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Comment by bdibs | Hacker News Reader

That was just fearmongering, we have countless studies today that state obesity is linked to a higher overall mortality rate.

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There was at least one scientific study, by authors who don't want it used to condemn homosexuality.

Summary: Study at the height of the AIDS death rate found that homosexuality led to shortened lifespan. AIDS death rate has declined dramatically, but there has not been a followup study.

Here's a politifact analysis: https://www.politifact.com/virginia/statements/2012/jun/07/b...

More recently, a 2014 pro-LGBT study claimed to show a shortened lifespan, attributed to prejudice: https://www.medicaldaily.com/can-prejudice-kill-you-lesbian-... though this failed replication ("No effect found") https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027795361...

It's not. Even today, 67% of new cases of AIDs are among gay and bisexual men[1].

I don't argue that obesity isn't bad for you, but the issue is more complex, and I don't think it's right to stigmatize people for it.

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/msm/index.html

It's not their sexuality that causes the risk, it is unsafe sexual practices and increased prevalence of disease in that subpopulation. Which is to said AIDs and homosexuality correlate but homosexuality doesn't cause AIDs. Obesity causes, not just correlates, a whole slew of morbidities.

So their practicing of unsafe sexual practices would have justified the ostracization?

I think having negative attitudes towards unsafe sexual practices is fine. Having negative attitudes towards a sexual orientation that correlates with unsafe sexual practices is not fine. I think it is important to differentiate correlation and causation. If something causes morbidity, we should have negative attitudes towards it. If something correlates with morbidity, we need to tread carefully.

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