Today is National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Today is National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and cities all over the country are having events to raise awareness and funds. One major public health issue among API communities is stigma. It's so taboo to talk about — or even think about — HIV/AIDS that two-thirds of Asians in America have never been tested and one in three HIV-positive Asians and Pacific Islanders don't even know they have it. Asian males were the fastest growing population of people with HIV between 2001-2004. When I first moved to San Francisco, I began volunteering at the API Wellness Center, where Asian men and women talk openly about sex, disease, and sexual orientation. It's also, in my opinion, one of the best places to get tested in San Francisco. I'm going to be at the Bloom fundraiser tonight in San Francisco. Come join us!