did you really mean "kick"?

What I find amusing (in a frustrating way, to be sure) is that black men, on the whole, have much higher instances of HIV than when men, be they gay, straight or anywhere in between, yet the Red Cross doesn't defer them from donating blood, even though their numbers are very close to those of the gay community on the whole. Yet, it's this supposedly high percentage of gay men who have HIV that they use to justify refusing to allow gays to donate blood.

So, since they'll take blood from black men but not gay men, even though they, too, have much higher instances of HIV infection, it's clear that they're just discriminating against gays for being gay and no other valid reason.

Well, long story short, it's illegal to discriminate against born with dark skin, but it's still acceptable to discriminate against people born homosexual.

NEWS FLASH - Aids can be prevented!! Wear condoms!

It's sad that anyone must bear this affliction, but much sadder still that ignorance and the choice to not wear protection play such a huge role in spreading this.

Chuck I was gonna say the same thing. AIDS is so very serious and when they start teaching about AIDS in the USA in 1st grade there is absolutely NO reason for anyone to contract this disease. I dont care if you are gay, straight, black, white, hispanic, or other, for god sake take care of yourself and practice SAFE sex. I am sorry but poverty or lack of health care have nothing to do with preventing the contraction of AIDS, the tratment of it yes but not the contraction of it.

Why would you want to risk your life like that. Although AIDS is something that all adults, and I would hope all teens in the USA know about perhaps we need to be a little bit more proactive and teach kids younger about AIDS and what it does to you. My son is 7 he learned last year in 1st grade about AIDS, do all schools do this? If not they should. As a parent I had the choice of letting him learn about it and you bet your a$$ I said YES. If the schools dont teach it and even if they do, E-D-U-C-A-T-E your little ones so hopefully they will not fall into this same trend!

It is just so sad that anyone in this day and age can and are still contracting this awful virus, when it is completely preventable. This virus should be extinct in the US by now. Why wont these young people just LISTEN?!

L.J have you ever heard the old Vulcan Proverb "The needs of the Many out way the needs of the few or the one"?

The gay population is something like 2% of the total population according to the article so you think the other 98% of our population should be put at risk so the gay community doesn't feel like they are being discrimanted against because of there life choice and they cant donate blood because of it?

I usually dont discrimate, in this case however, since I have children and someday one of them, my spouse, or myself may need a blood transfusion from a donor, I will make an exception and not lose any sleep over it.

I've been saying the same things to the hetero community for years. To curb the # of unwanted babies, and reduce # of abortions. Use protection. People need to learn to take responsibility.

I think if we stick our heads in the sand, pray the gay away, and tell people to practice abstinence, we can nip this thing in the but, er, bud!

I think if we stick our heads in the sand, pray the gay away, and tell people to practice abstinence, we can nip this thing in the but, er, bud!

I agree. And remember: Boys are born with a God stick, and girls a shame cave . . . that is all we will say about this subject. Now go pray and make sure you don't accidentally touch your "devil parts" when you kneel down.

Hmmmmm . . . actually, we should probably rethink the whole "kneeling" while you pray thing.

Lewd insinuations pretty much define the dumbing down of America. Stop emulating Hollywood and get a real life!

Gravity in North America = Gravity in Africa

Check

Massive Aids epidemic in Africa among Africans = Massive Aids epidemic in North America among Africans

Check

Nothing to see here..just laws of physics at work

.

Go to pornhub.com and take a clook at the actors on that site....they are definitely engaging in risky behavior. Then re-read this story. Then you'll see that this story is not being told in earnest.

David Noah,

Then, by your reasoning, we should also bar black men from donating blood, since they have almost as high of an incidence rate as gays for having HIV. That's the point I'm trying to make. Black men are allowed to donate blood, while gay men aren't, yet they have almost the same likelihood of having HIV. So, why are gay men barred, but not black men? It can't be because of the prevalence of HIV, or else this difference in treatment by the Red Cross wouldn't exist. They accept blood from blacks, even with such a high prevalence of HIV compared to the straight, white community, because they test all the blood they get, which is very effective at keeping the blood supply safe.

It's simply because they don't like gay men. They let their hatred of gays cost many a hospital serious shortages of much-needed blood, which threatens lives much more than the possibility of transmitting HIV, especially when they test each and every pint they get from donors. How sick is it that they're willing to risk letting people die just to tell gay men they're not good enough?

So black men are less responsible with their lives or the lives of others, which equates to higher numbers in this category. What's new?

I'm not gay. I'm not a drug user or abuser. I'm a monogamist as is my wife. This is a non story. I will never have HIV. Wow, that was easy to avoid, wasn't it?

@ Jack-2510943

Indeed! The only risk you have of getting it under your current situation is if some moron working in a hospital doesn't use a fresh needle, or you're accidentally given tainted blood (as what happed in the 1980's with some very unfortunate people).

Why arn't these idiots wearing condoms???

In this day and age, there is NO EXCUSE not to be safe.

I'm not gay. I'm not a drug user or abuser. I'm a monogamist as is my wife. This is a non story. I will never have HIV. Wow, that was easy to avoid, wasn't it?

I sincerely hope that you are never in a position where you need blood tranfused into your body BECAUSE you would then be as exposed to the danger of acquiring HIV/AIDS as a drug user, non-monogamist, or gay person.

Or until Jack's wife cheats on him, contracts HIV, then gives it to him. Or if he cheats on her and catches it himself. Monogamy pretty much doesn't exist within the human race. Or, I should say, where it does exist, the life expectancy of the marriage is exceedingly short.

I wonder how many of these AIDS cases are from black men getting raped in jail and prison while serving time for drug charges.

The war on drugs has done much to increase the plague of AIDS.

That's an interesting question, I don't believe I've seen any statistics about the transmission of an VD's in prison, but insinuations of rape are constant, so I can imagine that transmission rates must follow suit

Don't think a 'bush' is to blame here...

I like how there's someone always trying to make this political ^_^

Back to your campfire GYPSY!!

Richard-348249

Don't think a 'bush' is to blame here...

