If stating the facts is "alarmist," then so be it. Give me any label you like which may make you (generic "you") feel comfortable about your own state of mind and perception of the barebacking problem within the gay community.
The way I see it, this is just MORE bullshit political correctness: "even barebackers need LOOOOVE." Fuck that shit. Barebackers are fools and they spread disease. Period.
Others can pander to the sensitivities of barebackers if they wish. I choose not to do so.
Those who are familiar with my opinion already know that I seriously disagree with this kind of liberal-love fest attitude towards the problem. If I had my way, I'd like to line up all the barebackers and parade them one by one into an AIDS ward -- let them SEE the consequences of their actions first hand. THAT would put an end to it -- FAST. Mark my words.
All this hand-holding and coddling and "gentle, crystal-blue persuasion" accomplishes NOTHING.
Keep on reinforcing the notion that topping is "safer" and therefore somehow "more acceptable." Watch HIV infection rates rise. Watch your friends suffer and die. Fun, fun, fun.
We seem to have forgotten an important point here: if just ONE of the partners refuses bareback sex, that breaks the cycle. The top is just as responsible for this as the bottom. So all of a sudden, we are giving these veiled hints based on bullshit charts and graphs to tops, letting them know that their risk is minimal, so hey, what the hell? May as WELL enjoy it and forget the rubber, right?
HOW DO YOU THINK THE BOTTOMS GET INFECTED IN THE FIRST PLACE? THEY GET INFECTED FROM INFECTED TOPS! And how did the tops get infected? Hmmm? Either from an infected bottom, from another form of sex, or from drug use, right?
Versatility -- the badge of honor in the gay community: "I do it all." Yep. And you spread disease even faster, dude. Coooool...
You know, I have to be honest here -- I'm SERIOUSLY disappointed to see ANY sort of defense of barebacking WHATSOEVER. There is NO room for tenderness here. No room for soft whispers and gentle encouragement. These stupid fucks need a kick in the ass and a punch in the nuts, that's what they need.
I used the Second Law Of Thermodynamics as an example here because it is TRUTH and it MATTERS. The Universe cannot escape the consequences of entropy -- and barebackers need to realize that they are indeed a part of the known Universe. It's not nearly as obscure as it sounds. And let me tell you something... once you have HIV, there's nothing quite like it for increasing the entropy of the closed system that is your human body. Nope. Nothing quite like it at all. It does a DAMN good job of putting an end to your own PERSONAL Universe.
If some of you desire, you can sit around a roaring campfire and sing songs with the barebackers, hold their hands and align their chakras, help them seek out their "inner white light" and get in touch with their spiritual centers. Maybe this is the best form of psychology for some of the dimmer bulbs out there.
But when you're all done with that, give me a podium, an empty lecture hall, and a movie projector. File them all inside. I'll give a talk and show a few films and maybe some slides. I'm gonna bet that after they SEE what AIDS REALLY is, when they hear the family and friends weeping at the graves of loved ones, when they see a human body stripped of all dignity and beauty, eaten away by a PREVENTABLE VIRUS -- when they SEE this and when they HEAR this -- THAT'S gonna be what they remember the longest. THAT'S gonna make them reach for that condom EVERY FUCKING TIME.
Perhaps their chakras will be nicely aligned and glowing with pretty colors, too -- and that's great. But the REALITY of AIDS will be fresh in their minds and won't be likely to ever fade away.
You know what? We don't have the fucking TIME anymore to be sweet and sensitive. In fact, we TRIED that bullshit not too long ago. HIV infection rates, after a period of steady decline, WENT BACK UP. We don't have the time to sit around and try to figure out how to be delicate about this anymore. These dumb fucks need a slap in the face -- a real wake up call.
What AMAZES me is all these folks who complain about the Bush Administration's lack of attention to the HIV epidemic -- and these are the SAME people who want to coddle and hand-hold the barebackers, leading them into some sort of New Age "EST" seminar of chanting and burning patchouli incense. The SAME people who bitch about the lack of focus on HIV in this nation are the SAME ones who want to explore the "sensitivity" of the barebackers. HUH? If the Bush Administration started putting out TV ads warning of the risks of unprotected sex, would we then complain about that as being "alarmist," too? Or is that what we want? I'm confused. Do you folks even KNOW what you want?
What steps should we take right now? What is the suggestion, then, if telling the horrifying truth is not acceptable by today's politically correct standards? Describe for me, in detail please, the process by which we should educate the barebackers. What do we do? How do we explain it to them? What is the "gentle and compassionate" way in which to drive this message home to these guys? Give me a plan of action here. I want to hear it. How do we gather them all together and teach them? What's the next move?
Utter crap. Being soft on these guys is going to result in FAR more men becoming complacent than being hard on these guys is going to drive them away.
I remember about three years ago I talked to a dude online, and mentioned this conversation here at CFS. It was the single most SHOCKING thing I've EVER heard come from the mouth of a gay man. In short, the conversation moved to the discussion of safe sex, and this man said to me, upon hearing my concerns: "I didn't know you can get AIDS from fucking."
That's right. He said it. And if ONE man said it to ME -- there are SURELY many more out there who are JUST as dumb.
Hmmm... I kind of doubt he'd respond to any sort of politically correct, liberally happy, communal GROUP HUG.
Anyway, everything I said here is TRUE:
You can play the odds, but the odds don't matter once you have LOST.
Barebacking puts you at risk for EVERY possible STD. Every one of them. No exceptions.
The cycle of HIV stops when you put on a condom.
Being at "lower" risk than your bottom partner does NOT mean you are at NO risk.
The Second Law Of Thermodynamics applies to the entire Universe, and that includes the human body.
Murphy was right.
There is NO WAY to ACCURATELY calculate EXACT odds for the transmission of HIV due to the nearly infinite combination of possible variables found in each and every sexual act. In addition, surveys based on information submitted by participants cannot be considered scientifically accurate.
These studies can give us an IDEA of risk potential, but they cannot do a damn thing to SAVE YOUR FUCKING LIFE.
Please feel free to buy me a big, red button that says "HIV ALARMIST" on it. I'll be more than happy to wear it.
And finally -- this is not a personal issue insomuch as I am "offended" if anyone disagrees with me per se. What IS offensive to me is the general notion that ANYONE in the gay community can see this deadly serious situation as something to be taken even REMOTELY lightly, defining "lightly" as being "sensitive" to barebackers (not finding HIV amusing, of course).
Free love is over, folks. These days, there is a price to pay. A HUGE price. Is it worth it to you?
What a nice message this sends to the gay youth of the world: "Barebacking is wrong, but... oh, we "understand" your desires. We are sensitive to your needs. Take a "time out" and go think about what you are doing."
Bullshit. Let's take a drive to the local AIDS ward instead. Get scared to death -- and maybe live a long time to tell others about it.
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