take over the pop charts, all the while growing as an unabashedly gay rapper.