This year at RuPaul’s DragCon we had three sponsors, Gilead, APLA and healthysexual, that focus very heavily on sexual wellness and sex education. The impact of sexual wellness and sex education is drastic but there can be no positive impacts without actually discussing the topics openly and honestly within the lGBTQ community.
A lot of LGBTQ people avoid doctors’ offices and getting tested because of a fear of judgement and not being accepted and that is unacceptable and hurting the education that influences healthy sex decisions.
Health and sex belong together as a conversation, but we as a society do not talk about the two as a package, but instead separate entities.
healthysexual works to arm people with the information they need to combine health and sex together through a sex positive approach and without judgement.
healthysexual helps people to understand what they can do to be sexually healthy:
- Using condoms and lube
- Getting STI tested regularly
- Having open and honest conversations and communication with partners
- Using prevention medicines
healthysexual wants people to feel confident about their sexual choices which is exactly what APLA wants as well and they have resources available to help with that as well
APLA was founded in 1983 and they focus on sexual wellness by providing care for the LGBTQ community. APLA goes into communities that are generally undeserved in terms of care and they offer a wide variety of services including primary care, sexual health, and dental care.
Sexual health is less taught and cared for in under served communities, especially neighborhoods of color. HIV disproportionately impacts gay men of color and that is a big reason of why APLA is in the neighborhoods it is in.
APLA gets funding for their work in communities through grants but also through their annual AIDS Walk. The AIDS Walk LA was actually the 1st AIDS walk ever that started back when the government was doing nothing in regards to the AIDS epidemic. The walk is multificated:
- It is a visibility walk that raises awareness and understanding about AIDS and the AIDS epidemic
- A fundraiser to get more money to continue providing care to underprivileged LGBTQ communities
- It is a celebration of the lives of those who have been lost to AIDS
- Brings the AIDS epidemic to the forefront of people’s minds
The walk is held every year in Los Angeles, which is the city with the second highest HIV epidemic behind New York City. This years walk is on going to be held on October 20, 2019. For more information and to register for the walk be sure to check out their website!