HAHAHAH. Good show, +1 for you

Actually, Bush's one laudable action while in office is his at least half-hearted attempt to address the AIDS epidemic.

I like how there's someone always trying to make this political ^_^

Isn't it always? In the 1980s Ronald Reagan was blamed for the AIDS outbreak in the Gay communities. It was even claimed that the GOP secretly "created" the AIDs virus to "exterminate" Gays. Ofcourse, it couldn't be the Democrats fault. SO there is a lot of truth in it being a "political" issue!

Of course it's Bush's fault. Remember Kanye West telling us that Bush hates black people? This is all part of his master plan, to get rid of black people.

This stat only proves that no amount of money/education/whatever can protect people from themselves. Personal responsiblility is the answer and as sad as these stats are, only those that are practicing unsafe sex are to blame.

I blame Nixon.

Actually, Bush's one laudable action while in office is his at least half-hearted attempt to address the AIDS epidemic.

IF you look at new AIDs cases by year, the effect of new cases being reported and treated have remained level under the Clinton and Bush Administrations. The only reason more people are living with AIDs over time is because people aren't dying of AIDs as they did in the early 1980s. People are still contracting it a a level rate and incrementally adding to the overall cases.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/images/infections-lg.jpg

Until you can get men to stop having unprotected anal sex your not going to stop the virus from spreading. How is the executive office supposed to do that and it be constitutional?

Make anal sex illegal? - yeah, RIGHT!

Make men having sex with men illegal? - yeah, RIGHT!

Make it illegal for people with HIV to have sex? - Well they have made it a crime to have sex with a partner and not inform them that you have HIV if you do indeed know.

The answer is for people (everyone) to stop blaming political parties for who, where and when WE HAVE SEX!!!!

Take some personal responsibility! Wrap it up!!!

Sorry Keefe, but there's only one party that staunchly opposes teaching condom usage in a comprehensive sex education curriculum. Can you guess which one?

No, I'd actually say the problem is they're having unprotected sex. Their choice to do so.

Personal responsibility is an amazing thing.....

Actually, to pander to the right wing, Bush diverted much HIV funding to Africa (where they didn't get it through gay sex) and where the right wing was hoping to gain influence...and influence it gained in Uganda, which tried to pass a bill where gays would be killed).

There were severe restrictions on how American anti-HIV groups which got federal funding could publish informational literature about it (no graphic pictures, for example--it's HIV, for goodness sakes!)

Yes, Bush IS to blame.

Toasty

Which party staunchly defends the type of activity that spreads AIDS? Can you guess which one?

The left is the party of no personal responsilbilty.

Sorry Keefe, but there's only one party that staunchly opposes teaching condom usage in a comprehensive sex education curriculum. Can you guess which one?

Nah, no political party that I'm aware of campaigns against the use of condoms.

There is a political party that promotes family planning and a political party against children under the age of 17 being able to use the services without the knowledge and consent of the parents. Personally, I don't want my 15 year old daughter making any medical decision on her own or with the help of complete strangers. The difference is my daughter is my life and ONLY their patient. A doctor does something that physically or emotionally harms or alters my daughter's life has eternal effects for the entire family but they always have another patient in the waiting room.

The Republican Party, JH. They fall squarely on the side of "no condom education ever." I sort of thought it was so obvious I wouldn't have to spell it out to you, to be honest.

Toasty you are full of it. You don't know how to honest. "No condom education ever"? Please show me where I can read that actual quote from the Republican party.

Actually, to pander to the right wing, Bush diverted much HIV funding to Africa (where they didn't get it through gay sex) and where the right wing was hoping to gain influence...and influence it gained in Uganda, which tried to pass a bill where gays would be killed).

There were severe restrictions on how American anti-HIV groups which got federal funding could publish informational literature about it (no graphic pictures, for example--it's HIV, for goodness sakes!)

Yes, Bush IS to blame.

Ahh, yes, Bush tried to pass a Bill in Uganda. Makes perfect political and legal sense. I bet during the Bush years you saw a lot of white vans and black helicopters flying around!

That Bush guy was trying to get everyone wasn't he, LMFAO!?

In the end, Uganda is responsible for what happens in Uganda. If we can't teach Black males in this country to take responsibility for their penises in the US, please tell me how we can can get them to understand in Uganda. Problem in Uganda IS, READY, gangs of men run around that country terrorizing women and young girls by RAPING them! THEY ARE A LAWLESS AND BARBARIC SOCIETY! Get a hold of that and you MIGHT make a dent in the spread of AIDs in Uganda!!! Uganda is killing Ugandans!!!

WHAT A CONCEPT!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,96660,00.html

http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/despite-program-failures-2008-republican-platform/

http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/abuses_of_science/abstinence-only-education.html

http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/AFY_Sarah/2011/6/14/New-Polling-Shows-Once-Again-the-Large-Majority-of-Americans-Support-Comprehensive-Sex-Ed

Have at it, JH. I'd also like an apology from you for saying that I "don't know how to honest." I take such claims very seriously.

Toasty, did you read what was in the article?

— Becoming a Responsible Teen: Originally designed for teens from 14 to 18, it suggests in a list of recommended activities a trip to the grocery store to examine the different kinds of lubricants for condom use.

— Be Proud! Be Responsible!: Designed for adolescents from 13 to 18, it includes “brainstorming” about different ways to make condoms sexy. It also includes role-playing situations involving “negotiating safe sex” in bisexual and homosexual relationships.

— Focus on Kids: Designed for youths 9 to 15 years of age, provides “condom hunts” at local markets and a condom race to see who can apply the condom fastest.

9 year olds seeing who could put their condom on the fastest????

Come the F@#$ on!!!! You must want to be the judge watching 9 year olds putting on condoms. That's why you're upset!!!

NO WONDER IT WASN"T SUPPORTED, YOU FOOL!

Grow up, Okeefe. Do you know what these programs teach nine-year-olds? It teaches them how to look out for inappropriate touching from grown ups to prevent @!$%#ing CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE. It teaches kids how to avoid being molested.

But go on, Okeefe, defend your stance against preventing child molestation. Go ahead. I don't know what's wrong with you, but you're starting to look like a dangerous individual.

