Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - AIDS is what the infection is called. Human immunodeficiency virus - HIV is the name of the virus.
Everyone has probably heard of this disease by now, but ever since our scientifical knowledge of the disease has increased, people tend to think past them.
Stupid, silly ideas of
Quote:
"He's so hot and young, he cannot have AIDS."
"If he pulls out in time, I won't get it."
He's taking medicine, it's safe."
"If he pulls out in time, I won't get it."
He's taking medicine, it's safe."
I'm sure that everyone knows that those aren't viable reasons to have sex without a condom. Right?
At the moment there is no cure for AIDS, there is a treatment for the HIV, you can slow down it's growth (almost permanently). If you have HIV now, it's more like living with the disease - as HIV positive, HIV negative, relative, partner or friend.
The disease
AIDS is a collection of symptoms and infections in humans that results from the specific damage to the immune system cause by infection with the HIV-virus. The later stage of this condition leaves people open to infections and tumours.
HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid and breast milk. The transmission can come in the form of a**l, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusion, contaminated needles, exchange between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding etc.
HIV primarly attacks the T-helpingcells, a type of cell in the body's immune system that controls and defends against different kinds of virus, bacterias and other contageous things. Just like other virus, HIV needs help from living cells called hostcells to reproduce (T-helpercell is a hostcell). This virus inside the T-helpercell can be deactivate during a long time, but if it would activate for some reason the HIV-contaminated part in the cell's DNA would start producing new HIV viruses.
With time, more and more T-helpercells are shut off through HIV. When the amount of T-helpercells are low enough, the risk of receiving opportunity infections (infections that doesn't 'work' against healthy people) or a couple of tumours.
Statistics
Most researches believe that HIV originated in sub-Saharan Africa during the twentieth century - it is now a pandemic, with an estimated 38.6 million people now living with the disease worldwide. As of January 2006, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized on June 5, 1981, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. In 2005 alone, AIDS claimed an estimated 3 million lives, of which more than 570000 were children. A hird of these deaths are occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, slowing down economic growth and destroying important human capital.
In the start of 1980s people didn't know how AIDS was spread, if it was airborne or if it was through touching others. AIDS was also known as Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome because it seemed like it only effected Gay people. People back then wasn't even looking for a cure, preachers then started to call it "God's work" and that has stuck until now. AIDS is still commonly refered as God's work, killing homosexuals.
As stated before Africa is the part of the world were most people die from AIDS (one third). This has done a great deal to effect the growth of the countries economics. Having to ward off a disease that destroys the human capital. Life expectancy for people with AIDS in this countries are 11,4 years lower than the ones without the disease.
But because of the high population in Eastern Asia this often gives a bad picture of the countries AIDS count.
Might be a more frightening picture. Russia, China and America in that shade of red.
The WHO has demanded that all countries teach children about AIDS at an early age, I remember learning about it in church.
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Asexuality
Note that I made this thread first for ED and then it got moved to Chatterbox.
Hello everyone. My name is Tony. I've mentioned asexuality plenty of times, the responses I've gotten has always been some kind of mix between half-witty and half-senseless.
Quote:
"So you're genderless?"
"So you're not getting laid?"
"So you're not getting laid?"
This post I'm making is not to be considered as a debate starter. I'm writing this because I'm hoping to start an awareness of asexuality. But also so that asexuality will be accepted as a sexual orientation. Because right now, it isn't very recognized in any sexual societies; whether it is the 'Heterosexual'-society or the 'GLBT'-society.
I feel to apologise for any spelling or grammar mistakes. English being my 3rd language and all.
Definition
Now what does asexuality means? This is taken from the dictionary.com difinition of Asexuality.
Quote:
1. Having no evident sex or sex organs; sexless.
2. Relating to, produced by, or involving reproduction that occurs without the union of male and female gametes, as in binary fission or budding.
