“Earlier this year, it was reported that the rate of HIV diagnoses had spiked among young gay, bi, and queer men under the age of 24. In learning that, we had also learned that the use of Truvada as PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prohpalaxis) had been made widely available to the public, but an alarmingly small number of men who have sex with men were educated on the regimen. In fact, we saw the perpetuation of stigma and miseducation being the chief problem, so we dedicated October to be the month in which we examined as many facets of PrEP as possible in a series, 31 Days of PrEP. Diane Anderson-Minshall addressed the months-long slog to get a celebrity to talk about PrEP for The Advocate’s digital cover, which led to a first-person essay on Hollywood’s absence on the issue contributing to the low numbers of men on a PrEP regimen. Conversely, Daniel Reynolds found dozens of everyday men, who told us why they take PrEP, what the process is like, and why they encouraged other men to do so. He also rounded up 35 organizations and HIV/AIDS advocates who urged our community to embrace PrEP as a viable and safe method to reduce the risk of spreading HIV, especially among those who are highest risk. Matt Baume explored whether the Hobby Lobby ruling earlier this year may allow employers to discriminate against anyone who take PrEP, or even allow them to block workers from getting it through their company-issued health insurance. Sunnivie Brydum and Thom Senzee examined whether PrEP could be a key component in ending of HIV in the United States and around the world, as no viable cure has yet to be found after decades of research. Dr. Gary McClain advised couples about how to talk about whether a PrEP regimen is right for them, and Mitch Kellaway advised parents on how to have the other “talk” with their gay and bisexual sons about beginning a PrEP regimen. Each day, we published an article by HIV Plus magazine’s resident health writer Katie Peoples addressing one of the many myths, and questions that have been circulating about PrEP, unchecked for two years, now. Then Michelle Garcia examined how one of the leading long-time activists for people with HIV was now perpetuating several of the myths around the potentially life-saving regimen. With a new generation of young people who did not have to grow up in the peak of the HIV/AIDS crisis, there is plenty of work to be done to educate them. We believe our work to conjure even the slightest conversation around PrEP and this one method of stopping HIV has reduced stigma, inspired smarter conversation, and hopefully safer, healthier readers.”
