Aa
lax attitude about protection among young gay men
What's with all the straight guys on this forum thinking they are going to aquire HIV by getting a blow job? I thought gay guys were obsessed with HIV until I started reading here. I'm starting to think this forum is mostly for straight hypochondriacs. haha
One thing that does disturb me in the gay community here is Salt Lake City, is that the younger guys have started repeating the stats from sites like this that point out the very low odds of contracting from single events, that combined with the "meds are so good now it's not a death sentence so who cares?" Those of us that have been around a while have seen friends die, and we know what it was like back in the 80's and early 90's, and I think that still scares the hell out of most of us.
I'm worried there will be a resurgence of HIV infection if this attitude continues to spread. I've been asked on numerous occasions, usually by younger guys, 20's or maybe early 30's, if I would bareback them. Anyone else noticing similar trends or am I the only gay guy here? LOL
One thing that does disturb me in the gay community here is Salt Lake City, is that the younger guys have started repeating the stats from sites like this that point out the very low odds of contracting from single events, that combined with the "meds are so good now it's not a death sentence so who cares?" Those of us that have been around a while have seen friends die, and we know what it was like back in the 80's and early 90's, and I think that still scares the hell out of most of us.
I'm worried there will be a resurgence of HIV infection if this attitude continues to spread. I've been asked on numerous occasions, usually by younger guys, 20's or maybe early 30's, if I would bareback them. Anyone else noticing similar trends or am I the only gay guy here? LOL
I'm bisexual, and I've noticed a rise in barebacking and other riskier behaviors here in DC, too. It's a natural by-product of the advance of medicine and the development of powerful ARVs.
I imagine that the disease will continue to ebb and flow (after all, who'd've thought that syphilis would make a comeback?!?) until an effective vaccine is made.
I think the BIGGER concern, at least in the short term, is the so-called 'SuperBug', where a patient is infected with multiple strains of ARV-resistant HIV.
I imagine that the disease will continue to ebb and flow (after all, who'd've thought that syphilis would make a comeback?!?) until an effective vaccine is made.
I think the BIGGER concern, at least in the short term, is the so-called 'SuperBug', where a patient is infected with multiple strains of ARV-resistant HIV.
littlescared, i'm a women and i'm not gay. Here in California alot of Gay men think this way.At the clinic i go get tested at in HollyWood california, they have signs up with Gay men on them that read, YOU THINK HIV IS NO BIG DEAL, 500 PEOPLE IN LOS ANGELES WILL DIE FROM HIV THIS YEAR, BUT I THINK MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE THE ONES THAT DON'T GET TESTED EARILY.Little there are gay men on this site also.Just read though the threads.PEACE.
I,m Gay at least last time i checked i was.
I agree.
Here in the UK there is definately a trend rising in the gay scene for barebacking, although i have never had unprotected anal sex i have seen this kind of behaviour in my friends and also noticed that the younger generation seems to be a lot wilder, also i think that several factors affect this such as the shift in the gay porn industry and like you stated HIV is no longer a death sentence.
I actaully used to work for a charity here in the UK and i specifically remember working on a campaign along those very same lines.
I think that all the messages about HIV basics seem to have got lost amongst the different agencys putting out different messages targeted at different subgroups.
I personally have had my own issues of HIV testing from a low risk encounter, that i will not go into, but when i think about all the stress, energy and axiety i have placed on myself, i realise that i actually care about my status which is why i always use condoms for anal sex. (Not that i do it anymore).
It either seems that the core message has got lost or pehaps people simply dont care or think about themselves.
I remember having 'condoms for anal sex' drummed into me but as i said i think information has become clouded. Rightly or Wrongly when i was in my early 20's no condoms for anal sex = HIV.
Perhaps there might need to be a more black and white approach, however i smoke and worry about the effects but hopefully not for much longer.
Take Care of yourself.....Dorff
I agree.
Here in the UK there is definately a trend rising in the gay scene for barebacking, although i have never had unprotected anal sex i have seen this kind of behaviour in my friends and also noticed that the younger generation seems to be a lot wilder, also i think that several factors affect this such as the shift in the gay porn industry and like you stated HIV is no longer a death sentence.
I actaully used to work for a charity here in the UK and i specifically remember working on a campaign along those very same lines.
I think that all the messages about HIV basics seem to have got lost amongst the different agencys putting out different messages targeted at different subgroups.
I personally have had my own issues of HIV testing from a low risk encounter, that i will not go into, but when i think about all the stress, energy and axiety i have placed on myself, i realise that i actually care about my status which is why i always use condoms for anal sex. (Not that i do it anymore).
It either seems that the core message has got lost or pehaps people simply dont care or think about themselves.
