Going back to the earliest days of this Message Board there's been a lot of discussion about "safe sex" and "danger" and other words and phrases associated with HIV/AIDS and other STDs. These are serious concerns and they rightfully need assessment for your sex life.

Things have changed over the years, of course, with new treatments, PrEP, and the increased number of HIV+ people over age 50 facing special issues with aging, comorbidities, and so on.

Keeping that in mind, I want to share with you an article that was in The Atlantic a few days ago, People Are Terrified of Sex.

For me, it illustrates some points I've believed in all of my adult life, and I should add that I'm 54 and came out just as HIV/AIDS was beginning to hit gay men. It's always been present in the background or foreground for me. Even though I am HIV-, my partner is a long-term HIV survivor who is increasingly and profoundly disabled from various conditions associated with HIV from the early 80s as well as life-long Type 1 diabetes.

Having said that, my view is that most people simply don't have a clue about actual risk assessment and risk management. I wont pontificate further, instead give you the first few paragraphs of the article.

There is so much more in this article, including quotes and assessment from the psychologist who led the study, a section about how study participants assessed other diseases - chlamydia and swine flu - and discussion of the larger issue of stigma.

It's not an overly long read and it's well worth the time. I encourage you to take a couple minutes to read the piece, pause and think about it, then come back and share your thoughts here.

~ Bob

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