Gay Marriage and AIDS

[Grey Day for Elcia]

-snip-

Sadface.

Here are some truths. Gays do not have a higher risk of AIDS, considering what the disease actually is. AIDS means you have no immune system, which comes from a LOT of differencet factors recently lumped together. If you are malnourished, you are very likely to have a weak immune system and thus AIDS. Live in a bubble of disinfectant where you can't face germs and build immunity, AIDS. Take AIDS medication which is generally a cell terminator, you get AIDS.

All the people in Africa with AIDS did not get it from the lack of condoms, they got it from the lack of food and decent water. Many diseases can lead to a weak immune system. By definition, my little sister had AIDS when she had her kidney transplant since the medication suppressed her immune system to keep it from attacking the new kidney.

You can't get AIDS from being malnourished... Or from taking AIDS medication...

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

Gay men really DO have more chance to pass on HIV? I thought that was a myth. . .

It is a myth, please educate yourself.

http://www.cshor.org/aids-is-something-only-gay-people-encounter.php

Gay men are more likely to contract and pass on AIDS. It's a fact, not an idea or a myth.

"In many countries, men who have sex with men have been heavily affected by HIV and AIDS. HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men has been found to be as high as 25% in Ghana, 30% in Jamaica, 43% in coastal Kenya and 25% in Thailand. In the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many parts of Western Europe, more people have become infected with HIV through male-male sex than through any other transmission route." - [link]http://www.avert.org/gay-sex.htm[/link]

 

[demoman_chaos]

You can't get AIDS from being malnourished... Or from taking AIDS medication...

AIDS is simply the lack of an immune system. Not getting the nutrients your body needs can easily lead to your immune system dying out and thus AIDS.

HIV medication is a gene terminator. It boosts your T-Cell count by killing off cells which leads to the body creating an army (Essentially) to fight it off. With continued doses, it continues killing cells.

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

So... The logic here is saying that married people are sleeping around more than single people? I'm alo mindful that if homosexuals get AIDS more, it's because they are less likely to use condoms (how do you like that, anti-condom idiots (not directed toward anyone in particular))

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

You can't get AIDS from being malnourished... Or from taking AIDS medication...

AIDS is simply the lack of an immune system. Not getting the nutrients your body needs can easily lead to your immune system dying out and thus AIDS.

HIV medication is a gene terminator. It boosts your T-Cell count by killing off cells which leads to the body creating an army (Essentially) to fight it off. With continued doses, it continues killing cells.

No... You can lack a strong immune system, but AIDS is a disease passed on via blood.

"Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The illness interferes with the immune system, making people with AIDS much more likely to get infections, including opportunistic infections and tumors that do not affect people with working immune systems. This susceptibility gets worse as the disease continues.

HIV is transmitted in many ways, such as: sexual intercourse (including oral sex and anal sex); contaminated blood transfusions and hypodermic needles; and exchange between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. It can be transmitted by any contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid that has the virus in it, such as the blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, or breast milk from an infected person."

"Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus (a member of the retrovirus family) that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The four major routes of transmission are unsafe sex, contaminated needles, breast milk, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth (perinatal transmission). Screening of blood products for HIV has largely eliminated transmission through blood transfusions or infected blood products in the developed world."

[link]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS[/link]

[link]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV[/link]

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

So... The logic here is saying that married people are sleeping around more than single people? I'm alo mindful that if homosexuals get AIDS more, it's because they are less likely to use condoms (how do you like that, anti-condom idiots (not directed toward anyone in particular))

If you read the OP, it has very little to do with married couples. Read the topic through and then comment.

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

So... The logic here is saying that married people are sleeping around more than single people? I'm alo mindful that if homosexuals get AIDS more, it's because they are less likely to use condoms (how do you like that, anti-condom idiots (not directed toward anyone in particular))

If you read the OP, it has very little to do with married couples. Read the topic through and then comment.

I did read it. He mentions gay marriage a couple times, and talks about the possibility of a study about the corollation between gay marriage and HIV/AIDS rates. So it seems to have a lot to do with marriage. Maybe you should read it?

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

So... The logic here is saying that married people are sleeping around more than single people? I'm alo mindful that if homosexuals get AIDS more, it's because they are less likely to use condoms (how do you like that, anti-condom idiots (not directed toward anyone in particular))

If you read the OP, it has very little to do with married couples. Read the topic through and then comment.

