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Today many more straight people than gays have HIV/AIDS.

In the early days of AIDS, the disease spread faster among gay people, which is why it became known as a gay disease, but today that is no longer the case.

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11y ago

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The anus/rectum is very susceptible to cuts and tears while conducting anal sex. This means there is a greater chance for infected body fluids to enter the blood stream. Sexuality has no direct influence in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, it is the practices concerned with the sexuality.

The main factors in why HIV transmission is higher in the MSM category are the following:

  • Promiscuity - particularly, how many sexual partners one has had and the use of condoms (or lack therefor) in sexual transactions. It has been established that the average homosexual male has considerably more partners than the average heterosexual male in their lifetime, often in high risk locales such as bathhouses, sex clubs, and public places such as parks and bathrooms.
  • Gender - Male homosexuals are the group most at-risk for HIV and other STIs. This is largely due to the high prevalence of the virus in semen as opposed to vaginal fluids, and the type of sexual activity associated with this group, e.g. anal sex.
  • The use of illegal drugs, such as methamphetamine, which lower inhibitions and impair judgment - and weaken the immune system - appears to be considerably higher in the MSM community than the heterosexual and lesbian groups.
  • The existence of a minority within the gay community that willingly seeks infection with HIV and other STDs. Often referred to as "bug chasers", these men communicate on message boards and dating sites specifically oriented around voluntary infection with STIs for erotic and other reasons. Such a phenomenon does not appear to exist in the heterosexual community.
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12y ago
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Simply because the disease was first noted among gay communities, leading people who dislike homosexuals to refer to it as "the gay plague," in some cases because they believed it to be a punishment inflicted on those whose lifestyles they believe to be in some way wrong or ungodly. Medicine became aware very early on that AIDS could be spread just as easily amongst heterosexuals, but to this day large numbers of ill-informed people believe it to be confined to homosexuals.

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11y ago
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Anyone can contract the HIV virus, not just gay men. However, unprotected anal sex is the type of sex where the virus is most easily spread whether it be between 2 men or man and woman.

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12y ago
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In the 1980's HIV spread faster among the gay population because of cultural differences in dating. Today, the majority of people with HIV are heterosexual.

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11y ago
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Straight people get AIDS and HIV much more often than gay people.

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Wiki User

11y ago
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HIV and AIDS is a virus and is not caused by anyone's sexuality.

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Wiki User

13y ago
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Q: Why do more gay people get aids?
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