Is bareback videos a culprit for AIDS?
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Lots of gay porn now are pushing for bareback videos. Sure they got all these test but there are millions of young men out there who thinks bareback sex is ok in the real world.
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Poor education / awareness is a more serious culprit. I've heard from a public health sex worker, whom I had a talk with very recently, is that gay teenagers think it's okay to have unprotected sex and actually getting infected with HIV isn't that serious. If you're already infected you don't have to use condoms, inside condoms, dental dams, gloves and the like, and that would be completely fine, and that there would be little to no reason for concern whatsoever, it's just that once you're not seropositive anymore you'll have to use medication. So these teens try to get infected with HIV purposefully. One of these methods is bareback sex, but oral sex and any other activity which causes exchange of bodily fluids also transmit HIV.
In my opinion, that is a horrible thing to do. You'll easily infect unaware sex partners with the virus, and cause grief to them and the people close to them.
Sure enough, trace amounts of HIV and other STD's have a time window before they can be detected, and if you have protected sex in that time window (And you think you're clean) you can infect other sex partners through unprotected sex.
Good sex education can prevent a lot of trouble. And getting tested regularly, too.
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wonder if the bareback vids in studios have indeed been safe?
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I'd like to believe they are relatively safe compared to the past. Most porn actors have received proper sex education and are regularly tested. If you do not know your status, you are not able to participate in bareback porn. There may be studios who don't abide by these recommendations (they're not rules, as far as I know).
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Lots of gay porn now are pushing for bareback videos. Sure they got all these test but there are millions of young men out there who thinks bareback sex is ok in the real world.
Bareback sex is OK in the real world: when you're in a long-term monogamous relationship with a partner of the same sero-status, or a long-term closed relationship with two or more partners of the same zero-status.
Beyond that, the chances of a guy who's poz and successfully medicated transmitting HIV though unprotected sex are less than the chances of a guy who doesn't know his status transmitting HIV while using a condom – because guys who are actually poz but don't know their status have insanely high viral loads; combine that with the slightest bit of error in using a condom, and you've got a public health problem.
The solution is not slut-shaming or looking for scapegoats; the solution is to take direct personal responsibility for yourself and what you do.
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bareback sex is not new.
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The solution is not slut-shaming or looking for scapegoats; the solution is to take direct personal responsibility for yourself and what you do.
I think people should be honest and tell the potential sex partners that they are Poz.
Sadly, humans are scum so you have to look out for yourself.
Many moons ago, I met a guy who said "if I'm not tested, I can't have AIDS". I sorta understood what he meant, because back then, HIV/AIDS was still a death sentence. The medications made you sick and you were still gonna die early. Today things are much better.
BTW, I'm negative.
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This is a tricky one.
People have what I feel are 3 ways of dealing with the subject of hiv.
1. Assume everyone is positive and take precautions.
2. Actively ask their new interest his status before having sex with him, and deal with the questions of whether they feel the answer they get is an honest one or not? (Never wait on anyone to just volunteer that info!)
3. Don't discuss it at all, and just deal with the consequences later.Sadly, a trip through most backrooms or sex spaces in today's world show that the third option is very popular, and that is reflected in the rise of bareback porn production. That's what people are doing in their own personal lives, and porn producers are now giving them that to wank / jerk off to.
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I know that this is kind of late to be posting a reply, but I couldn't help but add in some information that is commonly overlooked.
At this day and age, HIV is not at all what it once was… so the concept of HIV being "not all that bad" isn't entirely a myth. I myself have been living with it for over 5 years and counting now. That being said however, there are also some dangers that need to be taken into acount when assessing the risk factors and the extent of the risk you're willing to take. Too many people do not realize that such risks exist. So in short.... Yes... On one hand, HIV isn't so bad, but on the other hand, it opens the door for a number of potentially serious (if not fatal) issues. I will summarize the more critical ones below....
