National HIV Testing Day

June 27th is National HIV testing day. It's purpose is to encourage everyone to know their status. Whether you are married, dating, in a "situationship", or single, you STILL need to know your status.
You know, the only way to know if you have hiv is to get tested. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 8 people infected with HIV don't know it. An estimated 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the Untied States and that number grows by nearly 50,000 yearly. Do you know why people are always giving out statistics  regarding HIV and AIDS? It's to help with realizing how close these diseases are to you. It's not "over there", it's right in our back and front yards.
I encourage you to have open dialogue with your significant others, family members, children, and friends about sex and sexuality. This is how we break down the stigma that has been consistently injecting fear and ignorance in our communities.
HIV is a preventable disease. This means that it doesn't have to be the epidemic that it has become. But we have to be proactive. Have those not so comfortable conversations. Stay informed. Take care of your health...by the way, your sexual health is just as important as all of the other parts of your overall health.