Is HIV as widespread as people say among gays?

[Evsann]

I just had to ask. Most of my fear comes from the death of a gay cousin to AIDS some time ago. I just wonder because when I was with my now ex-girlfriend, I was only worried about getting her pregnant. That was my only motivation for protection. She only slept with me and I her. Now that I am contemplating this avenue, I have this strong fear of HIV. Is it Irrational? I never worried about protection for oral with a girl, now I am wondering If things are really this dangerous for gays? I figured that if I was with one person who I was sure was not cheating, I could forgo condoms altogether, not like I can get knocked up.


Le' sigh

 

[jockboy01]

It really varies depending on the community so it is difficult to give you an exact answer. Numbers I find for Sydney, Australia and San Francisco put the percentage of homosexual men with HIV at about 17% (age ranges are different so it's hard to say for sure). While in Nagoya City, Japan the rate was less than 1%. There are a lot of things that factor into it... including injection drug use among those same men. So there is no hard and fast answer.

Plain and simple, the risk for HIV infection (and other STDs) is higher among homosexuals than in the heterosexual population (this is as a whole and there are groups that go against this trend). Is your fear of HIV irrational... I would say no, it's healthy. As to whether you can go without protection... here is my advice: use protection (oral or anal) sex for at least the first nine months after the point where you are sure it is monogamous. At that point, both of you get tested for STDs. If both negative, and you're still sure about monogamy... then you can ditch the condom.

 

[Brer Fox]

I cannot say exactly, but gay men definitely have the highest HIV risk there is as it stands, and there is no getting around that. It is partially because of the initial existence of the disease as predominately gay (it is not a gay disease any more, but no matter what theory you may believe, it pretty much started that way), and partially because anal sex is by far the single most risky behavior there is for transmission. For men, women are actually not a huge risk, as vaginal and oral sex carry significantly lower possibility of transmission, which cunnilingus being (as far as I have seen) completely safe. For the woman this is not the case, and that is probably why most new heterosexual HIV cases are dominated by women.

Recievers in general, gay or straight, are at a far greater risk. Recieving unprotected anal sex is almost guaranteed to give you the disease if he is positive, and if he cums in you, you are pretty much fucked in all senses of the word.

I will not lie, this disease has nigh on scared me sexless, and I hate it. I hate it in general... I want to make love naturally, without having to put on a stupid piece of rubber, but we just cannot. Use a condom for all penetrative sex, this is not an option, unless you know absolutely that he is clean, and unless you accompany him to the clinic and see the tests yourself, that is pretty much a dangerous act of faith.

Oral sex has a far lower transmission rate, but you are still rolling the dice.

 

[Homoerectus]

Don't gamble your life on statistics. Just like a girl can get pregnant the first time she has sex, you can contract AIDS the first time with a guy. Always use a condom if you aren't in an exclusive relationship. If you decide to start a monogomous relationship, you both need to be tested before going bareback.

 

[Jeffs0418]

HIV is very real. Us people in the U.S. have become complacent because of the readily available drugs to control it.
If you bottom during unprotected sex with someone you hardly know your risk is very high.
If you top with same your risk is reduced by about 2 orders of magnitude. But the risk is still there.
Remember that once you get it you are infected for life. No going back.
I am lucky that I have not been infected.
Just use protection at least for 'one night stands' who you hardly know.
Unprotected sex should only be practiced in committed relationships.

 

[bulge]

In Africa it is especially widespread among str8s. Never forget AIDS is a str8 disease in the very first place.

 

[Soilwork]

Just make sure you know the facts and know how to best protect yourself.

I've been sexually active for years and I know to not blow a guy if I have a cut lip or a swollen gum.. I know not to get fucked without a condom (or fuck without a condom)and I only have anal sex with my BF.

don't let anyone cum in your mouth, and don't let alcohol cloud your judgement.

most gay men don't have HIV.. so don't believe those alarmist 75% figures... it's just not the case. But enough do that you have to protect yourself.

 

[jockboy01]

In Africa it is especially widespread among str8s. Never forget AIDS is a str8 disease in the very first place.

Actually, AIDS was a gay disease in the first place. Now it is common in both gays and str8s but still statistically more common in gays.

I know to not blow a guy if I have a cut lip or a swollen gum.

don't let anyone cum in your mouth

You can still get HIV by following both of these with oral. But the chances are definitely increased with either one/both.

 

[Soilwork]

You can still get HIV by following both of these with oral. But the chances are definitely increased with either one/both.

True.

but it's also possible to still get killed opening a can of coke.

You cannot eliminate risk in life (I ride a motorcycle in LA.. I'm MUCH more likely to die that way), but you CAN reduce it to levels you personally find acceptable. I'm not willing to never have sex. I dont' see the point in living if I can't enjoy being a sexual being.