1) Toxoplasmosis: Toxoplasmosis is a bacteria that is most commonly found in kitty liter and bird droppings. It's main source comes from the consumption of meat (including fish) that has not been fully cooked or frozen. For the average person with a normal immune system, exposure to Toxoplasmosis will resolve itself on its own. That being said however, when Toxoplasmosis bacteria is introduced to HIV, a whole new world of trouble begins. There's an interaction that takes place over time (usually wihin a few months) between Toxoplasmosis and HIV that becomes quite problematic… namely, that it forms a bond with the cells infected with HIV in the blood stream, which are then passed to the brain for the final stages of exposure to begin. Simply put, over time, the combination of the two will literally eat away at the brian, causing regular bodily functions to become quite challenging over time, until it finally eats away at the brain slowly enough to slowly cause a cerebral hemorrhage. During this process, headaches, body ache, fatigue, and chronic pain become more and more of a problem until it literally kills you very slowly. It's actually quite a slow and horrible death. So... Unless you're willing to freeze your steaks or sushi (as two examples) before preparing them, when you're HIV+, eating such foods is quite literally gambling with your own life.
2) Pneumocystis Pneumonia: This is a particularly nasty form of pneumonia as it is, which if untreated has great potential to become fatal. When mixed with HIV, makes the severity of it even worse. More often than not, when this form of Pneumonia is mixed with HIV, it's fatal, and not a pleasant way to die. As it attacks the lungs, it becomes harder and harder to get rid of and can cause some serious and often painfully fatal respritory issues. With a compromised immune system, the mix of the two can cause a complete depletion of the body's CD4 cells, which are most critical to fighting off any kind of virus or bacteria forign to the human body. Once this happens, you then open the door to just about anything to add to the mix, which is part of what makes this combination fatal in most cases.
3) Liver Failure: Sadly, while most of the newer HIV meds on the market are quite effective at surpressing the HIV virus itself as to lead a normal and healthy life, they also are quite hard on the liver. As such, liver failure is a constant concern to anyone living with HIV on the meds. This is part of why blood work is taken so frequently to keep track of what is going on within your body chemistry. One of the worst offenders for this potential threat believe it or not is a drug called Truvada, which is a combination drug that includes both Emtricitabine (200mg) and Tenofovir (300mg). This is just one of many potential problems that these kinds of drugs present. In short, if you're on the HIV meds, you pretty well have to be worried about this possible complication. This obviously can be worsened if you add alcohol to the equation.
4) Chronic Diarrhea: Most people do not realize just how common of a side-effect that this is when using a lot of HIV drugs. As I mentioned in reason 3, Truvada one of the biggest offenders for this. I know this all to well from personal experience. The problem with this comes in whereas the strongest medication for such things available is Lomotil, which is stronger than Immodium. In most cases (such as mine), Lomotil alone is just not enogh to combat this side-effect. In some cases, this can result in moments of incontinence where you're fine one moment, and the next, your ass just explodes out of nowhere. This can be particularly embareassing if you're out in a public place when this happens. Again, I know this from experience too. Other issues can also stem from this problem as diarrhea is known for causing an excess amount of liquid (water) from the body to pass through the digestiv system, instead of absorbing into the body as it should. This can open the door potentially to having side-issues with dehydration at the same time as you're dealing with an explosive mess.
5) Cost of Meds: While it is true that most of the newer HIV meds on the market are effective at surpressing the HIV virus, if you live in an area that does not have any kind of medical funding assistance, you're suddenly faced with another problem… the cost of the medication itself. For example, the Prezista, Norvir, and Truvada (that keep me alive) alone run over $3000 for a 30-day supply. Unless you're rich like Bill Gates or if you have some kind of awesome drug care coverage, this can suddenly make your cost of living very expensive. To this day, there are still many people (even in North America) who have to go without these life saving meds, simply because they cannot afford to pay for them. This is the reality that you must face when you are diagnosed with HIV and must go on the meds.
Once you get past these issues (among a few others that I haven't listed), sure.... HIV isn't all that bad. There are a few other points that I would like to touch on as well....
Poor education / awareness is a more serious culprit. I've heard from a public health sex worker, whom I had a talk with very recently, is that gay teenagers think it's okay to have unprotected sex and actually getting infected with HIV isn't that serious. If you're already infected you don't have to use condoms, inside condoms, dental dams, gloves and the like, and that would be completely fine, and that there would be little to no reason for concern whatsoever, it's just that once you're not seropositive anymore you'll have to use medication. So these teens try to get infected with HIV purposefully. One of these methods is bareback sex, but oral sex and any other activity which causes exchange of bodily fluids also transmit HIV.
