World AIDS Day

[gayworld]

Today, December 1st, is known as World Aids Day. Let's take a moment and pay tribute to those we remember and those who are still fighting with AIDS.


Gay World.

[Rainbowmum]

[writerken]

It's sad to say my city of Brighton is one of the UKs highest cases. It is also true the hetros have the biggest increase. Remember, if you don't get tested you don't get treated. You know it makes sense.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Stick it on before u stick it in, people who have AIDS deserive it.

Deserve dear, deserve.

And I feel somewhat like that myself. Sure back in the 1980's when it first appeared and was blazing through the community we were pretty silly and didn't heed warnings, but now that we have lived with HIV/AIDS in the world for 20-30 years one would think by now we would all know to be far more careful.

Back in the 80's and 90's I knew several cases from blood transfusions - they didn't do anything except get a bag or two of blood. It was the bad days, when doctors were side swiped by bad blood. Today we don't hear of cases of transfusion transmitted HIV.

Today the majority of cases in the western world are passed on from carrier to new patient via sex or needles (illicit drug use).

This is not the case in the third world such as places in Africa where HIV is passed between father to mother then from mother onto baby in the womb.

So we have to seriously tread a bit carefully before we say everyone deserves what they get, a decent chunk of the global population with HIV/AIDS were fully innocent and are not suffering the wages of their own sexual lifestyle.

[gayworld]

Nothing about AIDS is funny, but the funny thing about people and their perceptions is that they actually thought that it was only a diseaser for us. There are actually people out there that considered AIDS as a disease that only those of had it as it was only linked to our lifestyles. Many of them actually thought that it was something that was hereditory or something and we contracted it automatically when we "turned" gay.

Back to my point; the funny thing about the whole thing now is that heterosexuals are on the rise for contraction of the disease thanks in part to such drugs as Viagra and Cialis. Now, the ones that thought we were to blame for the disease are the one's that are contracting the disease as the thanks in part to such drugs, the senior citizens who are now more sexually active then ever are on a serious rise with contracting the disease.

Not too far from me is a town called the Villages, Florida. This area is full of high dollar communities and is primarily full of nothing but retirement communities. With retirement communities comes senior citizens who have a stockpile in such sexually enhancing drugs as it seems that these individuals have turned into jackrabbits of sorts. This town has one of the hightest rate increases of AIDS throughout the entire world. It's not a town full of gay communities, sex bars, or nudest colonies. But these individuals who walk around with their noses so high are actually realizing that they are just like the rest of us and that we are just like them.

I think that it is safe to assume that those people out there that blamed us for this disease are finally coming to grips with the realization as they are now the one's on the rise for the prevelance....By no means am I hateful or believe in poetic justice as I wish that this desease never existed to begin with, but see, we were never to blame!!!


Gayworld.

[princealbertofb]

Stick it on before u stick it in, people who have AIDS deserive it.

I'm sorry, I can't let you say this. My brother died of AIDS some 18 years ago now. I thought he'd be one to know all about prevention, but it didn't prevent him from getting it, being very very sick and then dying, far too young.

Some people don't know they have it, carry it around till one day it eats them up. No one deserves to get sick. Today people who are not careful about how they make love might be at risk of getting it (even their first sexual time sometimes, which seems particularly harsh) but also just from improper education or a lower sense of self worth. There are so many reasons why people fail to or forget to protect themselves. Many people got it through blood transfusions that went wrong. Being educated on the risks is our only hope to make things better. Your view is just , in my opinion, too simplistic. You need to refine that idea.

[gayworld]

I think that it's absolutely wrong and terrible to say that anyone who contracts AIDS deserves it. No one, and I mean no one deserves to die of a long agonizing death that puts families into utter distress due to loosing a loved one that has yet to live their lives to its fullest (from Flashbangs original post). Are many people who contract AIDS less educated on the topic and less cautious? Of course they are, but they again, no one, and I mean no one deserves to contract this disease.

