Department of Health Sciences Faculty Articles

HIV, Body Image, and Sexuality

Document Type

Article

Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers

ISSN

1087-2914

Publication Date

10-1995

Keywords

HIV, AIDS, Bisexual, Prevention Programs, Infections, Health Benefits, STD, HIV Positive

Abstract

Kanouse et al reported that a significant portion of Los Angeles’ gay and bisexual men infected with HIV are not practicing safer sex and concluded that knowing one's HIV status was not related to unprotected oral or anal sex. HIV prevention programs targeting HIV-infected individuals are often couched in terms of the need to reduce the rate of new HIV infections instead of in terms of the health benefits of safer sex for persons living with HIV. Exposure to variants of HIV and other STDs can speed up disease progression in HIV positive individuals. Most studies lump all people with HIV into one category and/or focus primarily on persons who are HIV asymptomatic. Little attention is given to the sexuality of individuals who have AIDS or who are progressing to AIDS relegating them to the category of asexual. Interestingly, this is contrary to some conservative and leftist political dogma where PWAs are suspect of maliciously spreading HIV. People with HIV are still people and thus have the same needs as do people without HIV. These needs include intimacy with others, including some form of sexual intimacy.

DOI

10.1089/apc.1995.9.245

Volume

9

Issue

5

First Page

245

Last Page

248

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

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