Gareth Thomas
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Don't know whether this should go in the Other Forum or the Sports Forum.
Ex-Wales and British and Irish Lions Captain Gareth Thomas reveals he has HIV. There is a BBC Wales documentary coming up where he talks about his diagnosis, as well as his preparations for an Ironman.
Gareth Thomas: Ex-Wales rugby captain has HIV
Gareth Thomas says he wants to "educate and break the stigma for everybody".
A top man IMHO & a Rugby legend to whom I wish every happiness apart from seeing Wales beat the All Blacks which must be never be allowed to happen ever.
Great to see the same character and determination off the field from Alfie that he used to show on it.
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Was he infected while playing?
How did he get it? Serious question as he either gets it from his life choices (condoms?) or a blood transfusion - highly unlikely
I went off Thomas after all his virtue signalling when he claimed a 16 year old left him visibly shaken by attacking him on a Saturday night in Cardiff at 9pm.
That's right a 16 year old "hate" criminal saw Gareth Thomas and attacked him purely because of his sexuality. This 16 year old was able to better a professional 100kg athlete with thousands of hours of contact and combat training experience and it was definitively a "hate" crime (in other places it's called common assault and is against the law despite whatever motivations you tweet to the world).Thomas highlighted that this assault (one of hundreds in Cardiff on any Saturday night) was due to his sexuality and was a hate crime. One common assault by a wayward teenager and all the world is a hot bed of poofter bashing huh? Well it might be but I doubt it and we have laws in place for assault.
One 5 minute altercation on a Cardiff street and we have twittered proof of HATE crimes! No other way to deal with it than proclaiming you've been the victim of a hate crime?
Thomas IMHO, has gone from a genuine contributor to societal equal treatment, with a pertinent story to tell, to a virtue signaller contributing to extra rights, based on his view of the world.
Now he's got himself an STD whoopy do! - a stunning and brave role model!
IMHO
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@Siam said in Gareth Thomas:
Was he infected while playing?
How did he get it? Serious question as he either gets it from his life choices (condoms?) or a blood transfusion - highly unlikely
I went off Thomas after all his virtue signalling when he claimed a 16 year old left him visibly shaken by attacking him on a Saturday night in Cardiff at 9pm.
That's right a 16 year old "hate" criminal saw Gareth Thomas and attacked him purely because of his sexuality. This 16 year old was able to better a professional 100kg athlete with thousands of hours of contact and combat training experience and it was definitively a "hate" crime (in other places it's called common assault and is against the law despite whatever motivations you tweet to the world).Thomas highlighted that this assault (one of hundreds in Cardiff on any Saturday night) was due to his sexuality and was a hate crime. One common assault by a wayward teenager and all the world is a hot bed of poofter bashing huh? Well it might be but I doubt it and we have laws in place for assault.
One 5 minute altercation on a Cardiff street and we have twittered proof of HATE crimes! No other way to deal with it than proclaiming you've been the victim of a hate crime?
Thomas IMHO, has gone from a genuine contributor to societal equal treatment, with a pertinent story to tell, to a virtue signaller contributing to extra rights, based on his view of the world.
Now he's got himself an STD whoopy do! - a stunning and brave role model!
IMHO
Yeah but....... ok I’ve got nothing
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I think the hardest part of the diagnosis would surely be contacting all the sexual partners you have had and telling them, they would be hard calls to make.
However as mentioned they have come a long way in the treatment of HIV. I just read an article where CRISPR is being used to help fight the virus using another persons bone marrow that is immune to the HIV disease. No doubt in the future HIV will be a thing of the past as human DNA will be modified to be immune to it. Article
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Terrible news for him, his family, and former partners.
Not unsurprising though. Not the sharpest tool in the shed at times.
Especially on the booze.
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Warren Gatland has said that the first the WRU knew of this was yesterday. Gareth Thomas has said that he has lived with knowledge of HIV for years.
He switched codes and played League for 18 months in 2010-11. The HIV diagnosis might be why he retired in a hurry in October 2011:
Gareth Thomas retires from rugby
Wales dual-code international Gareth Thomas makes the surprise decision to retire from all forms of rugby.
