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When are you going to get it?

Atlanta, Georgia; created by AIDS Atlanta, date unknown (likely late 1980s)

All about STIs

What is an STI?

STI stands for sexually transmitted or sexually transmissible infection. The latter is sometimes used to call attention to the fact that STIs are not always exclusively passed on through sex.

STI vs STD

Another term you might have heard floating around is STD - sexually transmitted disease. While the two terms might sound interchangeable, they actually refer to different things.

From the moment you become infected, you have a sexually transmitted infection. The term sexually transmitted disease only comes into play once symptoms appear. Since with some STIs, symptoms can take years to appear (or they might not appear at all!), STI is the more inclusive, and therefore prefered term.

STI vs STD

Here's a handy graph for you:

Sexually transmitted infection

Sexually transmitted disease

Onset of symptoms

Infection

Stopping the stigma

HIV/AIDS

HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system over time if left untreated, leading to the disease AIDS.

The two acronyms stand for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) respectively, while HIV/AIDS is used when talking about both the infection and the resulting disease.

The Facts

Transmission: Direct contact with certain infectious bodily fluids (blood, semen and pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, breast milk)

HIV can be transmitted via anal and vaginal sex. Infection through oral sex is possible, but unlikely. Sharing needles or other drug injection equipment also bears a risk. Having other STIs makes you more susceptible. HIV can also be passed on during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

HIV cannot be spread by air, water, mosquitoes, saliva, holding hands, hugging, sharing cutlery, or using the same toilet. If an infection is not detectable, it also isn't transmissible. (U=U)

Symptoms: An HIV infection has three stages:

Acute HIV infection - 2-4 weeks after becoming infected. Flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, or a rash appear.
Chronic HIV infection - Viruses continue to multiply at a slower rate. If not treated, the infection advances to AIDS after about 10 years, sometimes more, sometimes less. Typically there are no HIV-related symptoms during this period.
AIDS - The immune system is severely compromised, leaving the body vulnerable to diseases that would otherwise never have occured (=opportunistic infections). Common symptoms during this stage include weight loss, fatigue, chills, and constant white spots or lesions on the tongue or in the mouth.

Prevention & Treatment: HIV can be prevented by using a condom, communicating with your partner(s), getting tested regularly, and practicing safer drug use. Other options specific to HIV are PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (Post-exposure prophylaxis), two types of medication that can be taken before (PrEP) or after (PEP) exposure, if necessary.

At the moment, an HIV infection generally still cannot be cured, but it can be treated with anti-retroviral therapy (ART), turning it into a manageable chronic condition. Individuals who take ART generally have a life expectancy close to that of a non-infected person and cannot transmit HIV.

Remember: Not everyone with HIV also has AIDS, but everyone who has AIDS is HIV-positive.

ALL ABOUT

HIV/AIDS

Click through the slideshow to learn more about HIV/AIDS and its effects.

SILENCE = DEATH!

A short history of the AIDS movement

In 1981, HIV/AIDS was still an unnamed, undefined threat.

With many initial cases being reported from gay men, it soon became tied to homosexuality and heavily stigmatized. This can be observed with many early terms for the disase: GRID (gay-related immune deficiency), homosexual syndrome, or gay plague.

One year later, in 1982, the term AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) was formally adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But as AIDS kept claiming victims, the government remained silent. Ronald Reagan, who was president at the time, only acknowledged the crisis in 1985, after over 12.000 people had died.

Particularly in queer and marginalized communitites, who were offered little to no support, AIDS was an unimaginable tragedy. A killer of youth, of promise and hope, of artists and musicians, of friends and lovers, of family and joy.

"IF I DIE OF AIDS - FORGET BURIAL - JUST DROP MY BODY ON THE STEPS OF THE FDA"

Message on the jacket of AIDS activist and artist David Wojnarowicz, worn at a 1988 demonstration at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarter

Breaking the silence

During the height of the AIDS crisis, activists and artists wrestled with themes of grief, shame, terror, and anger, desperate to fight against a system drenched in injustice, contempt, and ignorance.

In 1985, a 6-person collective was formed in NYC by Avram Finkelstein, Jorge Soccáras, Chris Lione, Charles Kreloff, Oliver Johnston, and Brian Howard. First designated for mutual support, the group quickly turned to political action.

"There was shouting, there was fist pounding and occasionally tears... Fear may have been the canvas for our conversations. But anger was definitely the paint."

Avram Finkelstein, "After Silence: A History of AIDS through Its Images"

ACT UP! FIGHT BACK! FIGHT AIDS!

Hoping to ignite the conversation and bring awareness to the growing crisis, Finkelstein suggested that they create a poster to hang up around NYC. The final product was rather ominous, as intended - a black background with a pink triangle at the center, and the words "SILENCE = DEATH" written below.

Soon after the group began wheat-pasting the poster around Manhattan, they became surrounded by a growing community that would later become the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP), which is still active today!.

