By snoadmin
With free HIV testing at hand, Project Choice at Cal State Long Beach reminded students yesterday of the importance of using condoms to prevent the spread of HIV.
Project Choice held the Women and Girl’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event in the University Student Union on Tuesday to increase awareness about HIV.
One in four people with HIV in the U.S. are women, according to Jennifer Castro, president of Project Choice.
According to Castro, the goal of the event was to alert women that unprotected sex is the main cause of HIV. HIV in women has increased from 9,500 new cases in 2010 to 10,257 cases in women between 18 and 24 years old, according to Project Choice.
“Most people think that HIV is a homosexual virus, but it isn’t,” Castro, a senior community health science major, said. “The main way of transmission is sexual intercourse. Not many people use condoms when having sexual intercourse for the first time, so we’re trying to take away that taboo too.”
To fight against the growing number of cases and attract students to the event, the participating organizations, including the Women’s Resource Center, Bienestar and Family PACT from Student Health Services, provided assistance with free HIV testing for women and giveaways like free condoms.
Students crowded around the stands at the event, where volunteers gave out free information and HIV tests.
All of the organizations involved suggested that use of condoms is the easiest way to prevent STDs and that after any unprotected sex, everyone should get tested for their own and others’ health.
“This event is useful because in college we have so much freedom and have sex regularly,” sophomore pre-nursing major Esther Jo said.
Some students said they appreciated the services that came with the event.
“It’s awesome to combine awareness and accessibility,” sophomore studio art major Ana Krish said. “[Student Health Services] is right on campus.”
Even so, some students said that some communities, like religious groups, don’t like the idea of giving away condoms because it is thought to promote sex.
“You can’t appeal to everyone,” Carla Torres, a senior sociology major, said. “I support it all the way. It’s all about choices. It seems more taboo for women to speak about it. But that’s what we’re here for: to learn how to take care of our bodies.”
Students can email Project Choice for more information on HIV at projectchoicecsulb@gmail.com or visit their Facebook.
