But the real story about Truvada and PrEP is why is so few people taking it?
We're coming up on three years after the FDA approved it.
I know that on the internet there are PrEP groups and
there's anecdotal information that it's increasing.
People have had an opportunity to hear about it and
they're not voting to swallow those pills.
The reason it has not been widely implemented is very complicated.
One just has to do with lack of information and education,
people just don't know about this.
The other thing that gets in the way of people accepting PrEP is that we're
talking about anal sex.
Chock Full o' Nuts!
A lot of doctors and
nurses are uncomfortable talking about anal sex and pleasure.
A lot of gay people are ashamed and
embarrassed to talk about the anal region as a source of pleasure and intimacy.
I think anything related to sex is going to be controversial.
People have a lot of judgement around other people's sexuality and their sexual
practices, and I think sex is such a powerful experience that we care about it.
I just wish that we could find ways to talk about it in less judgmental ways.
The most common misconception about the leather community, I believe, is that
we're all a bunch of filthy, awkward, kinky people that like hurting each other.
Which is not true.
I think that the leather community is probably the most sex positive community,
the most inclusive community, and the most well-educated community that is out there.
My company stands very closely behind new advances when it comes to sexual health.
Our mission is to alleviate misconceptions and to teach, and yes,
predominantly in regards to BDSM sex, because it's great.
So we're on the infamous fourth floor at Kink.com at the San Francisco Armory,
and here you see a great closet full of toys that
the kinky person will know what all of this is for.
Oh God, what is all of this?
I'm probably the least kinky person in this building, quite honestly.
Well I've worked in HIV non-profit as a volunteer for
about 10 years between Berlin, London, and the United States.
So with that, when PrEP rolled around, I wanted to bring proper education and
knowledge to the people, letting them know on a level that is easy for
them to understand.
So I've hosted about 27 PrEP panels between the US, Canada, and
Europe in the last six months, really.
Who knows how HIV is transmitted?
Blood. Blood.
Blood's one, what else?
Semen.
Why did that come so fast?
I get it!
Just today, 137 people in this country will get HIV, and
my question is, what are we really doing today to stop this?
Are we really looking at sexual health in schools?
Are we really thinking about what is it all that we can do?
I think PrEP is a huge, huge mover in this, because for
the first time ever do we have an actual choice that is relevant to how I have sex.
I'm doing fine, I'm doing fine.
I understand you wanna talk about PrEP today.
Yes.
I've had between 115 and 120 people at this point.
It's hard to keep track because every day I'm writing more prescriptions, and
I haven't seen a single serum conversion,
converted from HIV negative to HIV positive.
Just for reference, Dr. Howard Grossman here in New York City currently has 115
to 120 patients currently on Truvada without a single serum conversion to date.
How do you respond to that?
That's great!
Yeah, but what's the nature of his clientele?
Is it young, poor African-Americans and
Latinos or is it wealthy,
professional Upper West Side people.
Some people have said that PrEP is a affluent, white men's drug.
I haven't seen that as the case.
Now, I'm not saying that it may not be true.
Let me go back.
PrEP unfortunately has made it clear that there are health disparities and
healthcare disparities.
Disparities in access to good information, and
sadly we are seeing that prep is rolling out primarily among well-resourced,
relatively privileged people.
HIV bears a disproportionate burden on communities of color.
As well, our communities, black and brown communities,
lack the access that our white counterparts have to healthcare.
Harlem United has a rich history in doing HIV prevention for communities of color.
PrEP was sort of a natural and logical extension of that work.
Ready?
PrEP is more than just the pill.
PrEP involves the cost of care and
resources involved in getting care to folks.
So, it's the lab work, the testing, and the cost of visits
has to be accounted for when you're tying to make PrEP accessible to people.
What we know is we have the tools.
We have condoms, we have education, now we have PrEP, and
that is not to say that everybody is gonna be on PrEP.
Certainly, PrEP is not for everyone, but
what I wanna convey is that it's an option for everyone.
I have a few questions that I had laid out.
The first one is, given the recommendations put forth by
New York State's Ending the Epidemic Task Force.
I am a member representing Harlem United
of Governor Cuomo's Ending the Epidemic Task Force.
He wanted to initiate a plan to end AIDS by 2020,
and he wanted that plan to be framed in three main pillars.
One, Make sure all New Yorkers are tested for HIV and know their status.
Two, anybody who's HIV positive can be linked and retained in care.
And three, facilitate access to PrEP.
On paper, it looks wonderful, but
we all know that when you roll things out, they don't go as expected.
So a lot of what I'll be doing, is trying to listen to the community, and
figure out who is falling through the cracks, and who are we still not reaching?
We have a long night ahead today.
My name is Lorena Borjas.
I am Mexican.
Hispanic.
Latina.
I identify as a transgender woman.
I do community outreach.
I focus on the trans community.
Many of these girls that I reach out to don't know that [Truvada] exists so
there's a barrier to accessing these services.
This is going to get filmed for?
Forever.
Look at you.
Yes, it's a beautiful picture.
Well, the truth is that it's not easy.
To be a transgender woman, to be an immigrant, and
to not speak English is a very difficult problem.
Many of the clinics don't have translators.
They don't have the means to look after patients who speak Spanish.
So today, Monday, what we do is announce the program,
and register new people so that they can come to the clinic.
And in one way or another let them know our message.
Some people know about [Truvada] but they haven't got the information yet.
We should promote it more and take more information to people.