I remember having 'condoms for anal sex' drummed into me but as i said i think information has become clouded. Rightly or Wrongly when i was in my early 20's no condoms for anal sex = HIV.
Perhaps there might need to be a more black and white approach, however i smoke and worry about the effects but hopefully not for much longer.
Take Care of yourself.....Dorff
The other issue is that many people believe that, even if their partner is poz, as long as the partner is on meds and undetectable, there is no risk for transmission.
The risk is assumed to be lower (no studies have been done yet to correlate transmission risk per act with viral load), but transmission has been documented in serodiscordant couples, even when the source partner was undetectable.
The risk is assumed to be lower (no studies have been done yet to correlate transmission risk per act with viral load), but transmission has been documented in serodiscordant couples, even when the source partner was undetectable.
I wonder if it has much to do with the types of information that are being put out there about this particular disease. Let's face it, for the first x years, all one heard about was doom and gloom, how everyone, gay or straight, was catching it and that it would soon be an epidemic in the first world countries. When that did not come to pass, my guess is that people lost trust and faith in the doom sayers. Combine that with the ARVs and longer life span, and voila, complacency.
On top of that, HIV is often described these days as being a manageable illness, much like diabetes. Compare that with the scary prospect that HIV was even five years ago, and it doesn't seem so bad now. Perhaps that is also a factor. I hasten to point out, that while that may be true, it would be much better in terms of overall quality of life to not have either.
I am not sure that the stats quoted on this site should have anything to do with anyone being more complacent about this particular disease. For instance, if being the receptive partner in unprotected anal sex with an HIV+ partner is 1 in 500, who would want to take that particular risk? Sure, odds are against contraction of the virus, but still. Not a risk I would take. But surely, it isn't so bad to educate people on the true risk factors of contracting HIV, and those that aren't so risky, such as oral, or fingering, or kissing, etc. Seems to me there must be a happy medium there.
alittlescared:
It's one the rise again because of behavior.
The ER doc I talked to who ordered PEP for me
said there has been a resurgence of the spread after
a dip in transmission rates. It is in due in part
to better drugs and an overall healthier life
even after you are POZ.
I guess I cant get too angry with the CDC on
their conservative estimates of transmission.
Obviously we are no longer doing a good job
of protecting ourselves.
It's one the rise again because of behavior.
The ER doc I talked to who ordered PEP for me
said there has been a resurgence of the spread after
a dip in transmission rates. It is in due in part
to better drugs and an overall healthier life
even after you are POZ.
I guess I cant get too angry with the CDC on
their conservative estimates of transmission.
Obviously we are no longer doing a good job
of protecting ourselves.
Actually the risk of contracting HIV from one-time-receptive anal sex is 1/200.
If the person is known to have HIV....and yeah, Xhost, those are not good odds.
If the person is known to have HIV....and yeah, Xhost, those are not good odds.
The person who just stated under Dr. Bob's "Ask an Expert" section stated it well.
HIs email to Dr. Bob under the title "Disclosure" dated late last month.
The number of HIV+ gay men who willingly sleep with numerous men who are negative and they do not share their status. Understandeably, everyone needs to look at their own well-being....but I think there will be more stringent laws in the future regarding men who are + and criminal/legal actions brought against them when they willingly know their status and infect another person (male or female).
Boy,....was that a run-on sentence or what?
Example: The Canadian football player was indicted a couple years ago for infecting numerous women when he knew he was HIV+.
HIs email to Dr. Bob under the title "Disclosure" dated late last month.
The number of HIV+ gay men who willingly sleep with numerous men who are negative and they do not share their status. Understandeably, everyone needs to look at their own well-being....but I think there will be more stringent laws in the future regarding men who are + and criminal/legal actions brought against them when they willingly know their status and infect another person (male or female).
Boy,....was that a run-on sentence or what?
Example: The Canadian football player was indicted a couple years ago for infecting numerous women when he knew he was HIV+.
I'm gay and I remember when AIDS didn't exist.
The mid-late 80's were scary especially when we realized what was happening to our community. There was no PEP, no cocktails and no hope. People dropped like flies and we weer scared. It is this fear, from those days, that has kept me in line all these years.
Young gays today don't have that fear because they don't have those memories.
But, alas, there was that party in December/06 when I got loaded drunk and played around (low risk of course) and now I am HIV mental again.
The mid-late 80's were scary especially when we realized what was happening to our community. There was no PEP, no cocktails and no hope. People dropped like flies and we weer scared. It is this fear, from those days, that has kept me in line all these years.
Young gays today don't have that fear because they don't have those memories.
But, alas, there was that party in December/06 when I got loaded drunk and played around (low risk of course) and now I am HIV mental again.
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