For me, "barebacking" (or what used to be just normal sex), is a very pleasurable variant of the "safer sex" we practice in the presence of HIV. Barebacking is like Christmas dinner or a a trip to the Alps. Sometimes I will bareback a date I really like or love, other times I seek out an escort willing to bareback (as a bottom). I realize that these behaviors put me at risk and I practice them less than 2 or 3 times a year. In essence, what makes them so important is their erotic power, and I have yet to find substitute behaviors that take their place.