VENEREAL DISEASE!

Sound scary? It is!

Venereal diseases are also
known as STDs. STDs are sexual-
ly transmitted diseases and they
are rapidly spreading throughout
our society. AIDS, gonorrhea,
syphillis, herpes, chlamydia and
genital warts are only a few
diseases that can affect anyone
who is sexually active.

This doesn’t just mean adults, it
includes teenagers as weil. If you
are sexually active, the risk is
there. If you have unprotected sex
you are at an even greater risk. If
you have multiple partners the
tisk is even hieher.

Just knowv: ; the names of
these diseases .5 not going to make
them go away. Knowing how
someone got them is not going to
raake them go away. Perhaps
knowing what these diseases. can
-do to someone who contracts
them may influence teens.

Gonorrhea can cause burning or
painful urination as well as a thick
yellow or white discharge from the
genitals, Women can experience
cramps in the lower abdomen and
nuore painful than usual menstrual
cycles.

If aot treated, both men and
women may suffer from damage
to the reproductive organs. If a
femaie becomes pregnant she can
then infect her child during birth.

Gonorrhea can’ cause heart
trouble and. skin diseases as wel!
as arthritis and blindness,

Chlamydia affects 5% to 10%
of the female population. You
may have symptoms such as it-
chirg, burning and bleeding from
the genitals.

“Women can have ectopic
pregnancies (pregnancy inside the
uterine tube) as well as pelvic in-
flammatory disease, which can be
very painful and can result in in-
fertility. Men can suffer from in-
fertility as well.

When syphillis occurs, a sore
will form at the area where the
micro-organism entered the body.
It goes away for a while, but this
can be followed by rashes, flu-
type symptoms, mouth sores, and
some hair loss. For some who
have not been treated, syphillis
may result in heart failure or in-
sanity.

‘ Herpes are sores that develop,
and usually cause itching, burning
or numbness around the genitals.
Blisters appear, only to dry up,
scab and fall off. Herpes can be
treated, but herpes cannot be
cured,

There is, as yet, no known cure
for AIDS.

Many people think if you talk
about safe sex among teens, this
will encourage sexual activity.
Chances are, kids are still going to
have sex, regardiess. Even if you
preach abstinence, many kids are
still going to engage in sexual ac-
tivity.

It is important to let them know
that they have a choice, but it is

even more important to make
them aware of the precautions
that they can take if they do
choose to have sex.

The statistics surrounding these
diseases are not enough to influ-
ence teens to use proper precau-
tions. Kids are still having un-
protected sex and getting STDs.

What follow are just a few star-
tling statistics surrounding AIDS.

As of Oct. 28, the Ministry of

Health quarterly AIDS update
points out the following:
© It has been estimated that there
have been approximately 5,000 to
8,000 British Columbia residenis
infected with HIV.
@ There have been 1,279 cases of
AIDS in B.C. through June 30,
since the first case was reported in
January 1983, and of this group,
891 have died.

On the North Shore, 197 indi-
viduals between the ages of 20 and
29 are HIV infected. Many of
these individuals were infected in
their teen years and were possibly
unaware of it.

Recently my family and I lost a
friend to AIDS. He caught the
virus by having unprotected sex. J
remember the changes I would see
in him.

At first you wouldn’: have
known he had AIDS. Years went
on and he started to get sick a lot.
Soon he lost weight, his strength,
and his eyesight.

It scared me. 1 don’t want to
end up dying because of having
sex. People think that only bad
and dirty people get AIDS, but he
wasn’t a bad person and neither
am I. If it happened to him, it
could. happen te me. That experi-
ence showed me the importance of
safer sex.

When I spoke with other teens
about their concerns, I got many
different responses. In many
cases, kids just didn’t want to talk
about it. Many teens feel that if
they have been going out with the
same person for a long time, there
is no need to practise safer sex.

How do they know that their
partner is not sleeping around? If
you sleep with someone, you ‘are
sleeping with everybody else that
person has ever slept with.

Male, 20: Nowadays, kids are
having sex at a much earlier age. }

Last week we asked about
homosexuality, if you know
any gays. or lesvians and how
you feel about that and last
week’s ZAP! article on the
subject.

The article in the paper was
really well done. Four years
ago, my sister told me that she
was gay and it didn’t change
our relationship at ali. I’ve got
two smali children; she loves
them dearly; we love her.

Startling stats show need for safe sex practices

think the idea of condoms in
schools is a whole new idea. You
have to ask yourself: if seeing
condoms in school every day, will
that put the idea in their heads
that they should be having sex?

1 think the importance of sex

has been lost. People don’t give
sex the importance thar they
should. I think teens need to
know how sex can change you as
a@ person, and what unprotected
sex can do to a person. It needs to
be talked about more.
Female, 17: It scares me to the
point where | am confused. [|
don’t like condoms though [ don’t
want to die or suffer from an
STD.

