98 or so gay males where arrested in a private orgy a yesterday or the day before. Images showed all of them in undies, huddling and hiding form the light, most of them young (18 to 3ish) condoms and tissue strewn about the place. Most alarming, however, 46 of them confirmed with STD’s. 18 with HIV :shock:
A caution to my gay friends. Be careful out there boys and for your sexual active hetero brothers sake, fuck that kinsey scale keep that Bi-sexual shit in your pocket.
That news is already more than a few days old. What is interesting is that while it was really played up on TV and the papers, the English papers and Taiwan Headlines have barely given it a wink. Wouldn’t want the world to know what irresponsible, disease-spreading fags we’ve got here, I guess.
Taiwanese gay men are the absolute WORST when it comes to any knowledge of safe sex, and none of this surprises me. OK, perhaps some countries in Africa are worse, but for a country who likes to think it is an educated, developed nation, this is pretty pathetic. It is a wonderful mixture of arrogance, stupidity, denial, low self-esteem, homophobia, drug and alcoholism, “AIDS is a foreigners disease”, and even more arrogance and stupidity that continues to help STD rates here rise higher than Taipei 101.
[quote=“Flicka”]Wouldn’t want the world to know what irresponsible, disease-spreading fags we’ve got here, I guess.
Taiwanese gay men are the absolute WORST when it comes to any knowledge of safe sex, and none of this surprises me. OK, perhaps some countries in Africa are worse, but for a country who likes to think it is an educated, developed nation, this is pretty pathetic. It is a wonderful mixture of arrogance, stupidity, denial, low self-esteem, homophobia, drug and alcoholism, “AIDS is a foreigners disease”, and even more arrogance and stupidity that continues to help STD rates here rise higher than Taipei 101.[/quote]
It’s the same in the U.S. – gays have STD rates (not just AIDS) much higher than the general population. Likewise the low self-esteem, etc. Why put down Taiwan?
I was shocked by the incredibly ugly underwear that the men were wearing - white jockeys, ill-fitting, the kind your mother bought for you until the eighth grade, when you were cool enough to pick out some decent boxers.
Seriously, I am a little dismayed by the fact that some of the HIV-positive guys knew about their status, and were having sex anyway. Makes them little better than murderers, in my book. And the illegal drug use doesn’t do much to increase my sympathy for them either. I heard that there were a couple of foreigners there - any news on that aspect?
It’s so NOT the same in the US - I imagine Flicka is talking about the availability of and access to information HIV and other STDs - they just don’t have it here. In ANY American bar there are free condoms and lube and leaflets and phone numbers of support groups etc etc pinned up everywhere. There’s medical help in the US - sure, there’s still a stigma but there are support networks and trained personnel - in Taiwan, nurses refuse to treat people with HIV - it’s not just ignorance on the part of the gay guys - it’s pretty universal. A Taiwanese friend of mine died of HIV-related illness last year, and he was so ashamed he didn’t even tell his gay friends, just disappeared off to die. We heard about all the SHIT he’d had to deal with from so-called “medical professionals” in Taiwan from his sister after he had died. This country is a fucking disgrace when it comes to people with HIV and AIDS. And does anyone remember the SARS nurses who refused to treat patients?
Flicka’s putting down Taiwan rightly in this respect. What a ridiculous thing to come to Taiwan’s defence for - they have better safe-sex resources in Thailand, for fuck’s sake! The local boys ARE ignorant of the dangers of HIV - people REALLY do say “it’s a foreigner’s disease” and it’s something that western guys here have had to deal with for years. Me and people I know have been writing articles about it for YEARS in the Asian gay media, like Taiwan’s HIS magazine and Singapore’s fridae.com and stupid remarks like “why put Taiwan down?” REALLY get my goat. This isn’t about low self-esteem or higher rates of STD, it’s about fighting ignorance due to the COMPLETE lack of adequate sex information in Taiwan - in the States you’ve got to be an IDIOT to have unprotected sex; in Taiwan they really ARE ignorant of the facts.
And Chou, get over yourself with your “bisexual shit” remark - go tell it to the straight Taiwanese guys who are fucking whores in the rest of South East Asia and coming back to their wives and families - it’s not just a gay problem. Why don’t YOU make sure you wear a condom every time you have sex with a woman (like the rest of us educated people do when we have sex with a man). Take responsibility for YOURSELF.
Maoman, yes it is shocking that some of the guys knew about their HIV status - they ARE attempted murderers, but cf my remark about straight local guys. If you don’t know your status or don’t care to wear a condom with a whore in Bangkok, what’s the difference? EVERYONE’S ignorant about HIV and AIDS here, it just happened to be gay party that was raided and so it’s been highlighted. And drug use is immaterial here; unless you’ve never ran a red light or done anything “illegal”.
[quote=“MaPoDoFu”]
It’s the same in the U.S. – gays have STD rates (not just AIDS) much higher than the general population. Likewise the low self-esteem, etc. Why put down Taiwan?[/quote]
OK, you got me on that one. I’m just being sour grapes because they didn’t send me an invite.
Because Taiwan’s the only place gays have told me they can tell if someone is HIV+ just by looking at them, in fact many times. And Maoman brings up an interesting point–the horrendous underwear.