3. Lacking interest in or desire for sex.
The latter one, in which I'm going to talk about now.
The definition of being asexual is very vague. What does it really mean? Basically, as written, it is someone that doesn't care for or don't have any interest for having sex. This does however not mean that they;
1. Can't fall in love.
2. Can't find people attractive.
3. Can't show affection and love.
But after talking to many other asexuals in my own swedish community as well on LiveJournal it has become clear to me that this doesn't go for everyone. Some experience romantic attraction, some don�t. Some experience arousal, some don�t. A very important thing to remember is that asexuality is not celibacy - celibacy is a choice to abstain from sexual intimacy while asexuality is an orientation which results in lack of sexual attraction.
Most asexuals are asexual for your entire lives. Just as people will rarely go from straight to gay or vice versa. Asexual people will rarely become sexual or vice versa.
Asexuality and relationships
Asexual people have the exact same emotional needs as anyone else, and as in any community we vary in how we fulfill our own needs. Some might be happier on their own, others are happiest with close friends. Others have a desire to form more intimate romantic relationships and hope to find a long-term partnership.
I think that everyone can agree with me that all relationships, sexual or nonsexual are all made up with the same basic things. Closeness, communication and trust.
Attraction
Many, many, many asexuals experience attraction. The thing that would differ is that you feel no need to act out that attraction sexually. We instead feel a great desire to get to know that person, to get close to them. Asexual people who experience attraction will often be attracted to a particular gender, and will mainly orient themselves as gay, bi or straight.
This causes great confusion at start. I know I felt lost sometimes.
Endings
The only ending I have to say is that I'm very happy, pleased and proud that you've taken your time to read this thread. Remember that I didn't create this thread to provoke or insult anyone. It is to create an awareness about this sexual orientation. It may not be as common as homosexuality, bisexuality or transexuality; but it is very rare that people have ever heard of it before.
If there are any questions I will try my best to answer to them, or reply to those responses that I feel to be of importance to me.
Thank you.
[Authors Notes: Planning on doing several more of these 'FAQs' on different sexual orientations, among them homosexuality, bisexuality, transexuality and pansexuality. ]
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Pansexuality
This post I'm making is not to be considered as a debate starter. I'm writing this because I'm hoping to start an awareness of pansexuality. But also so that pansexuals will be accepted as a sexual orientation. Because right now, it isn't very recognized in any sexual societies; whether it is the 'Heterosexual'-society or the 'GLBT'-society.
I feel to apologise for any spelling or grammar mistakes. English being my 3rd language and all.
Definition
Now what does pansexuality means? This is taken from the dictionary.com difinition of pansexuality.
Quote:
Relating to, having, or open to sexual activity of many kinds.
So what is sexual activity of many kinds? Is pansexuality any similiar to sex addicts? There are many differences between the two.
Pansexuals feels an attraction for anyone; with men and with women and people that doesn't fit in amongst the male/female gender binary, which is implied in a bisexual relationship. They feel for a more aesthetic view on the people they're in relationships with rather than emotional. But that doesn't mean that they are sex addicted breeding machines. Many pansexuals seeks to have open relationships with their partners.
People like to describe pansexuals as someone who can fall in love with someone, while not regarding that person's gender. Some even say that the gender is meaningless to them.
It has also been used, with debate, to describe those with a ***** orientation that is not child-exclusive in its attraction. Meaning, the sexual attraction is felt by the ***** in varying strong degrees for both children and adults of the opposing gender, the same gender, or both genders.
Pangender
Whereas sex refers to someone's anatomy, gender is more about someone's sexual identification or orientation. Gender refers to the roles and qualities that society associates with being either male or female.
Pangender is a term for people who feel that they cannot be labeled as female or male in gender. These people feel that they are; mixed gender, identify equally with "both" genders, are both male and female, feel that they are genderless or feel that they are some other gender all together. The term is meant by the queer community to be one that is inclusive and means "all genders".
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