I don’t believe in abstinence;
that is not for me. | am hesitant
when I am about to engage in a
sexual activity because of all of
these diseases.

i don’t want to give up sex al!

together. I guess the only thing 1-
can do is use a condom every
time, limit my sexual partners and
hope it doesn’t happen to me.
Male, 16: It’s OK to have sex
without a ring on your finger but
without a condom, that's crazy. I
have too much to live for. I don’t
want to die or suffer for the rest
of my life.
Female, 18: Being a sexually ac-
tive teenager in the ’90s is very
tough. You must learn to balance
logical thinking with your raging:
hormones. The risk of A1DS and
other STDs is a major cencern of
mine.

Many of my friends I talk to at
school seem to think, ‘‘It will
never happen to me.’’? However, I
know many girls who changed
their attitude after being pro-
miscuous and contracting an STD
or becoming pregnant.

Personally, I do practise safe
sex and I also try to have long-
term monogamous relationships to
protect myself from contracting
any STDs. Personally, it is aiso a
moral issue not to be promiscuous
and J am selective about who I
become sexually active with.

Overall, I believe that many
teens my age do not realize the
risk they are taking when they hop
in the sack with someone. How-
ever, within five years, my genera-
tion will have to deal with the
decisions they made when . they
were horny teenagers and live with
these decisions for the rest of their
lives.

Male, 18: It ain’t going to happen
to me. I know who I sleep with. I
think this whole thing is blown
out of proportion, It doesn’t hap-
pen as often as peoples think.

Male, 17: Of course I believe in
having safe sex. You have to have
a responsible attitude and be able
to talk to one another. Without
communication I don’t think you
are ready to have sex.

Female, 16: I feel safe sex is the
best way to have sex and tie only
way. But what is seal safe sex?

They say there is no real safe
sex even when you’re on the pill

I think everyone is entitled to
their own opinion. I have a
friend who is bisexual, and it
took him a while to tell me.
But [ always suspected that he
might have been. But I said
that I could deal with it if he
was. When he did tell me, I
didn’t know what to say — 3
was definitely in shock. I still
see him as a friend and treat
him just the same.

Fim not really sure how I

MANY TEENS are sexually” ace
live, many have unprotected sex.
Although it’s been talked about,
North Shore schools don‘t have
condom machines. Do you think
they should be installed? Do you
think having them would = en-
courage you to have sex?

Phote Taya Mathias

SEXUALLY ACTIVE teenagera should te aware of the dangers
involved, and know that taking precautions is importent In to-

day’s society where STDs are comsnon.

or using condoms. There is always
the chance. I do praciise safe sex
by using condoms and birth con-
trol pills. I practise safe sex
because I [ove my boyfriend and 1
love myself.

There are stil many teens who
are not practising safer sex. Most
teens that I spoke with who had
unsafe or unprotected sex were
pressured into it. It works buth
ways with both males and fe-
malcs.

I feel if someone tries to talk
you into «caing something you
don’t want to, then maybe they
aren’t as sincere as you think. So
why bother having sex with them
in the first place?

If they are not’ concerned about
their own well-being, what makes
you think they would be concezn-
ed about yours? Many people
think that having unprotected sex
just once won’t hurt, but it’s like
Russian roulette; there’s always a
chance. It only takes one bullet.

These are risks that don’t need

would feel if one of my friends
told me that they were gay. I
guess ¥ wouldn't like it.

1 think homosexuals are fine.
I worked on a play, where half
the crew was transvestite. I
think it's OK. If a good friend
told me that they are
homosexual, I'd say fine. I
wouldn't care, it doesn’t make
a difference, they're all human.

I personally don’t have a

to be taken. Although condoms
axe not 100% safe, they greatly
reduce the risk. Most people den’t
even know when they have an
STD because there are often no
symptoms.

Growing up is about learning,
exploring and taking risks. When
the degree of risk has already been
proven, why take the chance? ~

Has the message not gotten.

through? Do we really think we
ase immortal? Do we think it.will
not happen to us, that it’s some-
one else’s problem or it will go
away?

Our bodies are very precious to
us for the simple reason that we
only get one.

We must learn to love and pro-
tect ourselves. I don’: want to see
any of my family or friends get
hurt by having to face an STD.

Why let something upset and
hurt us when it can be prevented?

Youth Views is written ccopera-
tively by the students of
Sutherland secondary school’s
video production career prepara-
tion course.

problem with gays and les-
biaus. I think they should be
able to do what they want
without the fear of their life,
and life is sc short anyway. }
do xzow people who have
problems because ‘‘it’s not part
of God's plan.”’ I figure that if
you're on this earth, then God
has to put you here for a
reason. Sa I don’t really have a
problem and I think that they
shauld be able to do whatever
they want.

Meg hd gpl F WANT EG les en taN NE eta ho Ey ae hie oe oe ge |

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