The US only allows one size of condom. I wish I were kidding. It's a legitimate part of the problem.
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32% of gay and bisexual men in Washington, D.C. are infected with HIV
- Thread starter MrOogieBoogie
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KonradLaw
Member
uncredited male
Member
DC has always been bad like this sadly. There are more people with HIV in DC than in Northern VA.
It has been getting better but it is still classified at epidemic levels.
It has been getting better but it is still classified at epidemic levels.
DR2K
Banned
Some people don't like condoms.
Most people don't use condoms for oral.
Drugs and alcohol with sex usually means people make poor choices.
Lack of sex education.
People in a monogamous relationship where one partner cheats and gets the other infected.
Condoms misusage/breaking.
People sharing needles
Upsetting and awful but not surprising. The College I went to in D.C. has an huge majority of it's students as identifying as gay. If the men there are out having the college experience they're honestly, probably not thinking about HIV or anything. They're just thinking about having fun. Many of my friends were like this as well. Which is fine and all except that how this stuff spreads around. If anything this just re-affirms that no matter how young you are or where you live, practice safe sex and get informed. Get that shit right dammit. Don't think that shit happens to someone else, because you're always going to be someone else to someone else.
Why would there be a connection between shame and risky sexual behaviour?
PdotMichael
Banned
Just like straight people. They have testing. PreP is a thing.
It's a choice you can make and not be insane now.
Self destructive behaviour maybe?
Red Liquorice
Member
This attitude isn't really about 'bugchasing', I think it's an attitude about "well I'm going to get it sooner or later so I might as well get it over with" - I heard this, expresed in less blunt words, a few times and I think it's less about wanting to get it (bug chasing) and really a product of being wrapped up in a small part of gay life and not really seeing past their blinkers about what being gay is, so they think it's going to be a foregone conclusion that they'll get it, and when they do they can go on meds and so why bother using protection? It's still ignorant and foolish, but it's not bugchasing.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
PdotMichael
Banned
It isn't really homophobic. There are several risk groups which aren't allowed to donate blood - based on stastical reasons. Gay men (though you could be gay and still alowed to donate blood if you didn't have sex for a specific time frame) are just one of them.
Suikoguy
I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
If you take the medication like you are supposed to, and don't skip doses it's estimated to be near 100% effective. Probably more effective than using a condom.
It's expensive as it's still brand. But it should go generic late next year or early 2018.
It's quite an impressive drug. Of course, it only protects you against HIV, not some of the other nasty shit you can get.
That being said, it's not a good idea to have condomless sex casually due to all the other shit, but it's nice to know it's efficacy for those in a relationship where one partner is positive, and the other is not.
I think that a rise in instances of HIV/AIDS has been reported in London and the UK too. With many gay men too young to have experienced the crushing effect of the AIDs epidemic of the 80s, the general increase in life expectancy and treatability of HIV and the advent of drugs like PrEP, people don't feel all that concerned anymore about the disease.
CyclopsRock
Member
Is it though? In which direction? I mean, I seem to remember people putting them on their heads when i was a teenager. I always assumed the "x-large" ones (which you can buy in the UK) was purely a load of marketing tosh aimed at wankers.
But that's just a small portion. A lot of gay porn still give messages about wearing condom or HIV prevention, even in the bareback porn. A lot of movies also make sure to show actors putting condoms on.
That so many gay men refuse to wear condoms or even live in denial about HIV is mind blowing. After the AIDS epidemic in 80s, with a proper sex-ed and warnings, when even fucking porn warns you about HIV, to still be like "meh, HIV... whatever" is just so reckless.
Suikoguy
I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
I agree, the perception of it being fatal is pretty much gone, and probably the proximate cause of the rise of cases. I'm not convinced the rise of bareback porn is the primary culprit. Fearing for one's life and being exposed to those dying from the disease was an effective deterrent as morbid as that was.
The problem is, those HIV+ are stuck on drugs for the rest of their lives or until a way is devised to "cure" the virus.
Meanwhile, the other things you can catch don't get enough attention and the more things spread the greater the chance of mutations like the aforementioned 'super' gonorrhea.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
Where did you hear this? lol
TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared
Member
I have HIV (I'm not gay though) And I have the perception of it being fatal. Hence why (well one of the reasons why) I ain't having sex. Not passing this on to no one.
I know several people at my research institution in the HIV field who can definitively tell you that truvada resistance is real and spreading. I would suggest everyone keep that in mind.
