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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2003)
different. Prevention staff are more likely to start by asking what you like to do in bed. O n ce they know the kinky shit you’re into, they’ll offer ideas for small changes you can make to reduce your chances o f getting a sick prick. It’s not just fags nude tube isn’t unique to homos. W h e n asked by our Big Brother state health departm ent if a condom was used the last tim e they fucked, a near exclusively straight 81 percent said no in 2000, up from 72 per cent in 1996. Furthermore, in 1996, 57 per cent o f guys thought they had n o chance o f catching H IV ; in 2000, 62 percent said as much. A But I’m in a monogamous relationship efore condoms just disappear, both o f you should test for H IV and STDs. T h en test again in six months. If all test results are nega tive and if both o f you are committed to a monogamous relationship, the consensus is that barebacking would pose little or no risk: B Get tested, get answers et more information by contacting Cas cade A ID S Project at 503-223-5907 ( www.cascadeaids.org) or the M ultnomah County Health Department at 503-988-3700 ( w ww.co. m ul tnomah .or. us/heal th ). G Drive with Pride Sure, they’ll encourage you at least to carry protection, but you also can chixise from other noncondom strategies that, although far from safe, are at least a start: • Instead o f 10 partners this week, how about just two guys you know? • A re you using plenty o f lube? • How about partying only Fridays, instead o f all weekend? • Pull out before you shoot your load. • Bareback your boyfriend, but use a condom with everyone else. • Take a piss and wash up after sex. • G et tested and get treated. Knowlton hopes this “ harm reduction' model nudges guys along a continuum from higher to lower risk. “ W hen they see it’s an improvement in their life, maybe sometimes they’ll ask to use a condom," he suggests. A t the same time, caseworkers look at other issues tied to this seemingly simple decision to shield our Ixxlies from disease: drugs and alcohol, to be sure, but also self-esteem, coming out, acceptance, body image and more. Even just talking about sex can make us too shy, nervous or embarrassed to protect ourselves. “ A s a society, we don’t talk about sex," Lentell notes. “ W e don’t see people on T V or in ads or in the movies negotiating safe sex and talking about how they’re going to have sex. It’s always the thrill o f the moment. How do you say to your partner, ‘I’ve got condoms; let’s use them.’ ” Because o f this, Knowlton bets there aren’t as many barebackers who seek out unprotected anal sex as there are guys who simply fall into an unspoken situation, no matter if it’s an anonymous partner or a life partner. Some are B a c k to S chool LOW PRICES! w i I u u ! I afraid o f losing their lovers if they resist. Others simply trust their partner, thinking, “ H e ’d tell me if he was positive” or “he’d say something if he was negative.” That’s what many o f my survey studs said, too. Disclosure, it seems, is a sticky issue. Is it up to each individual to protect himself? O r do you have a duty to inform your partner? A n d w h o’s to say that M ister H ottie Hunk «1 Visit us online at: www.reyreece.com or schedule your appointment 503 256-3700 - REY REECE DEALERSHIPS ISUZU-VOLKSWAGEN-USED 122nd & East Burnside www.reyreece.com When trust is lacking, guys tend to make assumptions about status—and decisions about using condoms—based on what the guy looks like. Or the car he drives. Or what’s in ^ his medicine cabinet. M you met on line isn’t just lying to you to have sex? W hen trust is lacking, guys tend to make assumptions about status— and decisions about using condoms— based on what the guy looks like. O r the car he drives. O r what’s in his med icine cabinet. T h e question then becomes what does it kx)k like to be safe? This type o f decision-making prixress is just the tip o f the penis when it comes to “ negotiat ing” for sex. 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G>me what may, they want to make their own choices and let each man be responsible for himself. “ I understand that— and it’s great, but if you’re hurting other people, then what you’re doing is wrong, and you need to stop,” Knowl ton says. “Sex without condoms is great, but it’s hurting the community, and it’s going to screw us in the end. ” jn Kliiott, Powell, Kadtm Hr Baker, Inc. Come tee us today. We’re ready to build for you! BENCHES Getting it in the end PENIS insurance Include: Intel Pentium 4 1.6GHz Processor Integrated Audio • 128MB RAM 56K Mddem • 56x Speed CD ROM Drive Microsoft Windows XP Home and More! COMPUTER SERVICES MISI O ne o f the most common barebacker claims o f responsible risk-taking is limiting themselves to partners that are o f the same “sero-status.” Poz guys argue that it protects their HIV-negative brothers. Because o f reinfection and mistrust, however, others thought this strategy didn’t reduce their risk. “The problem is that if you chexise to have unprotected sex with somebody who is HIV-posi tive, you still nin the risk o f getting other STDs,” Lentell says. She spells out how tricky it is because syphilis symptoms might not be noticed for a long time. It’s not called the “great pretender” for nothing. Left untreated, syphilis can lead to demen tia, which literally causes you to be fuckin’ crazy. C u s to m -B u ilt S y ste m s s ta rt at $699 • judgment calls about what they think is safe and what chances they’re willing to take just to shoot their wad. 503 - 226-6678 syphilis is on the rise in Portland. Early signs are a painless sore, then a rash. If you may have been exposed through oral, anal, or vaginal sex, call for free testing and treatment. 503.988.3700 brou ght to yo u by M U LT N O M A H C O U N T Y H EALTH D E PA R T M E N T
