David Barton: AIDS is a Consequence of Homosexuality

History is not the only disciplined tortured by David Barton.
Either unaware or uncaring that AIDS is transmitted primarily among straights in Africa, Barton today said AIDS won’t be cured because it is God’s judgment on gays. Then he added, even if the disease is cured, some other disease will come along as punishment.
Religious leaders can be a force for good in stopping the spread of AIDS in Africa but not with messages like Barton’s.
 

22 thoughts on “David Barton: AIDS is a Consequence of Homosexuality”

  1. He cannot fathom a social science like history, why should it be expected that he could understand a real science like biology.

  2. @ David Cary Hart:

    I am at a loss to explain how/why gay men are still spreading AIDS.

    David — although I don’t agree with the “Never Have Anal Sex, Ever” position of the self-described “frot radicals” like Bill Weintraub, I wholly affirm one of their points: the “vanillafication” of anal sex has played an important role in explaining why gay men still spread HIV among themselves.
    Most gay men, at least in contemporary anglo-american gay culture, take it for granted that anal sex isn’t at all kinky or edgy or taboo. It’s something a self-respecting gay man can talk about on a first date or even DO on a first date. If a gay man wants to “take a walk on the wild side,” he could perhaps try to talk his boyfriend into golden showers, or whips-and-handcuffs, or whatever. But anal sex isn’t “a walk on the wild side,” at least in gay male culture — it’s completely vanilla.
    Imagine, as a thought experiment, how the HIV epidemic might have progressed if the vast majority of gay men accepted golden showers (for example) as completely “vanilla”, while considering anal sex to be “rather kinky” — something done only occasionally, with a very trusted partner who wants to “walk on the wild side,” but certainly not something that most guys would consider altogether normal, or discuss with casual acquaintances.
    Imagine, in other words, that discourse such as “Do you like it when your boyfriend pees all over you? — Well, gosh, who doesn’t!” was socially acceptable and “vanilla” within the gay male subculture, while “Are you an anal Top or Bottom?” was heard only in whispers among hard-core fetishists in S&M bars.

  3. [continued, and concluding]
    On this Parallel Earth of our thought-experiment, I believe it’s safe to say that the HIV epidemic among gay men would’ve been much smaller and progressed much more slowly — because anal sex is the only “homosexual” act that transmits HIV with any efficiency.
    So, while “be responsible and use a condom” is an important message for gay men, it’s also important to recognize that gay culture, gay media, gay porn, and gay advertising all condition gay men to perceive anal sex as not merely “vanilla,” but even, in the minds of many gay men, the ultimate form of intimacy.
    And if anal sex is the ultimate form of male/male intimacy, then perhaps the only way to make it MORE intimate is by doing it without a condom.
    And that, I believe, is a significant part of why gay men still spread AIDS/HIV to each other, and still stupidly expose themselves to infection by a not-very-contagious virus: they’re chasing after the sensation of “intimacy” that is purportedly generated by bareback anal sex.
    One solution to this is to challenge the idea that condomless anal sex is “less intimate” than doing it with a rubber. But in my view, it’s equally important to challenge the idea that frottage and oral sex are “less intimate” than anal sex, and the corresponding notion that gay men who eschew anal sex in favor of frottage or oral sex are somehow missing out on True Intimacy™.

  4. I do not know if AIDS is God’s judgement on anybody, but we have to ask why it is still spreading among gay men. According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, gay men are 44 time more likely to become HIV positive. The HIV/AIDS infection rate among gay and bisexual men in the USA has been increasing by 8% annually since 2002. The current HIV/AIDS rate is now at 63%, with another one-third also infected but unaware until they become chronically sick. These are shocking figures.
    Medical experts who have studied and tracked HIV/AIDS worldwide still point to high-risk behaviors such as unprotected sex, having multiple partners, injection drug use and drug use in general for making gay men more vulnerable to infection. Also, there is an 18 times greater risk of HIV transmission through anal sex than through vaginal sex, which may explain why the virus continues to thrive in gay men, despite the fact that they still receive the bulk of HIV awareness and treatment public-health messages.
    One has to wonder when this pattern is going to change. Given the high HIV/AIDS infection among gay and bisexual men just in the USA, just how much will this devastate their numbers in another 30 years from now?

  5. I do not know if AIDS is God’s judgement on anybody, but we have to ask why it is still spreading among gay men. According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, gay men are 44 time more likely to become HIV positive. The HIV/AIDS infection rate among gay and bisexual men in the USA has been increasing by 8% annually since 2002. The current HIV/AIDS rate is now at 63%, with another one-third also infected but unaware until they become chronically sick. These are shocking figures.
    Medical experts who have studied and tracked HIV/AIDS worldwide still point to high-risk behaviors such as unprotected sex, having multiple partners, injection drug use and drug use in general for making gay men more vulnerable to infection. Also, there is an 18 times greater risk of HIV transmission through anal sex than through vaginal sex, which may explain why the virus continues to thrive in gay men, despite the fact that they still receive the bulk of HIV awareness and treatment public-health messages.
    One has to wonder when this pattern is going to change. Given the high HIV/AIDS infection among gay and bisexual men just in the USA, just how much will this devastate their numbers in another 30 years from now?

