Condoms can be funny, especially when they’re given to you for free as you walk past Brotman Hall on your way to class.
At least that’s the reaction that Nick Morgan gets from various students as he gives out free packaged condoms and pamphlets filled with information about HIV and AIDS prevention. But Morgan doesn’t mind the looks or the little giggles. The college freshman, who recently tested positive for HIV, has made it his goal to inform as many students as possible.
“I’ve had friends ask me, ‘When are they going to fix it? or ‘How long did they give you to live?'” Morgan later told me over bottled waters at Starbucks. We discussed his involvment with the Long Beach AIDS Foundation and the Lamda Theta Phi-sponsored HIV Awareness Week. “I know that I can reach young kids around my age because they can relate to me,” Morgan said.
When most of us were trying to figure out which organizations to join, or what to do with the free time between classes during our freshman year, Morgan was trying to figure out ways to save young peoples’ lives.
As soon as he was diagnosed, Morgan took a proactive approach and decided to join the Long Beach AIDS Foundation as a volunteer.
He created the blog at Livingwithnotdyingfrom.blogspot.com, where he allows others into his life by writing about it. His main goal is to remove the stigma people may have about others living with HIV or AIDS. One of those stigmas is that people with HIV take a bunch of medicines and are always sick.
Morgan is not stopping at passing out free condoms and colorful pamphlets. By the time you read this, he will have already spoken at the HIV Awareness Week panel symposium.
“I’m going to it with an open mind,” Morgan said as he took a sip of water. “My goal is to influence, inspire, persuade and maybe just give a little face to it because it’s not talked about anymore.”
When Morgan says there’s a certain level of high school mentaility when talking about sexuality with some of his fellow college peers; I couldn’t agree more. “Condoms for spring break?” was his passing-out-condoms slogan.
Rather than stopping and getting more information, students would just sort of give a “No, thank you” look, giggle or completely ignore the guy.
In his recent tour d’Africa, Pope Benedict XVI said that passing out condoms doesn’t really resolve the HIV/AIDS problem. Like most of us who grew up in religious households already know, praying can only go so far when it comes to pregnancy, STDs and final exams.
I really hope that, aside from praying and practicing abstinence, you actually attended the HIV Awareness Week panel symposium and heard what Mr. Morgan and Co. had to say.
Or whatever.
-Julio Salgado