VOA标准英语2012--Young People Navigate Relationships, Romance and HIV

 

Young People Navigate¹ Relationships, Romance and HIV

The exercise in this panel discussion: whether to disclose HIV status in a hypothetical relationship. Red means no, green means yes and yellow means maybe.

There's a variety of responses in the scenario².

Jahlove Serrano, an entertainer from New York City, says there is a lot to consider. "Do I need to disclose this soon? Am I close to putting my partner at risk? Is our relationship ready for sex?" he pondered.

The young panelists have faced the dilemma³ about disclosing their HIV-status. "When I date, I openly disclose a soon as I meet somebody, just hoping they'll give me the same respect and tell me if they're dealing⁴ with anything else or anything I should be aware of that could probably compromise my health even more," Serrano clarified.

Cristina Jade⁵ Pe?a, who studies public policy in California, recalls the conversation with her first boyfriend, back when they were teenagers. "I sat down with him and told him and it took a long time. It was a long conversation and he picked me up for a date the next day and we've been together ever since," she recalled.

That's 11 years and counting. It's proof that, with proper precautions, young people with HIV can have fulfilling relationships with partners who aren't infected.

"As a teenager or as a young adult who is sexually active, HIV changes its meaning. It's no longer just your disease," said Pe?a. "You have to be mindful of your partner or your potential partner, or at least that's the way I saw it at that age."

Dee Borrego, a transgender woman who lives in Boston, says disclosing can pose dangers and also complicate⁶ relationships. "There are a lot of things that can come along with it, like feeling pressure or feeling guilt⁷ or feeling anxiety. It can be an overwhelming process," she stated.

These youth advocates were born in the 1980s, when HIV/AIDS was a new, baffling disease. They have lived with HIV for much of their lives, or, in Pe?a's case, all her life. She was born HIV-positive.

"My mom told me about my status when I was nine years old. I asked my mom, 'Can I talk about it?' and at the time it was advised not to be open about your status," Pe?a explained.

She began to speak at HIV-related fundraisers away from her hometown in order to maintain her privacy.

Pe?a now devotes much of her time to educating people. "There's this in-between from a child to young adult and there's all these challenges and barriers and circumstances that aren't being addressed or I felt weren't being addressed enough," she said.

She's part of the first generation to navigate a lifetime with HIV. "What does it mean to be on antiretrovirals our whole life? What happens to us with the side effects? A lot of people can't answer these questions because there are no answers yet," Pe?a added.

Answers that could come from a young woman who doctors didn't think would live past age five.

"Then it was 18. And, at this point, I'm looking at living until 99," said Pe?a. "I don't know if I want to live to 100, but 99 sounds like a nice number."

Nearly five-and-a-half million young people around the world are living with HIV, and almost half of all new infections are among people under the age of 25. 

1 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

2 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

3 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

6 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

7 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。