My God Toasty, you are freakin EVERYWHERE!!! Is there no subject you won't comment on?

But go on, Okeefe, defend your stance against preventing child molestation. Go ahead. I don't know what's wrong with you, but you're starting to look like a dangerous individual.

You're a WACK-JOB!!! Next time trying reading what you post in support of your argument!

Show me where I have even mentioned the words "child molestation".

You're a WACK-JOB and A LIAR!

Stay away from play grounds!!!

I didn't think you'd defend it.

I'll be taking that apology now, Kev.

Well, I heard if you bl0w gay people on airport toilets that you can't get AIDS.

You may want to get tested.

Was it a good touch or bad touch Cartman?

Good touch...errrrrr..I mean bad touch..

I can't believe there are still those that wouldn't use condoms...AND that some don't believe in teaching children.

Imagine if someone you loved told you they had AIDS...and it could have been prevented, but no, the parents didnt want to discuss anything like that because they thought they didn't need to..part of that is parents' fault.

mmmkay, now can you show me on this anatomically correct doll where the bad man touched you..?

I can't believe there are still those that wouldn't use condoms...AND that some don't believe in teaching children.

Imagine if someone you loved told you they had AIDS...and it could have been prevented, but no, the parents didn't want to discuss anything like that because they thought they didn't need to..part of that is parents' fault.

Having 9 year old little boys race to see who can put on a condom the fastest isn't solving the issue here.

Matter of fact, that is a form of child molestation. What adult is going to stand there and watch to judge who is the winner?

Pretty messed up!!! Who even thinks up crap like that???

Finally, the black community is a very religious one. They don't embrace alternative lifestyles as you would like to believe.

The same people who tell you to stay the hell out of their bedroom, what they do there is their own business, is the same sector of the population that tell you that you need to use condomns or you gonna die. Just don't use drugs, don't screw everything with two legs and don't be homosexual. Chances of AIDs drops to numbers too low to matter.

AIDs = one of the most avoidable diseases on the planet.

stupidity=one of the most avoidable diseases on the planet. use a condom. quit using internet explorer 6 and educate yourself...

I can't vote for myself

Is that like a time-share?

Like the racial profiling when looking for illegal immigrants. But that is a no-no, right?

A bigoted point of view. Most gay men know if they are HIV POS and would never think of donating. And If you check the stats, many, many straight men/women carry the virus.

joe-1884424

Did you not just read the article? AIDS is overwhelmingly higher in the gay community. It didn't say that it didn't exist in straight people, it was just a lot smaller percentage. The article also states that the reason why it is so high among young, gay, black men, is that they don't get tested as much. Remember, reading is fundamental.

/The more you know.

That Red Cross' rule is pure homophobia. A straight man or woman could have sex with 50 different partners without a condom, yet still give blood. A gay man who wears a condom cannot.

Does that make ANY sense?

Of course more blacks and hispanics are going to get this disease.

We have yet to find ANYONE from these ethnic groups that is immune.

We do know (apparently not the general public yet) 10% of Caucasians ARE IMMUNE.

That's right. FACT.

This was discovered by a Zoologist at the National Zoo who was researching Feline AIDS (worried about critically endangered animals such as Amur Tiger catching AIDS from lose domesticated or feral cats that maybe would wonder onto Zoo grounds)

He discovered the Tigers were IMMUNE to what the domesticated cats died from.

Got him thinking-Are there any people out there immured to AIDS.

Testing was done in L.A. and New York amongst the gay and intravenous drug using populations and BINGO -)one out of every ten white people carry but are NOT effected by the virus.

(In laymen terms-the virus can not "Latch on" to their cells so no destruction can occur)

These folks tended to be the ancestors of people who lived in SEVERE plague areas of old. Black Death. Bubonic. Whatever.

It's natural selection. Adaptations at work.

No conspiracy. No politics. Just nature.

Why our educational policies chose to ignore this nugget of info IS just adding fuel to the fires of racism.

What I write can be confirmed easily.

I learned about it on a BBC produced miniseries called "Evolution".

OK, so they can still spread the disease if they are carriers....

If they donate blood, the person who receives that blood could develop AIDS.

What's your point?

Your correct- If they donated blood Immediately after the virus entered their body.

The virus is fragile and dies in these people quite quickly.

I should not have used the word carry (although they DO carry the dead virus around) it gave the impression they were "Carriers" of the live virus. Sorry.

My point (thought it was obvious) is that people of other races ARE more likely to be effected by this disease simply because whites are NATURALLY less effected.

It's just how the disease is (for now) "working"

I just thought it was scientifically interesting AND also interesting that so few people seem to know this little bit of trivia.

I mean we are talking about a fatal disease. Serious business. Just trying to be informative with out being a Liberal or a conservative or religious or racist or a boring turd.

If that's the mentality, then all black men should be banned from giving blood.

MARK

What the "F" are you talking about.

What mentality?

Did you mean to reply to MY post? If so-You have made absolutely no sense to me what so ever. :(

In these cases it does have to do with race, and it is no ones fault but older black men who constantly tell these young guys that it is ok to kill another boy but not love him.

Everyone needs to follow the 6 P's no matter what they do!

(Pior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance)

Having sex with multiple partners without a condom, or even just having sex with one partner that may be promiscuous is dangerous without a condom.

You can't fix stupid

I just hope these morons catching AIDS are making sure not to spread it further with even more irresponsible behavior!

Yeesh! A practically completely preventable disease (aside from tainted transfusions) that primarily only the stupid and irresponsible get.

Wear a condom, use clean needles, be wary of your partners...Come on! This isn't rocket surgery!

Actually it does directly have to do with how society treats black people. When you're told your whole life that you are worth nothing, that your race is worth nothing, and that you will amount to nothing, would you care about preventive measures to supposedly be healthy? Woudl wearing a condom be the first thing on your mind? Would getting tested?

How society treats you dramatically shapes your behavior.

Must be hard to be both ignorant and a jerk.

Stupid is as stupid does.

It actually DOES have a bit to do with race.

Read my post above.

