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Thanks so much for this important article about an issue that has been silently festering for so many years. How can a woman improve her health, when her life is so filled with emotional pain that many days she may wish herself dead anyway. Many of you know that this was a major theme at the 2012 International Aids Conference. This is the year for American women to take a strong united stand for action / services during the 16 Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women in Dec. Loren Jones-pwn
I have been thinking a lot since giving this interview... it is interesting to me that I put so much responsibility for my path on my motherâ?¦perhaps because she and I lived together and had a tumultuous time during my youth. In a lot of ways we were both out of control. Again, blaming women aka mothers for just about everything. What I omitted, and in retrospect, more than likely had a MUCH larger impact on the trajectory of my life was my relationship, or lack there-of, with my father. He and my mother maintained an OPENLY hostile relationship while I tried to grow up, and I was often used as a pawn in their arguments. This even happened into adulthood. He was not a consistent presence in my life, and when he WAS present, he attempted to control aspects of my growing up that he had walked out on. There are too many stories around this topic to tell, but THAT is probably the most re-occuring trauma I experienced growing up. It told me I was unworthy of his (a man) love unless I behaved and appeared a certain way, it told me that he disapproved of almost everything, and played a HUGE role in the creation of my self-esteem.
Our relationship continued to be off and on until the day he died this past December. That relationship exemplified that despite abuse, one should always try to forgive and go back. It was the model for which my relationships were formed, to a certain degree and it has taken an extreme amount of work on my part to overcome that to the best of my ability.
As a sidenote, my mother has now been in recovery for almost the entire time I have been HIV infected.
All of our stories show that these are things that can be overcome, but we need to start early. Fighting abuse is one way to ensure an AIDS free generation of Women and Girls.
I'm a transgender female who live in san francisco, I'm living with HIV because i have HIV do not mean that my life is ending nor will i set around and do nothing. I will go out to other community of color and education them.
Luis Marcus Morales III
Because HIV/AIDS is an ever evolving disease,spanning across all cultures in the United States; I wish to extend a loud round of applause to the Women in this article that have the courage to exert their agency. Clearly the voices heard are not those of victims, they are the foundation of a socio-political, socio-economic, and a newly framed gender schema. The message and self -determination of these abused women must rise to the ears of hegemony who have not lived their experience.
September 22, 2012 • San Antonio