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If you want to read something scientifically based yet quite accessible about the origin of HIV then read Dr.Jacques Pepin's book, "The Origins of AIDS", published in 2011. It's available on Amazon. Dr. Pepin is an infectious disease specialist at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec who spent many years living and working in Africa. He presents a (fairly) easy to understand argument for how HIV made the jump from chimpanzees (where it's called SIV) to humans. And then how the virus was spread. He does not, however, delve into AIDS being the result of immune system depletion due to CD4 destruction by the virus. Prior to the advent of protease inhibitors (circa 1995) the mortality rate from AIDS in HIV-positive people was very, very high. Millions of people, including this writer, owe their very lives to anti-HIV medications, whose beneficial effect is to reduce the amount of HIV; something that many HIV-positives see every time we look at our viral load test results. Is it no one wonder that the Southern Poverty Law Center labels outfits like the American Family Association a hate group?
I'm not gay or had any quote "deviant" sex, but my immune system is practically gone. I have many autoimmune diseases - type 1 diabetes and Graves to name only two. It's totally nuts to believe this was created in a lab. I'm amazed to even be responding to something so ludicrous...amazing and terrifying.
Well, let's see one of these self-righteous know-it-all right-wing nuts become infected, or a member of their family become infected, and watch them pray the AIDS away. I also find it interesting that the AFA describes itself as the most effective "pro-family organizations in the country." It's rather ironic that in the fight for marriage equality, those that condemn us for "trying to redefine marriage," are the same that feel justified not only in defining what constitutes a family, and even worse, what constitutes an American.
Tyler, 1. From your comment it appears you regularly read "mainstream gay" magazines. I don't so I can't speak to the content published therein. But it's interesting that you do regularly read those magazines yet come to the defense of wacky homo-phobe Pubs. And the vast majority are homo-phobic. 2. If you want a different viewpoint presented in the "mainstream gay" magazines, submit something to them. Comment in their comment sections. Communication of ideas is always a good thing. Even wack jobs that are the subject of this article are entitled to their free speech and thank God they are. You see, when they express crazy, hateful or fear based ideas, we get to hold them up to the light of day. Mold does like light and that's what these idiots are. Mold that needs a dark, damp and hiden corner of the world to exist.
Hey Rich, Generally speaking, your first sentence tells the reader what you're going to say then you go on and support your point. You start off with a wingnut statement about HIV being created in a lab then go on to talk about lifestyle choices and being sober yet still taking a hit off the pipe and wanting meaning your life. So respectfully Rich, what the heck are you talking about?
While I do believe that the HIV virus was created in a lab, there is proof folks, I don't believe life style alone causes full blown break down of the immune system... that is dependent of lifestyle choices... if your a party boy that smokes 2 packs a day and uses meth for energy then ... you get what you get... usually AIDS will hit you pretty hard. I was a very heavy drinker and smoked 2 packs a day, esp when I was on a bender, which was often... after I stopped all that (sober for 20 years now) I'm pretty damned healthy. I would have been dead long ago because of the bad choices I made... some folks do OK living like that and taking their meds but you can see how they age faster than others... HIV puts allot of stress on the human body so living healthy is really the way to go but giving up sex and denying myself a toke off a pipe every once in a while, hell no! I'm a human being and we need to connect with other humans in an intimate way here and there, I'm not addicted, I've not had sex in over a year and a half and I'm hardly ugly but I'm picky and at this point of my life, just turned 51, I want something more meaningful.
I think Fischer's a gasshole related to his comment saying "HIV does not cause AIDS."
Drew
Anyone: Gay, Straight, Black, White, Rich or Poor who has unprotected Sex with someone infected with HIV and a High Viral Load will be infected So the Christian Right in the United States and throughout the globe should be supporting Universal Health Care...with everyone on treatment and a low Viral Load the infectious rate drops. Sydney, Australia
January 21, 2012