Five years ago, The Washington Post's Ceci Connolly did a front-page smear of Christian AIDS activist Jerry Thacker, who had been appointed to the presidential AIDS commission. The headline? "AIDS Panel Choice Wrote of a ‘Gay Plague.'"
Thacker, who is HIV-positive himself, had merely written on his Website that health authorities and journalists had used the term "gay plague" during the early 1980s. Amid a media firestorm, he withdrew his nomination the next day.
Fast forward to Connolly's lede in the August 7, A-2 story "Early Lessons Forgotten, AIDS Conference Told," on the International AIDS Conference's finding that HIV/AIDS is skyrocketing largely because of homosexual sex. Connolly describes AIDS in a similar way to how Thacker put it:
"MEXICO CITY, Aug. 6 -- Twenty-five years after AIDS was branded the ‘gay plague,' the virus is again exacting a disproportionate toll on men who have sex with men, not only in the United States but also in countries where the epidemic is just emerging.
Globally, men who engage in homosexual relations are 19 times as likely to contract HIV as the rest of the population, according to data released at the International AIDS Conference. Here in Mexico, men who have sex with men are 109 times as likely as others to develop HIV, while in the United States, 53 percent of new infections in 2006 were in gay and bisexual men."
And what's behind this tragic increase? "Homophobia."
That's right. Connolly lists "homophobia" as the very first cause of the surge of AIDS among homosexual men, followed by "biology and misplaced confidence that AIDS has become a treatable chronic illness."
The rest of the article is a mind-bending exercise in denial and pro-homosexual political correctness. Here's a prime example:
"Simple biology also contributes to the problem, [Robert] Wolitski [acting director of the CDC's HIV/AIDS prevention program] noted. ‘This is a virus that is transmitted more easily via anal sex than vaginal sex,' he said.
"What worries public health leaders is that many countries, particularly in the developing world, appear to be repeating the early patterns of the epidemic.
‘"The same kinds of stigma and discrimination and institutionalized homophobia that failed gay men in America is now failing men who have sex with men in the rest of the world,' said Kevin Robert Frost, chief executive of Amfar, the Foundation for AIDS Research."
Catch that? It's not the increase in reckless behavior, fueled by relentless media and cultural promotion of homosexuality. The problem is those "homophobic" people who cling to their morality. If you think that homosexual behavior should be discouraged, not encouraged, it's your fault.
She quotes Frost again to make her main point, which is that societal resistance to a full embrace of homosexuality is the real cause behind all these AIDS cases among gay men: "In many cases, AIDS rates among gay and bisexual men are ‘directly related to the institutionalization of homophobia,'" Frost said.
Connolly, who also managed to blame Ronald Reagan for being "silent" in the early years of the epidemic, finishes her piece by citing Mexican AIDS activist Jorge Saavedra:
Though he has not concealed his sexual orientation, Saavedra made a point of spotlighting it, announcing to the crowd that he is gay, married and HIV-positive.
"‘It is not wrong to be gay,' he said. "What is wrong is the need to be hidden."
By this logic, health authorities who discourage smoking are actually causing the illnesses associated with smoking by driving it underground due to "tobaccophobia." Same for health authorities who got laws passed to stop spitting on city sidewalks in order to stem tuberculosis. They are guilty of "spitophobia."
And let's not forget public officials who discourage prostitution. They are clearly suffering from a case of "hookerphobia."
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Wow! Deflection at its
August 8, 2008 - 11:14 ET by TD in FLWow! Deflection at its finest! No need to take ownership of your actions, just blame someone else for your plight/behavior.
Ok, so let's say homosexuality was accepted in mainstream society. How would gay behavior adjust to where the AIDs rate would significanlty decline? If there truely was this cause/effect relationship, we should see a stark contrast between the AIDs rate in San Fran versus more conservative areas, right? Maybe Ms Connolly can dig up those stats - it would help prove her point. But, on the other hand, maybe those stats weren't brought up for a reason. Hmm.
Wow! Homosexual conduct
August 8, 2008 - 11:26 ET by RESTLESS 1Wow! Homosexual conduct helps spread AIDS, yet discouraging the behavior is the reason AIDS is spreading. Anyone else getting a headache trying to decipher that logic?
We know that anal sex makes it easier to contract the disease. Makes sense. The vagina is designed to be penetrated, for childbirth reasons. The anus was designed to be "exit only".
Perhaps if the radical gay groups would allow honest discussion on the topic, instead of painting anyone who doesn't agree with them as homophobic haters, then we could find a cure for this peculiar behavior.
"This
liberal would be all about socialize -- uh, uh, would be about
basically taking over and the government running all of your companies."-Maxine Waters 2008
they are certainly not in
August 8, 2008 - 11:34 ET by TruthMongerthey are certainly not in an open frame of mind right now
they are on a bloody crusade
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
Truth,
August 8, 2008 - 12:25 ET by RESTLESS 1It seems they are bent on their own destruction, and if it weren't for my Christian faith and teachings, I would be inclined to let them and forget about it. How's that for ironic?
"This
liberal would be all about socialize -- uh, uh, would be about
basically taking over and the government running all of your companies."-Maxine Waters 2008
I'm getting a headache too.
August 8, 2008 - 12:32 ET by mjgI'm getting a headache too. Too much liberal double-talk. You're either with them or against them. They do whatever they want and don't care whom they put at risk with their bad behavior.
Then lets apply their logic to diabetes...
