The homosexuality stigma has changed over the years from one of fear to one of understanding.

Earlier in the ’80s, AIDS prominently was known as the gay man’s virus, but with the increasing epidemic worldwide, that rumor is no longer true.

“It’s a stereotype that HIV and AIDS are a gay disease,” said graduate student Christo Watson of the PRISM group. “Many people think that if you are heterosexual you can’t get AIDS, which is absolutely incorrect.”

Many other fallacies also exist about the homosexual lifestyle. As for the emotional differences between heterosexual and homosexual sex, there is no difference, Watson said.

PRISM co-president Karen Frost begs to differ.

“Stereotypically speaking, lesbian sex is very emotional because women are emotional people,” she said.

She then went on to describe the differences between lesbians and gays.

“The majority of the time, lesbians have a tendency to get into relationships with the women they are dating as opposed to having sex for the sake of having sex,” she added.

Over the years, the stigma has changed because of a more liberal media. Both Frost and Watson credit the popular TV show “Will and Grace” for changing the homosexual face of television.

“‘Will and Grace’ has done a very good job of representing two totally different kinds of gay males,” Frost said.

Unlike the other rumors, both Frost and Watson agree that sexuality is overemphasized in the homosexual community.

Frost believes the overemphasis of homosexuality is a by-product of the rumor that homosexual males’ are more than willing to have multiple partners.

“A lot of people assume that sex is overemphasized, because a lot of people think gay males sleep around,” she said.

Leafing through a homosexual magazine, Frost points out the various sexual ads directed to the readers.

“Sex, in general, is overemphasized. Sex sells,” Watson said.

Watson also believes that the overemphasis on sex might be attributed to the persecution gays have faced for so long.

“The homosexual community is more open about things that are taboo,” Watson said.