Do gay guys use condoms
"What do you name a gay guy who got infected in the '80s? A victim. What do you call a homosexual guy who gets infected in 2010? An idiot." Adequately put by a reader to my gay dating column, but way off the mark.
According to the CDC, novel HIV infection rates among gay men keep climbing and this year is no exception. I understand the level of anger a lot of queer guys have about this sobering trend. I've just had two 20-something friends turn HIV positive. Some in our inner circle went ballistic with wrath. "Why didn't they use condoms?" seethed one friend. "It's not like they don't how to protect themselves -- they CHOSE not to. And if that's the case don't they earn what they got?"
Well, no. True, if people were any more stupid about safe sex we'd have to moisture them twice a week, but the anger has no logic. When emergency workers pull lifeless or injured people out of vehicle crashes do they blame the victims for not wearing seat belts? Act they refuse to help them?
The typical reasons experts donate about rising infections center around "Plague Fatigue" and misplaced "AIDS Optimism" (believing that HIV is manageable and a cure is just around the corner), but there's also a few other
Q&A: Decline in condom utilize indicates need for further awareness, awareness
Research | Social science | UW News blog
February 27, 2024
A new University of Washington study measures changes in sex without condoms among HIV-negative homosexual and bisexual men who are not taking PrEP.Pixabay
New research from the University of Washington shows that condom use has been trending downward among younger queer and bisexual men over the last decade, even when they aren’t taking pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.
The study, published Feb. 27 in AIDS and Behavior, measures changes in sex without condoms among HIV-negative gay and bisexual person men who are not taking PrEP. Using data from the 2014-19 cycles of the American Men’s Internet Survey — a web-based survey of cisgender men ages 15 and older who have sex with men (MSM) — researchers found that roughly half of HIV-negative men reported using condoms at least sometimes in the last year. That was higher than the 15% of respondents who reported using PrEP.
But HIV-negative MSM who are not using PrEP seem to be not using condoms increasingly often. The study found that the proportion of these men who had
In a new survey of sexual behavior, two-thirds (65 percent) of gay and bisexual men said they didn't use a condom the last time they had anal sex, with more than a quarter considering themselves to own a "risky sex life," including sex with partners who are HIV-positive.
The numbers, collected by the U.K.-based gay men's health philanthropy Gay Men Fight Aids (GMFA), surveyed 500 homosexual and bisexual men, asking them about the uncertainty involved in their sex lives. Twenty-seven percent examine themselves to throw caution to the wind in their sex lives.
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Despite the majority admitting their last sexual experience was without a condom, this did not always indicate unprotected sex was necessarily dangerous. Same-sex couples who are married or in committed long-term relationships may choose not to use condoms when having sex with each other.
"We all measure risk differently," said David Stuart, well-being program curator for 56 Dean Street, a London-based health clinic specializing in services for gay and bisexual men. "Some only associate risk with HIV; others consider all STIs to be a potential risk. For others, exposure is measured by
Sexual health for gay and multi-attracted men
Having unprotected penetrative sex is the most likely way to overtake on a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Using a condom helps protect against HIV and lowers the peril of getting many other STIs.
If you’re a man having sex with men (MSM), without condoms and with someone new, you should have an STI and HIV try every 3 months, otherwise, it should be at least once a year. This can be done at a sexual health clinic (SHC) or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic. This is crucial, as some STIs do not lead to any symptoms.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a liver infection that's spread by a virus in poo.
Hepatitis A is uncommon in the UK but you can fetch it through sex, including oral-anal sex ("rimming") and giving oral sex after anal sex. MSM with multiple partners are particularly at risk. You can also get it through contaminated sustenance and drink.
Symptoms of hepatitis A can arrive up to 8 weeks after sex and include tiredness and feeling sick (nausea).
Hepatitis A is not usually life-threatening and most people make a packed recovery within a couple of months.
MSM can avoid getting hepatitis A by:
- washing hands after se