HIV and relationships...

[Petit Papillon]

So, I have this gay friend. Recently he has found a new bf. This guy is really great, he makes my friend stop to take drugs and do other bad things and he makes him be a better person. The only problem is... He is seropositive ... Of course he's taking the medications, they use condoms and all ,but there is always a risk ... We talked about it yesterday , I think I even read few articles that it's not that easy to get the virus ,but to be honest I don't know much about HIV and AIDS. I think , that HIV itself is not that bad. It doesn't mean someone has AIDS and with medications and all the precautions, you can live pretty long with it . I mean, I think virus itself is not dangerous... But how it works, that this virus cause AIDS?
I hope soon in few years, someone will find the cure for it... It's been more than 25 years since the world found out what HIV and AIDS is... I don't understand why with todays technology, it's so hard to find the cure for it... Or at least a vaccine to protect those that aren't sick yet from getting the virus ... What do you guys know and think about HIV ?

[Charlie Boy II]

I could never knowingly have sex with someone who had HIV/AIDS. Personally I think your friend is being foolish.

[Petit Papillon]

But why. HIV can happen to anyone. Not even through sex. You can get it even through a visit at the dentist ... Would you want to be excluded like that? Or you would belong to the people who keep this in secret...

[Charlie Boy II]

Why? Because it's a terminal illness passed by intercourse. Daily intercourse with someone who is infected with HIV would create an unacceptable health-risk for me.

[Petit Papillon]

It's not passed by intercourse only . You can get it everywhere. You can get it if your open wound get in contact with this other persons blood . This is the problem with people ... People don't know much about this virus and this illness and automatically exclude such people from society... I'm actually glad this guy had the balls to say from the beginning that he's sick and gave him the choice . But there is a lot of other seropositive people that are afraid to tell about their stand . Why is that, because there are still a lot of people who treat them like leper...

[Petit Papillon]

Ok to be honest, I really don't know how I would react to such an information... If I just met someone with HIV, I don't know if I would continue to date such person. But if my long term partner would get it somehow(of course not if he cheated on me) , I think I would stay. Nowadays, even women with HIV can give birth to healthy babies . I think it's not such a big drama. But when I think logically, we shouldn't be so afraid of this . But I understand your point Charlie, for some people it's unacceptable and everyone has right to protect himself ...

[Charlie Boy II]

It's not passed by intercourse only . You can get it everywhere. You can get it if your open wound get in contact with this other persons blood . This is the problem with people ... People don't know much about this virus and this illness and automatically exclude such people from society... I'm actually glad this guy had the balls to say from the beginning that he's sick and gave him the choice . But there is a lot of other seropositive people that are afraid to tell about their stand . Why is that, because there are still a lot of people who treat them like leper...

PP be real. What proportion of HIV people caught the virus by visiting the dentist or rubbing open wounds with an HIV infected person? In practical terms nil. It makes no sense to say "I could get HIV going to the dentist so I may as well just have anal sex with this HIV guy." The risk of one is infintesimal, while the risk in the other is significant.

I agree it was admirable that your friend's boyfriend told him about his HIV status up front. But that doesn't mean your boyfriend should dismiss the risk of what he's doing.

[Take2]

I am with Charlie on this one. Sure, I would be friends with an HIV positive person. I would hold an HIV positive child on my lap. But I wouldn't knowingly visit an HIV positive doctor or have sex with an HIV positive person. And truly, male homosexual sex carries even MORE risk of transmission than hetero sex. It's not a condemnation of the person who is infected, it's just common sense to limit one's risk exposure to blood-born lethal viruses. I petted a lion this weekend, I have jumped out of an airplane, but I don't play around with HIV exposure.

[vashti]

HIV can progress to AIDS, as you know. AIDS is a terrible, painful, lonely way to die. Your friend is very foolish. People who are HIV positive can date other people who are HIV positive, and not have to worry about infecting healthy people.

[qwertz]

I wouldnt have sex with someone who has HIV, its not worth the risk, and there IS a risk.

[sadie_genie]

Having HIV/Aids is one of the worse things that can happen to a person. They have to constantly take piles of drugs and piles because the virus evolves and become immune to the same drug very quickly. The drugs have lots of side effects.