How society treats you dramatically shapes your behavior.

Bart, my husband has degrees in both Engineering and Psychology. He's career military with numerous awards for heroism. Ohhh and by the way, he's black.

YOU shape your own behavior. Stop blaming the world and take responsibility for your own actions.

Bart, Sweet Mother of Jesus. You now have a black president. This should show the black community that anything can be accomplished. I was raised in the Appalachia, you know the ignorant cousin loving area. We are useless, dumb, incestuous. Well hey I have a degree, and wore a condom when I decided to have sex. So don't give me the blacks are treated so unfairly. If I didn't want to make something of myself I could have used the fact that "Deliverance" said I was so and so I am gonna be.

@ WeAllHaveOpinions

Not only that, but when you apply for college or work at a job, you aren't in any sort of protected class that gets a handout or any sort of preferential treatment.

In general, people need to stop blaming the outside world for their own failings. Taking responsibility for one's actions and the life they live should be priority 1 for everyone as they enter adulthood.

Almost every one of us came from someone that was an immigrant that came here with nothing at some point, or you're a Native American that got stripped of everything you had.

We are in the 21st century, and there are more incentives and freebies for anyone within a formerly oppressed class than there ever has before! If you aren't taking full advantage of them (as we all would if we were all eligible) and still choose to live in squalor and disease, that is your failing and no one else's!

obama ain't black...he's half black. there's a difference.

joe420

We are getting off topic here but......your right.

Most people I have discussed the president's race with (yeah , I know how that makes ME sound but I don't believe I'VE ever been the one to bring the topic up) do NOT consider him to be black.

They tend to put more weight into his cultural upbringing than they do genetics. Even if they did weigh genetics heavily - our president is STILL more white as it is not a 50/50 thing, like we learn in elementary school. People carry 52% momma DNA and 48% daddy.

That's one of the reasons boys have nipples.....I digress.

The point I'm trying to make is : If people think of our president as "Black". I would tend to believe it is because of some bias ( negative or positive) they wish to hold onto. Not because reality supports that line of thinking.

plus the fact that he was part white made it easier to vote for him...

also, how society treats you DOES have a huge effect on how someone will turn out to be. i ain't good enough to work for nobody out there, in fact, the last job i had, i lost it to a illegal mexican. that's how low i gotta go to get a job. my whole life, i been fighting one dude after another...been beat up on alot and i remember getting my first black eye when i was about 7 or 8, the beginnings of stormy weather for me. i understand there's alot of acceptance out there, but i ain't never seen it. at least, not as if it's the norm for society out there. see, i was born deaf. i been walking around my entire life looking like i'm playing air guitar. hell, see how that's effected me? i'm even embarrassed to talk in my own language. when i was in high school, i grew my hair to hide my hearing aid, so i became part of the counterculture by divine accident... (outgrew that stage a long time ago, btw. now i don't wear em.) but it never ends. me being deaf is a big @!$%#ing joke to the rest of you, no matter how "loudly" you protest. all i am is just a @!$%#ing retard and i ain't even as good as no illegal mexican. i'm american, and that's the @!$%# i get? @!$%# that. hell yeah, society really does shape you, especially when it's obvious you're an outcast. however, i will say that yes, it's also all about taking your own life into your hands, but it was hard. society kept me back. i didn't wanna go out there. didn't for the longest time. in college now getting my bachelor's in graphic design. still get the creeps sometimes when i see people looking at me when i'm talkin, though. still see the jokes hidden behind everyone's grins too. it's hard, especially when i already know i'm just a feeb to the rest of you.

Yeah

Sadly, I do not think this country is ready for a black president.

I would like to see variety hit the presidency but so far-same ol' same ol'.

yeah man i really liked that president from the first season of 24...i could see that happening...maybe even one day, a deaf president...nah, that's going too far...

Being deaf must be very difficult.

I know it is difficult for me, as a hearing person, to approach a person who is deaf.

I'm afraid.

Afraid I will appear foolish in my attempt to communicate.

Afraid I will misstep and offend.

I believe many are like me.

I do NOT believe most people (if any) think the deaf are "Retarded".

The look you see on our faces COULD be our own confusion and uncomfortable feelings.

True- should not be your burden to carry. We should be better educated.

I'm sorry we are not. I do recognize our shortcomings and am ashamed to admit I know only the alphabet in American sign.

I wish you luck as a graphic designer.

I do ask that you do what you can to reach out to those who hear.

We could grow if you would extend us the opportunity.

yea, i know there's good people out there...thanks for your thoughts, they helped me out a little...it is different when you see it from a hearing person's perspective. harder still when you've been deaf your entire life...i guess i'm just still bitter about it, i still am i mean, i had a job and was supporting my family, that's all i wanted to do....anyway, that's another subject for another time...btw, if you want to learn sign language, there are great videos out there on youtube teaching the abc's to whole sentences, etc...there are also deaf blogs on youtube, you get to see deaf people nationwide rant or talk about things on youtube and you can learn from that, how deaf people really talk. anyway! you're right and i'm gonna try to be a lil less bitter.

Well, that or Medicaid if they don't have their own health insurance.

There'll be a burden on the taxpayer no matter what if they don't have health insurance

Make no mistake about that before you troll so poorly ^_^

It has nothing to do with Obamacare. Current health programs pay for this care. What's ridiculous is Republican administrations refused to pay for health information (like how to use condoms or how to get tested)--so society is stuck with paying for them when they are ill.

I think it is fair that I pay more for health insurance and life insurance because I smoke. When we bought our house, we could not obtain "mortgage insurance" because my husband was a contractor, and by the insurance company's numbers, had a bigger chance of being disabled than someone with a different profession. Yet gay men, who are much more likely to have/spread AIDS, are not penalized for their risky lifestyle. So the man who jumps out of airplanes as a hobby pays the same rate as a gay man, but I have to pay more because I smoke, and because my husband uses power tools and climbs a ladder. Fair? I think not.

Bart are you saying people of color don't know how to use a condom?

I think the article says that a lot of them don't or are just totally irresponsible.

