01-26-2014, 01:25 PM
It's unfortunate that things like this happen. There are bad people doing bad things all over the world.
It's most unfortunate for the real victims of this news story: people who are infected with HIV who have to deal with the backlash and increased stigma from others due to assholes like that student at that college, and because of news outlets that sensationalize these sorts of stories, demonizing everybody with HIV. Because of it, people will continue not getting tested to find out whether or not they indeed have HIV, in fear that they will be found out and judged by the cruel world around them. Because of this profound fear, people with HIV, like that young college student, will continue having sex without revealing their status to partners because of stories like this, and outdated HIV laws.
HIV criminalization doesn't work. In fact, it's counter-productive in fighting the HIV epidemic. HIV laws in most US states are outdated scientifically and result in innocent people being prosecuted for the extreme ignorance and prejudice surrounding this disease by the general public.
If you are HIV positive and you spit on someone or scratch them in a fight, you can get life in prison, despite the fact that HIV is not transmitted that way. If you are HIV positive, and in a serodiscordant relationship that ends nasty, and your bitter partner wants revenge on you for you ending the relationship, they can go to the cops and have you arrested for attempted murder, and you'll spend a longtime in prison, and have to register as a convicted sex offender for the rest of your life, if you get out. It doesn't matter if your viral load was undetectable or if were using condoms, and it doesn't matter if your partner consented to the sex, knowing that you are HIV positive..... The laws in place need to be revised and up to date with all the new science on HIV.
HIV laws need to also take into account the responsibilities (or lack thereof) by both the "victims" and the HIV positive individuals when being prosecuting them for spreading it (or "attempting" to) to others.
Question: From the number of "victims" who found out that they were HIV positive after finding out this young college student had HIV, did the courts order proof through testing and comparing HIV strains of the "victims" and the accused? Probably not, because even our legal system is extremely ignorant about HIV. Without that proof, he shouldn't get prosecuted. The courts don't know if some of those people got HIV from someone else and not the accused because people jump to conclusions from the scary sound of HIV.
The theory is that laws that criminalize HIV slow down the spread of HIV, when, in fact, it throws gas to the flame instead.
It's a viscous cycle. Do you think those who were infected by this man will tell every partner they ever have after being infected, that they are HIV postive? It'd be nice if they did, but most likely that won't happen. Why? Because of the same ignorance, fear, and stigma that got them infected, and that young man prosecuted, in the first place!
Sylph, southbiochem, justbry87, and Lilitu are part of the problem, they're brainwashed by this sensationalized news story to believe that this young man is a ruthless fetish monster who had sex with these people without letting them know his HIV status, out of hatred, revenge, and envy.... whose to say he didn't disclose his HIV status out of the fear, trauma, and mental instability from knowing his HIV status, resulting from the stigma perpetrated through the ignorance of others like southbiochem and justbry87, or Sylph who made a statement of "ew" regarding the mentioning of HIV?
Believe it or not, people with HIV are still human, regardless of how much they are demonized by the media, they make mistakes and do stupid things like the rest of humanity, but unlike the rest of us, they are judged, ridiculed, and jailed for it.
It's most unfortunate for the real victims of this news story: people who are infected with HIV who have to deal with the backlash and increased stigma from others due to assholes like that student at that college, and because of news outlets that sensationalize these sorts of stories, demonizing everybody with HIV. Because of it, people will continue not getting tested to find out whether or not they indeed have HIV, in fear that they will be found out and judged by the cruel world around them. Because of this profound fear, people with HIV, like that young college student, will continue having sex without revealing their status to partners because of stories like this, and outdated HIV laws.
HIV criminalization doesn't work. In fact, it's counter-productive in fighting the HIV epidemic. HIV laws in most US states are outdated scientifically and result in innocent people being prosecuted for the extreme ignorance and prejudice surrounding this disease by the general public.
If you are HIV positive and you spit on someone or scratch them in a fight, you can get life in prison, despite the fact that HIV is not transmitted that way. If you are HIV positive, and in a serodiscordant relationship that ends nasty, and your bitter partner wants revenge on you for you ending the relationship, they can go to the cops and have you arrested for attempted murder, and you'll spend a longtime in prison, and have to register as a convicted sex offender for the rest of your life, if you get out. It doesn't matter if your viral load was undetectable or if were using condoms, and it doesn't matter if your partner consented to the sex, knowing that you are HIV positive..... The laws in place need to be revised and up to date with all the new science on HIV.
HIV laws need to also take into account the responsibilities (or lack thereof) by both the "victims" and the HIV positive individuals when being prosecuting them for spreading it (or "attempting" to) to others.
Question: From the number of "victims" who found out that they were HIV positive after finding out this young college student had HIV, did the courts order proof through testing and comparing HIV strains of the "victims" and the accused? Probably not, because even our legal system is extremely ignorant about HIV. Without that proof, he shouldn't get prosecuted. The courts don't know if some of those people got HIV from someone else and not the accused because people jump to conclusions from the scary sound of HIV.
The theory is that laws that criminalize HIV slow down the spread of HIV, when, in fact, it throws gas to the flame instead.
It's a viscous cycle. Do you think those who were infected by this man will tell every partner they ever have after being infected, that they are HIV postive? It'd be nice if they did, but most likely that won't happen. Why? Because of the same ignorance, fear, and stigma that got them infected, and that young man prosecuted, in the first place!
Sylph, southbiochem, justbry87, and Lilitu are part of the problem, they're brainwashed by this sensationalized news story to believe that this young man is a ruthless fetish monster who had sex with these people without letting them know his HIV status, out of hatred, revenge, and envy.... whose to say he didn't disclose his HIV status out of the fear, trauma, and mental instability from knowing his HIV status, resulting from the stigma perpetrated through the ignorance of others like southbiochem and justbry87, or Sylph who made a statement of "ew" regarding the mentioning of HIV?
Believe it or not, people with HIV are still human, regardless of how much they are demonized by the media, they make mistakes and do stupid things like the rest of humanity, but unlike the rest of us, they are judged, ridiculed, and jailed for it.
![[-]](https://gayspeak.com/images/duende_v3_local/collapse.png)
