The struggles to raise awareness and erase the stigma are even more difficult in developing nations such as South Africa, India, and the Philippines. It is for this reason that MTV launched a worldwide initiative called “Staying Alive” in 1998 to promote safe sex and fight the stigma. Every year MTV spends more than $50 million on the Staying Alive initiative and as a result it has become the largest campaign promoting HIV awareness and prevention. The initiative has attracted the support of celebrities and world leaders, including, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Rowland, and many others. The latest celebrity to join the cause is Travis McCoy, lead singer of Gym Class Heroes, who has been named a Staying Alive Foundation Ambassador.

Travis tells Teen Scene that he couldn’t help but want to get involved as the Foundation “really struck a chord with me.” At 11 years old, Travis was personally struck by the devastation of HIV/AIDS after a close family member died from the disease. He explained to us his difficulty dealing with the death because he was forced to hide his true emotions due to the stigma of HIV/AIDS in the early 90’s. “Being so young and now knowing so much about it, there are all sorts of stigmas that not only me, but my family can brush them under the rug now.  Kids can be very cruel and my peers at the time would have given [me] the scarlet letter.  ‘Travis knew someone that died from AIDS, so he probably has AIDS.’ With that being said, there was a tremendous amount of guilt hiding that I had a friend that passed from that disease.  If you love someone – no matter what they die of – you shouldn’t be afraid.”

In late 2009, Travis traveled around the world to spread the message of Staying Alive, visiting some of the countries hit hardest by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. He describes the trip as being a “personal journey” and one that “shocked” him. “It was really shocking and sad to see all of these countries and communities, and the adversity that the people face on a day-to-day basis.  But they had the biggest smiles, and were just happy to be alive.  It made me look back on life in America and how we take things for granted. There were young kids playing with a soccer ball made out of bread bags, and they were having the greatest time.  It made me think about how some kids here get so upset if they can’t get the latest video game, when they should feel so fortunate for everything they have.”

So, what can be done to help spread awareness, prevent future HIV infections, and stop the discrimination against those already infected? Well, first of all, in the United States we need to make some adjustments to our education system. The failed abstinence-only programs of the Bush administration (’01-’09) must be eliminated and instead we need to focus on improving sex education classes. Travis told us about his own frustrations with this issue, “When I went to the Philippines, I was amazed how young sexual education started there.  In school, I remember learning about sexual health in late junior high or high school.  And in reality, that’s really around the time that kids do start having sex.  Education in the U.S. needs to start at an earlier age to prevent the growing number of teen pregnancies and people affected by HIV and AIDS.” Along with improvements to sex education in schools, we must make a conscious effort to end the stigma of HIV/AIDS and, most importantly, always practice safe sex.

If you would like to join Travis in helping spread the message of Staying Alive, there are a number of ways to do so. Travis recorded a song titled, “One at a Time,” in honor of World AIDS Day. The track is available on iTunes and 100% of the proceeds are going to Staying Alive, which helps them to continue to support and fund their grantees across the globe. You can also go to www.theunbeatentrack.com and www.staying-alive.org to find out more information about the Foundation, how to get involved, as well as ways that you can protect yourself from catching the disease.

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