The Health Risks of Gay,Lesbian and Bisexual

Sexual relationships between members of the same sex expose gays, lesbians and bisexuals to extreme risks of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), physical injuries, mental disorders and even a shortened life span. There are five major distinctions between gay and heterosexual relationships, with specific medical consequences. They are:

• Levels of Promiscuity
  Prior to the AIDS epidemic, a 1978 study found that 75 percent of white, gay males claimed to have had more than 100 lifetime male sex partners: 15 percent claimed 100-249 sex partners; 17 percent claimed 250-499; 15 percent claimed 500- 999; and 28 percent claimed more than 1,000 lifetime male sex partners. Levels of promiscuity subsequently declined, but some observers are concerned that promiscuity is again approaching the levels of the 1970s. The medical consequence of this promiscuity is that gays have a greatly increased likelihood of contracting HIV/AIDS, syphilis and other STDs.
  
  Similar extremes of promiscuity have not been documented among lesbians. However, an Australian study found that 93 percent of lesbians reported having had sex with men, and lesbians were 4.5 times more likely than heterosexual women to have had more than 50 lifetime male sex partners. Any degree of sexual promiscuity carries the risk of contracting STDs.

• Physical HealthCommon sexual practices among gay men lead to numerous STDs and physical injuries, some of which are virtually unknown in the heterosexual population. Lesbians are also at higher risk for STDs. In addition to diseases that may be transmitted during lesbian sex, a study at an Australian STD clinic found that lesbians were three to four times more likely than heterosexual women to have sex with men who were high-risk for HIV.

• Mental HealthIt is well established that there are high rates of psychiatric illnesses, including depression, drug abuse, and suicide attempts, among gays and lesbians. This is true even in the Netherlands, where gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) relationships are far more socially acceptable than in the U.S. Depression and drug abuse are strongly associated with risky sexual practices that lead to serious medical problems.

• Life SpanThe only epidemiological study to date on the life span of gay men concluded that gay and bisexual men lose up to 20 years of life expectancy.

• MonogamyMonogamy, meaning long-term sexual fidelity, is rare in GLB relationships, particularly among gay men. One study reported that 66 percent of gay couples reported sex outside the relationship within the first year, and nearly 90 percent if the relationship lasted five years.

Encouraging people to engage in risky sexual behavior undermines good health and can result in a shortened life span. Yet that is exactly what employers and governmental entities are doing when they grant GLB couples benefits or status that make GLB relationships appear more socially acceptable.

FILEM PENDEK ' CHUKANG' PART 2

Homosexuality in Malaysia

Who would have guessed, 50 years after Merdeka this kind of public showing of affection can happen. Never thought it could be this infectious. One could only wonder what could actually happen when they are behind a closure. On the internet, myspace in particular you identify lesbians by just pictures of women in their bras.

From the look of it, they are still in school and aged around 18-22 years old. Anyhow, this is the reality of life in Malaysia. It seems identity lost problems have been quite common. Who should we blame? Outside influence? Personal experience?

Homosexuality is outlawed in Malaysia (as in quite a number of ASEAN countries), but that is not going to stop a gay and lesbian “travel” guide from attempting to spice up the supposedly hot gay and lesbian scene in Malaysia.

The guide in question is the Utopia Guide to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, and is the first of such guides for these countries given their stance against homosexuality. Not surprisingly, the editor of Utopia Guides hopes that it will foster greater acceptance of homosexuality in these countries.

But the more interesting thing is that the guide claims that Malaysia has the “hottest gay scene going” (based on surveys conducted from Singapore), even though Islam is the primary religion in Malaysia, and Islam is not supportive of homosexual relationships. In fact, gay sex is punishable by jail in Malaysia. Gay bars in Malaysia such as Liquid, just behind Central Market, are well-known.

Homosexuality 'against human spirit:' by Ahmadinejad

Thu Jan 20, 12:05 pm ET

TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that homosexuality is "against the human spirit," the ILNA news agency reported.

In a 2007 speech at New York's Columbia University, he notoriously said "in Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country," skirting a question about the treatment of gays in the Islamic republic. infamously

He was met with howls and boos from the audience and his remarks were later widely criticised by rights groups.

Addressing officials in the city of Yazd on Thursday, he said: "They asked me (at Columbia) why you crack down on homosexuals in Iran? I answered we don't have so many homosexuals in Iran because we believe this act is against the human spirit and humanity."

Gay sex is banned and punishable by death under Iran's sharia-based law. Transvestites are also arrested in the country, where observing the Islamic dress code for women is mandatory.

However, the state allows sex-change operations for transsexuals.

homosexuality?

What is homosexuality?

Homosexuality refers to sexual feelings,attractions,and actions directed toward members of the same sex.Estimates of the extent of homosexuality have to be viewed with some caution because people do not always report truthfully about their sexual behavior when asked by the interviewer.Especially with homosexuality which is stigmatized by some groups in society,some people will not honestly report their experiences.

What is keep popping in our mind is, why our society often viewed life as Gays and Lesbians is harmful and it unacceptable lifestyles? Is it against the human right? They are human just like us.They have their own feelings and do not harm our life.

Articles on Gay and Lesbian as a Adoptive Parents

Adoption StoriesWatch these amazing videos to see adoption choice birthparents make. Gladney.TV

This fact sheet reviews considerations for adoptions by homosexual parents. State laws, types of adoption, and agency policies are discussed. The briefing also addresses common concerns about gay and lesbian adoption, such as the potential for sexual abuse, the emotional impact of harassment, and the likelihood that children raised by gay and lesbian parents will become homosexual.