August 8, 2008 - 11:31 ET by c5thenIt is the reckless fatophobia that is the cause of the diabetic epidemic sweeping America. It's not all the overweight people, it's the fear of them that is contributing to the problem.
Homosexuality is a deviant behavior the same as pedophilia or cleptomania or pyromania, etc. The fact that someone is unlucky enough to be affected with these conditions is no reason to socially allow them to carry out their impulese and compulsions. Being a homosexual is not the problem. Acting on the urges and compulsions is.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
Homophobia leads to AIDS?
August 8, 2008 - 12:16 ET by CobraManHomophobia leads to AIDS? In who's world? Certainly not this one.
It's not homophobia, the fear of gay and bisexual men, that leads to AIDS for most gay and bisexual men; it's homophilia, the love of gay and bisexual men. How hard is that to figure out?
Scratching head logic
August 8, 2008 - 12:29 ET by KC MulvilleThe argument rests on the idea that the public's disapproval of gays makes them more likely to ... what? ...
Besides, I owe my fellow citizens equality under the law, but not "approval." I fully agree that my fellow gay citizens deserve to be treated equally as citizens, but don't ask me to applaud what they do sexually. (Just because I want Muslims treated with justice doesn't mean that I have to fast through Ramadan. I can respect fellow citizens without having to approve them. Why the hell do you give a crap about my approval anyway?) I think that gays should be treated equally as heterosexuals in every legal sense. They shouldn't be discriminated against for a job or from buying a house. But if you're asking me to approve everything about their lifestyle, or to celebrate their sexual practices, forget it. And again, if I find homosexual sex personally disgusting, why does any homosexual give a crap about what I think? So long as I treat them with justice, why must I approve of them? Justice doesn't mean approval.
And that reveals a core dispute with liberals. I reject any attempt to use the law to "educate" the public about "correct" attitudes. That's almost always a deceitful attempt to coerce the public against their will. I owe my fellow citizens justice. I don't owe them approval.
How in the world could
August 8, 2008 - 12:32 ET by usinkoreaHow in the world could homophobia increase the number of gay men getting AIDS?!?
It is clueless items like this that helps make the mainstreammedia obsolete.
It demonstrates to the public that they care so much more about their socio-politics than facts or "news."
It is absurd on the sheer face of it to claim a rise in AIDS cases is connected to homophobia.
What? Fear of homophobes is driving gay men away from buying condoms in stores?
How exactly does homophobia cause this rise in AIDS?
I guess what they are basing this on is the idea they have trotted out before: that Reagan is to blame for the AIDS epidemic, because he "refused to do anything about it" because it was happening mostly in the gay male community.
But that argument relies on the idea that the key method of Reagan's causing the epidemic was his silence about it -- that the US government didn't do enough to get the word out.
Is that what they are saying is behind AIDS cases rising in the rest of the world?
The rest of the world doesn't know about AIDS?
Which countries? I guess I can believe that in some places, but how in the world has much of the rest of the world missed the last twenty years of press coverage about AIDS?
Mexico somehow missed it?
Also, I thought AIDS ran rampant through much of Africa due to unprotected sex - not homophobia?
Add Kissophobia to the list
August 8, 2008 - 12:34 ET by CobraManYou can add Kissophobia to the list for spreading mononucleosis, Fornacaphobia for spreading syphilis and gonorrhea, and even Necrophobia for spreading death!
The list is endless!
"In many cases, AIDS rates
August 8, 2008 - 13:01 ET by Chasvs"In many cases, AIDS rates among gay and bisexual men are ‘directly related to the institutionalization of homophobia,'" Frost said...
So it's not because of the institutionalization of Homosexuality? go figure.
It's not the Doggy position that spreads AIDS/HIV, it's the anti-homosexual position of the Moral Majority!
Much like CO2 and temps,
August 8, 2008 - 13:43 ET by azholmesPerhaps they have it backwards. Maybe "the institutionalization of homophobia" is caused by "[high] AIDS rates among gay and bisexual men". Makes more sense that way to me.
www.McNotObama.com
The do have it backwards
August 9, 2008 - 19:52 ET by CobraManThey do have it backwards. A valid argument could be made that the taboo against gay sex BEGAN because of the increased incidences of diseases like AIDS that where observed amongst the gay population thousands of years ago. Now that we're relaxing that taboo, another outbreak of disease is, once again, being observed amongst the gay population. Those who forget (or ignore) the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them.
"That's right. Connolly
August 8, 2008 - 14:35 ET by HeavyChevy"That's right. Connolly lists "homophobia" as the very first cause of
the surge of AIDS among homosexual men."
You got to be freaking kidding me, talk about passing the buck.
This is why HIV/AIDS will never cease until people start owning up to their own mistakes.
"9 out of 10 doctors agree that flag burning is the number one killer of liberals."
The proof is in the pictures.
August 8, 2008 - 16:30 ET by HillbillyKingAs is illustrated in the above WaPo propaganda piece, logic has no place in todays journalism. The increase in HIV infections among gay men is due solely to the behavior of those men. A perfect example is found in a recent post here on Newsbusters.
zhombre posted a link recently to a street fair and gay bacchanal in San Fransico, illustrating some of Nancy P.'s constituents. I will not post the direct link due to the extremely graphic nature of the photos in the link, but if you find it and view it there is ample proof of the sexual habits practiced by those attending. One glaring ommission from the photos was evidence of safe sex practices.
Therefore, the gay community need only look into the mirror to find the culprit for the HIV increase. Anything else is an attempt to rationalize away reponsiblity for their actions.
If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you.
Don Marquis 1878-1937