This year marks the 30th anniversary of the discovery of AIDS. First noticed as a rare “cancer” afflicting gay men in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City in 1981, HIV/AIDS — then known as Gay Related Immune Deficiency (GRID) — has since spread across the entire nation and the entire globe.

It transcends sexual orientation, race, gender, class, religion and any other form of human division. To date, more than 34 million people are estimated to be living with HIV, and more than 25 million already have died from this disease. Yet, with more than 60 million people having been infected, social attitudes have hardly improved since the days of GRID.”

Unfortunately, the disease is still wrapped in an enigma of shame, discrimination, irrational fear and absurd misconceptions. These misconceptions are what the student group FACE AIDS seeks to eliminate. Ultimately, we dream of an AIDS-free generation in our lifetime. But until then, we hope to alleviate some of the social suffering HIV-positive people must endure, which some have argued is worse than the disease itself.

Perhaps some of the most common misconceptions about HIV/AIDS are regarding its transmission, though the transmissibility of HIV/AIDS is actually relatively simple. HIV is only transmitted by four bodily fluids: blood, semen, vaginal fluid and breast milk.

There has been some debate as to whether it is transmissible through kissing, but there have been no confirmed cases of this ever happening. This myth likely originated in the fact that saliva can be tested for HIV.

This test, however, tests for the antibodies that one’s body creates in response to HIV infection, and not the actual virus itself. Of course, it is a requirement that the virus itself be present for one to contract HIV. Likewise, HIV is not transmissible by sharing drinks, eating utensils or casual contact.

A misconception we must break is that AIDS is a gay disease. Yes, homosexual men do represent more than their fair share of HIV cases in the U.S. (57 percent), but this is just in the U.S. and other Western countries. Globally, HIV infects far more heterosexuals than homosexuals — particularly in Africa, which houses more than half of all current infections. But even within the United States, 57 percent is only a little more than half ­— meaning that almost half of all cases are among heterosexuals.

Since HIV still is so heavily regarded as a gay disease, though, and there are other forms of contraceptives to prevent pregnancy, this gap is quickly closing. Believing HIV to be a gay disease only fuels the spread of HIV in the heterosexual community. Even when one does acknowledge that HIV is also a heterosexual disease, many are convinced that they would be able to tell if their partner had HIV. This is not true. Indeed, 20 percent of people in the U.S. who are estimated to be HIV positive do not know their own status. One of the biggest challenges to fighting HIV is that it does not manifest itself with any symptoms for up to 10 years.

People with HIV look just like you and me. One out of every 300 people in the U.S. is HIV positive. With roughly 30,000 students, faculty and staff at OU, chances are you’ve met someone living with HIV.

But the most important thing to know is that AIDS is a winnable battle. All it takes to end HIV is knowing your status.

If you’re negative, you can take very simple precautions to remain negative. If you are positive you can help protect others and have a fighting chance to live a long, active, fulfilling life. A recent study found that with Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, HIV is 96 percent less capable of being transmitted. Additionally, AIDS is no longer a death sentence, but only if one has access to life-saving antiretroviral treatment.

One day soon we will all graduate from OU and begin careers and families. Our children can be the first AIDS-free generation. So we ask you to join in our fight. All it takes to ensure the AIDS-free generation is regular testing and protecting yourself. You owe it to yourself to stay safe.

James Harris is a sociology and political science junior and the educational coordinator for OU FACE AIDS.