Do you ever read articles, tweets, facebook posts from the gay ill health sector and feeling utterly confused in what they are saying, how they are saying it and what it all means? Politically correct language which offers no advice, guidance and is contradictory when you think about it? Well confusion and contradiction is part of the HIV non prevention strategy these gay ill health non experts want. So in the end if or when you get infected with HIV it can be explained away as just “bad luck”.
They give all kinds of contradictory information (as its not really advice or guidance). If you are HIV negative you don’t want get HIV as its a lifetime of drugs and its a painful reminder of your stigmatised disease you have contracted. At the same time its no big deal being HIV positive and you can live a “normal life”. However when you get older you are more prone to disease, osteoporosis, cancer and dementia than HIV negative counterparts. Whether its lifestyle, the HIV drugs or HIV itself is never explored.
PrEP is a game changer the gay ill health sector claim. However these are the same drugs that treat HIV and they say you don’t want to take these drugs as they are “toxic” with some awful side effects.
Undetectable=Untransmittable (U=U) is another game changer that it is impossible for a HIV positive person who is on effective treatment to transmit HIV to their partner. However how do you know they are undetectable and taking their meds. We were always told not to trust what another gay man told us his status was. But now we are? So exactly what’s changed?
With condoms we were always told from the mid 80s onwards they would protect us from HIV and we could still have great safe sex. However now the gay ill health non expert tells us condoms were never enough to “save” us from HIV. That they broke, slid off or caused erectile dysfunction, were passion killers who denied us pleasure and intimacy. Condoms have now been erased from all campaigns from the sector. It’s test test test! That we can drive down infections through testing and treating those positive with ARV drugs. Young gay men are being given the impression that testing will keep them safe from HIV infection and condom use was a hopeless strategy. If they are infected with HIV it was just bad luck and their partner wasn’t looking after his sexual health. Whatever that means.
Instead of promoting safe sex with condom it’s all become about “risk assessment” and “risk reduction” and “risk compensation”. Where sex is always a risk whatever you do. So just do whatever you want and don’t stigmatise any sexual act however dangerous it could be. It’s just genuine desires that should not be suppressed. That sex is a “negotiation” and “consent” needs to be taught. However there is enormous pressure from HIV positive partners to bareback as they are undetectable and not consenting to “condomless” sex is HIV stigma. Guilt tripping and pestering for the sex they want, gaslighting disguised as stigma.
It’s up to you what you do. But staying HIV negative a strategy of always consistently wearing condoms, enjoying safe sex and avoiding barebacking cumsluts has worked for us here at GMAP, Also test for HIV and other STIs on a yearly basis. You can’t really go wrong.