I did read it. He mentions gay marriage a couple times, and talks about the possibility of a study about the corollation between gay marriage and HIV/AIDS rates. So it seems to have a lot to do with marriage. Maybe you should read it?

*she

I wrote it. I'm the OP. You must have paid lots of attention.

"The theory being that the de-demonizing (totally not a word, but whatever) of homosexuality and the awareness of a more general acceptance would cause more men (and women) to openly express themselves and feel less trepidation about embracing their sexuality."

And later:

"Wouldn't more general acceptance encourage more open behavior? For example, if playing D&D became "cool," wouldn't the people who pay D&D do it more and more openly? Wouldn't people who have thought about it, but never done it, also feel brave enough to give it a go? Many people fear "coming out" or even acting on their feelings at all. Gay people are still beaten, abused, disowned and murdered, sadly."

Yeah... Nice work reading that, lol.

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

So... The logic here is saying that married people are sleeping around more than single people? I'm alo mindful that if homosexuals get AIDS more, it's because they are less likely to use condoms (how do you like that, anti-condom idiots (not directed toward anyone in particular))

If you read the OP, it has very little to do with married couples. Read the topic through and then comment.

I did read it. He mentions gay marriage a couple times, and talks about the possibility of a study about the corollation between gay marriage and HIV/AIDS rates. So it seems to have a lot to do with marriage. Maybe you should read it?

*she

I wrote it. I'm the OP. You must have paid lots of attention.

"The theory being that the de-demonizing (totally not a word, but whatever) of homosexuality and the awareness of a more general acceptance would cause more men (and women) to openly express themselves and feel less trepidation about embracing their sexuality."

And later:

"Wouldn't more general acceptance encourage more open behavior? For example, if playing D&D became "cool," wouldn't the people who pay D&D do it more and more openly? Wouldn't people who have thought about it, but never done it, also feel brave enough to give it a go? Many people fear "coming out" or even acting on their feelings at all. Gay people are still beaten, abused, disowned and murdered, sadly."

Yeah... Nice work reading that, lol.

Woops. Ok my bad I am a total idiot. I read it but apparently I glossed over that important part. All I can say, then, is that even if gay marriage becomes legal (which I hope it does), I very much doubt it would sway people who are against into believing it's cool. Plenty of people don't think D&D is cool, but that doesn't stop many people from playing it. I know plenty of gay people who would be satisfied with being able to marry, regardless how some people think about it.

And again, I feel like an idiot, and I'm sorry

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

So... The logic here is saying that married people are sleeping around more than single people? I'm alo mindful that if homosexuals get AIDS more, it's because they are less likely to use condoms (how do you like that, anti-condom idiots (not directed toward anyone in particular))

If you read the OP, it has very little to do with married couples. Read the topic through and then comment.

I did read it. He mentions gay marriage a couple times, and talks about the possibility of a study about the corollation between gay marriage and HIV/AIDS rates. So it seems to have a lot to do with marriage. Maybe you should read it?

*she

I wrote it. I'm the OP. You must have paid lots of attention.

"The theory being that the de-demonizing (totally not a word, but whatever) of homosexuality and the awareness of a more general acceptance would cause more men (and women) to openly express themselves and feel less trepidation about embracing their sexuality."

And later:

"Wouldn't more general acceptance encourage more open behavior? For example, if playing D&D became "cool," wouldn't the people who pay D&D do it more and more openly? Wouldn't people who have thought about it, but never done it, also feel brave enough to give it a go? Many people fear "coming out" or even acting on their feelings at all. Gay people are still beaten, abused, disowned and murdered, sadly."

Yeah... Nice work reading that, lol.

Woops. Ok my bad I am a total idiot. I read it but apparently I glossed over that important part. All I can say, then, is that even if gay marriage becomes legal (which I hope it does), I very much doubt it would sway people who are against into believing it's cool. Plenty of people don't think D&D is cool, but that doesn't stop many people from playing it. I know plenty of gay people who would be satisfied with being able to marry, regardless how some people think about it.

And again, I feel like an idiot, and I'm sorry

We agree on one thing: people need to get the fuck out of other people's business and let others marry any adult they want. Why do so many people not understand this? Lol.