It's the terrorist Tea Party at work being guided by Bush.

Usually these young men are having sex with others in their own age group.

I would love to see your data on that fact. Regardless, it is still rape.

Show me your data and I will show you mine!

http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/sexual-assault-victims

Joe

Is that you Captain? We've lost track since our Enterprise days!

Data

Actually, the age of consent varies from state to state, with some being as low as 13 if it's sex with someone near your own age.

Bart..we are not in Mexico....In the United States we are consistent with the age of sexual consent varying 16 and 18 depending on the State. Again, anyone having sex with a 13 year old, 14 year old and 15 year old in the US is raping a child, even if it is another child. There are states that a 16 or 17 year old is deemed to young to consent to have sex. You are certainly welcome to disagree with the law. You are even welcome to lobby to change the law...but, you can't just make things up and say it is OK.

So when I lost my virginity at 15 to a 16 year old girl who raped who?

I suppose that would be for the courts to decide and based upon the state you lost your virginity. If the contact were reported etc...It doesn't change the fact that in contemporary times you would not, at the age of 15 in the United States have the legal authority to consent to a sexual relationship.

Actually tying in the topic of the article...at 15 you probably were not mature enough or concerned enough for consequences of your actions toward your own health to wear a condom protecting yourself from sexually transmitted disease. There are actually laws for a reason...some protect those you come into contact with and some protect individuals from themselves....some do actually need to change as societies change. As for 13, 14 or 15 year old children getting aids from sexual contact....well in my opinion that just speaks to the validity of the law. Thirteen year old virgins having sex for the first time are not spreading STD's, there is absolutely an unequal experience to spread AID's among the child population.

heard of it...teen couples being charged for having felony sex with eachother and this case here takes the cake...a girl charged for sending nude pics and will have to register as a sex offender...

Teen Charged With Sending Nude Pics of Herself

A 15-year-old Ohio girl faces felony charges and may have to register as a sex offender for allegedly taking nude photos of herself and sending them to her high school classmates.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=5995084&page=1

also:
Oostburg teen charged with felony for having sex with 15-year-old girlfriend

WITI-TV, OOSTBURG—

A Sheboygan County teenager is charged with a felony for getting intimate with is 15-year-old girlfriend, but FOX 6 has learned that there is a way to avoid serving up to 40 years in prison. FOX 6 Reporter brings you the latest from Oostburg.

http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-091012-underage-sex,0,4798951.story

personally i think if kids are gonna do it, let em. they been doing it since the dawn of mankind. just educate them. i mean, most of us were having sex before we began shaving...of course within our own age group in most cases...it's stupid to encourage diseases through ignorance.

Joe...Go figure sending porn to people not expecting to open a pic of a naked minor constitutes a sexual offense. Her actions were against the law and actually violated the rights of others. Yes she should have to register.

As for the two 15 year old children...could as easily be two 12 year old children or two 9 year old children....Educating them? Our nation cannot even educate the masses on why it is important to get an minimally academic education and you think that "educating" a child, who cannot take personal or financial responsibility for their actions is the answer?

The basic education that kids miss is that a sexual relationship is an adult behavior, in Contemporary American Social Structure. It is an adult behavior because the consequences are far reaching and few children actually look that far ahead. They have no concept that a pregnancy is a long term commitment, disease can last forever and be transmitted to partners. They also do not deal with an emotional component of a relationship.

Your point does not even deal with ideals where one partner may feel entitled and the other says..."No". If your answer is because the media tells me so it must be the norm you are incredibly gullible.

The basic education that kids miss is that a sexual relationship is an adult behavior, in Contemporary American Social Structure. It is an adult behavior because the consequences are far reaching and few children actually look that far ahead. They have no concept that a pregnancy is a long term commitment, disease can last forever and be transmitted to partners. They also do not deal with an emotional component of a relationship.

you're right, in an ideal world...however this is the real world we're talking about. i wish there wasn't a need to educate them, nobody ever had to in the history of mankind! the only reason nowadays that we educate them is to prevent STD's for the most part. it's a shame that diseases shape how we live and teach. it's gone so far that we need to teach elementary students! it is not on how to have sex, it is on how to prevent unwanted results. it is exactly because of lack of understanding with the concept of time and the level of commitment needed to deal with STD's or pregnancies that kids need this education. otherwise you doom them. you know they gonna do it...you did it...i did it...you know they gonna too. why doom them to such lives of miserable despair? just to say "I told you so!"??? what is that? that just doesn't make sense...

Your point does not even deal with ideals where one partner may feel entitled and the other says..."No". If your answer is because the media tells me so it must be the norm you are incredibly gullible.

i don't get this...i don't advocate rape and have never raped a woman in my life. i've been with only one woman since 1999, and we have three children together. when she says no, i accept it. and i don't go out lookin for prostitutes or random hook ups. my children are learning from us as they grow up, they see the love and respect we have for each other. unfortunately, i recognize what my wife and i have together is not the norm for the real world. almost all of my kids' friends are from broken families and parents struggling with alcoholism or drugs...it is impossible to hold others to your ideals, and not only that, it is very nearly a sin to do so. we are born with free will and we learn from free will. many fail to learn. this is why we MUST educate these children, they have nobody else to teach them, including stubborn parents, and there's a world full of diseases out there waiting for them...even on that little 5 block walk from school to home, it's there...

I am not advocating children living in ignorance either. Our society goes to great length, at times blurring lines of reason to teach sex education to children. My concern is that at the article stated children 13 and up were experiencing higher instances of "aids" the problem is only muddled by arguing that kids will be kids having sex.

13, 14, 15 year olds should not be contracting aids from casual contact. There is a problem if our society is arguing for anything less an decisive intervention even in the "real world". If a minor child is found to have an STD, Aids, becomes pregnant or is found to be having any sexual relationship someone should give a damn and advocate for the protection of that child. Children have a right to be protected in this society. Yes even from themselves until they are physically and mentally prepared to protect themselves.

