f
January 3.2003 » J u t aa*|21
seven guys in long-term relationships who
stick up strangers at the same time.
But whether young, old, poz, neg, top or bot
tom—everyone could recite the prevention
pitch: Fucking without a condom can make a
guy sick.
County, one driven exclusively by
unprotected sex.
After having remained fairly steady
and near the national average during
It’s orgy-mania. It’s a chance to experience the baths of the '70s now. No
the past few years, the 22 local syphilis
questions of condoms or are you safe. Everyone’s pre-screened by pic and
cases since last July already have sur
referred by someone the host knows. I just bring my butt, my mouth, my dick
passed the total for the previous 12
and my drug of choice.
months. Incidents of syphilis among
At the door, I’m met by a guy who requests that I take off all of my clothes,
...you can get screwed .
men who have sex with men have
except my outfit. Sometimes, that’s leather chaps, harness o r just a jock.
nearly doubled, accounting for half of
The party’s already going in several rooms. Pumpin’ music, videos, to w el-
# ou’re right—harehacking isn’t anything the total.
and-grease stations, drug-and-alcohol stations. The basement’s dark, but I
I new. But its frequency
“Syphilis rates are a predic
make out slings, rack and piss tub.
dropped significantly during
tor of HIV rates,"
Everyone appears healthy, and I’d guess many are well educated, too.
hard-hitting safe-sex cam
Lentell warns. Sy
“People
think
that
Naked,
though, who knows who’s got money, but the parking lot has both
paigns of the 1980s and
philis sores open
expensive cars and pieces of junk.
’90s. HIV and STD
HIV today is different
the dixir for HIV,
Sixty guys show up over 10 hours. Many are repeaters, but it’s not some
rates likewise fell.
and
sexual
than
it
20
years
ago,
small
circle of friends, either. Maybe one out of five is a first-tim er.
Ask health officials
behavior associ-
Several are from Seattle. Some from other states. Some might be lovers off
and it’s n o t If anything,
about the country’s
ated with ac
the
leash for the night.
sex life lately, and
quiring syphilis
it’s stronger.”
Most guys flip. It’s tough to limit myself when so many are the trashy type I
they’ll tell you they’re
also is ass(x:iated
—
Philip
Knowlton
like to top, and so many are the hunky type I need to top me.
worried that queer boys
with
acquiring
It’s taken for granted that all are poz. As for STDs, who the fuck cares? I’m
are slipping into the same
HIV—namely anony
risky behaviors embraced by the
mous partners from clubs,
there for nasty monkey sex. If you need a condom, you shouldn’t be there.
stallions surveyed above. Not just because
bathhouses, adult bookstores and
There are a lot of reasons not to bareback, so most guys don’t. In my case,
harebackers tell them so, hut because they see harehacking parties.
I’m simply immersing myself In the decadence that I’ve denied myself for
it clearly reflected in stats that track what
“One of the guys who was diagnosed
many years. If you don’t want to participate, don’t. But leave me the fuck
happens after a guy’s dick and ass go south.
syphilis-positive was also
alone about my choice of entertainm ent between informed, consenting,
“You couldn’t
HIV-positive. He had
adult men.
have a more dan
been to a bareback party
gerous behavior,”
and had sex with upward
—MajorOne
explains Philip
of
20
men
when
he
was
p-;:
Knowlton, coor
infected with syphilis
dinator of the
hut didn’t know it,”
wt&m.
Men’s Prevention
Knowlton explains. “Any of these 20 men could be infected with syphilis
Everyone’s got their reasons, hut health care
and
Wellness
now and could be spreading it. workers bitch about three primary problems:
Program at Cas
It’s a chain reaction.”
Mistaken miracle meds. Today’s drug reg
cade AIDS Proj
imens are a double-edged sword. No doubt, they
«C
ect. “All across
extend
the quality and quantity of life for many
: m
Assume the position, with HIV. But they also give the mistaken
the country, we’re
seeing HIV and
assume the risk
impression that STDs are easily managed and
mm
rectal gonorrhea
less than life-threatening.
■ m.
rates skyrocket,
“Images of HIV-positive people living life
and those are
f leaving the latex at home is caus and climbing mountains look great in ads,
C0IÆ)0M,
direct indicators
ing a fuckin’ near-epidemic, why but when you sit in our client room, you
of unprotected
are guys barebacking more know that is not the truth. HIV is a debili
vo :
anal sex.”
than before?
tating disease that has horrible side effects.
The same shit
You don’t just pop a pill and he off to your
is happening here
next circuit party,” Knowlton
in Portland.
says.
The rate of
Five harebackers I spoke
positive HIV test results is up about
with believe today’s meds
10 percent in Multnomah County,
make STDs no big deal.
even though the number of tests
Maybe coincidence, but all of
performed has fallen during the
them were younger than 40,
past three years.
and four were HIV-negative.
“Most people are not getting
“N othing has made
tested, and so they don’t know
having sex without con
their status. They may say that
doms safer in 2002 than it
they’re negative, hut maybe they
was in 1982,” Knowlton
***** * M if
haven’t been tested in four years
offers. “There are med
'*'**»*»■?»% tm<m\
and they’ve had all sorts of risky
ications out there, hut
ff P*CKAGF
encounters,” Knowlton says.
you run the risk of be
“But because they don’t have
coming infected with a
any symptoms or signs, they
super drug-resistant
G etting results ixwhat w
just assume.”
virus, and then you’re
f a - i f e -
Even more dramatic
screwed from the
changes can he seen among
get-go.”
S T b screening am
other sexually transmitted
And just because
diseases.
you’re HIV-positive
“After 15 years of steadi
doesn’t mean you’re
ly decreasing rates of STDs,
off the hook. Case
gonorrhea and chlamydia
in point: Last Sep
began increasing in 1998,"
tember researchers
explains Margaret Lcntell,
documented a 38-
STD program manager for
year-old man who
Multnomah County. She
acquired a second
says that from 1997 to
strain of HIV
2001, chlamydia rates
through
un
increased 21 percent and
protected
sex
gonorrhea jumped 47
more than two
percent.
years after he first was infected. So not only
Now, all eyes are on a potential
re-emergence of syphilis in Multnomah
Continued on Page 22
What’s a bareback party like?
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