Yeah, mormons are awful and water is wet.

As someone who was forced into this kind of therapy - it doesn't work… and it makes you want to kill yourself. I tried, and spent several weeks in the hospital recovering.
Several of the other boys I knew who were forced into this kind of therapy weren't as lucky, and their suicide attempts were successful.

The "best," outcome these assholes can create are gay men who marry and then cheat on their wives. Basically everyone agrees this shit doesn't work.

@raphjd:

I'm sorry, but it's completely natural to "stick to your own".

Studies have shown that it's easier for us to recognize people of our own race easier than of other races.   That's not racism, that's biology.

Studies have shown that people have a hard time discerning between people of a race they do not belong to. Which is a theme used in charming racist jokes such as, "All asians look the same."

These studies were mostly framed around the fact that eye witness accounts of crimes, identifying black males as the culprits, could not be trusted because the average white American could not tell two black people apart.

This is not a biological fact. Someones inability to discern between a Chinese person and a Japanese person, or a Jamaican and a Somalian is not something that is an inherent biological fact about human beings. It is a sad reality of the racist world we live in.

I don't think any of this really requires any debate. Nordicblue's puking emoticon pretty much says everything anyone would ever need to know about people who have any doubts about the nature of this thread.

Almost the entire black gay porn genre makes me so, so, soooo sad.
It is like one giant neon racist sign. Like, Blacksonboys as an example. It is so fucking cringe worthy. It is, for me atleast, easily one of the most embarrassing genres of gay porn. It is perhaps the only thing worse than the endless barrage of, "Straight," men. The fact that the two genres often intersect in the absolute worst way doesn't help.

I grew up in one of the most religious cities in my country… surrounded by Christian groups that offered reparative therapy.
I have seen the devastating effects of those treatments - and the mentality that homosexuality is something that can be cured.

Those treatments are dangerous. Most psychiatric associations and doctors agree.

@MrMazda:

While I am not using Truvada as a PrEP drug, nor am I using it for Hep C, I am currently on it. I have been for a few years now. It's part of my regular regime for HIV.

As for your question about the effects and such, I will note one thing. It is true that Truvada when used as a PrEP drug does indeed reduce the risk factors of contracting HIV, however it does come with a few risks…. For example, if the person you are having sex with has a resistance to one of (or both of) the drug compounds found in Truvada (Emtricitabine & Tenofovir), the effectiveness of reducing the chances of infection are greatly reduced.

All that being said, from my personal experience I can tell you that Truvada is NOT a very pleasant drug to be on. One of the most common side effects of Truvada is chronic diarrhea. I unfortunatly happen to be one of the many people who got this side effect and I can say with certainty that it gets to a point where not even Lomotil is strong enough on some days to counter-balance that effect. One of the other most noted effects that Truvada has been known to have on the human body has to do with deteriorating the bone matter in some people, which causes low bone density, and thereby increases the risk of a fracture or a break resulting from something like a fall.

The other caution that I have with Truvada is that it is often most effective when paired with Norvir (Ritonavir), which acts as a booster to other medications. If this is the case, you must be very careful about what other substances that you put in your body, especially if they're amphetamine based because of the nature of the way that Norvir works when interacting with other medications. If this is the case (as it is with me), this can cause a number of unexpected problems when mixing other substances, including alcohol. That is my only caution to such a regime.

I just wanted to say how brave, and amazing, I think you are for talking about this so openly - and intelligently. Voices like yours are super important, and I applaud you for speaking about a subject that most gay men shy away from because it scares them.

@nordicblue:

Racist people are not attracted to other races, hence the name.  That would be oxymoronic.

That is so gallingly untrue. Slave owners often fetishized their slaves. Many slave owners raped, and abused, their slaves. Your obliviousness to the history of racism, and your second post with more statistics that attempt to prove your point only, truly, prove a dark fact about yourself.

Furthermore, the U.S Census has admitted it is inherently flawed. What box does the child of a mixed race, (IE: White parent, and black parent,) select? Also, on that same census Egyptian/Middle Eastern people are actually put into the white category even though they most definitely would not identify or be treated as white by the average American.

You're using statistics to try and justifying something about yourself that is fundamentally not okay - and the fact that as a gay person you don't see how evil, and fucked up that is, to me… is completing breathtaking.

It's not going to stop you from getting Hep C - which will kill you a hell of a lot faster than HIV ever could. It also isn't going to stop any of the other STDs floating around… so I really, truly, believe it's only purpose is for monogamous couples who's statuses are different. From them, it is a blessing.

According to the U.S Census no one must, "Really like," being gay either - if it requires that everyone be doing it.
You sound really, really, reallllllllly racist. Just own it, don't hide behind statistical justifications for a country you apparently don't even live in.  ::)

Well, I only have experience as an uncle - but by 13 most of my nieces/nephews had figured it out on their own. Most kids, depending on where you live, have seen gay people on TV / the media - so they put the pieces together.

It's never better to leave it unsaid. It's possible one of your children might be gay - and if you hide it, then they'll think they need to hide it. Even if they aren't, however, keeping it a secret makes it seem like you have something to be ashamed of - which you don't.

The appropriate age really depends on the child - but kids will surprise you. By the time my niece and nephew were 13 and I had, "The talk," they were like, "Omggggggg old news."

If you think he is old enough to understand now - he was probably old enough to understand a while ago, and you should just tell him.