Gay Marriage and AIDS: We Now Know the Connectn - Big Thk

Contents:

• GAY MARRIAGE BAN LKED TO HIV FECTN RAT
• GAY COMMUNY WON BATTL ON MARRIAGE, BUT MAY BE LOSG THE WAR ON HIV/AIDS
• IS AIDS A “GAY” DISEASE?
• DEAR RETD JUDG, DISAGREE AS YOU MAY, BUT GAY MARRIAG DO NOT VE YOUR HIV PHOBIA
• GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN'S HEALTH ISSU
• HIV AND ALL GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• OPN GAY MARRIAGE IS GREAT, BUT HOW ABOUT SOME LOVE FOR THE AIDS FIGHT?
• GAY MARRIAGE AND AIDS: WE NOW KNOW THE CONNECTN

GAY MARRIAGE BAN LKED TO HIV FECTN RAT

In the first study of the impact of social tolerance levels toward gays the Uned Stat on the HIV transmissn rate, the rearchers timate that a nstutnal ban on gay marriage rais the rate by four s per 100, 000 people.

“Laws on gay marriage are flux and unr bate, ” adds Andrew Francis, also an assistant profsor of enomics, cg the recent cisn by the California Supreme Court to uphold a ban on same-sex marriage. Although IV dg ers, hemophiliacs, and heterosexual partners of fected men were also dyg, the gay male muny was publilly intified—and blamed—as the e of the epimic. Conservative polil mentator and would-be printial ndidate Pat Buchanan famoly wrote the Febary 4, 1983, issue of the New York Post that, “The poor homosexuals—they have clared war on nature, and now nature is exactg an awful retributn.

The realy that many gay men—like many heterosexuals—mataed long-term open or monogamo relatnships, engaged serial monogamy, dated, slept around, and engaged both tradnally sanctned and ( many stat) illegal sexual acts, did not impe the ia that gay male culture was a danger to the men volved and to society at large.

GAY COMMUNY WON BATTL ON MARRIAGE, BUT MAY BE LOSG THE WAR ON HIV/AIDS

In 1998, a few years after antiretroviral therapy (HAART) dgs sentially ma HIV a manageable ndn, nservative gay journalist Andrew Sullivan lked sexual liberatn wh HIV Love Untectable: Not on Friendship, Sex and Survival: “The gay liberatnists have plenty to answer for. ” Sullivan’s sentiments echoed the ias of Yale Law School gay legal scholar William Eskridge, who wrote two years earlier, The Case for Same-Sex Marriage: From Sexual Liberty to Civilized Commment, that, “It should not have required the AIDS epimic to alert to the problem of sexual promiscuy. ” Later, he argu that, “sexual variety has not been liberatg for gay men” and “[a] self-reflective gay muny ought to embrace marriage for s potentially civilizg effect on young and old alike.

IS AIDS A “GAY” DISEASE?

For Sullivan and Eskridge, HIV/AIDS was not simply a vis but a social disease emanatg directly om gay men’s refal to embrace mment, monogamy, fily, rponsibily, and—ultimately—civilizatn. Durg the height of the AIDS epimic was route for gay men, lackg legal accs to marriage, to be nied the abily to make medil cisns for their sick partners, to be nied hospal visatn rights if the blogil fay sisted, and to be nied herance rights—sometim even wh an existg will that was ntted by the blogil fay. While the LGBT legal tablishment clearly argued for civil—not relig—marriage, the unrlyg psychic arguments here were sentially relig their implitns, particularly so, when ntrasted to the implicly relig nmnatns of gay male sexualy.

Acrdg to the CDC, “In 2010, young gay and bisexual men (aged 13-24 years) acunted for 72% of new HIV fectns among all persons aged 13 to 24, and 30% of new fectns among all gay and bisexual men. Although IV dg ers, hemophiliacs, and heterosexual partners of fected men were also dyg, the gay male muny was publilly intified – and blamed – as the e of the epimic.

