Two years ago today — World AIDS Day — Tom Donohue began to speak out about being HIV-positive.
Donohue, 26 years old and founder of Who's Positive, a nonprofit AIDS awareness organization, first found out he was HIV-positive in October 2003. Since then, he has been bringing awareness to the issue through his program, "Who's Positive."
"I try to bring my story and others' stories to our peers," Donohue said. "I believe the humanizing of HIV is very important."
Donohue is scheduled to speak at 7:30 tonight in the Weasler Auditorium. The event is sponsored by Watumishi, a student organization dedicated to promoting AIDS awareness.
There will be free, anonymous HIV testing by the Brady East STD clinic, 1240 E. Brady St., following the presentation, said Tim Kummer, co-chair of Watumishi and a junior in the College of Nursing.
"I'm not an educator, I'm an individual just like everyone else," Donohue said. "This is an opportunity for me to make a difference while I'm alive, while I have the ability to make a difference."
Kummer said the decision to bring Donohue to Marquette was sparked when members of Watumishi met Donohue at the Student March Against AIDS rally in Washington, D.C., in February.
"The fact that he's close to us in age and can relate to us makes him an effective speaker," Kummer said.
The event is a component of Watumishi's goals to educate the public about HIV/AIDS.
"If people understand the nature of HIV/AIDS, that can (help) stop the spread," said Alicia Fleming, secretary for Watumishi and a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences. "If people are informed, they can combat this disease and the prejudices against it."
A common stereotype centers around people not wanting to talk about the issue, which leads the community to think HIV/AIDS is not in their area, Donohue said.
"HIV/AIDS is the hidden nemesis that is prevalent everywhere, but that no one wants to talk about," Fleming said.
Milwaukee County has the highest number of reported AIDS cases in the state, according to Jim Vergeront, director of the HIV/AIDS program for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services.
"This issue affects college students in more ways than they think," Kummer said. "This is not a disease that only affects Africa; it's here on our campus."
According to Donohue, one in every 500 college students is HIV-positive, but one-fourth of those people do not know they are positive.
In total, there are 40,000 new HIV infections in the United States each year, Vergeront said.
While Donohue promotes abstinence as the one absolute way of protecting oneself against contracting AIDS, he said the government needs to be more active in sex education.
"The government needs to understand that not everyone our age chooses to stay abstinent," he said. "Sex education is very important for not only college students, but high school students. We need to reach out to high schools and start younger.
"It is important to be vigilant of your HIV status, especially when you're sexually active," Donohue said. "No matter how long you're in a relationship, if you're sexually active you're at risk. You don't know 100 percent what your partner is doing."
The earlier people know their status, the better you can take care of yourself, Donohue said.
"One moment of passion, one moment of intimacy, one moment of irresponsibility can change your whole life," he said. "Not only are you infected, but everyone else around you is affected."