twinkboylover28

2005 was the last "high tide" year for me in Montreal. That was 13 years ago!! I used to go to Montreal several times a year. Now, if I'm lucky I go once or twice a year to Montreal. I live in Detroit area. Full disclosure: I 'm only into skinny , barely-legal, smooth, white teenage-looking masculine twink boys like Devin Lewis and Gabe Isaac on 8teenboy. I've recently had better luck flirting with skinny twinks at local retail stores where they work. I don't know of any websites that have replaced strip clubs? Then again, I've never been on Grindr or Hornet, as I'm still one of the few who holds on to his flip phone.

No skinny American blond haired, blue eyed barely legal twink boys?

Fake news!

That's riiiiight.....my ego "gets off" on "going on" about spreading AWERENESS regarding the current astronomical rate of HIV-positive infections in the MSM community. Not only is your screen name a rather accurate representation of who you are, but may I add you sound very angry as well. I'm not going to take YOUR "bait" and deflect the issue to a "gay problem" or "Sex problem;" however, that was a very good (although typical and predictable) try! Let me be clear, anyone who studies statistics and facts can render an educated decision and determine whether-or-not HIV is a "gay problem" by simply studying and taking into account the percentage of the population that are MSM compared to the rate of HIV-positive people in said community. That's what so profoundly beautiful about facts, statistics, and forensic. Facts, statistics, and forensics don't lie, aren't biased, and don't sugarcoat the issue based on one's political view. My facts are correct. You haven't provided squat to rebuff them. I, on the other hand, have provided several links, not-to-mention referenced my HIV-specialist who is a renowned MD in the HIV community practicing for over 30-years with his own private practice dealing primarily with the gay community. It's interesting the "push back" this topic receives, when at the end of the day everyone should be on board in spreading awareness especially on an issue that so profoundly affects our community. Thank you for joining the team and spreading AWARENESS.

http://healthland.time.com/2010/09/26/study-20-of-homosexual-men-are-hiv-positive-but-only-half-know-it/ http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/SafeSex/Q206241.html http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/SafeSex/Q198488.html We're all on the same team. I think it's noble to spread AWARENESS of the astronomically high number regardless if it's "nothing new." Even if it was 10% instead of 25%, 1 out of 10 is still startling. I think we do the community a big disservice when we try to minimize the numbers and/or claim things are getting better.... when at the end of the day an astronomical percentage of the community is HIV-positive.

You need to wise up. As I mentioned earlier, regardless that "new" infections may have gone down, or that MSM may have increased, the bottom line FACT is that the GRAND TOTAL number of MSM people who are HIV-positive in the aggregate unfortunately still reflects and remains at a whopping 20% of the MSM community. There's a good reason my HIV-specialist doctor hands out high-quality flyers in his office relaying this important and vital information to the MSM community he primarily treats. . You can try and sugarcoat, politicize, deflect the issue to abortion, universal healthcare, or whatever apples-and-oranges cause you like, it doesn't change the overall FACT that 20% of the MSM population is HIV-positive TODAY which is startling. Believe it or not, MSM members who are pro-life and/or don't favor universal healthcare still would like to see the overall number of HIV-positive members reduced. People in the community need to be AWARE of these astronomicaly high numbers, whether-or-not they are as hip as you claim to be, so they can protect their health. At the end of the day we are all on the same team. I'm glad you agree with me and with my original intent that the community needs to be AWARE that 20% of us remain HIV-positive and need to take the appropriate precautions. I'm glad you will join with me and spread the word in a good faith effort to reduce these numbers.

I knew of 5 people, all young gay people age 12-23. Assisted suicide when you're old and terminally ill is a little different than a completely healthy young person taking their life. Apples and oranges.

Apparently you missed more Reading classes than I originally thought, as the question asked to me was "How often do I get tested for HIV?" I also didn't mention I get a colonoscopy every year and my chest waxed bi-monthly, because it wasn't asked! It still doesn't change the fact that 20% of the community is HIV-positive.Wise up! I don't know, would you like his phone number? I do know that he will also tell you, like myself, that the HIV-positive rate in the community is 20% (and much higher in larger cities like San Fran). I can mail you a flyer to educate you if you like? Again, you obviously missed more Reading classes than I had originally thought as I clearly revised to indicate my HIV-specialist used the term MSM which is basically the same thing. I think it's sad you're more interested in playing political games of semantics, rather than joining the team like myself to make our community AWARE of the skyrocketing rate of HIV-positive men in the community. Will you join me in spreading awareness that 1 in 5 gay men are HIV-positive ,and even higher rates in large cities? Why do you appear to be so blatantly hostile to the facts? You know, there is a reason my doctor ,an award winning HIV-specialist, hands out these informational flyers in the first place. To make people AWARE! You know, I sense a ton of anger in you. I don't know what it is that I said or did to make you so incredibly angry, when my intention was just to make people aware of the 20% rate of HIV-positive men in our community. You come off as a know-it-all smartass and anyone who disagrees be damned. If the rate of infection is 1 out of 5000 for every act of unprotected receptive anal sex with a known HIV-positive man, then obviously that 1 guy who got HIV out of the 5000 is UNLUCKY !! But please, go ahead and play your political games of semantics and arrogance. It's becoming exhausting. Okay hun, I will be sure to tell my HIV-specialist that he is wrong, and some guy on the message forum is correct. Perhaps they should pull his medical license? With all due respect, your rants sound incoherent and full of anger and self righteousness. I wish you well, and I hope you join us in our effort of spreading awareness to the community. Best wishes.