SomedayTheFire
Member
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
Its a little too late/early for me to read that in its entirety but i skimmed it over and did a ctrl-f and found nothing in regards to size or sizing or "siz". What am i missing?
Nomadic Sparks
Banned
Fuck you for reminding me of that. Goddamn I remember this at random times and get so disappointed with humanity in general.
Also wow that number is stupidly high for LGB folks, jesus.
PdotMichael
Banned
Of course they do. But you also need to know how the test works.
A 100% gurantee that such a test is accurate is only possible after 12 weeks after the infection.
I am shocked. I will also never understand why people spread this shit.
Too easy to not to... Of course there is nothing wrong with people that are born with this of course, but people that can protect everyone should fucking do that and if they don't? Put them in prison.From what I've read, it's difficult to detect during a certain timespan (some weeks) after infection. And these tests are never 100% accurate. That might sound good enough for you but just a few stories of it going wrong will scare the hell out of people.
Some organizations looked at the math (deny a small percentage of the population while significantly reducing the prevalence of HIV- and generally STD-infected blood) and decided that it's the better choice.
I can't claim that all of them deny high risk groups just for these statistical reasons, but I'm sure many do.
There's a section that gives a min or max for width, length, and thickness. There is no exact size mandated.
So it isn't true. Which was obvious anyways.
Amory
Member
Yeah that's not true.
SolidusDave
Member
I would assume for straight men it's extremely low everywhere?
For the US overall these are the estimated new HIV infections in 2010:
MSM = gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men
from https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/statistics/
(most straight males are not even on there because they only show populations that contribute to >2% of the total infected)
Given that the total heterosexual population is much larger but with far fewer infections, the percentage would be way in the <1% region in pretty much any region.
metalslimer
Member
Yep always use a condom.
Marky Mark
Member
I hate myself and I hate you. I mean, I knew about bug chasers but I didn't realise that there would be a tumblr for russian roullete bug chaser parties where the first video is an anal sex glory hole and you don't even need to sign in or verify your age. I actually feel a little sick in my stomach and these bug chasers blech so fuckig gross It's the fucking sound of it that won't leave me now. Fuck these people.
biggersmaller
Banned
Married with two kids. All three.
I'm pretty sure that if that were true 90% of gaf would have aids because of our mega dongs not fitting.
Amibguous Cad
Member
I'm all for practicing safe sex, buth the judgmental homophobia in this thread makes me wonder if I've accidentally hit the wayback machine for 1993.
PdotMichael
Banned
Such posts don't help.
It's reality and fact that anal sex is risky. You need to be aware and inform people about it. Trying to stop it with homophobia namecalling is some bullshit.
Audioboxer
Member
Ding ding!
It's just a fact and that is that. I'm down with anyone using their ass or others for whatever they want (consensual), but just accept the facts of anal sex and why it is risky (tears/absorption of blood and other fluids). It's not propaganda or scare-mongering, it's just biology. I've had anal sex with girls, and very rarely it's lead to discomfort/little pain at best, and minor bleeding at worst. Not something I've taken part in that often but even I have first hand experience understanding why anal sex is risky when it comes to passing on STDs. I've fortunately never had an STD.
Although the issue is people do seem to accept that, but seemingly don't care. That is what is chilling.
n00bsauce87
Member
Any form of protection is better than unprotected sex.
What "judgmental homophobia"? 1/3 of Washington gay men are infected with HIV. One third. Even though informations about HIV are nowadays commonly available and means to protect oneself are easy to get. I'm not saying that everyone who are infected with HIV is guilty of recklessnes, but c'mon. One third.
And then there are those bugcatchers sites. Guys who willingly want to have sex with HIV positive men.
Suikoguy
I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
Good point.
Aids is one tricky virus:
Brief history of vaccine development and reasons why it's been difficult.
Unless the number of people with HIV for hetro people are in the double digits in D.C. - it's fair to say that there's a very real and serious problem with specifically, gay culture in D.C. (and likely a few other places around America too).
Like... this is approaching targeted genetically engineered virus levels of insidious efficacy. Except it's not! It's just too many gay guys been laissez faire about one of the most problematic viruses in human history.
That anal sex is that much more likely to cause a contraction should be seen as a reason for extra precaution, not a reason to give up and accept AIDS as a fact of life.
I don't think it should be considered "judgemental homophobia" to question whether both the quantity and form of casual sex that gay men are likely to have is an instrumental factor in the current spread of HIV/AIDS.
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