D.C. HIV/AIDS Examiner

Oprah Winfrey is an inspirational American icon but someone in her fact checking department needs to step up their game. On yesterday's show, Oprah had a guest named Bridget B., an African-American woman who is HIV positive. She was by infected her husband who, apparently, concealed his gay sex life from her. Once she found out about his desire to sleep with men, she divorced him, sued him and won 12 million dollars. Oprah also had J.L. King, author of The Down Low, return to her show six years after he came onto her stage and 'dropped the bomb'. Both guests reiterated how not knowing about a man's secret gay sex life can cost a woman her life.

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Comprehensive sex education programs include information about abstinence, contraception, and condoms while educating students about alternative lifestyles (i.e. LGBTQ). The reasoning behind this program is to help students make informed decisions about sex if they decide to partake in it. Abstinence-only programs promote abstaining from sex until marriage. Any additional information about contraception and alternative lifestyles is typically not included.

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The debut of this program has sparked a mixed reaction. According to the Washington Post, David Catania and Yvette Alexander praised the idea and called it "awesome". David Catania explains, "This is exactly the kind of innovation we need in this city. This is a model for the country in how we bring testing to people on a routine basis." A. Toni Young, executive director of Community Education Group says it will reach residents who do not visit the doctor regularly and are intimidated by clinics. However, this idea may not be so new. Former mayoral candidate Leo Alexander says he is not impressed with this initiative because he introduced this idea a while ago. "The only thing new about this idea is that Fenty's people were listening to my platform back in August when I first talked about my plan to increase HIV testing opportunities in the District". Alexander spoke of getting tested at the DMV at a mayoral forum in August.

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On the family panel was Bobby Henry, Sr., CEO of the Westside Gazette Newspaper (Florida) and his daughter 39-year-old Yolonda Reed. Yolonda was diagnosed as HIV positive an the age of 17 when she signed up to enter the Air Force. Bobby tearfully reminisced hearing the news for the first time. "When I first got the call that Yolonda was HIV positive I began to question. I was 16 when she was born and she was 17 when she told me her status. I wasn't there enough in the early years emotionally. Would she have contracted it if I was there more?" They insist that the HIV diagnosis actually brought them closer together and has prepared Yolonda to talk about it with her teenage sons. "Young people see people living with this disease. They think it's not a big deal. But I talk to my sons about this. I tell them 'you don't want to live like this'," states Yolonda.

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