AIDS AND DATING

AIDS, in my opinion, is the most terrible thing in the world!! Sex has become dangerous. I am HIV positive.

AIDS has provided new reasons for not having sex with someone you don't really know. If you are HIV positive or have AIDS, or are a widower who is only recently re-entering the dating arena, it is completely understandable that you might hesitate before sharing all this with someone you have just met. On the other hand, if you don't share your health status, have safer sex, and begin to date someone, it only gets more difficult to tell him any of these things as the relationship progresses. In addition, he may feel hurt, betrayed or distrustful of you if he learns about your health status after he has become emotionally and sexually involved with you.

My experience has been that men preferred to learn my HIV status before going to bed with me. Some men chose not to continue going out with me upon learning that I was HIV positive. As painful as that was at the time, I was glad that I hadn't slept with them and had the additional feelings that sex would have brought up since they were obviously not the kind of person I wanted to get seriously involved with.