Why do lesbians have lowest HIV/AIDS rates?

[havana1]

What’s the “Catholic answer” for why homosexual females have the (apparently) lowest rates of HIV/AIDS? They don’t get HIV/AIDS at the same rate homosexual men do. Why not? If all homosexuality is gravely disordered irregardless of male or female, then why the disparity in consequence?

 

[DexUK]

I hardly see what this has to do with moral theology. You’re asking a question about infection and biology.

The only theological argument is about the sinfulness or otherwise of homosexual inclination and behaviour.

Specifically regarding your question, I dare say a doctor would be able to explain more effectively the particular methods by which an infection is transmitted, but one assumes and suspects that the specific mechanics of interactions between female and female make HIV transmission less likely.

The disparity of consequences is irrelevant when it comes to the moral aspect.

 

[Dj87]

I don’t know if I’m accurate or not, but my belief is that men in general tend to have a higher rate of promiscuity. Particularly unmarried men and homosexual men, so that they are more exposed to HIV/AIDS. Of course the truly lowest rate for HIV/AIDS infection would be for monogomous heterosexual married couples.

 

[puzzleannie]

What’s the “Catholic answer” for why homosexual females have the (apparently) lowest rates of HIV/AIDS? They don’t get HIV/AIDS at the same rate homosexual men do. Why not? If all homosexuality is gravely disordered irregardless of male or female, then why the disparity in consequence?

what has that to do with morality? you asked a question of public health, and the vectors by which this disease spreads. Just because an activity does not carry the threat of spreading infectious disease that does not make it moral. And if you want to state CAtholic teaching to make or debate a point, please correctly state the teaching. What precisely is your question.?

Burglarly and murder don’t spread disease but that does not make the inclination or behavior of stealing and killing moral nor ordered to the good of the individual and of society.

 

[Moscati]

Not to be too graphic or anything . . . but HIV/AIDS transmission generally has to do with fluid exchange. From a purely mechanical standpoint, there’s much less in the way of fluid exchange going on with lesbians.

It’s a biological thing. HIV/AIDS is a disease, not a punishment sent from God specifically for homosexuals. The “Catholic” answer is the same as the scientific one.

 

[Draggar]

And, I’m not entirely sure, but it may also have to do with the anal sex that goes on with some homosexual men. I’m pretty sure the tissues of that area are weaker and more likely to contract an infection. You’re basically putting a reproductive organ into a digestive organ, whereas with most lesbians, that’s not the case.

And I’d like to hope that it doesn’t have to do with males being more promiscuous than females. That’s a bit of a stereotype, I think.

At least, I’ve heard something like that.

 

[bingbang]

What’s the “Catholic answer” for why homosexual females have the (apparently) lowest rates of HIV/AIDS? They don’t get HIV/AIDS at the same rate homosexual men do. Why not? If all homosexuality is gravely disordered irregardless of male or female, then why the disparity in consequence?

Are you suggesting that AIDS is a punishment for being gay from God?

 

[twopekinguys]

Are you suggesting that AIDS is a punishment for being gay from God?

I am sure that is not what the OP was suggesting, but…

I remember back during the initial outbreak of HIV/AIDS, that many ministers, fundamentalists primarily were saying that it was God’s punishment.

I also remember people saying “If it was God’s punishment, why do lesbians have the lowest infection rate? Are they God’s chosen people?”

Of course, all of this was being said at the beginning of the crisis, when little to nothing was known about transmission.

Of course, people like Fred Phelps and his clan haven’t quite got that all figured out yet.

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

what has that to do with morality? you asked a question of public health, and the vectors by which this disease spreads. Just because an activity does not carry the threat of spreading infectious disease that does not make it moral. And if you want to state CAtholic teaching to make or debate a point, please correctly state the teaching. What precisely is your question.?

Burglarly and murder don’t spread disease but that does not make the inclination or behavior of stealing and killing moral nor ordered to the good of the individual and of society.

Also a cocaine addict who snorts has a less chance of contracting HIV than a heroin adict who shoots up. Both are addicts.

 

[Dale_M]

I also remember people saying “If it was God’s punishment, why do lesbians have the lowest infection rate? Are they God’s chosen people?”

I remember saying it.

Gay men, as others have pointed out, have a higher incidence of HIV because during sex they exchange body fluids to a greater extent. And, promiscuity also plays an important part.

