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September 27, 2010 is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD)—a day to not only bring attention to and promote understanding of the disproportionate burden of HIV among gay and bisexual men, but also to recommit ourselves to the fight to end this devastating epidemic.
The rate of new HIV infection in the U.S. is increasing among only one risk group: gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). More than half (57%) of those with new HIV infections in the U.S. each year and more than half (53%) of people living with HIV in the U.S. are gay or bisexual men or MSM who inject drugs. Vast disparities in infection rates exist across racial, ethnic, geographic, and age groups, and barriers to HIV testing result in a high proportion of infected men who are not aware of their infection.
A study that found almost 20% of gay men in major U.S. cities are HIV-positive may be troubling but it's not surprising in light of unsafe sexual practices, say Canadian experts.
Not only that, there's no reason to believe the situation is less alarming in Canada, they warn.
It's unclear what percentage of the male homosexual population in Alberta is infected with HIV, says Dr. Stan Houston, director of the northern Alberta HIV program.
The HIV epidemic in Europe, including the UK, is being fueled by the risky behaviour of young gay men, according to research published today.
Public messages and campaigns about the dangers of unsafe sex do not appear to be getting through to men who have sex with men, the researchers say – particularly the young ones.
By investigating the genetic profile of the virus in more than 500 newly screened patients over nine years, scientists in Belgium have identified clusters of people with type B virus – not the one that is most prevalent in Africa.
Those infected are almost all white, male, gay and young, they say. These men also tend to have other sexual diseases, such as syphillis, which suggests that they are involved in unsafe sexual behaviour and are not using condoms.
I'm at my wit's end with gay culture. Promiscuity and unsafe sex are rampant and fueling the spread of HIV. Gay culture has returned to the culture of death that it was in the 80s.
I'm at my wit's end with gay culture. Promiscuity and unsafe sex are rampant and fueling the spread of HIV. Gay culture has returned to the culture of death that it was in the 80s.
Promiscuity is a male thing, not a specifically gay male thing.
Well, for one we can stop listening to this kind of crap.I'm at my wit's end with gay culture. Promiscuity and unsafe sex are rampant and fueling the spread of HIV. Gay culture has returned to the culture of death that it was in the 80s.
There is a fatalism about it. Many of the gay men I meet nowadays believe that they are going to get the disease if they haven't already and have no desire to know whether they have the disease and are spreading it. As my gay roommate puts it, "I don't intend to live to old age." Even on Craigslist there are literally thousands of men seeking men for unsafe sex only.
What can you do about a culture that has become completely ambivalent to the disease it is helping carry and spread?
The antiviral medications that were hailed as the greatest innovation against the disease have aided in its spread by focusing efforts towards treatment rather than prevention. The medications do not last forever and eventually people do succumb to the virus at a younger age than they would had they not become infected.
The only solutions I can perceive at this point are monogamy or celibacy. Either you don't have sex or you only have sex within a committed relationship. At this point to be truly safe within a relationship gay men have to forgo unsafe sex with each other until both partners have been tested 6 months after their last sexual contact with someone outside the relationship. It can take up to 6 months for antibodies to show up on an HIV test.
I used to think condoms were an answer, but if you don't have one available or you unwisely choose to trust the person you are with then you still fall into trouble. The lack of spontaneity and the interruption of sexual activities also make condoms unattractive options. And then there is the difference of sensation.
What can be done?
Well, for one we can stop listening to this kind of crap.
All I see here are a pile of suppositions based on an admittedly slanted viewpoint
I personally am at MY wit's end dealing with people who seem to have all this knowledge about the gay community....culled from NARTH or FOF reports and one gay co-worker.
They are indeed, but the articles conveniently steer around some serious obstacles.Huh? Nothing I said came from NARTH or FOF? These are CDC reportts.
Better drug treatment at the community level. Methadone clinics open 24/7, rehab and re-entry (halfway houses, sober living and job placement) facilities available for all. HIV and dirty needles are best friends...if people feel they'll die anyway whether it's drugs or HIV that kills them, then that's where the epidemic can be stifled best.
Accuse me of pie-in-the-sky but it is what we need.
Regards from Rosie
They are indeed, but the articles conveniently steer around some serious obstacles.
One article said the rate of infection was increasing. Is it increasing because more men have come out as gay with the social stigma being lifted thereby moving people from the straight infected category to the gay infected category?
