Young Asian Men at Fault for Rapid Spread of HIV

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Source: Associated Press, Feburary 20, 2009

The AIDS virus is spreading rapidly among gay and bisexual men in Asia as younger people shun condoms and authorities fail to increase awareness of the disease, health officials said Friday.

The epidemic will worsen dramatically in coming years unless there is better education and stronger political will to combat the disease, warned Massimo Ghidinelli, the World Health Organization's regional adviser on HIV/AIDS ...

Asia is believed to have the world's largest number of men who have sex with other men, with a preliminary estimate of 10 million, according to WHO.

My comment: Young men are more susceptible to the AIDS virus because they often see sex as "playtime," one without any consequences. Such circumstances are further reinforced by first, the absence of any unwanted pregnancies, and two, society's equation of masculinity with aggressive sexuality. Both forces shape the youth mindset, which in turn, are harbingers of a sexual health tragedy.

While describing the figure as "extraordinary high," Ghidinelli said it still appeared to be conservative because of the stigmatization of male-to-male sex.

WHO said fragmentary information from the region indicated a rapid spread of HIV among gay and bisexual men, but that full data weren't available ...

Ghidinelli said low condom use among younger men in male-to-male relationships was fueling the transmission of HIV.

"Younger men engaging in sex with men are entering into a sexual arena without the same level of awareness and without taking the same level of protection that the older generation was taking," Ghidinelli told a news conference ...

My comments: Young gay men, regardless of race, class, or geographical origins, are in fact, at a greater risk of being infected by the AIDS virus due to two factors. First, they have this false sense of security that is shaped by the realization that unlike their straight peers, they will never have to face the consequences of a woman's pregnancy. Second, young gay men, like their straight peers, are part of this larger society's equation of masculinity with aggressive sexuality. The overall tone of gay porn is of that. Romantic sexuality is rarely depicted, even in soft gay porn or R-rated films. With such palpable media messages assaulting the young, impressionable mindset, what else can happen but hyper-sexualization of the penis, one unadorned by rubbers?