Search

ABSTRACT.Recent compelling evidence that HIV medication may decrease the chances of HIV transmission and acquisition bring to light once again the issue of ethical responsibilities of those infected and uninfected when engaging in sexual intercourse. Using data collected in New York City from 120 gay men who engaged in “barebacking” (operationalized as intentional unprotected anal intercourse in an HIV-risk context), we analyzed participants’ attributions of responsibility to self and/or others and how these attributions varied by HIV status. Nearly all participants concurred that ethical judgments were involved and frequently offered a two-tiered response based on the right to individual decision-making and recognition of one's responsibility not to harm others. However, respondents merged the imperative for ethical action with an implicit requirement for communication, and their descriptions of sexual negotiations suggested ambiguities and conflicting assumptions. The result was a frequent tendency to shift the ethical burden to the partner rather than oneself in the context of diminished community dialogue about HIV. New scientific knowledge about HIV transmission offers opportunities for community discussions of sexual fulfillment, rights and responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

n ethnically diverse sample of 120 mostly gay-identified men who engaged in 'bareback' intercourse was recruited via the Internet in New York City. By study design three quarters of participants were HIV-uninfected and engaged in condomless receptive anal intercourse. In the course of face-to-face in-depth interviews, participants were asked what led them to have their first bareback experience as well as to continue with the behavior. Qualitative analysis identified the pivotal role that sexual pleasure and intimacy have in this population and how drives for sexual satisfaction, adventure, intimacy, and love overpower health concerns and condom use recommendations. Men interested in bareback sex use a variety of defense mechanisms to account for, justify, and exonerate their behavior. HIV-prevention interventions have paid insufficient attention to libidinal drives, a crucial element of psychological functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gay men's use of the internet for social and sexual purposes is now so common that some predict an end to gay bars. In New York City, where this study took place, the use of the internet by men to meet other men seeking sex without condoms, called bareback sex, has created concerns among public health and gay community HIV/AIDS workers. This study of six popular bareback internet sites seeks to understand the nature of this new online sexual culture, initially by investigating the sites themselves through the methodology of cyber-cartography. That investigation suggested that masculinity as an analytic in gender studies might offer some value in understanding what was happening on these sites. Issues of race and ethnicity also emerged to challenge any singular notion of masculinity. This paper suggests that masculinity itself might need some recalibration, and that we may also need to rethink these sites as evolving ethical sexual cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic method was used to elicit the names of the six most popular free Internet sites used by gay men and other men who have sex with men in New York City, to meet partners for "bareback" sex. An analysis of the sites characteristics shows that men can use mainstream Internet sites, gay-specific sites, and sex-focused sites free of charge to search for bareback sex partners, selecting by location, physical attributes, sexual mode, HIV-serostatus, and other characteristics. Many individuals use these sites, producing the impression that bareback sex is not an oddity confined to just a few. The official language of the bareback sites associates bareback sex with masculinity and courage, prioritizing pleasure. Freedom, choice, and intimacy over HIV-transmission prevention. The sites facilitate sexual experimentation and the expansion of bareback networks. Although some consider bareback sex to represent a failure of HIV prevention, this study suggests that harm reduction strategies may be viable within bareback networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]