Sexual Ecology: AIDS and the Destiny of Gay MenRotello, an award-winning journalist and long-time AIDS activist, has done in this book something no writer has done before. Weaving together the strands of ecology theory, epidemiology, and sexual politics, he shows how the AIDS epidemic, like other epidemics from influenza and bubonic plague to today's rapidly emerging viruses - result as much from human behaviors as from specific microbes. He argues convincingly that AIDS was probably an old and rare disease syndrome in humans that erupted into an epidemic only when cultural changes - including the gay male sexual revolution of the seventies - created ideal conditions for its evolution and spread. For the first time ever, Rotello describes in detail the surprising scientific consensus about why, precisely, AIDS hit gay men so hard. Rebutting both the left's position that AIDS was merely an accident, and simplistic right-wing theories that blame promiscuity alone, Rotello presents the compelling but troubling verdict embraced by epidemiologists: AIDS was spread by a fusion of factors built right into the fabric of urban gay life after Stonewall. Turning to current research, Rotello explains how and why researchers believe a "second wave" of the epidemic is saturating gay men despite widespread AIDS awareness and condom use. And he provides compelling evidence that if the current lack of ecological awareness continues, our best chance of containing the epidemic with newly available drug therapies could be squandered. |
Contents
AIDS and the Destiny of Gay Men | 1 |
The Birth of AIDS | 19 |
Gay Sexual Ecology | 38 |
Copyright | |
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AIDS educators AIDS epidemic AIDS prevention American anal sex anti-gay argue bathhouses believe cities cohort condom code contact rate core groups crack users deep ecology demic developed world disease drug users eighties epidemiology fact factors Fumento gay AIDS gay community gay culture gay liberation gay male gay men gay men's gay population gay world gonorrhea harm reduction hepatitis hetero heterosexual AIDS heterosexual epidemic heterosexual population HIV infection HIV transmission homophobia homophobic homosexuality human IDUS increase large numbers lesbians major Michael Callen monogamy multiple partners mutation numbers of partners oral sex partner change percent prevalence problem promiscuity reason reduce relationships reported researchers result risk role safer sex saturation seems self-sustaining heterosexual serostatus seventies sex clubs sexual behavior sexual ecology sexual revolution sexually active social society STDs strains of HIV strategy subtype Thailand tion uninfected unprotected anal unprotected oral sex unsafe sex viral virtually virus women York