Posted on 09/12/2003 2:35:28 AM PDT by kattracks
London (CNSNews.com) - A researcher who suggested that some homosexual men are setting out to deliberately contract the virus that causes AIDS has sparked a controversy, with one British charity denouncing her research methods.
Dr. Melissa Parker, a medical anthropologist at Brunel University in London, made the claims at a conference in Manchester earlier this week.
Parker offered no hard statistics but said her study was based on lengthy interviews with homosexual men in London.
She said that some men use clubs, bars and saunas to engage in unprotected sex with dozens of partners.
"Often they come from outside London, and feel lonely and marginalized. They feel outside the gay scene and are seeking to join a network," Parker said.
"Being diagnosed with HIV is a badge of recognition of being truly gay," she said. "There is a sizeable number of young gay men new to the gay scene, exploring their sexuality but wanting to belong. HIV is seen as a bonus."
Parker said that homosexuals may even be initially attracted to health care and housing benefits for those who are HIV-positive, although actually contracting the disease often leaves the men "devastated."
"They begin to get a sense that those who have a diagnosis of HIV are a distinct group," she said.
"The problem is policy makers and researchers don't want to enter into that field. They want to brush it under the carpet," she told the British Association Festival of Science.
She also said that improvements in drug treatments for AIDS have lessened the horror of a diagnosis.
"They have made HIV less frightening," she said.
But one of Britain's leading AIDS charities has criticized Parker's presentation, saying she has no real evidence to back up her statements and that they will "demonize" homosexual men.
"Her comment that unprotected sex with multiple partners is the rule, rather than the exception is not backed up by evidence," said Will Nutland, the head of gay men's health promotion at the Terrence Higgins Trust.
"Ongoing surveys of gay men's sexual behavior since 1997 show that most men use condoms most of the time with most of their partners," he said.
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"They have made AIDS less frightening"
In reality, the authorities should show people in glorious color, the graphic results of an AIDS and STD ravaged body that has come about as a direct result of this so-called "alternate" insert "insanely DESTRUCTIVE" lifestyle.
The only problem is if you do so, homosexuals will have less of a pool of potential victims to "recruit" seeing as they cannot reproduce.
Part of being grown up means learning to accept the fact that just b/c something is bad doesn't mean it's wrong.
They claim her research is faulty because it was based on subject interviews by an anthropologist rather than a survey by whomever.
If she had been interviewing young pregnant girls seeking an abortion, this would have been blazoned on the front page of the NYTimes and everyone would be screaming how bleeping brilliant an interviewer she is.
Interview is an acceptable research technique. What it lacks in breadth it makes up for in depth and clarity.
Instead of asking 2000 people the same 25 questions, you subject 25 people to extensive interviews over time.
Scripter will be off line until next week. I've agreed to help him out by running his homosexual agenda ping list.
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Acting UpOf course some here will try to deny the above, it's becoming more and more obvious that some gays do seek to become HIV+.
Bug Chasers (Rolling Stone sticks by their numbers)
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