[quote=“magnolia”]
And Chou, get over yourself with your “bisexual shit” remark - go tell it to the straight Taiwanese guys who are fucking whores in the rest of South East Asia and coming back to their wives and families - it’s not just a gay problem. Why don’t YOU make sure you wear a condom every time you have sex with a woman (like the rest of us educated people do when we have sex with a man). Take responsibility for YOURSELF.[/quote]
Fair 'nuff. Hey all you straight Taiwanese, and foriegn, guys fucking whores across Asia and anywhere in the world. Wear a condom. Spread peanut butter not HIV.
They were sharing needles? That doesn’t sound like any part of the gay Taiwanese scene - on the news the police just showed big bags of e, Viagra and some poppers - Jeez, these people are even MORE ignorant than I thought :?
And 14 guys didn’t even know - that’s harsh. Well, if anyone is interested, or has a friend that might need to know, I have the number for a guy who works for the one voluntary group in Taiwan and acts as sort of a “gay liason” for the Ximenting STD clinic and can arrange an anonymous HIV test. They weren’t offering anything like a counselling service a couple of years ago, but that might have changed. PM me for details.
The news did not say if the 14 that weren’t on file knew about their status or not. They may or may not know. The news also reported that Gay Rights Groups in Taiwan are now protesting the mandatory HIV testing for the people at the party. The Gay Rights people claimed that it is a human rights violation and it is up to each individual at the party to test for HIV. The Group further claimed that it is the HIV carrier’s choice to inform his/her sex partner whether he/her is infected or not, and should not be a requirement.
“Then neighbours of the men were shown saying they were so scared of being infected with HIV that they had disinfected their homes, and police officers who had questioned the men said they had cleaned their seats immediately afterwards.”
“Of Taiwan’s 5,221 HIV/AIDS patients, 2,080 were infected through heterosexual contact, 1,896 of them homosexual and 622 bisexual, according to CDC data.”
Interesting that some people are STILL laboring under the misapprehension that HIV/AIDS is a “gay/bisexual” problem in Taiwan…
PS. There is no mention of “sharing needles” in ANY English-language news source I can find, just ecstacy pills - maybe someone can help? It wouldn’t surprise me if this is ignorance about drugs on the part of a Taiwanese “journalist” - more flagrant “poetic licence”?
As in Taiwan, STDs are considered “foreigners’ diseases” in Japan and China, where there is currently an explosion in STDs among young people. I get the feeling that the press here is comfortable portraying the biggest threat to society here as being an influx of foreign spouses, rather than the influx of disease from Taiwanese men whoring in China and SE Asia.
Ironically, foreigners resident in Taiwan are the only group routinely tested for sexual disease.
I’m not making any moral judgements on whoring or marital fidelity, but if you’re going to be porking prossies it’s pretty much accepted you have to take precautions.
The irony is too much for me to keep a straight face, even though it’s a serious issue. Wealthy men from China, Taiwan, and Japan, screwing their way across Asia, bringing home the clap (and worse) and then saying it’s a “foreigners’ disease” ! Ha Bloody Ha !
word, from my brining up in the western world, im afraid to have unprotected sex… like really afraid of it… damn they only caugh 92 of these gay men though, still got a lot more work to do to get the work done… from what i read in the papers it was e and special k they comphisctaed… no h
I’m also horrified hearing that the police thought they had the right to test people for HIV. And having HIV doesn’t mean you have to stop living or stop having sex…just make sure your partner is informed, and that you use protection.
That said, some of the things you guys mentioned are horrifying…being able to recognise that somebody is HIV positive just by looking at them? I also find that most of the time I’m the one insisting that condoms are used, and the guys will do almost anything to convince you not to use them (a big turn-off). The ignorance here is indeed shocking, and I hope the government wakes up in time to actually still be able to do something about it.
[quote=“twonavels”]
That said, some of the things you guys mentioned are horrifying…being able to recognise that somebody is HIV positive just by looking at them? [/quote]
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. My favorite one, however, is “I can’t get HIV-- I have a Ph.D.” Don’t even get me started on the number of gay men here who donate blood.
[quote=“twonavels”]I’m also horrified hearing that the police thought they had the right to test people for HIV. And having HIV doesn’t mean you have to stop living or stop having sex…just make sure your partner is informed, and that you use protection.
.[/quote]
The news said that police decided to test the people at the party when one of them informed the police that he was HIV positive. None of the other 14 known carriers came out and tell about their HIV situation.
Apparently mass hysteria occurred when these party goers were told that 14 known cases of HIV were present at the party. A few told reporters that this will be their last time attending this sort of “home party”. Which is a good thing.
Hopefully more people will learn to protect themselves as well as others.
No, you were right, I misread and misconstrued. But even with all the info in the U.S., transmission rates are RISING among the young gay population – AIDS is an old gay’s disease, and the young ones think it’s practically curable, since all the new drugs prolong people’s lives for as much as a decade before they turn into spotted skeletons. They just don’t see it the way the older generation does, so they’re going to have to learn it the hard way. Sigh.
I think I was 16 when the newspapers started reporting a mysterious ailment that seemed to affect homosexuals, hemophiliacs, Haitians, and heroin addicts. And the walking skeletons had a rather chilling effect on everyone’s sex lives during my college years. . . .
So what happens to all of these guys that got arrested? Are they released the next day? Brought up on drug charges? This is a very scary and sad trend … I’ve seen more and more ads for parties like this on gay message boards here. When will the government get their act together and start educating people … sheesh …
