Barebacking and Ethics

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/29/2006 5:56:58 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, PozHealth writes:

I'm also interested in knowing what people think of barebacking between positive partners now. I suspect that there has been some change in thinking on the subject since the last time it was discussed in this forum. What is the latest news about the risks of re infection? What are you all doing personally?

I can't hold my tongue any longer. Not only do we need disclosure, we need to guarantee our individual safety. I've always been appalled with what is out there insofar as guys begging for the "right" person to seroconvert with, the thrill of not knowing ones status, barebacking with the idea of deliberate infecting of other guys without ones knowledge, the list goes on and on. My own personal experience involves a guy, that when I insisted he wear a condom, trimmed the reservoir off the end of the condom before sex! This is unacceptable behavior! It all kind of makes me wonder if we deserve what we get in these encounters. It is my perception that the gay community does not run on ethics, and when you agree to sex, one needs to be prepared for their own safety all around. I wouldn't even begin to trust anybody with my life, and I don't believe it is necessary for anyone else to either. Then there is the whole group of HIV positive people that are not truthful about their own drug therapies. Unbeknownst to their physician, they go off their drugs because they feel like it, for a variety of reasons, they sell their drugs to other HIV positive people to buy other recreational drugs, all the while complaining that they are getting a raw deal in life. Some of these people are just plain bordering on mental illness. I believe in my full disclosure always, and vow to accept 100% responsibility for my sexual experience. Even for "safe sex".