There are a few problems I have with this… The first is that I have learned the hard way that any Public Health organization will tend to help promote the stigma, and in some cases, actually gives outright wrong information with respect to prevention methods and risk factors for reasons that I have never quite understood. That being said though, the whole topic of condoms isn't as cut and dry as it may seem. Just being HIV+ alone doesn't actually mean all that much to the risk factor involved. If you're HIV+ and have an undetectable viral load, it is virtually impossible to infect someone, which means that the whole concept of bareback sex being a huge risk is flawed. While this is true with someone who is HIV+ with a high viral load engaging in unprotected sex is like playing with fire, this does not hold true with an undetecable viral load. This is one of the biggest things to take into accout when assessing risk factor.
Also, Truvada is also used as a PrEP drug, which can help substantially reduce the risk of contracting HIV. This kind of thing also plays a large factor when assessing your risk.... So.... In answering the original quetion, while it may be true that bareback porn has resulted in some HIV infections, it's just not realistic to go so far as branding it a "culprit" for HIV/AIDS.
Bareback sex is OK in the real world: when you're in a long-term monogamous relationship with a partner of the same sero-status, or a long-term closed relationship with two or more partners of the same zero-status.
Beyond that, the chances of a guy who's poz and successfully medicated transmitting HIV though unprotected sex are less than the chances of a guy who doesn't know his status transmitting HIV while using a condom – because guys who are actually poz but don't know their status have insanely high viral loads; combine that with the slightest bit of error in using a condom, and you've got a public health problem.
Even with one partner who is HIV+ and one who is not, bareback sex is not necessarily out of the question. As I mentioned, the viral load plays a large part in assessing the risk factor. You are also correct with respect to the risk factor being lower with someone who is medicated. This is both because generally speaking, people who are taking the HIV meds most often have an undetectable viral load. It also holds true in that while there may be exposure to HIV through uprotected sex, there's also a certain amount of exposure to the anti-bodies as well when they're on the medication, which also plays a part in reducing the risk. In short, calculating the risk factors can get quite complicated.
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Bareback sex happens all the time, and has always happened, especially now that people are less paranoid about it (for good and bad). I don't think a study has ever been done on this subject but I am tempted to say if someone were to have bareback sex, they would do it regardless of the videos they watch just because it feels better for most people. A lot of people hate condoms.
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There is another factor that many people who do bareback porn take into account. Well… It's split up into two different parts. The first is the viral load.... Simply put, a number of studies have been done in the last few years to attempt to quantify the risk of HIV transmission particular to unprotected gay sex. The interesting thing is that in every study, they all noted that there has not been so much as one case of HIV transmission from an HIV+ person with an undetectable viral load. This is one factor they often look at. If the person is undetectable, a lot of people will decide to participate anyway.
The second factor to take into account is whether or not the person who is not HIV+ is on PrEP. The down side to PrEP is that it too is not exactly a guarantee. It was only noted to substantially reduce the risk. A lot of people who are not and do not want to become HIV+ but do bareback porn will also use PrEP..... So the single answer to the question would be no... It's not a culprit for AIDS.
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Blaming BB porn for the AIDS virus is like blaming murder in movies for causing murders in real life.
If your watching porn and then going out and barebacking without giving thought to the dangers of it then your stupid.
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seaguy11 you are sooo right.. but it seems some people around here think that people are total idiots and will reproduce any thing they see on a screen ( same thing about dumb fetish role playing) therefore censorship aka totalitarianism is the key. I guess theses guys are from fourth world or third world countries so of course to us that kind of ideas sounds very retarded:) :hug2:
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Is bareback videos a culprit for AIDS?
Firstly I am going to assume you mean:
Are bareback videos a culprit for the spread of HIV?I know its pedantic but misinformation about HIV and AIDS is a serious problem. Its important that we make sure that we don't confuse things. On to the actual question. IMO yes they are a culprit simply because they play a part.