What I find that is absolutely sinful is apathy when it comes to protecting children. A mother who will punch her child on a public bus while calling an infant obscene names. Teachers who are part of pornography rings with the audacity to view this material in their classrooms. Women who will exploit children for some sick fantasy for their partners....all headlines of the past 24 hours. There is no reason to allow children who have a limited life experience to set the rules.....

personally i think if kids are gonna do it, let em. they been doing it since the dawn of mankind.

There is a problem if our society is arguing for anything less an decisive intervention even in the "real world". If a minor child is found to have an STD, Aids, becomes pregnant or is found to be having any sexual relationship someone should give a damn and advocate for the protection of that child.

that's the problem...many of these children do not have anyone to give a damn about them and the government is overburdened as it is...i'm sure they want these kids to learn about condoms so THEY don't have to pay for the kids' mistakes. many of these children have nobody watching out for them. don't believe me? have you taken a good look at the world lately? if they don't have the help we all wish we can give them, what's the next best realistic approach? preventing further unwanted pregnancies and diseases which then spread to our own children...believe me, i wish i could jump out there and help them in any way i can, but i'm broke as hell and strugglilng to raise my own children...i make sure they got a roof and a front yard and food in their bellies. i teach them morality while teaching them to fish...i teach them it's wrong to hit women, it's wrong to swear at people, it's wrong to be disrespectful of others especially when they're different from you, and i teach them how to take care of themselves. now look, i wish i could do that for the rest of the children i see in the world. i wish all the children had someone like me helping them. even i was given up at birth and luckily enough was adopted by a good family. but look around. ain't gonna happen out of the goodness of everyone's hearts. why else perpetuate STD's and unwanted pregnancies further? your kid's gonna make the wrong decision because you decided they weren't on a need-to-know basis like you are...you are going to be a part of those stats regarding unwanted pregnancy or just another teen with HIV...unless of course by some miracle they actually listen to you and keep their pants on...my own parents were religious and really strict...even they couldn't prevent it happening with me or any of my brothers and sisters...but we're all raising our own families responsibly and we're handling life responsibly...this is because we were raised right...as children, you make mistakes, and that is just a stone-cold fact of life.

You assume a whole lot about me Joe. It seems very easy to say I need help I can't give help. It is the responsibility of all of us to give something positive back to society not just throw our hands up in the air and say "let them have at it" they are going to anyway. The biggest cop out in our country is that it takes lots of money to make a difference. It doesn't take money it takes a bit of time from people who actually care. Unfortunately, there are far too many walking among us who just don't care not even about their own children let alone the kids theirs come into contact with or the influence they hold.

i am giving something positive back to society. i pay my taxes and my children are going to be great people and invaluable to society when they grow up...i can't wait to see what they do when they grow up, i'm already proud of them. that's the most any of us can hope to achieve in life. giving back to society and leaving behind a great legacy for the future. and it is NOT our responsibility to raise other people's children. or other children's children. it is our responsibility to prevent this happening in society. to prevent more unwanted children who starve on a daily basis. to prevent any more homeless families. to prevent STD's. you can say we can go further than what i've said, but in the real world, we gotta deal with what we can, and i'm dealing with my family. that's all i need to be concerned about when it comes to actively being involved with children's lives. i'm proud my taxes are helping in the education of safe sex, this way i won't have to waste my taxes on unwanted children nationwide. such education is a way of regulating such results.

also, i didn't make any assumptions about you...? don't know what you mean...

such education is a way of regulating such results

i actually tried to mean "preventing and controlling" when i used the word regulating, sorry if i used the word the wrong way...

joe...I get the afraid to speak of it part, which is why rape in under-aged young men too often goes unreported. Not using a condom makes no sense at all. You would actually expect the use to go up so the instance of possible discovery would go down.

(a lot like whites used to install in their children that black was bad)

As for that less than valuable nugget of wisdom...Currently in American Black families are still teaching their children that White People are bad...This ideology seems to go a very long way to ensuring social inequity. Very sad indeed. A view of self-imposed isolationism.

Alot of whites still teach their children than blacks are bad today also. don't be racist about this, Whites can be just as big of SOB's as blacks. If not worse, But that still don't mean it is the majority in either race.

joe I was merely picking up on your racist point about whites and then you further it by saying "If not worse". I find, through personal experience, that American Black families often instill a distrust of whites in their children as opposed to African Black families who teach their children to pick and choose based on an individual not on superficial characteristics much along the same lines as mixed race families or contemporary white families. I am not stating there are not white racists left in America rather that it is less and less prevalent in social integrated communities.

joe-1884424

I think what txmom32 is getting at, is that you are making broad generalizations, albeit they may be your experiences, one sidedly to support your argument, she was showing the other side.

Wow, Mom's attacking homosexuals and blacks today. It's like she's one roll away from winning Bigot Bingo.

So Toasty...How have I attacked either homosexuals or blacks? By suggesting that it is to any individuals best interest to be the first line of defense for good health by wearing a condom during sex or by calling Joe on his very racist remarks?

Alright Mom. I spoke too soon this time. I mistook you for another "mom" poster.

Thank You.

I wonder why posters are suspended for slurs against gays and yet slurs against Muslims are completely ignored. I have seen threads where easily 25% or more of the poster have advocated literal genocide against Muslims and yet I see no-one being suspended for such statements.

I have no prejudices against any particular group gays, Muslims, Jews, African Americans, Caucasians, pastry chefs, tool and die makers or whoever myself but it seems like on Newsvine it is okay to slur some groups but not others.

I have posted requests for clarification on this point numerous times but I have never had a response from a Newsvine moderator. A clarification would be appreciated.

Sally, you just like to censor free speech.....cut the "code of honor" crap. MSNBC and honor will NEVER go together....EVER!

Jherek Carnelian I live in a heavily populated Arab/Muslim area in Michigan. I would have to say that most other ethnicity's tolerate negative comments towards Muslims because the Arabic/Muslim community has created one common ground for all other ethnicity's that puts us on the same page. None of us like them! It has nothing to do with their religion, its their culture. They are all living off the system yet drive Land Rovers and live in huge colonial houses. I heard a 7yo Arabic boy say to someone "the only way to win is to cheat". And they try and do that their whole life! That's NOT the American way!

