the Post
reports on a recent go-go concert held at the Market Lounge, located directly above the DC Farmers Market in the Florida Market. The Concert, which was not restricted to a teenage audience, was sponsored by Metro TeenAIDS. Attendees could pay the $10 entry fee, or they could get in for free if they submitted to an oral swab HIV test.
Sounds like a cool event -- raising awareness and encouraging testing. But for some reason, using an HIV test for free admission doesn't sit well with me. Isn't the decision to get tested a rather serious one? I'm sure that anyone who's positive will receive counseling upon diagnosis, but pre-test counseling can also help to prepare people for the potential outcome.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds from the article as though they do pre-test counseling. I don't think the decision to get tested should be a serious one. I think that the general goal is not only to get a lot of people tested, but also to normalize getting tested such that it becomes both something everyone (who is at risk) does and something that people do routinely.
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