Over the years education on the topic has become much more prevelant to the point that there are not too many people out there that do not know about the disease and know the implications of unsafe sex and unsafe drug use. The main problem is that too many people carry the mentality that "it will never happen to me". While this education is much more prevelant now, 20 years ago and longer before that it was not. Others know the risks and fail to live up to them in the heat of passion. I for one have had unsafe sex at times due to "being in the moment" as probably most of us have in here, but its unfair to say that we all deserved to contract the disease. I do not have AIDS (at least as far as I know), but there are some good individuals out there that had that one night and that's all it takes. Individuals who practice unsafe sex or who consistently use dirty needles continuoulsly seal their own fate, but what about the one's they conjugate with who have that one fatal mistake?

People can have the virus for years before they are diagnosed with full blown AIDS and they become carriers and are therefore infecting others during this never ending cycle. The idea of AIDS is very un-simplistic as its delicate nature makes it that way automatically. I support education on the topic and support these forums in this respect because if we can open up the eyes of just one individual than it served its purpose entirely. Hopefully it happens in that regard, and if not, hopefully we all keep trying.

Gayworld.

[princealbertofb]

I think that it's absolutely wrong and terrible to say that anyone who contracts AIDS deserves it. No one, and I mean no one deserves to die of a long agonizing death that puts families into utter distress due to loosing a loved one that has yet to live their lives to its fullest (from Flashbangs original post). Are many people who contract AIDS less educated on the topic and less cautious? Of course they are, but they again, no one, and I mean no one deserves to contract this disease.

Over the years education on the topic has become much more prevelant to the point that there are not too many people out there that do not know about the disease and know the implications of unsafe sex and unsafe drug use. The main problem is that too many people carry the mentality that "it will never happen to me". While this education is much more prevelant now, 20 years ago and longer before that it was not. Others know the risks and fail to live up to them in the heat of passion. I for one have had unsafe sex at times due to "being in the moment" as probably most of us have in here, but its unfair to say that we all deserved to contract the disease. I do not have AIDS (at least as far as I know), but there are some good individuals out there that had that one night and that's all it takes. Individuals who practice unsafe sex or who consistently use dirty needles continuoulsly seal their own fate, but what about the one's they conjugate with who have that one fatal mistake?

People can have the virus for years before they are diagnosed with full blown AIDS and they become carriers and are therefore infecting others during this never ending cycle. The idea of AIDS is very un-simplistic as its delicate nature makes it that way automatically. I support education on the topic and support these forums in this respect because if we can open up the eyes of just one individual than it served its purpose entirely. Hopefully it happens in that regard, and if not, hopefully we all keep trying.

Gayworld.

Scott, thanks for your post, and I hate to burst your bubble, but I think people are not so aware as we might think. Yes, there are people who've heard about it and are careful now. But when I talk to my teenagers in school, I'm shocked at how little they know about it all, so I make it my duty to tell them at the time of World AIDS Day a little about it. And make sure they understand what it is, how it spreads and what to do to avoid it spreading further. By the time I've finished with the subject, I hope they are a little more aware, but I have no guarantee that they've heard what's important to hear. I hope that what you say is true, but again, would the figures still be rising if that were the case? There's a whole new generation of active gay men out there who are not taking precautions and who seem to think that you can cure it, when you can't. You can only live with pills that prolong your longevity to some extent, but that's not a life.

[joseph]

i knew it was aids dday it is a disese. and lantines at the gay cafy . i hope your are ok princelaberto

[princealbertofb]

Yes, Joseph, thanks for your concern, my friend. I'm glad that the gay café was celebrating World AIDS Day with lanterns, what a lovely idea... It's still a nasty disease, yes, and I hope no one on this site gets infected if they are not, because it's probably best to stay free from this virus. But I'm sure those who have tested positive are being careful and trying to live their lives the best they can. A to them.