  6. I thought we already covered this in the book of Job. Suffering does not necessarily bespeak a need to repent. In the end it is the smug righteousness which demands that the sufferer repent that God despises. But maybe Mr. Barton hasn’t read the book of Job. For all I know, maybe he hasn’t read the Bible.

  7. Warren, I’d be curious to know whether any of the hate correspondence that you likely get from Barton supporters, NARTH supporters and conservative Christians generally has suggested that your heart problems were God’s judgment.
    Also, it occurs to me that you haven’t updated us in a while on how you are doing heart-wise and health-wise. Please let us know how it is going.

  8. I thought we already covered this in the book of Job. Suffering does not necessarily bespeak a need to repent. In the end it is the smug righteousness which demands that the sufferer repent that God despises. But maybe Mr. Barton hasn’t read the book of Job. For all I know, maybe he hasn’t read the Bible.

  9. If AIDS is God’s Judgment(TM) for homosexuals, he must not be paying attention to lesbians. Or, like much of the phallicentric world, must not believe they exist.

  10. Warren, I’d be curious to know whether any of the hate correspondence that you likely get from Barton supporters, NARTH supporters and conservative Christians generally has suggested that your heart problems were God’s judgment.
    Also, it occurs to me that you haven’t updated us in a while on how you are doing heart-wise and health-wise. Please let us know how it is going.

  11. If AIDS is God’s judgement on gay folks then God must either be hopelessly incompetent or have a significant need for target practice based on the reality that there have been many victims that have not engaged in same sex sex ..(doctors, dentists, other healthcare workers, hemophiliacs .. heterosexual spouses and so forth).
    Since I don’t believe God is incompetent or needs target practice this idea doesn’t hold water.

  12. If AIDS is God’s Judgment(TM) for homosexuals, he must not be paying attention to lesbians. Or, like much of the phallicentric world, must not believe they exist.

  13. If AIDS is God’s judgement on gay folks then God must either be hopelessly incompetent or have a significant need for target practice based on the reality that there have been many victims that have not engaged in same sex sex ..(doctors, dentists, other healthcare workers, hemophiliacs .. heterosexual spouses and so forth).
    Since I don’t believe God is incompetent or needs target practice this idea doesn’t hold water.

  14. Perhaps the continued spread of the virus might in part be ‘God’s judgement’ on a socio-economic system that fails to deliver affordable care to those who need it? HIV+ persons on effective ART are many times less infectious that those who are not.
    Just a thought.
    I understand Throbert’s point about what might constitute ‘true intimacy’; sometimes the ‘expectations’ that people have of sexual relations (or indeed any kind of human relations) can lead to problems.

  15. Perhaps the continued spread of the virus might in part be ‘God’s judgement’ on a socio-economic system that fails to deliver affordable care to those who need it? HIV+ persons on effective ART are many times less infectious that those who are not.
    Just a thought.
    I understand Throbert’s point about what might constitute ‘true intimacy’; sometimes the ‘expectations’ that people have of sexual relations (or indeed any kind of human relations) can lead to problems.

  16. [continued, and concluding]
    On this Parallel Earth of our thought-experiment, I believe it’s safe to say that the HIV epidemic among gay men would’ve been much smaller and progressed much more slowly — because anal sex is the only “homosexual” act that transmits HIV with any efficiency.
    So, while “be responsible and use a condom” is an important message for gay men, it’s also important to recognize that gay culture, gay media, gay porn, and gay advertising all condition gay men to perceive anal sex as not merely “vanilla,” but even, in the minds of many gay men, the ultimate form of intimacy.
    And if anal sex is the ultimate form of male/male intimacy, then perhaps the only way to make it MORE intimate is by doing it without a condom.
    And that, I believe, is a significant part of why gay men still spread AIDS/HIV to each other, and still stupidly expose themselves to infection by a not-very-contagious virus: they’re chasing after the sensation of “intimacy” that is purportedly generated by bareback anal sex.
    One solution to this is to challenge the idea that condomless anal sex is “less intimate” than doing it with a rubber. But in my view, it’s equally important to challenge the idea that frottage and oral sex are “less intimate” than anal sex, and the corresponding notion that gay men who eschew anal sex in favor of frottage or oral sex are somehow missing out on True Intimacy™.

  17. @ David Cary Hart:

    I am at a loss to explain how/why gay men are still spreading AIDS.

