Barebacking - a discussion

[gyeonghwa]

There is a big debate in the gay world. And it's about safe sex. Or rather, the increasing lack of safe sex. It's a conversation that keeps flaring up among gay men. So basically there is a rise in bareback porn and many people are concerned it will be problem.

The pro-barebacking side are often from the sex positive camp and argue from the point of sexual liberty. Here is some of the key point of their side:

• Sexual activity between consenting adults should remain between those adults.
• Porn isn't reality and people should know better than to emulate porn. Condom would only remind people of death instead of sex.
• Gay men of the 1970's got to have sex without condom, so why should younger gay men carry the burden of safe sex? Straight people are also ask likely to spread STI, demanding gay men to worry about it more is unfair.
• Medical care for STI has gotten better and HIV isn't a death sentence like it was.

The anti-barebacking side comes from the view of social responsibility and protecting the gay community. These are some of their arguments:

• Sexual active individuals have a social responsibility to protect not only themselves but to others in the community.
• While porn isn't a realistic depiction of sex, young queer men often are exposed to sex through gay porn first. Hence the lack of condom in porn could desensitize them from the issues of safe sex.
• Safer sex ensures the safety of porn actors and sex workers.
• STI is still a real threat. Even if treatment has gotten better, it doesn't mean that it isn't debilitating or costly

Of course there are several things to consider in both sides of the debate. Sex education in this country leaves much to desire, especially in abstinence only areas. Queer black men are often the most demonized for STI/HIV. Incidentally young Asian men are increasingly more likely to engage in risky sex. HIV discrimination is still a big problem and there are politicians who openly want to discriminate against HIV+. Those same politicians will also try their hardest to criminalize safe sex. Slut shaming is a thing in the queer community with people assuming you're a horrible person if you caught an STI. Also, consent and communication problems also contributes to the problem.

So, what are your thoughts? I tend to say that while barebacking shouldn't be criminalized by any mean, we also bear social responsibility to curb STI. Not to makes the bigots happy, but to protect the people in our community. I mean bareback porn can be hot but then in the back of my head I remember the faces of people who were horrified when they were diagnosed with HIV. I see the value in the pro-barebacking side, but I find it too optimistic.

[Askold]

I'm not sure if my opinion counts since I'm not gay, but here goes. When it comes to porn and using condom:

a) It's also safer for the actors. I know they get screened often but whenever there is an STD spreading in the porn actor circles it spreads quickly and far before the symptoms start to appear.
b) The fact that straigth people ALSO spread STDs is not an argument. This should concern everyone. And the fact that people in 70's risked themselves without knowing it is no excuse either.
c) Using condoms helps raise awareness and concidering that people in general are morons (regardless of their gender or sexuality) and some are more likely to get their cues from porn than educated health care professional... And those people are probably the ones in most risk of STDs. So if they see porn and that makes them understand that condoms aren't a mood killer then it's mission accomplished.


On the other hand... I'm not sure if I'd go as far as banning bareback porn. Maybe some porn industry wide agreement to make porn with condoms would be enough? I do know that if I was a porn actor I would not do sex scenes without a condom...

I'm really on the edge here. A ban on bareback porn would not bother me either since I know that it would be for a good cause.

[mellenORL]

Porn is the primary source of self sex education today, since it's all over the web, and that's where the kids and the repressed closet cases are watching it. I hope that the porn industry will just stay on track and get condom use to the point where it's just as expected as shaved genitalia. It's just not worth risking people's lives to make money on the esthetic thrill of watching or doing au naturel.

[Morgenleoht]

My attitude to gay sex is the same as any other form: use protection until all partners involved have been tested and found clean of any diseases.

[Alehksunos]

If there is one thing that pisses me off a lot about the society I live in, it would be the demonization of sex outside of marriage and procreation, yet sex is glamorized fucking everywhere therefore "it's this cool thing everyone should do, but those Jamestown throwbacks like Rick Santorum want YOU to put a ring on it and make babies". That pisses me off, pisses me off, pisses me off.

Of course, I tried arguing about this to my aunt who is also anti-premarital sex and has two daughters (and these are my cousins) who have been pregnant and had their babies (the former considering abortion until she and my mother talked her out of it) and another whose boyfriend ended up being one of those "nice guys - who expect nothing from women but sex" and while I was on the defending side she then talked about sexually transmitted diseases. On that subject, I've mentioned why we have contraception and sex education, which is once more demonized here in the Texas state and our politicians, along with sexual freedom as a whole. All because of this "in the name of Jesus Christ" bullshit, which is the core philosophy of more than half of this state.

