Due to your huge response to Staying Alive’s last vox pop, sex expert Francisco Ramirez is back – and hosting our most controversial vox pop to date. Check out his behind-the-scenes take on the upcoming video, and watch the teaser below.

I talk about sex, sexuality and HIV. Everyday. All the time. For the past 15 years.

I talk about it because by the time you finish reading this story, 10 more people will have become infected with the virus—one every 12 seconds. Yet despite this, the majority of folks (about 4 out of 5) still avoid testing regularly.

However, as much as I discuss HIV, I still have no solid answer to this million-dollar question: what will make each of us get up off our butts and get tested?

There is no one answer to this question because each of us – and our motives for testing – are so different. So, we hit the streets to hear your answers, straight from the horse’s mouth. Only thing is… this time around there’s a twist.

See, instead of asking the random person on the street, we flipped the script and put sex educators in the hot seat. As much as these educators counsel others, we wanted to know: when were they last tested? And what freaks them out about getting tested?

These questions are more controversial than you’d think for sex educators. That’s because many of us counselors work under an unspoken golden rule: never talk to your audience about your personal life and HIV. In theory, it helps those we counsel make their own life choices – regardless of the counselor’s. On the other hand, it allows us counselors to never have to get too personal. So, as we embarked on this vox pop, the big question on my mind was: would sex educators honestly open up to me – and our cameras – and get real about their personal lives? Well, lucky for me, they did.

Watch and you’ll hear the down and dirty truth from educators of all backgrounds. Some who get play – and tested – on a regular basis. Others who don’t always practice what they preach. And others still who have never been tested. Believe it or not, I found these responses refreshing – and I think you will too – because it reveals an undeniable truth: when it comes to sexual health, no one is perfect. Not me, not you, not even our hippest sex educators.

Often, we hear worn out messages telling us about “good behavior” vs. “bad behavior.” Good people, we’re told, use condoms, talk about HIV, and get tested. Bad people don’t. It turns out, though, we’re all really somewhere in between. And that’s A-OK.

So, I say it’s time for a “real deal” approach. Sure, maybe you haven’t been a saint in the past, but where are you right now, this very second? What’s got you worried about getting tested?

If you’re scared to get tested, you’re not alone. The question is, though, what do you do with that fear? Do you shut down and turn your back on testing, or do you take a deep breath and face it head on? My challenge to you: take 10 seconds—seriously—to stop with the I-know-I-shoulds and yeah-next-times, and weigh your own pros and cons for testing.

The first step can even be taking MTV Staying Alive’s HIV Testing Pledge Here

Watch the teaser below, and tell us what’s ever held YOU back from getting tested. Then stay tuned for Staying Alive’s second Vox Pop—dropping soon!

http://www.vimeo.com/17318211

Francisco Ramirez promotes sexual well-being for all people. As a global consultant, he works in HIV, sexual health, and media for organizations including the United Nations. Francisco regularly offers “Free Advice on Relationships, Sex & Dating” to passersby in New York City. Join his sexual revolution at http://franciscoramirez.org.