Gays Not The Origin of HIV

After 25 years of speculation, an international scientific team has traced the origin of HIV to wild chimpanzees in a remote area of Cameroon, Africa. The first human to be infected with the virus is believed to be a hunter who came into contact (by bite or cut) with an infected chimp. In the early 80s, HIV was seen as a gay disease or a "rare cancer that affected homosexuals" as stated in the documentary Gay Sex in the 70s. So, why is the link between chimps and HIV an important discovery? In the wake of the AIDS pandemic, it's crucial that we all realize HIV/AIDS can affect anyone, not just gay people. And though there is still no cure for AIDS, learning the origin of the deadly virus may bring us one step closer to saving countless lives.

Read: International Scientific Team 'Confirms' Chimps Origin Of HIV
Know: How Can I Tell If I Have HIV?
Learn: HIV/AIDS Quick Facts
Live: Living with HIV and AIDS
Blog: Inside Tristin
Talk: "I decided recently that the most responsible and sensible thing to do would be to get an HIV test. It was my third time gettin tested, but the most nerve-wrecking because my past experience was the riskiest one I had experienced..." (read more)

_{Photo courtesy of Chad Littlejohn.}