Chris Butler was watching a recent episode of MTV's The Real World in which two of the 20-something characters counted off their number of past sexual partners (one had about 100) before proceeding to have unprotected sex with each other. Given the high rate of sexually transmitted infections among young people, Butler knows that this scenario resembles a mirror more than a cautionary tale for many of the viewers in MTV's demographic.

The difficulty of getting others to avoid this kind of complacency is one of the ongoing challenges facing people like Butler, the executive director of AIDS Project Rhode Island (APRI), following the observation of the 15th annual World AIDS Day on Sunday, December 1.

"Trying to get that message across is really tough," Butler says, especially since most young people are unfamiliar with the urgency and alarm that surrounded the initial public recognition of HIV and AIDS in the early '80s. It doesn't help that the Bush administration is level-funding domestic spending related to HIV-AIDS for the third consecutive year, even with an increase in transmission rates and the presence of a greater number of people who are living with the disease. "I think it's as tough now as it has ever been," Butler adds.

But APRI, which was founded in 1985 as the state's first AIDS service organization, soldiers on, working to stop the transmission of HIV through advocacy, prevention, and education programs. As part of World AIDS Day, the agency is spreading the word through a series of related events, including a State House rally (Friday, December 6 at 11:45 a.m.); a community forum at Roger Williams Park Casino (Tuesday, December 10 from 6-9 p.m.); and an educational luncheon focusing on how abused women can take back their lives (Friday, December 13 at 11 a.m., at Chelo's, 2225 Post Road, Warwick). More information about HIV/AIDS and related issues can also be found by calling APRI's hotline at (800) 726-3010 or visiting www.aidsprojectri.org.

Another positive aspect of the local response to HIV/AIDS was celebrated during a December 1 program at the Radisson Hotel in Warwick. The event recognized Ken Fish, one of the founders of APRI; Dr. Kenneth Mayer, a national leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS; Nancy Benoit, who has sponsored related legislation in the General Assembly; Doreen Blue, a buddy volunteer with APRI for 13 years, who has provided support to 10 people, all but one of who has died; and Nick, Ron and Pete Cardi of Cardi's Furniture, who have a longstanding commitment to APRI.

On a wider scale, the latest World AIDS Day highlighted a goal in 129 countries of eliminating the stigma and discrimination sometimes associated with HIV/AIDS. As Butler notes, even with much progress in raising awareness, improving care, and reducing misinformation about the virus, the related discrimination has a variety of harmful consequences. An estimated 10,000 people in Rhode Island have HIV or AIDS, for example, although 60 percent of them are believed to be unaware of their own infections.

Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis[a]phx.com.

Issue Date: December 6 - 12, 2002