    David — although I don’t agree with the “Never Have Anal Sex, Ever” position of the self-described “frot radicals” like Bill Weintraub, I wholly affirm one of their points: the “vanillafication” of anal sex has played an important role in explaining why gay men still spread HIV among themselves.
    Most gay men, at least in contemporary anglo-american gay culture, take it for granted that anal sex isn’t at all kinky or edgy or taboo. It’s something a self-respecting gay man can talk about on a first date or even DO on a first date. If a gay man wants to “take a walk on the wild side,” he could perhaps try to talk his boyfriend into golden showers, or whips-and-handcuffs, or whatever. But anal sex isn’t “a walk on the wild side,” at least in gay male culture — it’s completely vanilla.
    Imagine, as a thought experiment, how the HIV epidemic might have progressed if the vast majority of gay men accepted golden showers (for example) as completely “vanilla”, while considering anal sex to be “rather kinky” — something done only occasionally, with a very trusted partner who wants to “walk on the wild side,” but certainly not something that most guys would consider altogether normal, or discuss with casual acquaintances.
    Imagine, in other words, that discourse such as “Do you like it when your boyfriend pees all over you? — Well, gosh, who doesn’t!” was socially acceptable and “vanilla” within the gay male subculture, while “Are you an anal Top or Bottom?” was heard only in whispers among hard-core fetishists in S&M bars.

  18. Mr. Barton no longer angers me. He is a source of amusement. However, as Arlen Specter pointed out, Barton would be irrelevant were it not for the fact that so many people believe every word that he says.
    [rant]I am at a loss to explain how/why gay men are still spreading AIDS. We are supposed to be the best informed on this hazard. The spread of AIDS is 100% preventable. Sometimes I feel like screaming. Ugh![/rant]

  19. Either unaware or uncaring that AIDS is transmitted primarily among straights in Africa
    Strictly true, but there is also the question of transmission vectors. “The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS” is not that heterosexuals don’t contract AIDS, it’s that female-to-male transmission [and, logically, female-to-female as well] is far less frequent than male-to-male and then via bi-sexual behavior, male-to-female.
    Were all transmission vectors equal [female-to-male the same as male-to-female], the infection rates would be exponentially higher.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/health/21glob.html
    Aids: Role of Gay Men in Spreading Virus Is Ignored in Africa, Study Finds
    By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
    Published: July 20, 2009
    While most transmission of the virus in Africa is heterosexual, 19 recent studies of African men who have sex with men show that they have “considerably higher” infection rates than other adult men in their respective countries, said the authors, who were from Oxford University and research institutions in Ghana and Kenya.
    These men also have less access to prevention and care; most African countries have allocated no money to gay men, and homosexual sex is illegal in 31 African countries, in four of which men risk the death penalty.
    African male sexual networks overlap with male-female ones, the authors found, since many of the men also report recent sex with women or are married. In three genetic studies the authors compared, gay white men in South Africa had a virus from a type common among gay European and American men, while gay black men in Kenya and Senegal had the type circulating in their country’s black populations.

    As for AIDS being God’s judgment on homosexuality, that is above science’s pay grade. Any demurral on Barton’s opinion on that would be theological, not scientific. I would think he’d also be of the opinion that venereal disease in general is a divine punishment for promiscuity whether hetero- or homosexual.

  20. He cannot fathom a social science like history, why should it be expected that he could understand a real science like biology.

  21. Mr. Barton no longer angers me. He is a source of amusement. However, as Arlen Specter pointed out, Barton would be irrelevant were it not for the fact that so many people believe every word that he says.
    [rant]I am at a loss to explain how/why gay men are still spreading AIDS. We are supposed to be the best informed on this hazard. The spread of AIDS is 100% preventable. Sometimes I feel like screaming. Ugh![/rant]

  22. Either unaware or uncaring that AIDS is transmitted primarily among straights in Africa
    Strictly true, but there is also the question of transmission vectors. “The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS” is not that heterosexuals don’t contract AIDS, it’s that female-to-male transmission [and, logically, female-to-female as well] is far less frequent than male-to-male and then via bi-sexual behavior, male-to-female.
    Were all transmission vectors equal [female-to-male the same as male-to-female], the infection rates would be exponentially higher.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/health/21glob.html
    Aids: Role of Gay Men in Spreading Virus Is Ignored in Africa, Study Finds
    By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
    Published: July 20, 2009
    While most transmission of the virus in Africa is heterosexual, 19 recent studies of African men who have sex with men show that they have “considerably higher” infection rates than other adult men in their respective countries, said the authors, who were from Oxford University and research institutions in Ghana and Kenya.
    These men also have less access to prevention and care; most African countries have allocated no money to gay men, and homosexual sex is illegal in 31 African countries, in four of which men risk the death penalty.
    African male sexual networks overlap with male-female ones, the authors found, since many of the men also report recent sex with women or are married. In three genetic studies the authors compared, gay white men in South Africa had a virus from a type common among gay European and American men, while gay black men in Kenya and Senegal had the type circulating in their country’s black populations.

    As for AIDS being God’s judgment on homosexuality, that is above science’s pay grade. Any demurral on Barton’s opinion on that would be theological, not scientific. I would think he’d also be of the opinion that venereal disease in general is a divine punishment for promiscuity whether hetero- or homosexual.

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