Same-sex marriage has been quite a hot topic these days. Numerous countries support gay marriage, yet the United States lags behind. It has gained support on a state level with states such as Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Iowa legalizing same-sex marriage, but many states continue to go back and forth with this issue. To learn more about the states that support same-sex marriage visit gaylife.about.com.In June 2009 ScienceDaily reported that bans on same-sex marriage can be linked to a rise in the rate of HIV infection.
In a study, conducted by two Emory economists, of the impact of social tolerance levels toward gays in the United States on the HIV transmission rate, the researchers estimated that a constitutional ban on gay marriage raises the rate by four cases per 100,000 people.
The study used data from the General Social Survey (GSS), which has tracked the attitudes of Americans during the past four decades. The economists calculated that a rise in tolerance from the 1970s to the 1990s reduced HIV cases by one per 100,000 people, and that laws against same-sex marriage boosted cases by 4 per 100,000.
"Intolerance is deadly," Hugo Mialon, an assistant professor of economics said. "Bans on gay marriage codify intolerance, causing more gay people to shift to underground sexual behaviors that carry more risk."
This theory suggests that allowing gays to marry and establish formal relationships (with all the rights given to heterosexual couples) would give them more options causing less gays to shift to risky sexual behaviors. Is there more research needed? Do you agree or disagree with this theory? What are your thoughts?
Source: "Gay Marriage Bans Linked to Rise in HIV Rate". June, 7, 2009. ScienceDaily