"the only way to win is to cheat"....That's NOT the American way!

I lol'd for 5 straight minutes. Then, I wiped away the tears from my eyes, got up, and went to go get a drink of water (all the while giggling). When I got back to my seat, I did some deep breathing exercises and forced out one last chuckle, then wrote this response.

it is the american way...just not the american ideal.

@Scott

Yeah I already figured out that an awful lot of Americans are bigoted against Muslims.

My question to Sally or other Newsvine moderators was asking why the bigotry is tolerated. If someone says let's kill all the Blacks, Whites, Hispanics or whatever, that's not acceptable; but if they want to kill every Muslim or nuke Saudi Arabia or Iran, it's not a problem.

Jherek Carnelian I would have to say that a good majority of Americans do not support war in general. I don't. But unfortunately the government doesn't listen to us. I don't buy the whole war on terror story. I think there is much more going on than we are told. To nuke any country is a problem, but as I said no matter how we as a country feel, the government would do it anyway. My bigotry towards Muslims is caused by having to deal with them on a daily basis. Most here are from Lebanon, they don't respect or take part in our culture but want us to adapt to theirs. That's not cool. I would rather deal with illegal immigrants from Mexico.

@Scott

Fine you are a bigot. Way cool. I hope you are pleased with yourself.

Unfortunately, you totally miss my point. What I am asking is why Newsvine moderators pick and choose which bigoted statements are okay and which deserve suspensions.

In this case we have suspensions for anti-gay statements but I have never, ever seen a Newsvine moderator hand out a suspension for an anti-Muslim.

So the question is: How come it is okay to say "Kill all the Muslims" but not okay to say "Kill all the gays".

Sorry to have to explain it to you so many times but I find that bigots are generally not very intelligent people and it takes a few repetitions before a communication sinks in for them.

There's no way to put that more delicately and I'm so very sorry if I offend any bigots. Not that I have any respect for bigots but I wouldn't want to transgress the "Code of Honor" that allows certain kinds of bigotry and not other kinds of bigotry. I might get suspended and just cry myself to sleep for a week. (Sarcasm.)

hey now, be careful! you're gonna spark the bigots rights movement or something!

Uh, Lonesome? You do realize that heterosexual people get it too, right?

It's more a warning not to listen to the religious bigots that say "gay is bad" and not to be afraid to buy condoms.

I couldn't agree with you more. People should learn to control themselves. As I've said before, if people would just learn to save themselves for marriage we would rid ourselves of a whole myriad of problems.

2 guys can't get married

Nor should they. There is no such thing as "marriage" between two people of the same sex. Anyone with desires to be with someone of the same sex should learn to control those desires. The consequences are frightening.

The consequences are frightening.

I know. I thought I was going to double my wardrobe but then my husband, spouse, partner, lover got fat.

There is no such thing as "marriage" between two people of the same sex

Please don't tell my spouse! He thinks the wedding we had was just a dream and we're just living in sin.

Oh! BTW, neither one of us has HIV AIDS and we screw all the time. For the curious out there, we take turns being the woman.

Two guys can get married in several states already. And within two to three years all states will be required to recognize these marriages.

Oh! BTW, neither one of us has HIV AIDS and we screw all the time. For the curious out there, we take turns being the woman.

Here's to hoping you both remain healthy individuals.

Hence the name 'fudgefactor'??

Hence the name 'fudgefactor'??

Nope! Fudge Packer was taken already (or is it allready?)

Depends. If the sentence was 'I already applied the KY so I am all ready' it would work but you would have to separate allready already..

Double,

Thanks. You remind me of my HS senior year English teacher, Father Rice.

Coosa,

Nor should they. There is no such thing as "marriage" between two people of the same sex. Anyone with desires to be with someone of the same sex should learn to control those desires. The consequences are frightening.

What exactly are those consequences you speak of?

Coosa maybe they should abolish marriage all together, it would sure cut down on the divorce rate.

fudgefactor is the amount of crap on the one playing the male's peepee once removed from the pooper shooter of the one playing the female.

if the same sex want to get hitched call it a union

Oh Fudgie! You just "cracked" me up and made me a little nauseous!

a little nauseous?? that was kinda too detailed for even me...and i love sex! especially lesbians...but did NOT need the imagery there, fudge...i don't think anyone was curious about your bedroom antics there...

Fudge...you're AWESOME!

don'tgiveme...somehow I see you wincing when you typed "peepee..."

Cheering the death of your fellow Americans. I never thought I'd see the day.

Now Toasty....that's African American Homosexual Americans.

They are not my fellows.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

You know, I think the Japanese had a similar view of Chinese people back in the 1930s and 40s, Tso...

Boy you really are Toasted aren't you?

Who says I'm Asian???

I could be a fat, over 45, unemployed, white male........ just like you.

Say my name out loud & then maybe, MAYBE, you'll get the pun dumba$$

P.S. It's true by the way =)

References available upon request

Your screen name might have had something to do with the assumption...

Well Toasty,

You know what they say when you assume, it makes YOU an A$$!!

You're still cheering the deaths of innocent people.

do you appear on pornhub or madthumb?

Win Win is not the same as rah rah.

Win-win A game or strategy, which is designed to benefit all participants

Rah Rah marked by boisterous and uncritical enthusiasm and excitement.

Tso...I learned a long time ago that when someone brags about his...um..*peepee, it's usually not worth it...

My guess, with your attitude, that holds true here, also...

*in honor of don'tgivemethe penguin...

.....yeah, it's the Catholics' fault.........blame them, it follows your twisted thinking to a tee.

Well, not JUST the Catholics. I'd actually say that Protestantism is WAY ahead of them when it comes to lobbying.

Catholics are looking for more Catholics. They haven't figured out what the offspring of two guys would look like. Would the offspring look like the hemorroid father or the phallic symbol father?

they teach against condom usage because they teach about only having sex after marriage in order to create a living human being hahaha thought that would seem pretty obvious but i guess not.

ps the comments all over this board are hilarious!

...I'd like to entertain the outlandish theory that they are lobbying against condoms because they want this disease that they have introduced into our population to spread faster.

