Every year during the month of April, advocates for sexual health ban together for the ‘Get Yourself Tested Campaign’ co-sponsored by MTV and Planned Parenthood. Once again, VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood at SU is reaching out to all of you. VOX, Planned Parenthood and other affiliate organizations are devoted to spreading the word about the importance of getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS and other infections.

Did you know that one in two people under the age of 25 contracts an STD?  The fact is most people don’t know this. Sexually transmitted diseases affect all communities.

Take a look here: In 2010, African-Americans made up 14 percent of the U.S. population but accounted for 46 percent of all new HIV infections. The rate of new HIV infections for African-American women is 20 times as high as that of white women and 4.5 times that of Latinas.

In the LGBTQ community, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men accounted for 61 percent of the new HIV infections in 2010, according to the Center for Disease Control.

Overall, young people aged 20-24 had the highest number and rate of HIV diagnoses of any age group in 2010.

These numbers are staggering. As young people, we need to say enough is enough and spread the word. Get yourself tested right here, right now. There is no reason that young people of all races, classes and sexual orientations should not have the same access to information and services.

Therefore, I am taking a stand to get myself tested and urge you to take one as well. Getting tested is a good thing, something you should be proud to tell your friends you did. By getting tested, you’re protecting yourself and your partners. But more importantly, you’re becoming a role model and destigmatizing what ‘get yourself tested’ means. Take a stand with me and get yourself tested this April.

If you’d like to learn more about where you can get yourself tested and/or how to receive reduced rates for services call Planned Parenthood: Syracuse Center 1120 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, N.Y. 13210, (866) 600-6886 

Erin Carhart

Class of 2014

Published on April 22, 2012 at 12:00 pm