The Real Dragwives of Prevention

Jose Ramos, the head of the Los Angeles based Impulse group, talks about why the use of condoms is still urgent. According to Ramos, although HIV has decreased in the United States, it has increased among persons aged 18-19 years-old (16.5 percent), 20-21 years-old (28.6 percent), with the highest rate in those aged 22-23 years (31.7 percent).  African Americans accounted for the highest number and rate of HIV diagnoses at about 40 percent, followed by Hispanic/Latinos at around 22 percent."

Ramos continues, "Among these demographics, HIV is thriving. There has been an increase in all STDs by over 100 percent. Syphilis,  Gonorrhea and chlamydia continue to rise. Impulse believes in overall health. Health beyond HIV. Condoms are the easiest way to protect yourself. Part of Impulse Group's prevention strategy is  an initiative called Condoms in the Community.  We have condom dispensers in most popular gay bars and sex clubs in the United States. We give out over 800,000 condoms a year. This means that many people are grabbing them yearly. That's a huge number considering is only what Impulse tracks."

Ramos believes the notion than no one uses condoms is incorrect. 

Ramos and his team at Impulse love the Housewives and all their drama.  Ramos  thought with so many prevention strategies who all seem to argue they are the best way of prevention it would be fun to create a Drag queen to represent them. "We need to educate without being a drag and who better to do that than drag queens!"

Ramos doesn't find the challenge of getting people to use condoms a losing battle.  "People are using them more than we think and we have to encourage their use."

Many of us, he says, "live in big cities and our perception is not always reality. "I constantly hear friends say, 'E'veryone is on PrEP!' For a while I started to believe it because my friends in New York City, San Francisco, and Miami were saying the same thing."

Ramos concludes, "An estimated 136,000 people are on PrEP in the U.S. PrEP use remains largely limited to white men 25 and older, meaning groups at the very highest risk of HIV are likely not benefiting."

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