Seriously, "how will it hurt you?" Any time someone says they are against gay marriage, ask them that. Silly people!

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

So... The logic here is saying that married people are sleeping around more than single people? I'm alo mindful that if homosexuals get AIDS more, it's because they are less likely to use condoms (how do you like that, anti-condom idiots (not directed toward anyone in particular))

If you read the OP, it has very little to do with married couples. Read the topic through and then comment.

I did read it. He mentions gay marriage a couple times, and talks about the possibility of a study about the corollation between gay marriage and HIV/AIDS rates. So it seems to have a lot to do with marriage. Maybe you should read it?

*she

I wrote it. I'm the OP. You must have paid lots of attention.

"The theory being that the de-demonizing (totally not a word, but whatever) of homosexuality and the awareness of a more general acceptance would cause more men (and women) to openly express themselves and feel less trepidation about embracing their sexuality."

And later:

"Wouldn't more general acceptance encourage more open behavior? For example, if playing D&D became "cool," wouldn't the people who pay D&D do it more and more openly? Wouldn't people who have thought about it, but never done it, also feel brave enough to give it a go? Many people fear "coming out" or even acting on their feelings at all. Gay people are still beaten, abused, disowned and murdered, sadly."

Yeah... Nice work reading that, lol.

Woops. Ok my bad I am a total idiot. I read it but apparently I glossed over that important part. All I can say, then, is that even if gay marriage becomes legal (which I hope it does), I very much doubt it would sway people who are against into believing it's cool. Plenty of people don't think D&D is cool, but that doesn't stop many people from playing it. I know plenty of gay people who would be satisfied with being able to marry, regardless how some people think about it.

And again, I feel like an idiot, and I'm sorry

We agree on one thing: people need to get the fuck out of other people's business and let others marry any adult they want. Why do so many people not understand this? Lol.

Seriously, "how will it hurt you?" Any time someone says they are against gay marriage, ask them that. Silly people!

Unfortunately I find that when I ask that, people either ignore the question, or give me some BS answer that makes no sense.

"Ruining the definition of family" How? There's no legit answer to that.

"The Bible says it's wrong" The Bible also says slavery is ok. NEXT.

"It would raise taxes" I'm pretty sure it would lower them.

Actually, get me started on the Bible. I'm Catholic but I hate to put myself into the same group as those people because they have completely lost touch with reality. The staple of any religion is the whole "do unto others" thing, but they are so quick to completely ignore that... Ok... I'm just gonna calm myself down now. /rant

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

So... The logic here is saying that married people are sleeping around more than single people? I'm alo mindful that if homosexuals get AIDS more, it's because they are less likely to use condoms (how do you like that, anti-condom idiots (not directed toward anyone in particular))

If you read the OP, it has very little to do with married couples. Read the topic through and then comment.

I did read it. He mentions gay marriage a couple times, and talks about the possibility of a study about the corollation between gay marriage and HIV/AIDS rates. So it seems to have a lot to do with marriage. Maybe you should read it?

*she

I wrote it. I'm the OP. You must have paid lots of attention.

"The theory being that the de-demonizing (totally not a word, but whatever) of homosexuality and the awareness of a more general acceptance would cause more men (and women) to openly express themselves and feel less trepidation about embracing their sexuality."

And later:

"Wouldn't more general acceptance encourage more open behavior? For example, if playing D&D became "cool," wouldn't the people who pay D&D do it more and more openly? Wouldn't people who have thought about it, but never done it, also feel brave enough to give it a go? Many people fear "coming out" or even acting on their feelings at all. Gay people are still beaten, abused, disowned and murdered, sadly."

Yeah... Nice work reading that, lol.

Woops. Ok my bad I am a total idiot. I read it but apparently I glossed over that important part. All I can say, then, is that even if gay marriage becomes legal (which I hope it does), I very much doubt it would sway people who are against into believing it's cool. Plenty of people don't think D&D is cool, but that doesn't stop many people from playing it. I know plenty of gay people who would be satisfied with being able to marry, regardless how some people think about it.

And again, I feel like an idiot, and I'm sorry

We agree on one thing: people need to get the fuck out of other people's business and let others marry any adult they want. Why do so many people not understand this? Lol.

