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1 TmTuliw^Tineu's
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february 21.2ÛÛ3 » Ju s t out. 17
rolling “public sex environments”
around Portland isn’t new for Cas
cade A ID S Project. T he nonprofit
agency probably has seen more dick
CAP reaches out to Portland's gay bathhouses to help guys get off
than a urologist. But its efforts to pro
mote safer sex have begun to heat up with this
without getting hurt by Timothy Krause
month’s opening of Steam Port
land, an eastside gay bathhouse.
For years, outreach work of
in his business planning process to establish a
Earlier
this
RULES o p t h e r o a d
A ,,IW
m I*“ m» nnoImM, ttri i , —. n i n i .
the Men’s Prevention and Well
£ month, the C en-
ban on risky behavior, alcohol and illegal drugs.
rmr’- *■"*. »• * m*
•"
ness Program at C A P has
But even with the cooperation and encour
| ters for Disease
agement o f bathhouse operators, getting gay
focused on a menage a trois with
3 Control and Pre-
the Multnomah County Health
| vention reported
guys to change their sexual habits is not easy.
BA REBA CKIN Ci ut N O T
Department and the venerable
that the number
Public sex environments have a reputation for
« v«w (auk » iiW a i a ■ ondmn. yw. wSI k* m M t . i « ( c .
of
new
H
IV
infec
Club Portland. Free condoms
being
places where it’s O K to break the rules, says
No «la»« com amrr» in ihr »howcry »Iran noua. m « a n .
S«rrei t im kr» aie »ui (wntitttnl in ifct pUy
tions and A ID S
Philip Knowlton, a program coordinator with
and lube are offered like candy.
S « > tweai* an* available Of rmi m a wear y o u <ow«i.
Flip-flop* aie ahn» avaUaUe im fontarcar.
cases across the
CAP. And, when it comes to promoting safer sex,
Signs reinforce Club Portland’s
Ntuiiiy a««f frtislt m-MJ ttr cncouragi-â
gay men are jaded. Most know how to use a con
country had risen
official ban on barebacking
Wa*ti »!:;> »
i ä »irt ait et you play.
dom. So, the goal now is one of motivation.
(unprotected anal sex), a rule to
for the first time
I
a»*, oat io me!
Don t labe m in t *wr*! c.tm loto yuu» body Taking cum ia
in a decade. Cou
In addition to a more frequent presence,
which members also agree in
vuur marnait or awaltowiog î< p m * vu« at risk lav infcctitm.
pled with co n
Knowlton promotes ongoing sex-talk, not just
writing upon joining.
* >c a
cerns
o
f
syphilis
with bathhouse businessmen but also with their
Twice a month, C A P volun
Nu utl- baxed lubfit um t <w Criée« a » allowed.
outbreaks
and
towel-tenting guests. Talking with one guy for
teers staff an office at the down
Feel tree to let tom ram ' knot* you art hot lac him.
11 be ¡»n't hot In* you, amtvt on. When vumeone come* on to
15 minutes has more impact than handing out
drug-resistant
bac
town bathhouse. They mingle
von ami you aren't ¡»(m ated , be firm hot cnarumu.
Yuu
iu*t
gat
a
complintem.
terial infections
safer-sex kits to 30 guys who are just in and out
with guests to offer safer-sex kits
Our stall 1» friendly and bate (• make ira» cumtocwbie.
o f the office. “T h e condoms end up on the flcxir
among gay men,
and vouchers for county-admin
Fleam led f l « to auk lot their aaabtnmcc.
We aak you to respect their wack, band« oK!
the issue of public
and they just take the lube,” observes Knowlton.
istered HIV/STD testing. They
Strain Portland is not responalble lor any babfiity mmned
Although respectful o f its relationship with
safely dispose of used needles.
safety now has
by an act or omtMKni oi its nnployee», oHkem, agents,
bathhouse owners, C A P says it is ultimately the
C A P redoubling
They answer questions like, Are
responsibility of Club Portland and Steam Port
its efforts to ensure
blowjobs safe? W hat happens to
FU L L S T E A M A H E A D !
land staff to enforce their barebacking bans.
that public sex is
my health care without Mea
also safer sex.
“If you don’t have the manpower to walk
sure 28?. W hat’s with this
Steam
Portland’s
rules
of
attraction
Downtown, for
around and police, it’s going to be hard to do,”
syphilis thing? And, once a
exam ple, C A P ’s
Knowlton acknowledges. “And it’s not up to
month, they hook up with a
county staffer who offers onsite HIV/STD testing.
twice-monthly sojourns to Club Portland now CAP. W e’re not going to be the sex police. Even
will increase to weekly forays. And while these
if we saw something like a huge barebacking
Perhaps most importantly, C A P ’s persistent
safer-sex
studs
won’t
be
offering
onsite
testing
or
orgy, our hands are tied.”
presence serves as a reminder to guests that anony
walking around Steam ’s new complex, owner
C A P will call such activity to the attention
mous sex in public isn’t a free-for-all gangbang
of bathhouse bosses, but to be effective, these
David Anderson began working with C A P early
without rules. Or condoms. Or consequences.
P utting O ut
in
Lock the door.
Fly to Europe & don’t
give it a second thought.
P ublic
establishments must have long-term employees
who are trained about HIV, charged to identify
inappropriate behavior and empowered to give
offenders the boot.
And that can be a risky proposition. Because
bathhouses are businesses, owners tread a fine
line between keeping their customers healthy
and happy. Too dominant, and customers go
elsewhere. Too submissive, and establishments
jeopardize their license to operate and the vital
ity of their customer base.
“But it’s not public sex environments that
we’re concerned about,” states Knowlton, who
thinks Internet chat rooms pose a greater threat.
“You can go to a bathhouse and have safe sex. A
lot of people do, and that’s great. We really are
confident in management who have taken pro
active steps, because it’s in their best interest.”
T h e larger issue, he suggests, has to do with
the gay male community letting down its guard
and becoming complacent in the face o f physi
cal danger from unsafe sexual activity.
“It’s not the venues. It’s not the buildings. It’s
not the businesses,” Knowlton remarks. “It’s the
perception in the community that we’ve really
made anonymous, unprotected sex the goal. It’s
the hottest thing that you can do. A lot of guys
say they don’t buy into it, hut they do. It’s the
gay com m unity’s sexual attitudes— not the
bathhouse as a business— that’s a problem.” J H
Contact C ascade A ID S P roject at
503'223'5907 or m um .casecadeaids.org. C lub
P ortland is located at 303 S.W. 12th Ave. err
m vw.clubpdx.com . Find S team P ortland at
2885 N .E. Sandy Blvd. or www.steam portland.com .
T imothy K rause can be reached at
tim kra@ m illenicom . com .
L M u
V.
Yes, it’s possible. Maybe even necessary.
“Girlfriend,
you been
m
J udith A rnell
C reators of
C ustom D esigned
N W 14th <
£ Kearney
in Portland’s Pearl District
Sales Office: 1122 N W Glisan
Open Tu. - Fr, 10 - 5
Sa. 11 - 5 & S u . 1 2 - 4
503.226.4252