[media-credit name=’Ben Smidt’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Twenty-six-year-old Ben Banks, who has been living with HIV since the age of two, spoke to a crowd of more than 100 University of Wisconsin students, faculty and medical professionals Thursday night to promote awareness of AIDS and honor World AIDS Day, which was observed Wednesday.

Banks, who spoke as part of the Spotlight Lecture Series, directed his speech toward college-aged individuals in hopes of educating a group that often feels “invincible.”

“My goal is to let you know it is a reality,” Banks said. “[HIV] is not a disease that discriminates.”

Brian Jenks, director of the Contemporary Issues Committee, said Banks’ young age was “crucial” because students could relate to Banks.

Jenks said awareness of AIDS at UW was “good, because we are a progressive campus, but we still need to do more work [to promote awareness].”

Banks said AIDS education is important because people are often infected with the disease and are unaware that they have it until several years later, when symptoms begin to show. This allows for a large window of time where the person could be passing the disease on to others, according to Banks.

Banks contracted the disease from an unclean needle used during a blood transfusion he received when he had cancer as a young child. The disease can also be contracted through unprotected sex with an infected person, infection during birth and transmission through blood, semen, breast milk and vaginal fluid.

The only protection is abstinence, safe sex and use of clean needles and syringes, according to Banks.

Danielle Abraham, a UW senior and coordinator of the lecture, said having Banks come to the UW to speak to students was important because it allowed students to hear about AIDS from someone who is living with HIV.

“You can only learn so much in the classroom,” Abraham said. “If the speaker makes an impact on one person in the room, [bringing Banks here] was worth it.”

Banks used an interactive demonstration with handouts to illustrate how a person who comes in contact with three people by having sex or sharing a needle is at high risk for contracting HIV.

By the end of Banks’ instructions, almost the entire room was left standing, representing their high risk of contracting the disease through sexual contact. Banks said alcohol plays a large role in the risk factor because college-aged people are more likely to engage in amorous activities they otherwise would not.

UW student Amy Martin said she found Banks’ reflection on his life living with HIV “inspirational” and possibly the highlight of the AIDS events on the UW campus.

“The disease is very much affecting us,” Martin said.

UW student and member of UW student organization Sex Out Loud Nina Woldenberg said the lecture on HIV was “a message that everyone on campus should hear.”

Banks closed his lecture by reminding people “HIV is a disease that is preventable.”