Thrift Stores Sell Shoppers on HIV Testing

It’s 6:30 on a Friday night and Bill, a 42-year-old TV writer from West Hollywood, is waiting to take an HIV test.

This is his six-month ritual, what he does to give himself and his partners some peace of mind.

But instead of waiting to hear his number called in a sterile hospital or clinic waiting room, Bill is sitting comfortably in a trendy West Hollywood thrift store. Swing music is blaring over the sound system and, in the back, a black motorcycle hangs from the ceiling. A lonely table sits below it with a sign reading: Free HIV Testing Tonight!

In 1997, Out of the Closet thrift stores, a chain based in Los Angeles and funded by the nonprofit AIDS Healthcare Foundation, began offering free HIV testing, a service now available in six of 17 stores.

Foundation officials say the stores’ $1.2 million in yearly profits help fund a nursing home and 13 HIV/AIDS clinics in California, Florida and New York.

“Our job is to end AIDS and stop the epidemic,” said Michael Weinstein, foundation president. “You can only do that through testing and prevention.”

Since 1981, 26,971 people have died of AIDS in Los Angeles County, and 16,000 others are living with the disease, the county Department of Health Services said.

AIDS disproportionately affects gay men, but in recent years it has spread increasingly among heterosexuals, particularly ethnic minorities.

Out of the Closet testing sites are placed in communities shown to have a higher incidence of HIV-positive results, said Karen Mall, who directs the foundation’s testing programs.

The newest store opened in September on Santa Monica Boulevard in the heart of the gay bar district. Bill had come to shop, but while thumbing through the racks of leather jackets, T-shirts and slacks, he noticed the posted sign. Thinking he was in the right place at the right time, he signed up.

“I thought, ‘I’m here. It’s time. Let’s do it,’ ” he said.

Because of the popularity of the testing at its thrift stores, the foundation has become one of the largest testing agencies in the county, Weinstein said. Last year the stores administered 7,000 tests.

The atmosphere there is less intimidating and the no-appointment-needed sign-ups are more convenient than what most hospitals or clinics offer, Weinstein said.

“We’ve changed the way people view HIV testing,” he said. “We’ve taken the scare out of it and made it a casual, everyday activity.”

Some who come into the store for testing are reluctant to provide their full name. No problem. Those who test can give their full name, first name, or an alias. No matter the preference, all results are kept confidential.

There’s also an added layer of comfort at the thrift stores, said Mall. Everyone--regardless of actual purpose--seems to be there to shop.

“They’re under a cloak of anonymity,” Mall said.

In its early years, thrift store testing was funded by the health foundation, but this year the county Office of AIDS Programs and Policy is picking up the $600,000 bill.

Nontraditional testing venues are important because they attract people especially concerned with maintaining anonymity, said Charles L. Henry, the county office’s director.

“There is the ability to reach significant at-risk populations--specifically men who have sex with men,” he said.

Bill, an affable man with piercing blue eyes and an easy smile, wasn’t too concerned about anyone seeing him sign up for testing. At the same time, he said, he preferred to give only his first name to Out of the Closet--and for this article--because the process “is something very private.”

For him, the threat of HIV and the stigma that comes with it are real. He refused to get tested for seven years. Although he watched too many of his friends down countless drug cocktails and explore experimental medical trials, Bill said he chose to live in ignorance rather than learn whether he had a life-threatening disease.

After a lot of soul searching, Bill decided in January that both he and his sexual partners needed to know his status.

“Even though I told myself I didn’t care, I knew in my subconscious it was really bothering me,” he said.

So far, the results have been good, and each and every time, the relief overwhelming. Bill places each “HIV-negative” test on his refrigerator door. That’s how he reminds himself that, as a gay man in his 40s, he’s lucky to have survived this long.

Still, the possibility of bad news, shouldn’t discourage anyone from getting tested, said Michael Garcia, 28, a counselor at the West Hollywood store. Knowing about infection can prevent spreading it to others.

An hour and a half into testing on that Friday night, Garcia had already told a man he had tested positive for HIV. Garcia said many who end up testing positive look pretty calm while they’re waiting to hear the results. Sadly, he said, those who ignore safer-sex practices know they face higher risk. They come and get their three-minute oral swab test. A week later, when results are available, they come prepared to hear the worst.

But the man who tested positive this day was clearly surprised, Garcia said. The man said he had not had sex for months. After learning his condition, he sat in silence for 10 minutes.

Therein lies the flip side of testing at the thrift stores. When people learn they are HIV-positive, they must steel themselves against the world before walking out into a festive store.

Still, Bill said, he’d prefer to hear his results at Out of the Closet.

“It’s a pleasant experience . . . as much as it can be,” he said.

Information on Out of the Closet stores and testing locations: (323) 860-5200.