MovieChat Forums > The Informers (2009) Discussion > When did the hetero AIDS scare begin?

When did the hetero AIDS scare begin?


I know that in the early 80's it started in the gay community who spread it to the general public through the blood supply, but when exactly did heterosexual partners really begin to fear AIDS? And I don't mean a few cases, I mean when did it become a real problem? What year?

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You did just fine, Clarence. Now go git yo'self some hot cornbread!

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A real problem? Is that a joke? HIV was first reported on June 5th 1981. In 1983,Ryan white was dignoised with HIV. He was a 12 years old hemophialac who through a blood transfusion was infected. He was proof anyone could get it. Before that there was a lot of fear of the gay community that now turned on this really unlucky kid as well

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Has the OP seen this film? I'm guessing not.

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It was the early '80's sometime. After Ryan White was featured on the news, the fear really spread. There wasn't a lot of information, and what info there was sparked all kinds of fear due to it mostly being wrong.

I think I even gave up masturbating for a whole two weeks when I was a kid because of it (my hand needed a vacation anyway). That was probably around '84.

I'll go.

This is no time for bravery, I'll let you.

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Thanks. Figures it would start at the exact same time as the crack epidemic.

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You did just fine, Clarence. Now go git yo'self some hot cornbread!

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[deleted]

AIDS was a hetero disease everywhere else on the planet except the U.S., where it first spread through the homosexual community. It was originally dubbed "GRID" in the U.S. (for "Gay Related Immuno-Deficiency), but that was soon changed to AIDS (Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome) to eliminate the mistake of linking it only to gay sex. People quickly learned hetero sex spread it, too, then the scare went too far the other way. People were worried that saliva from kissing, or even mosquitos could spread the disease. That took a while to calm down. All of this happened in the early to mid 1980s.


"My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the Whale Rider."

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Yeah, but any idea what year it was that heterosexual couples did become afraid of getting AIDS through unprotected sex? 1984?

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You did just fine, Clarence. Now go git yo'self some hot cornbread!

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I am guessing around 84 or 85. At that time I was very sexually active. They had first said it was a gay thing but then they said it could be transmitted to hetro’s. At this time they were not 100% sure of how it was transmitted. They said anyone who had sex could get it. Nobody had the full answers. On the news they listed the basic symptoms of tiredness, loss of weight and swollen glands. I went for testing and the only place that did it was downtown Chicago.

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...but when exactly did heterosexual partners really begin to fear AIDS? And I don't mean a few cases, I mean when did it become a real problem? What year?

IMO, in 1985, when a really famous star like Rock Hudson died of it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Hudson

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The reason HIV and AIDS spread quickly at the beginning through the gay community and was mistakenly labelled a 'gay disease' was because of gays casual and very open attitude to sex...in cities like New York & San Francisco there were clubs with sex rooms, outdoor cruising areas, bath houses etc.. where group activity occured and the disease quickly spread.....but then these sorts of places were closed down for a few years and gays wised up and realised what was happening and started practising safe sex....hetero's thought they were immune and carried on regardless and now the figures are reversed and 70% of new HIV cases are now from the heterosexual community.

HIV is present in ALL bodily fluids..but more so in blood and semen, not so much in saliva because saliva is a natural germ killer (if you could catch it from kissing we would all be dead by now!!) and if you swallow semen your stomach acids kill it...the virus is also very weak once it leaves the body


So all in all when the summer of love came about in 1967 all the flower power, sexual freedom and free love lasted around 13 years till AIDS arrived

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[deleted]

It was plainly obvious by his gaunt appearance before he died, that he had the desease, dispite continued denials...

Liberace was another one who lied, and he even sued a British newspaper who said he had HIV. The paper deserves its money back.

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Actually Herpes was a big scare right before HIV/AIDS. They even had a movie of the week about a vacation resort where everyone got herpes. I recall hearing stories of MDs saying they wouldn't treat herpes patients because if they caught it their wives would leave them. Then HIV hit. I lived in the next county from the Ray brothers. And I was in the medical field. Everyone was afraid of it, but for heterosexuals I am not sure how many started practicing safe sex.

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