Such ignorant people, Texans and other Southerners are. I fucking hate being a Texan and even if I eventually settle into Austin I'll still be so fucking pissed off at everyone.

[Sleepy]

I don't think barebacking should be banned, but I think people should be obligated to use condoms in the porn industry, regardless of orientation.

[RavynousHunter]

I've always thought the default should be to wear protection until both sides are found to be both clean and consenting.  Personally, I'll not even consider it until I get my nuts snipped.  I'd rather die than be a father.

[Art Vandelay]

Honestly, I've got no problem with condom-less porn. Porn actors are tested for STIs and stuff like AIDS almost to the point of OCD, so there's really no risk of them spreading diseases around. That said, there's also the argument that they still should wear condoms as an example to everyone else. That argument may have merit if we were talking about ignorant and impressionable children. However, in the case of grown adults, they should bloody well know better. If they're to be trusted to vote, own a gun, drink alcohol, start a business, drive a car, join the military, run for a political office and the like, it really shouldn't be too much to expect that they know the difference between porn and a typical, real world sexual encounter.

[Askold]

The problem is that as far as I know the symptons don't show up immediately and there is a window period during which the infection might not show up on a test but the disease is transmittable. This is not such a big problem for people with few partners but for a porn actor or other people with a large amount of partners there really is a danger of the disease spreading.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/01/la-porn-stars-stds-nevada-prostitutes-study-video_n_2058406.html
http://www.covenanteyes.com/2008/10/28/ex-porn-star-tells-the-truth-about-the-porn-industry/
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/porn-actor-mr-marcus-covered-std-continuing-x-rated-movies-article-1.1143569

And then we find out that STDs aren't that uncommon in porn actors. And the fact that the industry wants to pack up and move someplace else where they won't be regulated sounds all too common from other big businesses practises.

And I realise that we have moved from just gay-porn to porn in general but I think the issue is the same in both. If condoms were only needed for contraception then hetero-porn actors would have several other alternatives to use but the STD's really are the biggest reason to use them.

[mellenORL]

Until some brilliant researcher comes up with a dream-cum-true, reliable "fool proof" bacterio-viricidal-spermicidal super lube, the porn actors should be proudly and ostentatiously using latex.

[Witchyjoshy]

Honestly, I've got no problem with condom-less porn. Porn actors are tested for STIs and stuff like AIDS almost to the point of OCD, so there's really no risk of them spreading diseases around. That said, there's also the argument that they still should wear condoms as an example to everyone else. That argument may have merit if we were talking about ignorant and impressionable children. However, in the case of grown adults, they should bloody well know better. If they're to be trusted to vote, own a gun, drink alcohol, start a business, drive a car, join the military, run for a political office and the like, it really shouldn't be too much to expect that they know the difference between porn and a typical, real world sexual encounter.

Um, we're also talking about people who are generally isolated from any form of sex education for sex between men and sex between women outside of porn.

Turning 18 or even 21 doesn't magically make you responsible and knowledgeable of all things in regards to sex.

[gyeonghwa]

The thing is that I was reading some not safe for work articles arguing that the frequency of testing wasn't enough. And it can take up to three months. There were a couple of porn actors talking about this after they came up positive for HIV. Then some studios go as far as to film in Eastern Europe to avoid frequency testing.

[Sigmaleph]

Media shapes society, to an extent. If most porn showed people wearing condoms (and I'm including straight porn here too), it would certainly make it more likely that people would think of wearing a condom next time they fuck. People who know that condoms make sex safer can still forget, or not have planned ahead, or not give it too much importance, etc. all of which are diminished if sex with condoms is the default image of sex.

Which doesn't add up to banning bareback porn, necessarily, but condom-porn is certainly more socially responsible. It would be nice if standards were such that porn wasn't bareback unless there was a strong reason for it (whatever that might be).

[PosthumanHeresy]

I think there needs to be a porn actors guild, if there isn't one yet. It should be up to the actors if they use protection.

[RavynousHunter]

I think there needs to be a porn actors guild, if there isn't one yet. It should be up to the actors if they use protection.

Hrm...that sounds fairly reasonable.  It'd also help them stay away from abusive directors and studios, helping to ensure that their voices are heard and their rights are considered.