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@Siam said in Gareth Thomas:
I went off Thomas after all his virtue signalling when he claimed a 16 year old left him visibly shaken by attacking him on a Saturday night in Cardiff at 9pm.
That's right a 16 year old "hate" criminal saw Gareth Thomas and attacked him purely because of his sexuality. This 16 year old was able to better a professional 100kg athlete with thousands of hours of contact and combat training experience and it was definitively a "hate" crime (in other places it's called common assault and is against the law despite whatever motivations you tweet to the world).Thomas highlighted that this assault (one of hundreds in Cardiff on any Saturday night) was due to his sexuality and was a hate crime. One common assault by a wayward teenager and all the world is a hot bed of poofter bashing huh? Well it might be but I doubt it and we have laws in place for assault.
One 5 minute altercation on a Cardiff street and we have twittered proof of HATE crimes! No other way to deal with it than proclaiming you've been the victim of a hate crime?
Thomas IMHO, has gone from a genuine contributor to societal equal treatment, with a pertinent story to tell, to a virtue signaller contributing to extra rights, based on his view of the world.
You're entitled to your opinion but there are plenty of 16-year olds on a night out in Cardiff who could easily knock out a pissed up 45-year old former professional athlete.
In fact they travel far and wide to the Capital for that very chance.
Been going on forever in S Wales, and I suspect in most working class cities
These boys invariably end up working the doors once their rep has been established.
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@MiketheSnow My understanding of the incident was the 16 year old attacked a drunk Thomas in Cardiff City Centre kicking him and punching him. The kid was chased down and restrained by people with Thomas. The 16-year old admitted assault when the police arrived.
Thomas decided not to press charges as the 16-year old apologised once pointed out who had attacked. The kid agreed to attend a course about hate crimes possibly because the attack took place outside a gay bar.
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@Siam said in Gareth Thomas:
Was he infected while playing?
How did he get it? Serious question as he either gets it from his life choices (condoms?) or a blood transfusion - highly unlikely
I went off Thomas after all his virtue signalling when he claimed a 16 year old left him visibly shaken by attacking him on a Saturday night in Cardiff at 9pm.
That's right a 16 year old "hate" criminal saw Gareth Thomas and attacked him purely because of his sexuality. This 16 year old was able to better a professional 100kg athlete with thousands of hours of contact and combat training experience and it was definitively a "hate" crime (in other places it's called common assault and is against the law despite whatever motivations you tweet to the world).Thomas highlighted that this assault (one of hundreds in Cardiff on any Saturday night) was due to his sexuality and was a hate crime. One common assault by a wayward teenager and all the world is a hot bed of poofter bashing huh? Well it might be but I doubt it and we have laws in place for assault.
One 5 minute altercation on a Cardiff street and we have twittered proof of HATE crimes! No other way to deal with it than proclaiming you've been the victim of a hate crime?
Thomas IMHO, has gone from a genuine contributor to societal equal treatment, with a pertinent story to tell, to a virtue signaller contributing to extra rights, based on his view of the world.
Now he's got himself an STD whoopy do! - a stunning and brave role model!
IMHO
We shouldn't trivialize assault. I recall a couple of adult patients who were assaulted by minors (admittedly there were more than one in these cases) and they sustained quite a lot of damage. Thomas might be a bit bigger but some 16 year olds can be fully adult in size and kicks and punches can still hurt just as much, I don't think he should be expected to handle it any more or less than anyone else. If what Sparky says is correct he could have made a bigger deal of it but he didn't
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@MiketheSnow said in Gareth Thomas:
@Siam said in Gareth Thomas:
I went off Thomas after all his virtue signalling when he claimed a 16 year old left him visibly shaken by attacking him on a Saturday night in Cardiff at 9pm.
That's right a 16 year old "hate" criminal saw Gareth Thomas and attacked him purely because of his sexuality. This 16 year old was able to better a professional 100kg athlete with thousands of hours of contact and combat training experience and it was definitively a "hate" crime (in other places it's called common assault and is against the law despite whatever motivations you tweet to the world).Thomas highlighted that this assault (one of hundreds in Cardiff on any Saturday night) was due to his sexuality and was a hate crime. One common assault by a wayward teenager and all the world is a hot bed of poofter bashing huh? Well it might be but I doubt it and we have laws in place for assault.
