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hi every one serious moment Over 40 million people around the world are living with HIV or AIDS. id like to take this time to think of every one who has died or is or has lived with this dreadful illness
may this post be our small token of remeberance of you all and show our love to those we know personaly and for those we dont may you forever be in our thorts
also i like to thank all the doctors and nurses and medical staff around the world and ais charites who help to ease the suffering
in remberance to my cousin matt i love you kid taken from us in 2002 after recieving bad blood XXX JAC-JAY, DYLL & BRAD and the rest of the family
[Updated on: Fri, 01 December 2006 02:10]
Jay, I love u. You are my heart and my soul.
You are my other half. The final piece to my puzzle. I am complete when I am with you.
You turn a dark day into a bright sunny day.
You make me giddy with joy.Just from hearing your voice.
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A beautiful post.
And I sit here and think of the guys I knew who are no longer with us, but also of the devotion and love which their partners lavished on them: both the living and the dead are with us still.
NW
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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cossie
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On fire! |
Location: Exiled in North East Engl...
Registered: July 2003
Messages: 1699
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I didn't get involved in the thread about blood donors because I didn't know enough about the subject. I still don't, but hearing about Jac's cousin provokes me into asking the question that has been rattling about in the back of my mind.
I realise that the attitude of the NBS is apparently discriminatory and, as is true of many public institutions, its policy is applied with what sometimes amounts to unfeeling arrogance. What I don't know, and want to know, is the logistic basis for their position.
It's legitimate to demand that information; it's rather less legitimate to argue against the policy unless the information has been demanded but refused.
Now bear in mind that I know very little about the subject; I am merely trying to apply logic to what has been said on the board.
First, if ALL blood is adequately screened for the HIV virus, why would any restriction at all be required? The presumption must be that either -
(a) not all blood is so screened, or
(b) the screening is not sufficiently reliable, or
(c) the cost of fully-reliable screening is prohibitive.
In the United Kingdom, gay males are the largest group of those carrying the HIV virus, followed (at some distance, as I understand it) by drug users sharing needles, patients infected by blood transfusions and 'others'.
I fervently hope that (a) above does not apply. If either (b) or (c) applies, there will be a logistic balance between the benefit - in terms of blood volume - of accepting blood from gay donors and the disadvantages of so doing - in terms of cost or reliability of screening.
It is logically and logistically possible that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. If that is the case, the NBS should produce the statistics validating its policy, and it is those statistics which should be demanded, rather than an outright policy change. Of course, the statistics might well provide hard scientific currency for arguing that the policy SHOULD be changed, but it seems to me that the NBS should be accused of being unduly secretive and potentially medically unjustified in refusing gay donations, rather than being challenged on the 'sexual discrimination' card.
It's obvious that in this kind of situation 'class' exclusions are inevitable; without that, the system would be unworkable. It follows that exclusion should not be seen as a personal insult. I accept, of course, that the rather ham-fisted NBS approach often fails to make that clear, and that, whatever the rights and wrongs, much greater honesty and transparency is essential.
I suspect that the NUS initiative is misdirected, and may cause more harm than good in addressing genuine sexual discrimination. Demanding a reason why is undeniably justified; demanding a change invites opposition on superficial, rather than medical grounds - 'The gay lobby is more interested in pursuing the grail of equality than in the potential risks to which innocent patients might be exposed.' I'm not seriously making that allegation - but the traditional tabloid press might well do so.
And, above all, the primary consideration must always be to protect the patient from the risk of exposure to infected blood, so that needless deaths like that of Jac's cousin do not happen again.
For a' that an' a' that,
It's comin' yet for a' that,
That man tae man, the worrld o'er
Shall brithers be, for a' that.
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he lived in usa cossie the nbs wasnot involved this time
Jay, I love u. You are my heart and my soul.
You are my other half. The final piece to my puzzle. I am complete when I am with you.
You turn a dark day into a bright sunny day.
You make me giddy with joy.Just from hearing your voice.
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cossie
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On fire! |
Location: Exiled in North East Engl...
Registered: July 2003
Messages: 1699
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... but mentioning your cousin made me think, and thinking made me post some thoughts that were already bothering me.
The UK has had its fair share of deaths from transfusion of HIV-infected blood products, so the issue is just as relevant here.
For a' that an' a' that,
It's comin' yet for a' that,
That man tae man, the worrld o'er
Shall brithers be, for a' that.
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yeah i hear from the blood that uk got from bad screening in usa
Jay, I love u. You are my heart and my soul.
You are my other half. The final piece to my puzzle. I am complete when I am with you.
You turn a dark day into a bright sunny day.
You make me giddy with joy.Just from hearing your voice.
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please feel free to post ur own dedications & thourts on this post please via useing re: world aids day please
Jay, I love u. You are my heart and my soul.
You are my other half. The final piece to my puzzle. I am complete when I am with you.
You turn a dark day into a bright sunny day.
You make me giddy with joy.Just from hearing your voice.
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13800
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This may seem trivial. I have not previously been "brave" enough to wear the insignia that denote - I don't have the right words, oppositon to AIDS seems so wrong, you can't oppose an ailment - support for thise with HIV and AIDS.
I have finally worked up the bravery to seek out and wear the ribbon with pride.
I had an aunt, a much loved aunt, mother of four of my cousins, who died in the 1960s of an "Auto Immune disorder". The family, of course, refuses to associate it with AIDS. She was an early blood transfusion victim, before any screening was available or even "required".
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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I'm taking this to a new thread to answer.
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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timmy, it's not trivial in the least.
It's really great that you feel able to do this, and especially so as many of those who have loved ones living with the virus or who died from its effects (in the Western world, anyway) don't wear the ribbon in case people think they are gay!
HIV/Aids knows no boundaries of age, sex, or sexual orientation - people like you are an excellent antidote to those who persist in seeing the virus as some kind of biblical judgement on gay men.
all power to you!
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13800
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I know this sounds silly, but where the heck do I get one?
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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There's been a lot of stuff about this in the gay media - very few of the 'usual' outlets (the kind of places that sell poppies, for example) are participating (probably because of the "gay" stigma).
Personally, I've always gone for home-made. Avert (the international AIDS charity) says:
The red ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness that is worn by people all year round and particularly around World AIDS Day to demonstrate care and concern about HIV and AIDS, and to remind others of the need for their support and commitment.
The red ribbon started as a "grass roots" effort, and as a result there is no one official red ribbon manufacturer, and many people make their own. It's easily done - just use some ordinary red ribbon and a safety pin!
from http://www.avert.org/worldaid.htm . To me, home-made is more personal. But for next year, or if you decide to wear the ribbon year-round as many do, try ordering from http://shop.nat.org.uk/
NW
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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most gay bars or gay frindly stores have them they may even have them in the street collection points depends where u live are u in uk or usa??
Jay, I love u. You are my heart and my soul.
You are my other half. The final piece to my puzzle. I am complete when I am with you.
You turn a dark day into a bright sunny day.
You make me giddy with joy.Just from hearing your voice.
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13800
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Looks like it will be home made, then
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13800
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I've never seen a street collector. Nor an outlet. Bu NW's info is useful
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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Timmy try http://www.joinred.com or http://joinred.com/products.asp
Jay, I love u. You are my heart and my soul.
You are my other half. The final piece to my puzzle. I am complete when I am with you.
You turn a dark day into a bright sunny day.
You make me giddy with joy.Just from hearing your voice.
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