Seriously, "how will it hurt you?" Any time someone says they are against gay marriage, ask them that. Silly people!

Unfortunately I find that when I ask that, people either ignore the question, or give me some BS answer that makes no sense.

"Ruining the definition of family" How? There's no legit answer to that.

"The Bible says it's wrong" The Bible also says slavery is ok. NEXT.

"It would raise taxes" I'm pretty sure it would lower them.

Actually, get me started on the Bible. I'm Catholic but I hate to put myself into the same group as those people because they have completely lost touch with reality. The staple of any religion is the whole "do unto others" thing, but they are so quick to completely ignore that... Ok... I'm just gonna calm myself down now. /rant

Lol. It's okay. I feel ya, friend. There isn't a logical argument to be made against gay marriage. Even if there was a slight increase in reported AIDS/HIV cases (and someone posted a link that seems to rebuff that theory, as Canada has legalized gay marriage since 2003 and the cases of HIV/AIDS hasn't risen) that's someone choice to have unsafe sex. People just need to let others do whatever they want with their life and realize they don't get to (or rather, shouldn't get to) enforce their beliefs on others. If it's two (or three, or four, or more) consenting adults, I don't care how much you dislike it, they can do whatever they want behind closed doors.

Nice to meet a religious person who doesn't buy into the shit part of their community. "Don't be an asshole to others" is indeed the important bit, lol.

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

So... The logic here is saying that married people are sleeping around more than single people? I'm alo mindful that if homosexuals get AIDS more, it's because they are less likely to use condoms (how do you like that, anti-condom idiots (not directed toward anyone in particular))

If you read the OP, it has very little to do with married couples. Read the topic through and then comment.

I did read it. He mentions gay marriage a couple times, and talks about the possibility of a study about the corollation between gay marriage and HIV/AIDS rates. So it seems to have a lot to do with marriage. Maybe you should read it?

*she

I wrote it. I'm the OP. You must have paid lots of attention.

"The theory being that the de-demonizing (totally not a word, but whatever) of homosexuality and the awareness of a more general acceptance would cause more men (and women) to openly express themselves and feel less trepidation about embracing their sexuality."

And later:

"Wouldn't more general acceptance encourage more open behavior? For example, if playing D&D became "cool," wouldn't the people who pay D&D do it more and more openly? Wouldn't people who have thought about it, but never done it, also feel brave enough to give it a go? Many people fear "coming out" or even acting on their feelings at all. Gay people are still beaten, abused, disowned and murdered, sadly."

Yeah... Nice work reading that, lol.

Woops. Ok my bad I am a total idiot. I read it but apparently I glossed over that important part. All I can say, then, is that even if gay marriage becomes legal (which I hope it does), I very much doubt it would sway people who are against into believing it's cool. Plenty of people don't think D&D is cool, but that doesn't stop many people from playing it. I know plenty of gay people who would be satisfied with being able to marry, regardless how some people think about it.

And again, I feel like an idiot, and I'm sorry

We agree on one thing: people need to get the fuck out of other people's business and let others marry any adult they want. Why do so many people not understand this? Lol.

Seriously, "how will it hurt you?" Any time someone says they are against gay marriage, ask them that. Silly people!

Unfortunately I find that when I ask that, people either ignore the question, or give me some BS answer that makes no sense.

"Ruining the definition of family" How? There's no legit answer to that.

"The Bible says it's wrong" The Bible also says slavery is ok. NEXT.

"It would raise taxes" I'm pretty sure it would lower them.

Actually, get me started on the Bible. I'm Catholic but I hate to put myself into the same group as those people because they have completely lost touch with reality. The staple of any religion is the whole "do unto others" thing, but they are so quick to completely ignore that... Ok... I'm just gonna calm myself down now. /rant

Lol. It's okay. I feel ya, friend. There isn't a logical argument to be made against gay marriage. Even if there was a slight increase in reported AIDS/HIV cases (and someone posted a link that seems to rebuff that theory, as Canada has legalized gay marriage since 2003 and the cases of HIV/AIDS hasn't risen) that's someone choice to have unsafe sex. People just need to let others do whatever they want with their life and realize they don't get to (or rather, shouldn't get to) enforce their beliefs on others. If it's two (or three, or four, or more) consenting adults, I don't care how much you dislike it, they can do whatever they want behind closed doors.

