The Truth About HIV Rates Within the Gay Community

Recent reports have shown that HIV is the biggest threat to the sexual health and wellness of gay men, and can also affect their mental wellbeing. These same reports have also suggested that the rates of HIV infection amongst the gay male community are out of control. But is the disease really as ‘out of control’ as all that?

 

This was a direct quote from The Lancet Infectious Diseases, an important scientific journal and is just one of a number of recent publications that has made this alarming claim about the HIV rates amongst gay men. Another article noted that young gay men in Belgium were generally showing high rates of unprotected sex, leading to reinfection amongst one another. It showed that the young men who had HIV were hooking up with one another and not using condoms, and this circle was widening as more men became infected.

 

HIV studies are very difficult to conduct properly, because there is a hugely variable time between infection of the disease and diagnosis. You could get HIV from having a one night stand and then discover it a few weeks later when you start to suspect that something has gone wrong. On the other hand, you could get HIV from a long-term partner who is not aware that they have the disease and only find out years and years later when you show symptoms of having AIDS.

 

However, studies do not seem to support the use of the alarmist ‘out of control’ type phrases being used. The transmission of HIV does not appear to have increased amongst any of the populations.

 

On the other hand, the rate of decline in HIV transmission amongst gay men is significantly lower than the decline in any other population. So whilst rates do not appear to be ‘out of control’, the reduction in infection is not what it should be, and further research is needed into why this is.

Categories: control, Disease, gay, gay men, HIV, hiv rates, infection, men, nbsp, Rates

Warning: Party Drugs Could Be Responsible For Rise In HIV

Recent results from a sexual health survey show that the rate of HIV infections amongst the gay male population of London is soaring. Sexual health workers claim that the wellness and wellbeing of men in London’s gay community is being severely damaged by so-called ‘party drugs’. They feel that there is a strong and very harmful link between drug use and gay sex, and that it increases risk-taking behaviour.

 

The latest published figures on the subject show that the rates of infection in London have leaped by over 20 percent. HIV/AIDS charities have warned that the virus is on the increase and is becoming the most serious public health crisis in the United Kingdom.

 

Across the country as a whole the rates of infection are up by around eight percent, meaning that there are around 3,240 new infections amongst gay men who have had sex with other men. In just London there were nearly 2,000 cases of the disease amongst gay men.

 

Drugs play a huge part in this because infection can be caused by sharing needles when users are taking drugs, but also because when people are under the influence of drugs they are more likely to indulge in risky sexual behaviours such as having unprotected sex.

 

Thanks to new treatments, those who contract HIV have a good chance of living a normal, healthy life, so long as they continue to take daily anti-retroviral tablets to keep the disease at bay. Nevertheless, the disease is still a massive concern, as many people do not know that they have the disease and this can lead to widespread spreading of the disease as well as people having serious declines in health due to the damage that the disease causes to the immune system, and this can even result in premature death.

Categories: Disease, drugs, gay, gay men, health, HIV, london, nbsp, party drugs, sexual health

Emotions Run High Over Gay Marriage Debate

A duelling debate over the legislation of gay marriage took place in Minnesota, where committees met to discuss the consideration of a bill to legalise same-sex marriage. Votes in House and Senate committees were in but a final action could still be months away while lawmakers look to deal with the budget of the state first and foremost. During the debate members of the public were allowed to have their say on the bill, with each statement delivered two minutes at a time, where people discussed their definition of marriage. A source of tension for nearly ten years, the legislation is, for the first time, discussing gay marriage as something to be allowed rather than simply barring it permanently as it has been in the past.

 

The public weighed in on both sides of this important argument, from doctors and business owners to children and gay couples. A number of families had their say on the issue, many of which wanted to discuss the fact that their own children should be entitled to the same rights as other families’ children. This issue has been in the media for years, with more countries making amendments to their ruling in recent years to enable gay couples to marry legally.

 

The referendum in Minnesota highlights the city’s desire to see gay couples and equal members of society with the same rights as every other citizen. Karen Clark, the bill’s sponsor representative and a lesbian herself, stated that Minnesota doesn’t turn its back on families. Same sex marriages could begin legally in August – gay marriage is currently legal in nine states in America, with many others considering the bill. The emotional stress of this issue is, for many, extremely high. This new legislation will spell fantastic news to numerous couples who will be offered the same rights to marry as everyone else.

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Emotions Run High Over Gay Marriage Debate

Categories: gay, Marriage, new law

Should Gay Couples Be Able To Marry?

It’s common for 12-year-olds to spend their days watching TV, playing video games or hanging out with their friends – but Daniel Martinez-Leffew has a more noble use for his free time. In a heart-warming story, the northern California boy wrote a powerful, emotional letter to Supreme Court Justice John Roberts. He urged him to get rid of Proposition 8 and embrace gay marriage.

Martinez-Leffew was adopted when he was five years old by a homosexual couple. He said he was inspired to write to Justice Roberts after he found out that Roberts had two adopted children. Perhaps the most poignant part of the child’s letter was that he was considered to be “unadoptable” by the foster care agency due to his genetic disorder, known as Goldenhar Syndrome, which affects the left side of his body. His life was changed forever when his dads, Bryan and Jay, contacted the agency and adopted him.

“Family is thicker than blood,” said Daniel “it’s not just the people who you’re born with, it’s the people who care about you and love you. Because anyone can have a kid.”

It was this message that Martinez-Leffew felt he desperately needed to get across to Justice Roberts ahead of important Supreme Court decision on marriage equality. The Supreme Court is expected to take up Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage in California.

Daniel’s video letter has received an amazing response, with over 150,000 views in four days. He and his parents are now eagerly awaiting the decision with high hopes. Even if Daniel’s message doesn’t make a difference, it shows that children can be impressively politically engaged. He believes that marriage should be more about love than specific rules.

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Should Gay Couples Be Able To Marry?

Categories: gay, gay adoption, gay marriage