“Like many in my generation, I came of age associating sex with illness and death.”

Those are the words of California State Sen. Scott Wiener in a piece he wrote in 2014 for The Huffington Post in which he explains why he chose to take Truvada, an antiviral pill, to reduce his risk of contracting HIV.

On this episode we are taking a look at what is being done about HIV/AIDS in Southern California. Sen. Scott Wiener joins us to expand on why he felt like going public about his use of a pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, medication and the legislation he authored to expand access to the medication.

According to the CDC, of the nearly 39,000 news cases of HIV diagnosed in 2017, African Americans accounted for 43 percent, despite the fact that they account for just 13 percent of the U.S. population. Minority AIDS Project CEO, Reverend Russell Thornhill, and Board Member, Reverend Leslie Burke, join us to talk about the impact this disease has on the African American community.

Craig E. Thompson, CEO of APLA Health, talks about the strides that have been made for people living with HIV/AIDS, what the life expectancy is now and what challenges those who are living with the disease face.

Actress, author and founder of The DIVA Foundation, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Executive Director of Project Angel Food, Richard Ayoub, talk about their annual event and how it helps the lives of those infected with HIV/AIDS.

Let Inside the Issues know your thoughts and watch Monday through Friday at 8 and 11 p.m. on Spectrum News 1.