Question about HIV/AIDS & homosexuals?

Question

My mother recently asked me this question: Why are homosexuals said to be one of the #1 transmitters of AIDS? It sounded like a good question to me. We discussed it a little but didn't seem to come up with a satisfying answer. I told her about a documentary I watched that speculates AIDS was derived from creating the polio vaccine from monkeys(I can't remember what exactly from the monkey they used) anyway, this caused the previously dormant virus to become active/destructive in humans. You mainly hear how AIDS is predominately transmitted by homosexuals and IV drug users. Please don't be too hard me but here goes....Is it so prevalent with homosexuals because they are more apt to be in the IV drug scene. This is a serious question and not intended to stereotype, sorry if it sounds that way.

Sui Generis--I don't feel this is an ignorant question, and it was not meant to be offensive. As someone else stated it is a view from the 80's which is basically when I was educated about AIDS. You are right I have not recently done any research on the statistics of where and why it is most prevailent....That is why I asked the questions. Some of you need to try to answer the question instead of passing judgement on what I MIGHT be implying!

Answer 1

Currently, the highest at risk for transmitting HIV / AIDS are young black women 16-24. Actually, HIV / AIDS is the number 1 deseaces contributing to death in black women between 25 and 34. It is suspected that, at this rate, in 10 years blacks will make up nearly 45% of Americans infected with the virus. That's extremely high considering one person every 6 sec. contracts it. The site son the bottom are proof of this so don't listen to anyone saying that gays started this virus... it affects everyone and is no longer just a "gay" problem, it's everyone's. Gays are not the number one drug users, it's a human problem not a sexual preference problem. There's also conspiracy theories that say the government made AIDS for population control (a virus that breaks down your immune system, seems fishy don't you think lol)

PS: Don't listen to people being mean to you, you just needed to be explained to a little that's all. Drug use is not higher with homosexuals not is the lack of condom use... if that was the case there wouldn't be thousands of unwanted children and teenage moms. Education is the best tool you have. Simple people that don't have it sound real stupid, like some of these people that have no idea what they are talking about.

I have links below you can check to educate yourself better on how the situation is now.

Answer 2

You need some factual AIDS information. Please talk to your health teacher at school or a local medical clinic - your "mother" is woefully misinformed.

More than 90% of the new cases of AIDS are caused by heterosexual transmission, primarily due to unprotected sex or infected mothers giving birth to infected children. And yes, people who share bodily fluids like IV drug users can get AIDS as well.

Please don't cite rumors, like the one about LGBT people being IV drug users, without facts. This is completely false. So was the "documentary" that speculated about HIV's origin.

Do some research. I am not criticizing you if you in fact are just passing along what you are told, and do not believe this malarkey. However, you now have the responsibility to go and educate yourself - and others.

Answer 3

No, actually the information about homosexuals being the number one transmitter is completely wrong.
Do a little better research. HIV/AIDS worldwide is primarily transmitted by Heterosexuals, either sexually or from mother to child through breast milk.
Homosexuals are not more inclined to be in the IV drug scene, the majority of the infections in the homosexual community are through unprotected sexual encounters with an infected person.

Answer 4

They traced the AIDS virus back to the green monkeys in Africa. The African natives in the area were occasionally bitten by the monkeys and some times they died. It was a very enclosed problem. Along came modern civilization and international transportation. A gay flight attendant on vacation in Africa had sex with one of those people who had this strange, but contained virus and came back to Canada. Long before he knew he had any strange disease he had sex with many different people - men - and it was off and running. Much like Ebola. It has been in Africa for centuries, but contained within small areas and never escaped. Modern society let it out. I don't know the statistics at this point in time, but only a few short years ago the fastest growing segment of society with aids were white women under 30.

Answer 5

Men transmit HIV easier than women do because of ejaculation. Obviously it would spread faster when you double the amount of men involved. You can't totally link AIDS to gays because of IV drug use. Sharing needles is the problem with IV drug users and that doesn't have anything to do with sexuality. I happen to know many recovering drug addicts and a high percentage are gay even though more are straight. I do not believe that HIV is more prevalent in the gay community based on IV drug use although that may add to the amount of gay people with HIV in the long run (as with any other group). To link the two, you'd have to be saying that one of the first people to contract/transmit HIV through IV drug use was gay and then only continued to share needles with other gay people. Irresponsible IV drug users will share needles with anyone, not just gay people.

*I can't provide information comparing the percentage of IV drug users among gays vs. straights. I also can't rely solely on my own experience because I know a larger amount of recovering/currently active IV drug users than the average person. Many of the openly gay people I know I have meet though people who are in NA or AA.

Answer 6

AIDS/HIV has always been, and still is more prevalent among heterosexuals, and gay people are not more likely to be into the IV drug scene, either. these are stereotypes, not facts. do some research online and you will find that out.

Answer 7

you already know, i'm no longer able to argue what i'm no expert in, i'm no longer able to declare that aids impacts one individual better than yet another. What i will declare is that people with different defects or ailment are no longer BAN from marriage because of the fact of their risk factors. There ought to probably be technology to declare that aids is gay majority difficulty, which might greater harm the reasoning for the ban, as there very own technology could say that what gay people do would not thoroughly impact the heterosexual inhabitants. that's a hassle-free difficulty of freedom. individuals relatively are given the "good" to the pursuit of happiness, and that it says "ALL" men are created equivalent. it says no longer something of denial of those freedoms because of the fact those men (or women people) do no longer in effective condition the present majority profile. quit denying your fellow people rights based on your prejudices! enable Freedom reign!

Answer 8

You're misinformed. Most HIV transmissions occur among heterosexuals. Have you heard of the AIDS epidemic in Africa? The vast majority of infected people are heterosexuals and children. Sexual orientation is not the factor, BEHAVIOR is. Promiscuity and unsafe sexual practices raises a person's risk regardless of sexual orientation.

Answer 9

Actually, that may have been true back in the 80's when HIV/AIDS was 1st discovered, that it was more prevalent in homosexuals...but I do not believe that to be the case any longer.

Go to you local clinic and get some current info and stats on it, you might be surprised.

Answer 10

Who said homosexuals were more apt to be in the IV drug scene? I know a LOT of homosexuals... none use hard drugs. I know you didn't intend to stereotype... but... you kinda did. Where are you getting your info?