An additional reason is that semen contains HIV in much higher concentration than vaginal fluids. Cervical mucus can have high concentrations of HIV, but contact with it is relatively rare.

Saliva, of course, is an extremely poor conduit of HIV. No cases of transmission via saliva have ever been documented.

 

[Pug]

What’s the “Catholic answer” for why homosexual females have the (apparently) lowest rates of HIV/AIDS? They don’t get HIV/AIDS at the same rate homosexual men do. Why not? If all homosexuality is gravely disordered irregardless of male or female, then why the disparity in consequence?

Perhaps it has something to do with the precise behaviors of each group and the frequency at which they are pursued? You’d need to ask someone who studies disease transmission and who has hard data on these things.

Perhaps the confusion lies in the assumption that contracting/getting AIDS is *the *consequence of that particular sin? It is not Catholic teaching that getting AIDS is the consequence of that sin.

 

[Mark77]

**You are assuming AIDS is a punishment from God, therefore lesbians are being punished less?

Using your logic, drunken motorcycle riders are killed at a much higher rate than drunken car drivers, therefore God is punishing motorcycle riders more than those drunks who drive cars???

You wrote; “why the disparity in consequence?” Ignorance & faulty logic at it’s perfection is the reason why!
**
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!

mark

 

[fisheaters]

What’s the “Catholic answer” for why homosexual females have the (apparently) lowest rates of HIV/AIDS? They don’t get HIV/AIDS at the same rate homosexual men do. Why not? If all homosexuality is gravely disordered irregardless of male or female, then why the disparity in consequence?

they talk the disease to death.

 

[ALLGIRLS]

What’s the “Catholic answer” for why homosexual females have the (apparently) lowest rates of HIV/AIDS? They don’t get HIV/AIDS at the same rate homosexual men do. Why not? If all homosexuality is gravely disordered irregardless of male or female, then why the disparity in consequence?

It’s erroneous to believe that God is “punishing” gays with HIV (since innocent people can contract HIV without committing any sins at all). Even if there were no such things as STD’s and everyone had to “try” to get pregnant (i.e., our body’s were created in such a way that a pregnancy could never happen unless you wanted it to, no matter how or when you had intercourse ergo there would no need for contraception or abortion), sex outside of marriage and homosexual activity would still be sins.

In Christ,

Ellen

 

[ab75]

What’s the “Catholic answer” for why homosexual females have the (apparently) lowest rates of HIV/AIDS? They don’t get HIV/AIDS at the same rate homosexual men do. Why not? If all homosexuality is gravely disordered irregardless of male or female, then why the disparity in consequence?

Quite simply, the risk of transmission is only possible (with small exception) when a fluid containing the virus gets into the bloodstream. Because anal sex has the highest risk of bleeding by a receptive partner and homosexual men have the most anal sex. It spreads fastest in that group. Since oral sex has a very low possibility of transmission (I believe like 1 in 1000 with an effected partner).

I think this show the flawed logic with assuming illness is necessarily a punishment, since it doesn’t hit homosexuals evenly, nor “sinning” heterosexuals of which there is a world full.

 

[LilyM]

What’s the “Catholic answer” for why homosexual females have the (apparently) lowest rates of HIV/AIDS? They don’t get HIV/AIDS at the same rate homosexual men do. Why not? If all homosexuality is gravely disordered irregardless of male or female, then why the disparity in consequence?

And if hemophilia is not at all disordered behaviour, but a simple medical condition, why, in the early days of our understanding of AIDS at least, did so many undeserving hemophiliacs also become infected with AIDS via infected blood products? Just like their ‘deserving’ (says who?) homosexual and IV drug-using fellow sufferers?

Remember Jesus’ merciful treatment of the woman caught in adultery and generous forgiveness of the paralytic’s sins AND healing of his paralysis, and don’t assume that sinners ‘deserve’ to suffer earthly consequences, or that God requires that they do so.

Leads one to wonder whether the paralysis was somehow related to the sin - perhaps psychosomatic in origin - such that healing of soul was required before healing of the body could take place?

 

[MariaTS]

I don’t know if I’m accurate or not, but my belief is that men in general tend to have a higher rate of promiscuity. Particularly unmarried men and homosexual men, so that they are more exposed to HIV/AIDS. Of course the truly lowest rate for HIV/AIDS infection would be for monogomous heterosexual married couples.

Black married women have the highest rate of HIV/AIDS on a worldwide standpoint.