Aids and the gay lifestyle
Debunking Common Myths About HIV
Read responses to myths that 'HIV is a gay disease' or a 'death sentence,' and spot other important knowledge about getting tested.
Myths about who contracts HIV
MYTH: “HIV is a ‘gay’ or ‘LGBTQ+’ disease.”
REALITY: While rates of HIV are disproportionately higher among members of the LGBTQ+ group, HIV is by no means confined to LGBTQ+ people. Anyone—regardless of sexual orientation, gender individuality, gender expression or other factors—can receive HIV. Calling HIV a “gay” or “LGBTQ+” disease is medically untrue and only serves to perpetuate harmful stereotypes about people living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
MYTH: “I am over 50! I don’t necessitate to worry about HIV.”
REALITY: HIV transmission is about behavior; not how aged you are. Moreover, according to the CDC, older Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with HIV at a later stage of the disease.
MYTH: “I am in a monogamous connection. I don’t possess to worry about HIV.”
REALITY: It is still important to get tested for HIV even if you’re in a monogamous relationship. According to the latest estimates, 68 percent of new HIV transmissions among male lover and
|By Rory Herbert, Gale Spokesperson at the University of Portsmouth|
During the early 1980s, AIDS became an ever-growing concern in the minds of Americans, and brought to the fore the deep-seated tensions and homophobic tendencies that plagued the nation’s media and political institutes. Gale’s Archives of Sexuality and Gender provides access to a wealth of sources that help us to understand the issues and struggles experienced by these long-oppressed and ignored members of society during a particularly trying period.
The media was initially reluctant to report on the growing epidemic
Initially dubbed ‘GRID’ (Gay-Related Immune Disorder) within scientific communities, AIDS was largely attributed – and in some cases blamed – on the homosexual male community within the US. As the virus seemed to affect mainly this vulnerable minority, there was a reluctance in the media to notify on the growing epidemic and, unsurprisingly, the outbreak was initially largely ignored. This highlights the media’s reluctance to portray, and at times deliberate omission of gay men from press coverage. The New York Times, for instance, was criticised for its refusal to acknowledge, or
Abstract
The stigma and discrimination experienced by gay men with HIV/AIDS may lead to various psychosocial problems, one of which is short self-esteem. This condition might affect their attempts to adapt to the social environment. The objective of this study was to investigate self-esteem among queer men with HIV/AIDS in social adaptation.
MethodThis study had a descriptive qualitative layout and employed snowball sampling to recruit nine participants. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
ResultsWe identified three themes in this study: (1) self-esteem of gay men with HIV/AIDS, (2) the influence of self-esteem on social adaptation, and (3) coping mechanisms for social adaptation.
ConclusionIn the social domain, stigma and negative perceptions within the society affect the participants’ self-esteem. This paper provides suggestions for non-governmental organizations and health services to assist gay men with HIV/AIDS in overcoming deep (in pitch) self-esteem.
Keywords:
Self-esteem
Gay
HIV/AIDS
Social adaptation
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Sexual orientati
LGBTQ History Month: The early days of America's AIDS crisis
It was not until the late 1970s when the HIV strain that started the North American pandemic had made its way to the United States, via Zaire and Haiti. By then, the sexual revolution was in occupied swing and HIV was spreading silently among gay male populations in huge American cities. Men who have sex with men were, and still are, disproportionately impacted by HIV because it transmits much more easily through anal sex than through vaginal sex.
The first official government announce on AIDS came on June 5, 1981, in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a government bulletin on perplexing disease cases: “In the period October 1980-May 1981, 5 young men, all active homosexuals, were treated for biopsy-confirmed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia at 3 different hospitals in Los Angeles, California. Two of the patients died.”
In NBC Nightly News’ first report on AIDS in June 1982, Robert Bazell reported that “the top guess is some infectious agent is causing it.”
In a 1983 appearance on NBC's "Today" show, activist and Gay Mens Health Crisis co-founder Larry Kramer asked host Jane Pauley, "Jane, can you visualize
LGBTQ History Month: A See Back at the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
The history of the LGBTQ community is colored with both achievements and adversity. Oftentimes, the former is a result of the latter. The struggle against HIV/AIDS, for example, is one of those instances. As we stare back on LGBTQ history this month, it’s vital to recognize the impact the HIV/AIDS epidemic has made on the community.
A Brief History of HIV/AIDS in the United States
In the United States, the first cases of AIDS weren’t reported until 1981. At the time, the LGBTQ community was making great strides in achieving civil rights and the sexual revolution had reached its peak.
Because HIV transmits much more easily through anal sex, men who have sex with men were, and continue to be, disproportionately affected by the virus. So, although they were far from the only ones who contracted the virus, male lover AIDS victims were the ones who got the nation’s attention—and as a result, received the brunt of the backlash.
HIV/AIDS posthaste became synonymous with the gay community, leading to terms like “gay plague” and perpetuating dangerous myths about the LGBTQ lifestyle. With fear and stigma rampant across the enumerate