Most people are almost scared to admit that bareback sex is natural. I personally find it difficult to cum when I am wearing a condom. I actively seek out specialist condoms that still feel good. In my current lifestyle, sex is essentially a kind-of-rare treat to be enjoyed. A condom gets in the way of that enjoyment. I still will wear one as they are a necessity but the temptation is always there.
Watching bareack strengthens my mindset that I am missing out on "better" sex and the temptation is all the worse for it. -
I guess because most of this dialogue happened a couple years ago, that the "Prep" system of taking Truvada once a day when you are negative will keep you from becoming positive. It's still not being used widely in areas that should. I lived in LA for many years and anyone in the porn industry now that is actively working I'm sure knows about it. I hardly ever get asked to wear a condom. (quite often a guy will tell me he hates condoms immediately. I'm poz so it doesn't bother me, I would rather not have to deal with it. I tell everyone that asks if I am HIV Poz (especially as the first question) Im so done with the obsessing over who is and isn't poz. I find that smaller cities that have a lot more shame and fear over the disease are the areas where people are not informed.
And that post that teens don't think it's a problem anymore is bull shit. the 18 and 19 year old dudes Ive banged in LA seem to be very aware of how to use a condom and not afraid to tell me yes when I ask them if i should wear one. I have been in smaller towns dancing in clubs where the people who are POZ arent out about it and so people think that no one they know has it or those people must have died. I am surprized how we have so much available information easy to answer things yet the internet surprises me more how stupid some people can be. look it up!
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A few red flags in this discussion…
PREP is not a guaranteed protection...
When taken every day, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by more than 90%. PrEP is much less effective if it is not taken consistently. PrEP can be even more effective if it is combined with other ways to prevent new HIV infections like condom use, drug abuse treatment, and treatment for people living with HIV to reduce the chance of passing the virus to others.
Someone who has an undetectable viral load can still pass on HIV
Just because you have HIV doesn't mean it is safe to have Bareback with other positive people...
"Re-infection, also called ‘superinfection’, is when you are HIV positive, have unprotected sex with another person with HIV and pick up (or pass on) a different strain of the virus.This can make you sicker faster if the new strain is more aggressive than the strain you already have. If the new strain is resistant to HIV drugs, it may also stop your drugs from working or limit the therapy you take in future.
It is hard to say how common re-infection is. Recent studies suggest it may be more common than previously thought. If you have HIV you will need to find out as much as you can and make your own decision."
You can't blame porn. Blame lack of education.
I always assume if someone wants BB sex that they are HIV positive.
I never have BB sex with anyone apart from my husband, we always play safe with other guys.http://www.tht.org.uk
https://www.aids.gov
http://www.hivaware.org.uk -
You can't blame porn. Blame lack of education.
I always assume if someone wants BB sex that they are HIV positive.
You can't blame any one thing. There are a myriad of factors that affect HIV rates. It's not effective to blame one of those factors and ignore the others.
In my experience saying it's soley because of lack of education isn't correct. i'll give myself as an example.
I am HIV negative, and currently single. I have had casual sex obviously.
I am confident that I am sufficiently educated on HIV risks, treatments and facts.
If I have casual sex, I protect myself. However I have to admit that I have had instances where I have been careless/ given in to temptation/ taken a risk.In my experience that is normal. If only because the instances that it has happened is with other's that would swear they are safe all the time.
I would say I am safe 90-95% of the time. I get the feeling that is rather common.Historically, I panic afterwards and get myself checked asap but the fact remains: why do I take the risk 5-10% of the time?
Do I elevate bareback sex in mind? yes
Why?I always assume if someone wants BB sex that they are HIV positive.
That's not fair. I will admit that its safe mindset, but it certainly isn't correct.
Wide spread demonisation of the desire for BB sex will only cause people to lie about how often they do it.
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You can't blame porn. Blame lack of education.
I always assume if someone wants BB sex that they are HIV positive.
You can't blame any one thing. There are a myriad of factors that affect HIV rates. It's not effective to blame one of those factors and ignore the others.
