Serene of the Oakland Serenes

Hmm. Not sure it's the norm here, either. I know that it's supposedly normal here to get tested when one is starting a new sexual relationship, but I know a lot of people don't. Me, I started doing regular testing when my friend was dying of AIDS and I was working at the AIDS Foundation, but I continue it as much out of habit and a feeling that it's a good thing than anything else. (In fact, when I started doing it, I wasn't sexually active or a drug user, so it was more symbolic than anything.)