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It really didn't help that the Gay community thought that HIV/AIDS was a homophobic hoax and tried very hard to downplay the risks of unprotected sex.

by tekla 3y ago

lurkerforawhile 3y ago
If we're placing blame, it also didn't help that the Catholic community advocated against preventative measures throughout the AIDS crisis.
- jeroenhd 3y ago
  > advocated I'm pretty sure they're still advocating against contraception of any kind, which certainly doesn't help prevent the spread of AIDS and other STDs. The most positive thing they seem to have to say is "it's better than HIV" and even that was a controversial stance within the church.
dawnbreez 3y ago
You realize this is the exact opposite of what happened, right? Governments and churches were very firmly convinced at the start of the AIDS epidemic that it was exclusively a thing that happened to gay people, even though it spreads through any kind of sexual activity. In fact, the LGBT community is largely more careful about STDs than the general public--when it was claimed that monkeypox spread more easily through anal sex (a mirror of earlier bogus claims about AIDS), the LGBT community responded faster than the government did[1]. Turning this around and saying that the gay community "tried to downplay the risks of unprotected sex" is a flat-out lie. The LGBT community has been working harder to share resources about safe sex than most US state governments do, through sites like the Trevor Project. What they have 'downplayed' is the idea that AIDS is more common among gay men because it's more easily transmitted through anal sex. The actual reason that HIV incidence happens more often among gay men is that, up until very recently, getting tested for HIV meant having to tell someone about your sexuality in the 80s and 90s, a time when violence targeting gay men was on the rise[2]. Getting tested could mean getting beaten half to death--or worse--if the wrong person found out, so people avoided getting tested. Would you let someone beat you half to death for 'moral superiority'? (If the answer is 'yes', I suspect you might not understand how severe a beating that is.) Simply put, you are spreading misinformation. I hope this post helps others recognize that misinformation for what it is. [1] https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/29/health/monkeypox-lgbtq-slow-response/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/29/health/monkeypox-lgbtq-slow-r... [2] https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/23/us/violence-against-homosexuals-rising-groups-seeking-wider-protection-say.html https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/23/us/violence-against-homos...
mrguyorama 3y ago
Do you have evidence for this claim because I don't remember Mr Ronald Reagan being gay when he ignored AIDS for years in office.

It really didn't help that the Gay community thought that HIV/AIDS was a homophobic hoax and tried very hard to downplay the risks of unprotected sex.

by tekla 3y ago

It really didn't help that the Gay community thought that HIV/AIDS was a homophobic hoax and tried very hard to downplay the risks of unprotected sex.

lurkerforawhile 3y ago

If we're placing blame, it also didn't help that the Catholic community advocated against preventative measures throughout the AIDS crisis.

jeroenhd 3y ago
> advocated I'm pretty sure they're still advocating against contraception of any kind, which certainly doesn't help prevent the spread of AIDS and other STDs. The most positive thing they seem to have to say is "it's better than HIV" and even that was a controversial stance within the church.

dawnbreez 3y ago

You realize this is the exact opposite of what happened, right? Governments and churches were very firmly convinced at the start of the AIDS epidemic that it was exclusively a thing that happened to gay people, even though it spreads through any kind of sexual activity. In fact, the LGBT community is largely more careful about STDs than the general public--when it was claimed that monkeypox spread more easily through anal sex (a mirror of earlier bogus claims about AIDS), the LGBT community responded faster than the government did[1]. Turning this around and saying that the gay community "tried to downplay the risks of unprotected sex" is a flat-out lie. The LGBT community has been working harder to share resources about safe sex than most US state governments do, through sites like the Trevor Project. What they have 'downplayed' is the idea that AIDS is more common among gay men because it's more easily transmitted through anal sex. The actual reason that HIV incidence happens more often among gay men is that, up until very recently, getting tested for HIV meant having to tell someone about your sexuality in the 80s and 90s, a time when violence targeting gay men was on the rise[2]. Getting tested could mean getting beaten half to death--or worse--if the wrong person found out, so people avoided getting tested. Would you let someone beat you half to death for 'moral superiority'? (If the answer is 'yes', I suspect you might not understand how severe a beating that is.) Simply put, you are spreading misinformation. I hope this post helps others recognize that misinformation for what it is. [1] https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/29/health/monkeypox-lgbtq-slow-response/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/29/health/monkeypox-lgbtq-slow-r... [2] https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/23/us/violence-against-homosexuals-rising-groups-seeking-wider-protection-say.html https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/23/us/violence-against-homos...

mrguyorama 3y ago

Do you have evidence for this claim because I don't remember Mr Ronald Reagan being gay when he ignored AIDS for years in office.