Nice to meet a religious person who doesn't buy into the shit part of their community. "Don't be an asshole to others" is indeed the important bit, lol.

Thanks, and yes apparently to them he is the Graet All-Loving F****t Hater (not even going to type it out)

 

[Heronblade]

Gay men really DO have more chance to pass on HIV? I thought that was a myth. . .

It is a myth, please educate yourself.

http://www.cshor.org/aids-is-something-only-gay-people-encounter.php

I was right and I'M the one who has to educate myself?

The original statement is not a myth.

The mythical part of this mess comes into play when people start talking about only gays having aids (like the article is talking about), or gays causing aids, or other such BS.

Regardless, homosexuals statistically have a slightly higher chance of getting aids, for two primary reasons:

-smaller total pool of possible partners.
-homophobes make it incredibly difficult to settle down with one partner, leading to many individuals switching sexual companions more often than they might otherwise be inclined.

With that second bit in mind, we get back to the OP's question and can comfortably state that the number of new AIDs infections are quite likely to go down.

 

[mattttherman3]

Simple way to avoid this:"Hey, you have aids?"
"unfortunately yes"
"k thx bye"

 

[WolfThomas]

OK, so bodily fluids isn't what carries HIV. Blood spreads HIV. Only blood. It's a virus that lies within a person's white blood cells. Sperm does not carry it, but I think there might be some in feces since that contains broken down blood cells. The reason gay men catches it more frequently is that anal sex is more likely to cause tears and contact with blood than when a man and a woman has sex (though that happens too).

Please learn the actual theory behind something before you try to correct someone.

I think you need to learn the theory. The HIV virus can be present in blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, some vaginal secretions and breast milk. Certainly the concentrations and infectiveness varies (blood to blood contact is at the top) but it there.

 

[Prosis]

I think legalizing gay marriage would not increase AIDs at all, regardless of whether or not the homosexual population is more at risk for AIDs.

If a homosexual man is willing to get married, he is (probably) confining his sexual life to one other person. Maybe up to 3 or 4 more, depending on divorces and the like. Thus, the disease is confined to those few people.

Furthermore, if marriage is on the table, I think they would have talked about STDs at some point. So if one has AIDs, they could take the necessary precautions to prevent transferring it.

 

[Wintermoot]

no it won't since I assume people would also be informed about the spread of STD,s in gay sex.

 

[Yopaz]

I think you need to learn the theory. The HIV virus can be present in blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, some vaginal secretions and breast milk. Certainly the concentrations and infectiveness varies (blood to blood contact is at the top) but it there.

You're quite mixed up there.
If a person has HIV, then the virus exists in the majority of their bodily fluids.
However, the HIV virus is very weak, and so someone without it can have as much contact with those fluids as they like, even ingest it, and not catch the virus, as it'll die before it can do anything, unless the fluid in question ends up in their blood, at which point the virus in the conditions it needs to survive and propagate.

So, yes, blood is involved, but it's the blood of the person without the virus that matters, not the blood of the person with the virus.

Please learn the actual theory behind something before you try to correct someone.

You may wish to ensure that you yourself have everything straight before you say things like that in future. Otherwise it can reflect badly upon you.

OK, so I simplified it a little. There will be small traces of a virus inside the extracellular matrix of an infected person since it needs to find new host cells to infect. However the only cells that it can possibly infect are helper T-cells which is a lymphocyte with a certain CD4 proteins on their membrane along with a receptor for cytokines. If the virus is not in the bloodstream it will soon seize to function because it requires rapid change of hosts.

Now I can go deep into the molecular biology here if you want me to, but I am sick of having intellectual discussions with people who think they know more than someone who actually has them academical background to talk about it.

 

[RatRace123]

I was led to believe that AIDs and HIV were only spread by those already infected by it.
Though, it's more common among homosexuals, for the reasons specified, it can still only be spread by those who are already infected.

And not all gay people have HIV, in fact I'm sure there's tons of gay couples out there in which both partners are disease free. Add to that many gay men don't even have anal sex, or have it very rarely, again because of the risk, the fact that there's a ton of prep involved to do it safely, and the fact that it probably hurts a whole hell of a lot.

I don't think there'd be a substantial rise, if any rise at all, if we saw a mass approval of gay marriage.