The pink triangle

During the Nazi regime, homosexual prisoners in concentration camps were forced to wear a pink triangle on their uniforms. This original triangle was pointing downwards, rather than upwards like on the poster. The reason was a simple mistake, on account of one of the collective's members misremembering the symbol, but the group later decided to embrace the change.

There are actually a few more minor errors on the original poster, such as the FDA wrongly being referred to as the "Federal Drug Administration" rather than the "Food and Drug Administration".

The iconic pink triangle and the Silence = Death message continued to be used by many other artists and activists, such as Keith Haring, whose works have sadly largely been commercialized and sold for profit.

Along with the grief and the many wounds caused by the AIDS crisis, these symbols left a lasting impact on the queer liberation movement as a whole, and are still widely used today.

IGNORANCE = FEAR!

SILENCE = DEATH! FIGHT AIDS! ACT UP!

HIV/AIDS today

Between the early days of AIDS activism and now, much has changed. In many high-income countries, HIV/AIDS is no longer seen as a threat, but a problem to be managed. We have strategies for prevention, a solid treatment plan, good outcomes. But that's not the whole truth, is it?

Unfortunately, HIV/AIDS is still an ongoing crisis, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Up to 65% of the approximately 40.8 million HIV-positive individuals at the end of 2024 were designated as living in African regions.

With major global players like the United States dramatically reducing funding (and even refusing to celebrate World AIDS Day in 2025), the progress that activists and scientists have made is in danger of being reversed.

World AIDS Day

Established in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO), World AIDS Day is commemorated annually on December 1. Each year follows a specific theme. 2025's theme, for instance, was "Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response". World AIDS Day is a chance to mourn the lives that have been lost, discuss plans and strategies for the future, uplift affected individuals, and call attention to one fact: AIDS isn't over (but it could be).

To learn more about HIV/AIDS, you can visit

HPV

The Facts

Transmission: HPV spreads through close (skin-to-skin or mucous membrane) contact, usually during sex. It's also possible to become infected by touching an object or surface with the virus on it, such as a sex toy.

This means that you don't need to have penetrative sex to catch HPV, and condoms aren't a reliable method of protection.

Symptoms: Most HPV infections don't produce any symptoms or cause any trouble. But for the ones that do, there's a difference between high-risk and low-risk HPV types.

If you happen to become infected with a low-risk HPV type, you might develop genital warts, which usually present as a bump or group of bumps in the genital area.

A high-risk HPV type, on the other hand, can go on to cause changes within cell structures, eventually leading to cancer. There are no other symptoms, so you won't even notice. Common cancers caused by HPV include cervical cancer (the majority of cases are caused by HPV),

Prevention & Treatment: HIV can be prevented by using a condom, communicating with your partner(s), getting tested regularly, and practicing safer drug use. Other options specific to HIV are PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (Post-exposure prophylaxis), two medications that can be taken before (PrEP) or after (PEP) exposure, if necessary.

An HIV infection cannot be cured, but it can be treated with anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Individuals who take ART generally have a life expectancy close to that of a non-infected person and cannot transmit HIV.

HPV stands for Human Papillomavirus. Most sexually active people become infected with HPV at least once during their lives. While these infections are usually harmless, some can go on to cause genital warts or even cancer.

ALL ABOUT

HPV

Click through the slideshow to learn more about HPV and its effects.

GONORRHEA

The Facts

Transmission: Direct contact with certain infectious bodily fluids (blood, semen and pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, breast milk)

HIV can be transmitted via anal and vaginal sex. Infection through oral sex is possible, but unlikely. Sharing needles or other drug injection equipment also bears a risk. Having other STIs makes you more susceptible. HIV can also be passed on during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

HIV cannot be spread by air, water, mosquitoes, saliva, holding hands, hugging, sharing cutlery, or using the same toilet. If an infection is not detectable, it also isn't transmissible. (U=U)

Symptoms: An HIV infection has three stages:

Acute HIV infection - 2-4 weeks after becoming infected. Flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, or a rash appear.
Chronic HIV infection - Viruses continue to multiply at a slower rate. If not treated, the infection advances to AIDS after about 10 years, sometimes more, sometimes less. Typically there are no HIV-related symptoms during this period.
AIDS - The immune system is severely compromised, leaving the body vulnerable to diseases that would otherwise never have occured (=opportunistic infections). Common symptoms during this stage include weight loss, fatigue, chills, and constant white spots or lesions on the tongue or in the mouth.

Prevention & Treatment: HIV can be prevented by using a condom, communicating with your partner(s), getting tested regularly, and practicing safer drug use. Other options specific to HIV are PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (Post-exposure prophylaxis), two medications that can be taken before (PrEP) or after (PEP) exposure, if necessary.

An HIV infection cannot be cured, but it can be treated with anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Individuals who take ART generally have a life expectancy close to that of a non-infected person and cannot transmit HIV.

HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system over time if left untreated, leading to the disease AIDS.

The two acronyms stand for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) respectively.

ALL ABOUT

GONORRHEA

Click through the slideshow to learn more about HIV/AIDS and the movement surrounding it.

SYPHILIS