Thursday, Apr. 15, 2010

Bare backing backslide?

First off, let me point out that this week's column includes some Web site references and sexual descriptions that aren't appropriate for work-place computers or for minors. I've actually never started off a column with news from the adult film industry, but the recent AIDS-related death of a 25-year-old gay porn star is raising red flags across the country. Most importantly, the story is one that needs to be heard (likely by those same minors that this week's column may not be suited for). So I can only hope that you will look past the titles and notice only the warning signs that are popping up all over the place.

A posting on GayPornGossip.com (March 26) read "Chad Noel, age 25, a former 'twink genre' gay porn performer using the stage names of Donny Price & Craven Cox passed away in New York City on March 17, 2010, following a brief illness associated with complications from HIV." Other notices showed up rapidly announcing this young life being cut short by AIDS.

What? Is it 1985? It seems that the effects of a porn industry that has said "bye-bye" to the public safety endorsements of condom use that it was known for in the '90s is starting to show up. Now, risky sells -unsafe is hot again, and the dollar signs have proven it.

First off, for those of you unaware of what bare backing is -it is a gay slang term used to describe unsafe or unprotected sex, specifically anal sex between two men. The term has crossed over somewhat into the mainstream and refers to any penetrative sexual act without the use of a condom. Only after the rise in HIV/AIDS infections in the '80s did the term really take shape. Unprotected sex became taboo and remained that way until probably the mid-to- late '90s. Since then it seems to have increased exponentially. Many people attribute the rise in unsafe sexual activity to the success of HIV medications and the increased lifespan and health of HIV-infected people. In addition, the gay porn industry has almost glamorized unsafe sex and the increase of crystal meth use within the gay community has led to more hazardous behavior.

The Center for Disease Control reports that new HIV infections are once again on the rise, especially among young gay men. Last year, International Mr. Leather founder Chuck Renslow fired up a lot of people in the porn industry when he announced that the annual leather convention would not allow vendors to sell videos or other depictions of unprotected anal sex. In the letter Renslow stated, "Too many in our community believe HIV/AIDS is curable and manageable. Too few understand that HIV/AIDS infections dominate life. We believe that it is our duty to inform and educate."

A quick search of some adult blogs and you will quickly find many from self-identified "bug-catchers" who glorify how many times they've had unprotected sex. While the sites may provide fantasy for some, they can also provide fuel, especially to the raging young man who is seeking that risk factor and excitement in his sex life. I even came across the member-only site www.bugshare.net, where I found a posting from a user name "barebackteen" which stated "18-years-old here, and looking to get pozzed." (Pozzed refers to being infected by someone with HIV.)

From 2001 to 2006, the number of new HIV diagnoses in men younger than 30 who had sex with other men increased by 33 percent, according to city health officials in New York City, which has the highest rate of HIV infection in the country. The most shocking news was that the group with the fastest-growing rates of HIV infection was made up of men between the ages of 13 and 19, for "whom HIV diagnoses doubled between 2001 and 2006," according to preliminary data from the city's Department of Heath and Mental Hygiene.

Imagine the following scenario: I'm a 16-year-old kid who's never seen or even heard firsthand recount of someone who died of AIDS. Movies like "Philadelphia" and "And the Band Played On" are not even on my radar. I've never heard of Pedro Zamora or Ryan White. The AIDS epidemic doesn't mean anything to me, except it may be a question on a test in health or history class. I've accepted my homosexuality (as it's not as hard to come out among today's youth) and I'm sexually active, like most teens my age. I watch porn on the Internet and read some pretty provocative blogs about other guys who are in college having hot bareback sex with other guys. Do you really think that "18 years or over" warning stops me from logging on?

Now, if you're an adult in your 20s or beyond, think back to when you were 16 and how easy it was to be coerced into doing something you found intriguing. Think about how invincible you felt. Now add to that the fact that AIDS preventative education has decreased due to budget cuts. Your result is a disaster. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming the adult porn industry alone. I'm blaming us. The porn industry has only reacted to our own tolerance and acceptance of bare backing, much like any other corporate machine would.

So check out the Web sites I've mentioned if you wish, but do so realizing the horrific results that could come from a society that has too-quickly forgotten the seriousness of this disease. Read them and learn what is really going on out there. It's time to take off the gloves, so to speak, and get serious about protecting ourselves and our community again.

As I stated earlier this month, people across the Grand Strand are gearing up for the annual Dining with Friends event, to be held on April 24. The event raises money each year to help Careteam, Inc. provide services to HIV/AIDS infected people in our area, educate those around us about the importance of safe sex and find new ways to prevent the spread of the disease. Let's remember that today, it's more important than ever to remember how serious HIV/AIDS can be and to stop the reversal of progress when it comes to infections in our country.

For more information on Dining with Friends or Careteam, or to find out what you can do to help, call 236-9000 or visit www.careteamsc.org.

OUT & ABOUT

Throughout April - Between now and April 24, Rainbow House is having its annual Dining With Friends Taste the Rainbow event by donating 10 percent of all food sales to Careteam. Rainbow House is at 815 N. Kings Highway in downtown Myrtle Beach. For more information, visit www.rainbowhousemyrtlebeach.com.

Sunday, April 18 - Red Ribbon Friends will host its annual "Luau for the Cause," a fundraiser for Careteam's Dining with Friends, at Time Out, 520 Eighth Avenue North in downtown Myrtle Beach. This is one of the livliest events of the season in Myrtle Beach and seems to grow year after year. The party starts at 5 p.m. and a minimum $10 donation is requested. For more information, visit www.redribbonfriends.com or call 448-1180.

Friday, April 23 - Grab your singles and head out to the inaugural Ms. Center Project Pageant starting at 9 p.m. April 23 at Time Out, 520 Eighth Avenue N. in downtown Myrtle Beach. The Center Project, which closed its physical location late last month, continues to serve the Grand Strand's LGBT community through fundraising events and support, including the annual Myrtle Beach Gay Pride event. For more information, visit www.thecenterproject.com.

Have a thought, comment or Out & About event? Send an e-mail to SouthernGayWriter@gmail.com. You can also follow along on Facebook.com @SouthernGayWriter for more news and events.