Young people 18 to 25 years old are the fastest growing group of HIV-infected individuals, according to United Nations Population Fund.
To combat the trend, De Anza College’s Rainbow Club helped host an International World AIDS Day movie viewing and post-film dialogue on Dec. 6
“I didn’t know that AIDS affects college-aged students,” Maggie Elaine, anthropology major, said. “This was new to me. Raising awareness for everyone to get tested. That was a really important fact.
Free anonymous HIV testing centers are available. Name or identification will not be asked during the counseling and testing experience. Even if results come out HIV-positive, confidentiality is assured.
There are two outcomes of this procedure. A HIV-negative result implies either the individual is not infected with HIV or the individual has tested too early following the date of infection.
It can take anywhere from three to six months for the HIV antibodies to reach detectable levels. Thus, it’s important to get tested more than once following unsafe sex.
HIV-positive result confirms the individual has been infected with the virus. These viruses are then spread via blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk.
 According to a study conducted by Center for Disease Control, “90 percent perceived themselves at some risk for HIV infection, yet only 47 percent had been tested during the past year.”
Tara Swan, photography major, and vice president of the Rainbow Club said, “The term is tossed around so much but nobody knows the impact of it. It is one of the leading causes for gay men, especially those who are Latino and African American. It’s to build awareness.”
In 1977, the Food and Drug Administration mistook AIDS for a homosexual disease and officially restricted homosexuals from donating blood. Even today, health officials are required to ask all men whether they’ve engaged in any unprotected sex with other men.
“It needs to be changed,” said Swan. “It’s a stereotype that has been floating around the world. Just untrue stereotypes about the LGBT community, especially gay men. The idea that it’s just those in the LGBT community that have AIDS is absurd. It isn’t just those in the LGBT community.”
“[The law restricting homosexuals to donate is] wrong. Anybody can get AIDS, so that should be taken out,” Edgardo Ganarra, psychology major, said.