The Blue Site

HIV Comic Character Nowhere Near Reality

This Real World Judd guy (from season 3 in San Francisco) has written a storyline where the Green Arrow (in the comic) gets a new 17 yr old female sidekick. A 17 yr old girl with HIV. Really stupid idea if you ask me- who in their right mind wants to read comic books about characters with AIDS. He says that it closely mirrors reality- his friend from the MTV show, Pedro, was a gay man who was infected with HIV at the age of 17.

Big problem in his claim that this closely mirrors reality. The girl in the comic is a 17 yr old runaway and former prostitute. So, of course, she'd be a likely candidate for becoming infected, right? Wrong. Studies on prostitutes in major cities have shown very little chance of these women becoming infected. Why? Because their clients are almost always straight males...and straight males have very little risk of becoming infected thru vaginal sex. They have a higher incidence via IV drug use, but the biggest culprit is homosexual activity between two males. This is why Pedro became infected, and it wasn't that shocking...a 17 yr old girl who has intercourse with straight males has little chance of ever becoming infected with the disease, because the straight males act as a barrier.

Buy into the PC B.S. if you want, but HIV is still usually a homosexual disease- the largest percentage of people in this country with the disease are males who have sex with males...some women who have sex with bi-sexual males, and IV drug users. Like I said tho, straight males act as a barrier to the disease, which is why it's not anywhere near an epidemic here in this country. Character in comic books like this are another example of scare tactics aimed at young people, who really have very little chance of becoming infected if they stay away from the biggest risk factor- male to male sex! Very simple...stay away from that risk factor, and your chances of getting the disease are almost nonexistant. These scare tactics are worthless, because it's just that- scare tactics based on what is, in general, disinformation and highly flawed reasoning. MTV uses these tactics all the time, making it out as tho the disease can infect just anyone who does anything sexual, and the chances are real...considering the disease affects less than 1% of the population, this idea is silly. Scarign kids into thinking there's a significant risk is just irresponsible, and it's not reality. Attempting to say that such a character in a comic closely mirrors reality may even be more ridiculous.