Steamworks, the bathhouse in Chicago, is doing something really incredible in the fight against AIDS. The club, which also operates clubs in San Juan, Toronto, and Berkeley, will begin free genotype testing for any man who tests positive for HIV.
For those who don’t know what genotype testing, read below:
Genotype testing is a process by which doctors can isolate what drugs will work on a specific virus, significantly cutting down on the trial-and-error method of prescribing a suitable treatment that doctors–and more important, HIV patients–would otherwise have to deal with. “It’s a snapshot of where your virus is at–where your resistance is–and it eliminates a lot of the guesswork,” says Kant. “I want to stress the importance of this. People in a low-income situation can now have this test without having to push and shove and beg and borrow to be able to benefit from this extremely expensive technology.”
Not that we’ve been to a sex club or anything (yeah, right) but we’re just a little confused as to how the process will work. Will testing occur before or after checking your clothes? Will the doctors be on hand at 4am? Will the testing be a buzzkill to some of the party boys?
We’ll have to wait and see.
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Steamworks [Official Site]
Seven Days in Chicago [New City Chicago]
