Ake:

Come off it.

I did not deny anything of the sort. I denied this thread was about health issues. I denied that AIDS is "a homosexual disease" in the sense that homosexuality causes it in some mysterious way. That ain't so. It is probablky true that the practice of anal penetration is a significant vector in transmitting AIDS. But aside from that I expect it transfers as readily to an opposite-sex partner as to a same-sex partner.

You seem uncomfortable though. Did my question about discrimination strike a bit close? Sorry. I really do think it deserves careful thought.

Do you believe that if two sexual partners are the same gender, that fact alone can bring about AIDS if neither of them is previously infected? Or, that that fact alone can increase the probability of transmission, without the added complication of anal sex (not to put too fine a point on it).

When anal sex IS added in, do you think same-sex transmission of AIDS is more probable than opposite-sex transmission of AIDS if one is already a carrier?

ANd what do you think the effect of marital status being allowed to same-sex couples would do to the rate of promiscuity (multiple short-term partnering) in the same-sex community?


A