# How Magic Johnson really got AIDS virus? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2012, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908 "2012-02-15T06:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/81 "2012-09-22T16:07:54Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I believe it’s pretty likely that Magic Johnson got HIV from a man during sex. > > Whether or not that was “gay sex” is opening up a whole 'nother can of words. Unless you’re suggesting the possibility Magic Johnson is a woman, I’m confused by what you’re saying. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/82 "2012-09-22T16:33:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Unless you’re suggesting the possibility Magic Johnson is a woman, I’m confused by what you’re saying. Could be a three way thing with Magic, Susie, and Frank. Just speculating. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/83 "2012-09-22T16:38:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Unless you’re suggesting the possibility Magic Johnson is a woman, I’m confused by what you’re saying. You would think it’s straightforward, but homosexual activity is not necessary identified as “gay” by some. For example, some find that being the "top " is not gay, while being the “bottom” is. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/84 "2012-09-22T17:02:23Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Just tossing another one: [Jonathan\_Capehart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Capehart), columnist for The Washington Post and contributor to MSNBC is openly gay. And CNN/ESPN columnist [L.Z. Granderson](http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/22/opinion/granderson-black-and-gay/index.html) (link goes to a short column he wrote about being both gay and black). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/85 "2012-09-22T17:57:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > You would think it’s straightforward, but homosexual activity is not necessary identified as “gay” by some. For example, some find that being the "top " is not gay, while being the “bottom” is. I can understand how a person can say they’re not gay even if they’ve had sex with a person of the same gender. But to say the sex itself wasn’t gay sex? If two men or two women are having sex with each other, that’s gay sex. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/86 "2012-09-22T18:21:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I can understand how a person can say they’re not gay even if they’ve had sex with a person of the same gender. But to say the sex itself wasn’t gay sex? If two men or two women are having sex with each other, that’s gay sex. if a person was bisexual then it would be bi sex. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/87 "2012-09-22T19:06:27Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > if a person was bisexual then it would be bi sex. No, the people involved may be bisexual or homosexual or heterosexual. But, in my opinion, the sexual act itself is gay - it’s a singular act that doesn’t have a wider context. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/88 "2012-09-22T19:49:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I can understand how a person can say they’re not gay even if they’ve had sex with a person of the same gender. But to say the sex itself wasn’t gay sex? If two men or two women are having sex with each other, that’s gay sex. > [@johnpost](#): > > if a person was bisexual then it would be bi sex. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > No, the people involved may be bisexual or homosexual or heterosexual. But, in my opinion, the sexual act itself is gay - it’s a singular act that doesn’t have a wider context. so a bisexual person has both straight and gay sex depending on the person they are with? what if multiple people are there and they are a sandwich between a male and female? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/89 "2012-09-22T20:16:21Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Unless you’re suggesting the possibility Magic Johnson is a woman, I’m confused by what you’re saying. It’s a very complicated and controversial subject in LGBT/alt sexuality/sexual identity circles, but the basic gist is that, according to some people/theories, “gay” is only an appropriate label if the person desires, seeks out or engages in romantic \*relationships \*with partners of the same gender and/or self identifies as gay. Some folks hold it entirely possible for straight men to have sexual experiences with other men and not be gay. [http://www.straightguise.com/](http://www.straightguise.com/) Also, Kinsey et. al. always held that sexual orientation is not fixed, and that a person can be gay at one stage of their life, straight at another, asexual at a third… I don’t remember exactly why I wrote what I wrote back in February, but as I recall, there were a few gender/sexuality identity threads going on at the time, so it was a bit of tongue in cheek reference to the debate(s) happening elsewhere on the board. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/90 "2012-09-23T02:00:45Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > so a bisexual person has both straight and gay sex depending on the person they are with? > > what if multiple people are there and they are a sandwich between a male and female? I’ll concede it gets complicated when more than two people are involved. But I’m standing by what I said as far as one-on-one sex goes. If it’s a man and a woman, it’s straight sex. If it’s a man and a man or a woman and a woman, it’s gay sex. The people involved may be gay or straight or something else in a larger context, but the sex itself is what it is. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/91 "2012-09-23T04:27:31Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Our country’s reaction to AIDS is one of the biggest blots on the medical and political system. Since only “those people” got it in the beginning, it was largely ignored for ten years. It was only when other people started getting the HIV virus that people took it seriously. > > It still makes me very angry. I’m one of “those people,” and yes, there’s still plenty of anger. Especially toward certain communities (e.g. African-American) that are still in denial. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/92 "2012-09-23T12:41:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Ok, let us agree that he might have a large penis as the rumors say? And, if you have a large penis, and a woman gives you head, there is a good chance her teeth can tear the skin. . Why is there a good chance of getting a tear on the skin if you have as big dick? How is it different to those who having a small dick? (I have concerns for my not well endowed brethren). ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/93 "2012-09-23T12:51:47Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Why is there a good chance of getting a tear on the skin if you have as big dick? How is it different to those who having a small dick? (I have concerns for my not well endowed brethren). Cause my jaw only opens so far. Small dicks leave room for me to wrap my lips around my teeth. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/94 "2012-09-23T13:34:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > if you have a large penis, and a woman gives you head, there is a good chance her teeth can tear the skin. which is why I pick up babes at the denture clinic. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/95 "2012-09-23T13:41:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > if you have a large penis, and a woman gives you head, there is a good chance her teeth can tear the skin. > [@kayaker](#): > > which is why I pick up babes at the denture clinic. or female hockey goalies. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/96 "2012-09-25T06:15:28Z")
> [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](#): > > All in all, does it really matter how Magic Johnson got AIDS? Obviously, to somebody, it does. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/97 "2012-09-25T06:55:57Z")
Well while everyone is wildly speculating couldn’t he also secretly be an IV drug user who got it from unsafe injection? ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/98 "2012-09-25T20:08:29Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ll concede it gets complicated when more than two people are involved. But I’m standing by what I said as far as one-on-one sex goes. If it’s a man and a woman, it’s straight sex. If it’s a man and a man or a woman and a woman, it’s gay sex. The people involved may be gay or straight or something else in a larger context, but the sex itself is what it is. Sorry I don’t have a cite but I recall an article where survey questions can be misunderstood if slang of a subculture isn’t used. The same people who would say they had not engaged in gay sex would say yes if asked if they had “tagged a sissy”. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/99 "2012-09-25T21:33:03Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Rim shot? Playing the post. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908/100 "2012-09-26T03:57:37Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > Sorry I don’t have a cite but I recall an article where survey questions can be misunderstood if slang of a subculture isn’t used. The same people who would say they had not engaged in gay sex would say yes if asked if they had “tagged a sissy”. Tagged a sissy sounds like they played a game of tag with a wimpy kid as a child. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-magic-johnson-really-got-aids-virus/612908.md?page=6)