In my experience saying it's soley because of lack of education isn't correct. i'll give myself as an example.
I am HIV negative, and currently single. I have had casual sex obviously.
I am confident that I am sufficiently educated on HIV risks, treatments and facts.
If I have casual sex, I protect myself. However I have to admit that I have had instances where I have been careless/ given in to temptation/ taken a risk.In my experience that is normal. If only because the instances that it has happened is with other's that would swear they are safe all the time.
I would say I am safe 90-95% of the time. I get the feeling that is rather common.Historically, I panic afterwards and get myself checked asap but the fact remains: why do I take the risk 5-10% of the time?
Do I elevate bareback sex in mind? yes
Why?I always assume if someone wants BB sex that they are HIV positive.
That's not fair. I will admit that its safe mindset, but it certainly isn't correct.
Wide spread demonisation of the desire for BB sex will only cause people to lie about how often they do it.
You are lucky enough to have found the elusive husband material. I assume from your wording that you have BB sex with each other. Some of us have been single for nearly 2 years. We still have the same desires as you though.
As I am sure you are aware, ALL BB sex is a risk. Including in a long term relationship. You have no way of guaranteeing what your partner is up to.
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You can't blame porn. Blame lack of education.
I always assume if someone wants BB sex that they are HIV positive.
You can't blame any one thing. There are a myriad of factors that affect HIV rates. It's not effective to blame one of those factors and ignore the others.
In my experience saying it's soley because of lack of education isn't correct. i'll give myself as an example.
I am HIV negative, and currently single. I have had casual sex obviously.
I am confident that I am sufficiently educated on HIV risks, treatments and facts.
If I have casual sex, I protect myself. However I have to admit that I have had instances where I have been careless/ given in to temptation/ taken a risk.In my experience that is normal. If only because the instances that it has happened is with other's that would swear they are safe all the time.
I would say I am safe 90-95% of the time. I get the feeling that is rather common.Historically, I panic afterwards and get myself checked asap but the fact remains: why do I take the risk 5-10% of the time?
Do I elevate bareback sex in mind? yes
Why?I always assume if someone wants BB sex that they are HIV positive.
That's not fair. I will admit that its safe mindset, but it certainly isn't correct.
Wide spread demonisation of the desire for BB sex will only cause people to lie about how often they do it.
I didn't say that if someone wanted BB sex they were positive, it just means that I "assume" they are, I am not demonising anyone, it's my method to staying safe.
You have to ask yourself, "if they are willing to have BB with me and know nothing about me then how many other people have they had BB sex with"
Of course it isn't fair to judge people. But rather safe than sorry… but I still sleep with them lol, I just rubber up.
Of course I have had BB with random people before (many years ago). But like you consider myself to be fairly well educated on the risks.
The reason you have "elevated" BB in your mind is because BB is the bees knees! It doesn't get better than BB. But you have to weigh up the risks involved.
Of course there is a risk with BB, even in a LTR, we both get checked every 3 months. It is about trust and after being with him for nearly 12 years I think I can trust him. We have both had BB with randoms since being with each other and we tell each other straight away. Then we keep it wrapped for the next few weeks and once the "incubation period" (Think its 2 weeks with the current testing we get.) has passed we get checked, then back to BB.
I think education is largely to blame, most people who have BB sex in my experience are not aware of the risks, 1 in 8 gay/bi men in London are estimated to be HIV positive, 1 in 20 as a UK national average. That means that last year statistically I would have slept with at least 2 men who were HIV positive.
anyhow, I don't want to argue, its just my opinion.
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I'm sorry if that came across more confrontational than intend, it's not an argument. I actually gathered that the statement for what it was.
The only thing we disagree on is that high risk behaviour is due to lack of education.
Every time I've had the situation crop up with a guy its pretty much always been a case of them actively ignoring the risks as apposed to them not understanding that they should be safe. I'll admit that there is a range in people's understanding of nuances of the risk itself but all the same, they know the overall message.
A lot people I've met use self justifications like, "Even if I get it. It's not a big deal" but when you follow up with with, "Well do you actually want to get it?" The answer is always no.
I will admit that the whole Prep thing does have people confused.