Gay and Lesbian Adoptive Parents

Gay men and lesbians have always adopted, though in the past they usually hid their sexual orientation. Today, just as they are becoming visible in all other aspects of U. S. society, they are being considered more seriously as potential adoptive parents. This change has been aided by the increase in the number of gay and lesbian biological parents in the United States.

In 1976, there were an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 gay and lesbian biological parents; as of 1990, an estimated 6 to 14 million children have a gay or lesbian parent. And, between 8 and 10 million children are being raised in gay and lesbian households. The US Department of Health and Human Services, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS), estimated in 1999 there were approximately 547,000 children in foster care in the United States, of which 117,000 are legally free and therefore eligible for adoption. But, in 1997, there were qualified adoptive families (including single parents) available for only twenty percent of these children. It is also estimated that approximately ten percent of the U.S. population - or 25 million individuals - are homosexual.

Based on these increasing numbers, can gay and lesbian individuals be realistically and automatically excluded from consideration as potential adoptive parents?

Despite this increase in gay and lesbian parenting, social workers may have reservations when considering gay adoptive parents for a child. They might wonder how the children will be raised and how they will feel about themselves and their parents. Will they be embarrassed because they have two mothers or two fathers, or because their single mother dates women or their unmarried father has a boyfriend? Will their friends tease them? Will they be more likely to be homosexual than will children raised by heterosexual parents? And most important, how will having been raised by gay or lesbian parents affect them as they grow into adulthood?

This factsheet addresses the issues faced both by social workers evaluating prospective gay or lesbian adoptive parents and by gays and lesbians considering adoption. It includes an extensive list of sources of support and information that may be helpful to gay and lesbian adoptive parents as well as the adoption professionals who work with them.

The Status of Gay and Lesbian Parenting

Defining the family structure of gay and lesbian parents can be a challenging task. The most common type of homosexual household is step or blended families. These are gay and lesbian parents who had their biological children in a former heterosexual relationship, then "came out", and created a new family with another partner. Other types of family structures include single gay or lesbian parents and couples having children together. Both of these family types may be created through adoption, but more frequently reproductive technology is being utilized.

There has been some research on biological families with gay and lesbian parents. This research focuses mainly on children born to donor-inseminated lesbians or those raised by a parent, once married, who is now living a gay lifestyle. While research on these situations has not addressed all the issues relevant to adoptive parenting; this information is invaluable for social workers struggling with difficult decisions, for gay men and lesbians who want to be parents, for their families and friends, and for anyone seeking information on this nontraditional type of family.

Unfortunately, the effects on children of being raised by lesbian and gay adoptive parents cannot be predicted. The number of homosexuals who have adopted is unknown, and because of the controversial nature of the issue, their children are often reluctant to speak out. Testimony of children who have grown up in gay households may turn out to provide the best information about the results of gay parenting.

Research studies, often conducted by individuals or organizations with a vested interest in the outcome, are contradictory. Studies linked to conservative political and religious groups show negative effects on children of gay and lesbian parents; while, studies which support homosexual parenting are said to reflect the bias of those who are themselves gay or who support gay rights. Clearly, what are needed are definitive studies that would follow larger numbers of children over a long period of time. That research, when completed, will provide more definitive information for the debate.

In the meantime, it is critical to address the issues and concerns so that social workers can examine their own personal biases to make informed decisions and gay and lesbian adoptive families can receive the support they need to thrive

What is Same Sex Relationship?

A same-sex relationship is a relationship between two persons of the same gender and can take many forms, from romantic and sexual, to non-romantic close relationships. The relationship is mainly associated with gay and lesbian people. In their essential psychological respects, these relationships are regarded equivalent to heterosexual relationships.
The term same-sex relationship is not strictly related to sexual orientation of participants. As bisexual, pansexual and also heterosexual people may participate in same-sex relationships, some activists^[claim that referring to a same-sex relationship as a "gay relationship" or a "lesbian relationship" is a form of bisexual erasure. The term same-sex marriage is used similarly.

Same-sex relationships in history

The lives of many historical figures, including Socrates, Alexander the Great, Lord Byron, Edward II, Hadrian, Julius Caesar, Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, Oscar Wilde, Vita Sackville-West, Alfonsina Storni and Christopher Marlowe included or were centered upon love and sexual relationships with people of their own sex. Terms such as gay or bisexual have been often applied to them; some, such as Michel Foucault, regard this as risking the anachronistic introduction of a contemporary construction of sexuality foreign to their times, though others challenge this.

Same-sex relationships can be grouped into three categories:

Association	Annotations	Se
Egalitarian	Features two partners with no relevance to age. Additionally, both play the same socially accepted sex role as heterosexuals of their own sex. This is exemplified by relationships currently prevalent in Western society between partners of similar age and sex.	Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures
Gender-structured	Features each partner playing a different gender role. This is exemplified by traditional relations between men in the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and Central and South Asia, as well as Two-Spirit or shamanic gender-changing practices seen in native societies. In North America, this is best represented by the butch–femme practice.	Two-Spirit, and Hijra
Age-structured	Features partners of different ages, usually one adolescent and the other adult. This is exemplified by pederasty among the Classical Greeks or those engaged in by novice samurai with more experienced warriors; southern Chinese boy marriage rites; and ongoing Central Asian and Middle Eastern practices.	Shudo, Pederasty

Usually one form of same-sex relationship predominates in a society, although others are likely to co-exist. Historian Rictor Norton has pointed out  taht in ancient Greece, egalitarian relationships co-existed (albeit less privileged) with the institution of pederasty, and fascination with adolescents can also be found in modern sexuality, both opposite-sex and same-sex. Egalitarian same-sex relationships is the principal form present in the Western world, while age- and gender-structured same-sex relationships are less common. As a byproduct of growing Western cultural dominance, this form is spreading from Western culture to non-Western societies, although there are still defined differences between the various cultures.