It's interesting (political) how some people are far more interested in semantics rather than the fact that 20% of the community is HIV-positive. It's really sad actually. With all due respect, "the top 10 cities for HIV infection rate" is rather broad and undefined. The article published by TIME Magazine referring to the CDC indicates otherwise. A guy living in Connersville, Indiana has far less of a chance acquiring HIV than a guy in San Fran or Los Angeles or NYC. This still doesn't take away from the fact that 20% of the community is HIV-positive.

As I said, like walking on egg shells....

Ditto.

If I'm sexually active, I get tested annualy at my annual physical unless I feel the need to get tested earlier. The protocol is 30 days, 3 months, 6 months, and annually per risky event, according to my HIV-specialist.

OMG! Here we go AGAIN ..now instead of abortion it's Universal Health Care.

Honestly, don't you see a pattern of EXCUSES you're making?

HIV-testing is FREE at most clinics and gay organizations; not-to-mention at State-run health locations.

It's all my fault! I take full responsibility.

Why are you even comparing being HIV-positive with abortion? Apples and oranges.

We live in the USA where HIV-testing and treatment is excellent. People from all over the world, especially Canada, cross the border to get treatment for various health issues in the USA. I agree with you 100% on the bipolar issue, regardless if they are bipolar with substance abuse issues, mental illness is horrible. But, here we go again trying to excuse away the issue/fact. It just boggles my mind that instead of agreeing that we need to educate, inform, and reduce the astronomical rate of HIV-positive cases in the M4M community...all I read is excuses, comparisons to apples-and-oranges, and sugar-coated political bs. The big picture and bottom line is that the rate of HIV-positive men in the M4M community is way too high. Period! It's Frightening. I'm 43 and had no clue the rate of HIV-positive cases was this high until I had to get tested. I still wouldn't have known if it wasn't for the fact that my HIV-specialist had flyers in his office for people to take home indicating the rate of HIV among M4M community is 1 out of 5! 20% is startling! This is a fact even to this day. Are you onboard that the M4M community needs to do a lot more work to get these facts out to protect the community, or should we continue to make analogies and burrow our heads in the sand with claims that "things are all good and slowly improving" even though the rate remains at 20-%?

No. No. No. No. You don't get to equate being HIV-positive with killing your own baby and having an abortion. Straight people get HIV too. Pregnancy has absolutely nothing to do with acquiring HIV. You're making my point that whenever the topic of HIV comes up, we have to walk on egg shells because people will always try to politicize and sugar-coat the issue, making crazy excuses and comparisons or whatever you want to call it to assuage the FACT that 20-25% of GAY MEN are HIV-positive. This is a FACT. Whether numbers went down for one quarter or not. It is a FACT, alarming as it is, that 20-25% of M4M are HIV-positive. I think it's beneficial that the more people in the M4M community who know this fact the better educated decisions and precautions we can make/take. We should all be on the same team to inform our fellow M4M community of this alarming statistic in an effort to reduce it. Wouldn't you agree??? Instead of trying to excuse away the astronomical rate of HIV-positive cases in the M4M community, we should be trying to reduce the FACT that 20-25% of us are "living with HIV" as they like to call it these days.

Hmmm....spoken like a true smoker. Do you have any proof to back that statement up with statistics? Being a non-smoker, I always tip 20-25% for good service in restaurants, and considering around 99% of the entire USA and CANADA are now, or have already been smoke-free for several years inside bars and restaurants.... Florida seems to be one of the last holdouts. The implication that smokers "tip more" than non-smokers is ridiculous. I could also list personal stories claiming just the opposite, because the smokers I know were broke and pennyless after spending all their money on cigs and taxes...and doctors! FAKE NEWS!

Riiiight. My HIV-specialist doctor is a closeted, self-loathing homophobe with faulty statistics. I know you were referring to the stats posted by rvwnsd, and my heart goes out to everyone HIV-positive, but we as a community need to stop sugar-coating and politicizing the stats to make them sound more favourable and no big deal, and start living in reality. A lot of us, including myself, could have easily been HIV-positive if we weren't so "lucky". My whole point is I think 20-25% is way to high for the community, and people need to be much more informed how prevalent and risky it is. Am I wrong?

Other STD's are curable and more manageable (not all). There is nothing noble about being HIV-positive, just like there's nothing noble about being poor.

20% - 25% is not improvement. The new study said for the first time in decades the HIV infection is down among M4M. The HIV-positive rate is still astronomically high among M4M and more people in our community need to be informed.

OMG. Do we seriously have to politicize the statistics? Yes, it said M4M WHICH IS THE SAME THING. It's insane we have to walk on egg shells when it comes to this topic. The bottom line is 20-25% is startling and unacceptable. And M4M are obviously at higher risk in big cities compared to rural communities and farmlands. Maybe we need to start putting bumper stickers on our cars that say "20%" for people to get informed. I think we would all agree that the HIV-positive rate is insanely too high in the community.

Because like the article said, not everyone that has HIV knows they are HIV-positive. I don't see that changing anytime soon. PreP is used by a very small percentage of the community as a whole. You just agreed that 30 -somethings of today will have higher rates than 20-somethigns of twenty years ago, as well as 18-24 youth of today will have higher rates. Whatever the reasoning, you kind of made my point. Regardless, whether it is 1 out of 4, or 1 out of 5, the fact that 20-25% of the community is HIV-positive is startling to me. I wish everyone was aware.