DEAR RETD JUDG, DISAGREE AS YOU MAY, BUT GAY MARRIAG DO NOT VE YOUR HIV PHOBIA

Conservative polil mentator and would-be printial ndidate Pat Buchanan famoly wrote the Febary 4, 1983, issue of the New York Post that, “The poor homosexuals – they have clared war on nature, and now nature is exactg an awful retributn. The realy that many gay men – like many heterosexuals – mataed long-term open or monogamo relatnships, engaged serial monogamy, dated, slept around, and engaged both tradnally sanctned and ( many stat) illegal sexual acts, did not impe the ia that gay male culture was a danger to the men volved and to society at large.

For Sullivan and Eskridge, HIV/AIDS was not simply a vis but a social disease emanatg directly om gay men’s refal to embrace mment, monogamy, fily, rponsibily, and – ultimately – civilizatn. Durg the height of the AIDS epimic was route for gay men, lackg legal accs to marriage, to be nied the abily to make medil cisns for their sick partners, to be nied hospal visatn rights if the blogil fay sisted, and to be nied herance rights – sometim even wh an existg will that was ntted by the blogil fay. While the LGBT legal tablishment clearly argued for civil – not relig – marriage, the unrlyg psychic arguments here were sentially relig their implitns, particularly so, when ntrasted to the implicly relig nmnatns of gay male sexualy.

GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN'S HEALTH ISSU

Their rpons explore aspects of the battle for marriage equaly unlikely to be discsed elsewhere: s relatnship to the HIV/AIDS epimic and efforts to nta gay men’s “dangero” promiscuy, s nnectns to the Civil Rights Movement and the long stggle agast whe supremacy, the important role historians played the marriage movement by servg as expert legal wns discrimatn s over the past twenty years. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Imag)As the Supreme Court heard arguments March for the two gay marriage s cid last week, one image was shared aga and aga, adorng the Facebook and Twter pag of brands, celebri and polil lears: an equal sign red, the lor synonymo wh was only ftg that the logo of the Human Rights Campaign would bee the symbol of the two gay marriage ws at the Supreme Court last week – on California's same-sex marriage ban, and on feral benefs for gay upl.

HIV AND ALL GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Its "Millns for Marriage" mpaign had, que lerally, raised while the HRC has racked up w after w on marriage, may be quietly losg another, harr battle, a battle some say hasn't fought very hard to w: the fight agast HIV/ December 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventn released startlg new data that showed HIV was still plagug the gay muny. And nearly 6, 000 gay men were dyg of AIDS every Kaiser Health Foundatn recently scribed the problem of HIV the cy of Washgton, where the HRC and many other big LGBT groups are headquartered, as "as epimic on par wh some velopg natns. "When HRC spokman Michael Cole-Schwartz lists off the prri for the anizatn, the list is long: gay marriage, workplace nondiscrimatn protectns, safe schools, rporate support and benefs for employe, fosterg posive plac of worship.

OPN GAY MARRIAGE IS GREAT, BUT HOW ABOUT SOME LOVE FOR THE AIDS FIGHT?

: not the HRC, or the Gay and Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn (GLAAD), or the Natnal Gay and Lbian Task Force (NGLTF) – who together are somewhat pejoratively known as "Gay Inc.

GAY MARRIAGE AND AIDS: WE NOW KNOW THE CONNECTN

' is terted ary, marriage, and money, " says Michael Petrelis, a gay and AIDS activist, reference to the mpaigns agast the ary policy of "don't ask, don't tell, " which was overturned 2010, and the Defense of Marriage Act, which was led unnstutnal last week. "That's not entirely te: Cole-Schwartz says HRC is currently lobbyg for the Early Treatment for HIV Act, which would allow stat to provi Mediid verage for low-e people wh HIV, and prevly lobbied for the Ryan Whe Care Act, the largt feral program for people wh HIV/ most lobbyg is done by HRC partners, Cole-Schwartz Colls thks that wh a public health issue this prsg for the gay muny, that level of volvement don't make sense.

' spendg more money on HIV, but about them tegratg to what they're already dog, such as talkg about HIV when they talk about other problems for gay youth.

But as evince piled up, the allegatn that homosexualy and HIV/AIDS were unrelated was no longer fensible, and those who nied the nnectn were creasgly perceived as disnnected om realy. However, Amerin urts have thlsly med the Constutn to illicly expand the right to privacy to clu abortn, fantici, thanasia, pornography ― and now, ersatz homosexual “marriage.