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
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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
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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. Whether they bareback or not, all
guys continually weigh risks involved, making
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uring the past decade or so, barebackers
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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
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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.
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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
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Early signs are a
painless sore, then a
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If you may have been
exposed through oral,
anal, or vaginal sex, call
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treatment.
503.988.3700
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M U LT N O M A H C O U N T Y
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