Ahhh the cherished and anticipated V-Day, chocolate covered strawberries, heart-shaped everything, dinning out and hopefully, getting laid! Ok, let me re-phrase that, making sweet love with your date… (Sigh) It’s all very lovely, a day of romance and adorations.

To me it’s all a crock.  Seriously who came up with such a brain-dead holiday?  In the Carry Bradshaw questioning modality, “and then I wonder?” do we limit our love, showing attention to detail to just one day? Are we really that desperate for love that we will only take one day out of the year?  I guess that is my problem with such holiday:  why limit to one day, why can’t we be the same every day?  Perhaps we do love our partners everyday, we make special dinners and go out to spend quality time, I know this actually happens.  But could it be that our partners do not see how attentive we are? Are we that programmed to only pay attention to those great details just on this day?

I totally have a problem with fabricated, commercially driven holidays.  I mean don’t get me wrong I love to get presents, but I prefer the “just because” surprises. I guess I am a different breed or are too cynical and jaded.  Maybe my valentine’s is every time I see my loved one, everyday that I get to hold, kiss and spend time with that lovely person.  I too love to give flowers and whisper sweet-nothings, you know all of that romantic crap. Yup I am cynical!! So the next time you get breakfast in bed for no apparent reason or flowers on your non-birthday know that you  are with someone that loves you or wants to get in your pants (ok, I need to stop!).

Ohh and whatever you do and whomever you do it with, please wear a condom. Condoms are available for free at your local health department, Planned Parenthood, Free Clinic, Community Health Centers, and/or STD, and HIV Service Provider. For more information to where to get HIV screened before Valentine’s Day go to our www.bttbp.org website and click on our resource link to search for a center near you.

I will leave you with this: there is nothing worse than V-Day than waking up on the 15th not knowing if you got more than chocolates…

Comments are welcome; we would love to read your thoughts on Valentines Day!

Gabby Leon,

Director of HIV Outreach