Come on. What grown adult do you know actually had protected sex every time? What about oral? That counts as unprotected. How many people do you know use protection in that scenario, especially if they are in a relationship? You're living in a fantasy world if you think that personal behavior is that simple.

There are certainly sub-culture differences that make for riskier behavior. But those behaviors are not always a result of systemic issues. They are because folks with similar tastes can easily find each other and act on them, now that we have the internet. So you get folks who WANT to engage in risky behavior able to do so much easier.

As for the remainder that have fairly tame sex lives, it doesn't take repeated exposure-- it can just be one exposure. And there's no real way to tell ahead of time. The person with the disease usually doesn't know. Hell, you can get it from your spouse if they cheat, too.

Look, in an ideal world, you wrap it up every time. I wish people would. But that will never happen. So you have to educate people as much as possible ahead of time, make them understand the consequences by meeting people who live or die with it, and offer proper medication and counseling to those that already have it.

People are dying of this, Tso. Men, women, children. You sure have a pretty cavalier attitude toward the deaths of your fellow human beings.

Toasty....

This story is about African American Homosexuals w/ AIDS.

They are not my fellows.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

I didn't put the loaded gun in their ass.

And the straight people? How about the children who just inherited it?

Did you not read the story????

This story is about African American Homosexuals w/ AIDS.

Try to focus & stay on topic.........African American Homosexuals w/ AIDS.

That's the topic, not women & children & straights or lesbians, just

African American Homosexuals w/ AIDS.

Alright. That still leaves you cheering for the deaths of African Americans.

No, no, no, Toasty I'm MORE than willing to let Nature take it course.

HUGE difference!

I recognize that I am but a simple man & the Universe makes its own corrections no matter what I do.

Works for me!

If this includes the death of African American Homosexuals, so be it.

Who am I, but a simple man.

Sorry Folks...I see this as a "win win" situation.

- Tso Wel Hong III, Post #21

Toasty...you can't explain it to someone like Tso...he thinks that no one ever goes to the "other side"

It's his kind of ignorance that causes death among others....

Where in the article did you see that black people are blaming whites for the high HIV infection rate in gay black men? The article actually points out the reason and yet you are "race-trolling". You appear to have deep psychological issues toward black people and I sincerely hope that you do not commit an act of racially motivated violence. I would hate to see you in the news as yet another "lone wolf" mass killer who left rambling internet postings as clues.

Apparently, you live in a mosque. Likewise, apparently, you're NOT white.

We're ALWAYS the blame ... for their rundown neighborhoods, for the absence of fathers, for the poor education, for the poor nutrition, for the fact that the crack addict mother/father can't get/hold jobs, for .... well, you pick it, we'll be the blame for that too.

Read ... chuckie ... go forth an read something MORE than the musings you find on ONE lone article.

And please, stop with the personal attack a'la "deep psychological issues", "lone wolf mass killer" blah blah blah ... I find that the only time people make it personal is when they have nothing left ... pretty much like YOUR 'rationalization' in your reply. BUT, just for safety sake ... do you own any weapons?

Again, no one stated that white people were the cause. You're projecting your own insecurities about black people in a forum where nobody is even discussing white-black relations, but rather black health. What "other people" type on the internet in another forum is irrelevant to this discussion. Again, I believe that you have psychological issues. And I don't own weapons, but as a member of the U.S. military, I know how to use them to protect my fellow citizens. ;)

It might not have said it in THIS article, but there have been many articles in the past blaming whites for purposely infecting blacks with AIDS, and also for introducing them to crack. The blame always rests squarely on Whitey's shoulders when it comes to the afflictions of blacks. Blacks are not responsible for anything, to hear them tell it.

And, frankly, you're one of the most dangerous people known to exist

... a self-righteous militant with a gun.

Respectfully, I decline YOUR sort of protection. Go get a haircut.

That was intended for 'charlieb123', NOT 'Lizzie63' .... I agree with her and if chuckie boy would read more instead of stomping around the parade grounds hoping for the chance to "protect my fellow citizens" ... he'd realize where Lizzie and my sentiment comes from.

Howz 'bout it there, chuckles .... a trip to the library perhaps?

Please stop with the race crap. If you somehow feel guilty maybe you should check yourself. No one stated that it was the "white man" that is responsible for HIV/AIDS in the black community. Please find other places to vent and whine about what you think the black community is thinking/feeling/saying. This article doesn't go there, so please stick to the topic. Thank you.

Well no one state it here, but I hear it often outside.

The region of the world with the lowest condom usage rate. Hopefully some great thinker will unravel that mystery...

condoms do not last long in the heat

If you can't afford a condom, DON'T #()(# ! Sheish. This is the most gross offense. IT should be a law. If you're not in some kind of registered relationship with one partner DONT #()(# !

Duhhhhhh .... like YOUR words are going to change anything. IF they cared, the statistic wouldn't be so high. Ya' think ????!?!?!!?

Don't be so dismissive. I have seen more ads on public transportation and radio ads in my city of Chicago targeted toward gay African Americans to get themselves tested for HIV/AIDS. More people are starting to care and that benefits all of America. Keep in mind that a large problem is that some Af/Am males don't consider themselves to be gay or bi, but still have sex with both genders, so it's not just one group of people.

And yet ... the statistic is on the rise. Go figure.

Probably whitey's fault because we didn't force the black man to read/pay attention/act properly .... go ahead, fill in the blank: ____________

Geez ... are you a moron or something? HIV doesn't rot the d*ck off ... it kills the body.

Really, people ?!? Is this the best you can post?

ROTFLMFAO!!!!!

GTBMFCIW

The dick cannot live without the body.
The body cannot live without the dick.

There is no spoon(ing).....

This iznt fair. We are always getting the short end of the stick. It is like this desease wuz meant to kill the gay man and the black man.

If someone wanted to kill rich white men, they would put the virus in new Rolls Royces and Bentleys.

If someone wanted to kill black and gay people, they would target our permiscuity. I don't see any diseases specifically targeting white married chaste Christians. Just not fair thats all I'm sayin.