Just got back home after watching a play at Mox that raises awareness of protecting oneself AIDS by avoiding high-risk behaviour (for gays). The storyline is about a gay man who has a one-night stand with another guy he meets at the bar. They don’t use a condom and as a result, the man gets infected with HIV. He then has unprotected sex with his own partner, then goes for an anonymous HIV test to learn he’s positive. How does he break the news to his partner? Is there anything he could have avoided at each stage of the scenario?
What’s special about this play is that it isn’t a one-way performance. After the main storyline is acted out, the audience is invited to suggest ways to improve his situation by going back into the past. Should the couple have clearly communicated to each other their views on fidelity in a relationship? Should the man have avoided flirting in the first place? If they had to do it, should he have insisted on using the condom? Could he have broken the bad news to his partner in a better way?
It was entertaining because the members of the audience who suggested an alternative approach, had to take the place of that character and act it out with the other performers on stage. That made it more meaningful as it wasn’t just theoretical but practical as well. Thanks to Action for AIDS who organised it.
Take-home points:
- People who have AIDS/HIV can look normal like the rest of us. So you can’t judge by looks.
- Also, whether you’re a top or bottom (gay speak) doesn’t make your chances of contracting HIV any better or worse.
- If you’re unsure whether you’ve contracted HIV, go for a test, but bear in mind that even if it reveals you’re HIV negative, you should re-take the test in 3 months to confirm this as the virus may be undetectable initially.
After the play ended, a friend gave us a brief tour of the gay clubbing scene in Singapore. We looked at a few clubs and ended up at Happy, which was what we felt after drinking a bit and dancing on the floor. There was also a ‘fashion show’ where models carried placards with safe sex messages.
All in all it was a fun and educational night. Now it’s time to sleep.
Technorati Tags: AIDS, HIV, Action for AIDS, Singapore, gay