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may 7. 1999 • Just out, 21
arebacking. Its mere mention can send chills
up even the most hardened, cynical spines,
ilo longer applicable only to equestrian activities,
in the vernacular of 1999, barebacking refers to
something that could be far more dangerous than riding a
horse without a saddle: unprotected anal intercourse.
And, according to the national media—
queer and otherwise— barebacking is a phe
nomenon society should be gravely con
cerned about.
Recent articles in The Advocate, O U T,
and POZ, to mention just a few, offer por
traits of a subculture within a subculture
where queer men, often doped up on illegal
substances, throw caution to the wind by
throwing their condoms in the nearest trash
can. There are harehacking parties, bareback
ing Internet sites, and the infamous “hug
chasers”— HIV-negative men in search of
HIV-positive men who will share the virus
with them so that they can join, at last, the
fraternal brotherhood of the infected.
“Testing positive for HIV is no longer an
automatic death sentence," says one 28-year-
old man who asked not to be identified.
He and others say that, unlike the old
days, new drug therapies are allowing many
people with HIV and AIDS to work, live and
even plan their retirements.
“People don’t look as sick as they used to,”
the man adds. “Plus, we’re no longer counting
our friends and calculating how many will be
dead by Christmas.”
Some fear the slowdown in the death
count is being interpreted by a significant
portion of the queer male population as a sign
that it’s OK to discard the safer-sex messages
driven home during the past two decades.
The results? Skyrocketing infection rates
and another wave of sickness and death,
some critics say. Outrage is definitely on the
rise.
Continued on Page 23
Barebacking;
Truly a trend or just a media
frenzy? Six Portland-area men
offer their insights
by P atrick C ollins
photos by
KJHL K imball
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