Disclosure 2

[lovingboth]

Coo that was quick - a browser crash and when I come back, seven people had already done it.

It was prompted by the case of a man who's just been convicted in England of 'biological' Grevious Bodily Harm, after apparently infecting two women and the contrast between attitudes to this case and the situation for the UK's gay and bisexual men who are far more likely to come across (sorry!) someone who's HIV+.

The article that prompted the poll was published two years ago, and was in the newsletter of a London gay men's health project after a similar case in Scotland.

It followed a question that was asked in an annual survey of gay and bisexual men. It talked about men disclosing rather than 'people', sigh, but other than that it's the one in the previous post. Around 70% of respondents agreed... but what does it mean and how realistic are any of the expectations?

In short, I'd agree that those people who think it's the duty of people with HIV to disclose their status are those least likely to be disclosed to...


Individual messages, to be updated as needed:

(none at the mo)

Comments

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

The case in question is an interesting one. My take on it is that, regardless of what the man said or didn't say, the women had a duty of care to themselves to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. He is culpable, since he knew that he was HIV positive and actively concealed the fact; also that he knew he was fertile and actively deceived, telling one of the women he'd had a vasectomy. But they were foolish to have unprotected sex with someone they were not in a committed relationship with (and who they new at the time to be in a supposedly mongamous marriage to someone else, with kids by his wife).

[adjectivemarcus.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, but if I'm foolish enough to leave my window open and someone steals my stereo then it's still theft. Foolishness isn't a crime.

Of course, I won't get any money from the insurance company, but someone's still a thief, regardless of my being foolish or indeed forgetful.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

True.
Though since having unprotected sex with someone whose HIV/STD status and fertility you do not know is a bit more like driving at night with no headlights, then complaining when you get hit. You're recklessly endangering yourself and others.

[zotz]

In one case he persuaded the woman to have unprotected sex when she had reservations. This Is Not Negligence.

I wouldn't say that it was like driving without lights. I would say it was like lending a friend a ladder and watching them use it without telling them that you knew it was broken. If you borrowed a ladder from someone you trusted, would you specifically ask if it was broken or not?

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Oh, I freely admit the guy's a bastard who's obviously been very very persuasive.

[lovingboth]

I think it's interesting there's such a fuss.

'At least some people lie to get the sex they want' isn't news to anyone, is it? And I'm not at all surprised that there are people prepared to lie about not having HIV...