 

[drhladnjak]

Actually, AIDS was a gay disease in the first place. Now it is common in both gays and str8s but still statistically more common in gays.

I'm not sure it was originally a gay disease. It's my understanding that epidemiologists generally agree that it started in Africa. It's generally accepted that HIV is descended from SIV, a very similar (but non-lethal) virus carried by chimpanzees.

Researchers estimate HIV may have been introduced into the human population as early as the 1800s even. There's even a documented case of a blood sample from 1959 testing positive for HIV in Congo. Some say HIV has probably existed for a long time, but remained isolated in small, rural populations in Africa where those infected died out without spreading the disease further out. It just never made the leap into a widespread disease until recently. The advent of air travel and introduction into the gay world where lots of unprotected anal sex was going on are two big factors that changed this.

The sad truth is that the epidemic in the developed world was happening largely among white gay men in affluent places like New York and San Francisco (although other groups like Hatians were also heavily affected) and people noticed that as out of the ordinary. Poor people in sub-Saharan Africa die of disease all the time, so it took a while for the rest of the world to pay attention.

There's lots of info on this, but here's one site.

 

[jockboy01]

but it's also possible to still get killed opening a can of coke.

Yes, but far less likely than getting HIV from oral sex. I agree... it is all about probability and acceptable levels of risk for each individual. And yes, I would agree that you are probably far more likely to die from riding a motorcycle in LA than from having unprotected oral sex.... although I don't know the actual statistics on that haha.

And I would agree with the epidemiology of AIDS... but in the US, it started as a primarily gay disease, which is what I was referring to. Sorry to not specify that.

 

[mexicano]

You cannot eliminate risk in life (I ride a motorcycle in LA.. I'm MUCH more likely to die that way), but you CAN reduce it to levels you personally find acceptable. I'm not willing to never have sex. I dont' see the point in living if I can't enjoy being a sexual being.

i don't want you to get killed

 

[Soilwork]

mexicano.. thanks... I promise to be careful.

 

[sb]

It really varies depending on the community so it is difficult to give you an exact answer. Numbers I find for Sydney, Australia and San Francisco put the percentage of homosexual men with HIV at about 17%

where did you pull that fact from? considering at the end of 2005 there were only around 15000 people living with hiv in the whole country

 

[bluedragon4]

I find it more widespread with gays but than I am around more gay people than straight. I have noticed younger gays seem to have it more than older gay men. The 20 somethings are huge barebackers. I am 33 and in the 80's and 90's all you heard was your gay you're gonna get it and die. We all got super smart about sex. Now it's not rammed down your throat as much and kids are paying the price. it makes me sad.

 

[hermanding]

there are no guarantees. You'll never know for sure if anyone has been truthful in what you've been told, if you weren't a witness to every moment in his life. Somewhere trust comes into the equation, but that shouldn't happen right at the start. You can use the precauciones mentioned above. Unfortunately the only sure answer to safety is not to do it with someone else. And, very probably, it's not worth missing out that much on life. Danger is all around.

 

[SexyGuy]

I've seen some recent studies suggesting some sort of relationship between malaria, which is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, and AIDS; the hypothesis being that the malarial infection somehow is increasing the virulence of AIDS....

Here is the news article about that:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061207/hl_nm/aids_malaria_dc_3

I found the article to be very interesting...The studies show that Malaria increases the viral load of HIV, and HIV makes a person more susceptible to Malaria...There is another Article about how scientists have genetically-modified some HIV agents and are using it to combat the normal HIV, and so far, it's working...Here is that news article, which I realize now is somewhat old...:

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/G...S_Retrovirus_Has_Encouraging_Results_999.html

Aside from that, you should always wear a condom!!! That or do abstinence...

 

[sebastian-k]

Well, about the numbers, yes it's different in every place as almost anythimg.

But remember that whats not different is that those numbers are from the known cases, some people don't have any suspect that they are infected.

Just picture that we start to worry about any posibility to die (which eventually will happen one day), that's not a life!

Just be sure to practice protected sex.

 

[skaterboi]

As nasty as it sounds IMO theres one way to "solve" the HIV issue and thats to round up everyone whos got it and ship them off to an island together (kind of like a prison I suppose) and then the virus would die out because everyone whos carrying it would be on this island.
However we can't really do that can we, could solve alot of the worlds STI's this way though haha

 

[sb]

As nasty as it sounds IMO theres one way to "solve" the HIV issue and thats to round up everyone whos got it and ship them off to an island together (kind of like a prison I suppose) and then the virus would die out because everyone whos carrying it would be on this island.
However we can't really do that can we, could solve alot of the worlds STI's this way though haha

I have heard people say that before (mostly straight homophobic rednecks)... its sad that some think that when someone is hiv+ they are just a disease and no longer a person.