One 5 minute altercation on a Cardiff street and we have twittered proof of HATE crimes! No other way to deal with it than proclaiming you've been the victim of a hate crime?
Thomas IMHO, has gone from a genuine contributor to societal equal treatment, with a pertinent story to tell, to a virtue signaller contributing to extra rights, based on his view of the world.
You're entitled to your opinion but there are plenty of 16-year olds on a night out in Cardiff who could easily knock out a pissed up 45-year old former professional athlete.
In fact they travel far and wide to the Capital for that very chance.
Been going on forever in S Wales, and I suspect in most working class cities
These boys invariably end up working the doors once their rep has been established.
Normal dick swinging Fighting or deliberate gay bashing?
I'm sure the former, and am sceptical that thugs are accurately cognizant of the sexuality of their targets, in this day and age.
It was the clear gay bashing narrative that is out of line here.
Look, Thomas was great to front up when and how he did and he added value to the community and society.
This value diminished when he pontificated "hate crime" and then embarked on a tv circuit of appearances, probably stunning and brave.
Now his value to society differs again as he takes us through an imaginative narrative involving HIV, the highest risk group in society, and, basically, the sexual conduct this group regularly exhibit
All because society mistreated you due to your immutable sex characteristics huh?
Yeah nah, fuck of Gareth, you're not the only gay in the village anymore, or do we have to sit through Nigel Owen's genital warts saga too? 😀
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@Siam said in Gareth Thomas:
@MiketheSnow said in Gareth Thomas:
@Siam said in Gareth Thomas:
I went off Thomas after all his virtue signalling when he claimed a 16 year old left him visibly shaken by attacking him on a Saturday night in Cardiff at 9pm.
That's right a 16 year old "hate" criminal saw Gareth Thomas and attacked him purely because of his sexuality. This 16 year old was able to better a professional 100kg athlete with thousands of hours of contact and combat training experience and it was definitively a "hate" crime (in other places it's called common assault and is against the law despite whatever motivations you tweet to the world).Thomas highlighted that this assault (one of hundreds in Cardiff on any Saturday night) was due to his sexuality and was a hate crime. One common assault by a wayward teenager and all the world is a hot bed of poofter bashing huh? Well it might be but I doubt it and we have laws in place for assault.
One 5 minute altercation on a Cardiff street and we have twittered proof of HATE crimes! No other way to deal with it than proclaiming you've been the victim of a hate crime?
Thomas IMHO, has gone from a genuine contributor to societal equal treatment, with a pertinent story to tell, to a virtue signaller contributing to extra rights, based on his view of the world.
You're entitled to your opinion but there are plenty of 16-year olds on a night out in Cardiff who could easily knock out a pissed up 45-year old former professional athlete.
In fact they travel far and wide to the Capital for that very chance.
Been going on forever in S Wales, and I suspect in most working class cities
These boys invariably end up working the doors once their rep has been established.
Normal dick swinging Fighting or deliberate gay bashing?
I'm sure the former, and am sceptical that thugs are accurately cognizant of the sexuality of their targets, in this day and age.
It was the clear gay bashing narrative that is out of line here.
Look, Thomas was great to front up when and how he did and he added value to the community and society.
This value diminished when he pontificated "hate crime" and then embarked on a tv circuit of appearances, probably stunning and brave.
Now his value to society differs again as he takes us through an imaginative narrative involving HIV, the highest risk group in society, and, basically, the sexual conduct this group regularly exhibit
All because society mistreated you due to your immutable sex characteristics huh?
Yeah nah, fuck of Gareth, you're not the only gay in the village anymore, or do we have to sit through Nigel Owen's genital warts saga too? 😀
We don't know, we weren't there. May have to take Thomas' word. In fairness, the kid didn't refute it.
The rest, agreed.
Turns out he and his husband have known about his HIV for ages and the only reason he came 'clean' about it was a newspaper found out and told his parents.
Thomas then tried to get ahead of it.
In his presser he said he wanted to educate himself and others about living with HIV.
Surely he should have been saying 'educate others not to make the same mistakes as me'.
