About AIDS
An Urban Legend Re-appears
Fri., March 12, 1999
"Warning -- MUST READ
Be careful the next time you go to a cinema. These people could be anywhere!! An experience of a friend of my brother's wife left me speechless. Please send this to everyone you know. Some college girls went to see a movie at the Metro Cinema. During the show one of the girls felt a slight pinprick sensation but didn't pay much attention. When the spot started to itch, she scratched it and saw a bit of blood on her fingers, which she assumed she had caused. Leaving the theater, her friend noticed a sticker on the back of her dress reading "Welcome to the world of AIDS." She passed it off as a practical joke, but when she went for a blood test a couple of weeks later (just to be sure), she was HIV-positive. The police told her she was one of many such cases they had received. It seems the perpetrator uses a syringe to transfer a bit of his/her infected blood to the person sitting ahead of him/her. So, be careful ..."
Did you see the recent (awful) movie called Urban Legend, in which a deranged person acts out a variety of old tales? The "needle in the theater seat" is just a new twist on a scary story known as "AIDS Mary," which made the rounds about 10 years ago: A man has casual sex with a female stranger, then wakes up the next morning to find her gone and the words "Welcome to the world of AIDS" scrawled in lipstick on the bathroom mirror. Supposedly, she was infected by a man and in revenge is deliberately passing it to every guy she can seduce.
No, there aren't a bunch of demented people with AIDS running around Austin infecting folks, so don't be afraid to go to the movies! On the other hand, transmission of HIV through unprotected intercourse or shared needles is a dangerous possibility. Consistently choosing safety isn't nearly as sensational as the urban legend, but it's those "little" decisions that result in safety or risk. Play safe!
(for urban legend info, go to http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/weekly/).
--Sandy Bartlett, Community Information/Education Coordinator
AIDS Services of Austin
ASA Info Line: 458-AIDS
E-mail: ASA@fc.net