Logically, as our society has become more open to gays in the last several decades, the number of men willing to openly identify as gay will increase as the years go by.I have not seen any statistics that suggest that the number of men who openly identify as gay has dramatically increased, so I have no reason to believe that is a viable option.
Same Sex Marriage. Thats the answer.
Also proper sex education, with the horrid state of our countries sex education system it's hard enough for straight kids to know how to use a condom. But homosexuality is not discussed in today's schools alot of gays kids either tune out, or don't think that applies to them. Better sex education, means less STD's it's that simple.
Well, actually, it's not, you can be monogamous without marriage, and you can unfaithful in marriage.
That's the answer.
The answer? Madatory HIV testing, but it will never happen.
I'm at my wit's end with gay culture. Promiscuity and unsafe sex are rampant and fueling the spread of HIV. Gay culture has returned to the culture of death that it was in the 80s.
There is a fatalism about it. Many of the gay men I meet nowadays believe that they are going to get the disease if they haven't already and have no desire to know whether they have the disease and are spreading it. As my gay roommate puts it, "I don't intend to live to old age." Even on Craigslist there are literally thousands of men seeking men for unsafe sex only.
What can you do about a culture that has become completely ambivalent to the disease it is helping carry and spread?
The antiviral medications that were hailed as the greatest innovation against the disease have aided in its spread by focusing efforts towards treatment rather than prevention. The medications do not last forever and eventually people do succumb to the virus at a younger age than they would had they not become infected.
The only solutions I can perceive at this point are monogamy or celibacy. Either you don't have sex or you only have sex within a committed relationship. At this point to be truly safe within a relationship gay men have to forgo unsafe sex with each other until both partners have been tested 6 months after their last sexual contact with someone outside the relationship. It can take up to 6 months for antibodies to show up on an HIV test.
I used to think condoms were an answer, but if you don't have one available or you unwisely choose to trust the person you are with then you still fall into trouble. The lack of spontaneity and the interruption of sexual activities also make condoms unattractive options. And then there is the difference of sensation.
What can be done?
CDC: Gay, bisexual men account for more than 50% of HIV cases
foodconsumer.org - CDC: Gay, bisexual men account for more than 50% of HIV cases
Alberta expert fears HIV ambivalence
Alberta expert fears HIV ambivalence | Mindelle Jacobs | Columnists | Comment | Edmonton Sun
Young gay men fueling HIV epidemic, study warns
Young gay men fuelling HIV epidemic, study warns | Society | The Guardian
WTF..... Give me a break.
maybe if gays would actually admit that there was a freaking problem instead of trying to blame everything on homophobia and discrimination it might make a difference.
how's that old saying go? The first step to finding a cure/solution is admitting that you have a problem
There is a culture of victimization among gays. We need a survivor culture. We need gays to stand up to discrimination and sexual irresponsibility. In the memory of the people who fought very hard for the rights we enjoy now we need to fight just as hard against the depravity that has infected our own culture. Just because you are gay does not mean you have to be at a higher risk for HIV. If people are held accountable to know their status, to practice monogamy, and to practice safe sex outside of a relationship, then we would be at no greater risk.
There is no benefit in monogamy and marriage to homosexuals as long as they are meaningless gestures.
.
That's why you need to practice sexual responsibility on a personal level and not compromise that
You aren't going to see homosexuals conform to heterosexual norms like monogamy until you see society come to expect those norms by opening institutions like marriage up to them. There is no benefit in monogamy and marriage to homosexuals as long as they are meaningless gestures.
That's why you need to practice sexual responsibility on a personal level and not compromise that.
I reject the notion that marriage is the answer. If it were, then countries and states that have same sex marriage would exhibit lower rates of HIV. They don't. The answer has to come from within gay culture. It has to be a movement. We need to seek to not just be free from discrimination but free from disease.
The fact is that you are a bigot and a homophobe. That is a fact. Straight women get AIDS from there husbands that get it from somewhere.as I said, step 1: admit there is a problem.
all the scientific evidence clearly shows that men who have sex with men are at higher risk of HIV than any other demographic in the US. That is not homophobia or bigotry, just plain simple fact. saying "WTF...Give me a break" does nothing to change the facts OR help solve the problem.
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