Escorts and bareback sex

[Guest Jerry]

A growing number of escorts (and gay men generally) engage in bareback sex. Most of those escorts are not the ones who seem to be most popular on this site. This trend should concern everyone who follows Hooboy's site. Here's a link to an article that focuses on the phenomenon of bareback sex but is mostly silent on the science: http://www.managingdesire.org/sexpanic/ProteaseDisInhibitors.html

 

Many of those engaging in bareback sex are HIV negative and believe that they will not be infected because of medication that they are taking. The theory seems to be that, by taking medicine similar to the medicine taken by an HIV positive person, a person can fearlessly engage in what would otherwise be unsafe sex. I realize that my understanding of the theory is a bit rough. I'm skeptical of the claims that bareback sex can be safe.

 

Would you see an escort who engages in bareback sex with other clients even though you plan to have only safe sex with the escort? Can you point me to any reputable online resources discussing how safe bareback sex is for those who follow the medication regimen to which I clumsily alluded in the preceding paragraph?

[Guest youngblood]

Jerry, I don't have any articles for you regarding this topic, however, it is common knowledge that engaging in bareback sex is dangerous and greatly increases the possibilty of HIV infection! If I knew that a potential sex partner, whether or not an escort, was riding bareback, I would certainly proceed with the utmost of caution.

 

REMEMBER--THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO LIE ABOUT THEIR HIV STATUS FOR THEIR OWN PURPOSES, SO ABSENT A COPY OF RECENT TEST RESULTS, YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO SURE.

[Guest leandream1]

Bareback sex has always perplexed me. A lot of evidence, especially anecdotal (think of "nearly" every positive person you know or know of and I bet he was a bottom) if anecdotal evidence counts at all, points to bottoms being at the most risk for HIV infection, other infections not withstanding-resulting from bareback sex. WHEEW, long run-on sentence, sorry. Anyway, given the evidence I would have thought that a bottom would be especially careful about engaging in receptive bareback sex. Wrong. I have had several bottoms pull the condom off my dick during intercourse when they thougt I wouldn't notice what they were doing, I did immediately. AND I have had numerous people beg, one person even offered $1000 even though I dont dole out fee-based sexual activity, to put it in him w/o a condom. For the record, I am negative. But so what? Sigh...for those about to die, we salute you.

 

Tops, you are not invincible either. It seems less likely that the insertive partner while contract HIV during unprotected sex, but it's not impossible. Also, any disease you could contract, such as Clamydia, Ghonerea or other infections, will make you ill as well as prevent you from having sex or being intimate for some time.

 

One more thing (I know I always get so wordy, so that makes me seem like a know it all) at the risk of sounding like a know-it-all. Condoms don't guard you, entirely, against herpes, scabes, crabs, moluscum contagiousum etc...,and they can not protect you at all from hepatitis. IN FACT one easy way to contract hep A/B, TOPS, is by removing the condom and absent mindedly picking your teeth, or whatever, before you've washed your hands properly.

 

Be safe, BE EDUCATED, Be careful. Love ya.

 

-Hagen

[Guest REGINA]

Rod & Youngblood,

 

I couldn't agree more. Unsafe sex is just that. Far too many of my friends are being pulled to the "dark side" and just go nuts when getting plugged by sans latex. I give them my thoughts but their about as welcome as a lap dance from Nick in Atlanta!

 

There's nothing I love more that giving head, but after a very nasty bout of hepatites A (which ironically enough may have been from my one and only feast of raw oysters and vodka...don't ask, it's my story and I'm sticking to it) I've developed a taste for latex. On the plus side, I lost six inches to my waist from the isometrics of naseua; stick with stomach crunches, much less painful and you don't turn that lovely shade of yellow.

 

Seriously, unsafe sex is no different than Russian Roulette. The only difference is you discover the results much later and continually. Personally, I'm negative and couldn't be happier, and I do mean HAPPIER!

 

Stay well, stay healthy, we need you.

[HooBoy]

You can get Hepatitis from eating raw oysters.

 

HooBoy

[Bilbo]

May I spend a moment here extolling the virtues of flavored condooms? I personally like the mint, usually, though chocolate can be fun on a black dick. Banana, though, is just too much of a bad pun.

[Guest leandream1]

Hep A and B vaccines are each quite literally "a pain in the ass", but preferable to 7 days of wretching. I recommend all men who have gay-sex get vaccinated.

[Guest REGINA]

Rod

 

Probably the most important point which I neglected to mention. Both A & B can be avoided through vaccination. Unfortunately, I discovered this after a nasty bout of A. I have had the first shot for B and return for the second next week. A bit protracted, something to plan into a schedule, but very necessary.

 

If you have not been vaccinated, please take the time NOW. It's not horrible and well worth it.

 

And yes, Hoo-Boy, Hep A is transmited through shell fish, improper handling of food (i.e. a waiter has it and passes it along while tossing your salad, literally). Teachers and nursery school attendants frequently get it from sick toddlers.

 

It's only a few minutes. An ounce of prevention...

[Guest Monopolizer]

One of the hepatitis vaccines requires 2 doses 6 months apart; so anyone planning for them should keep that timetable in mind. I am waiting for my second dose!

[Guest jay]

Just some additional information guys before you rear-up for those shots; there is some utility in getting tested for Hep B & C, especially being gay guys. There are many cases where the body comes into contact with and defeats the virus. In that case immunization is of no use because your body has done the job already. So getting tested before-hand may not be a bad idea.

[Guest leandream1]

Right. A doctor should say that he wants to test first. If he or she doesn't say so, ask.

[+ honcho]

Just to be contentious here, concerning "Would I hire an escort who engages in unsafe sex and is taking combination therapy" - I would not hesitate to have protected sex with anybody HIV or HIV-.

My trust in the effectiveness of "safer" sex protective measures is that it lowers my risk enough that it doesn't matter what the other guy is doing.

 

I am negative and intend to stay that way. I will suck dick, but I won't let anybody cum in my mouth. I almost always fuck with condoms on, and never let anybody fuck me who isn't wearing a condom.

 

I have occasionally let guys who I know to be HIV climb on my dick before I manage to get a condom on; I would have preferred that they let me wear one, but I think the risk to me is minimal (this has happened maybe 3 times in the past 5 years). There have also been 2 occasions where my condom broke.

 

It is a quality of life issue for people who are HIV and on medication about whether or not they choose to use protection, and I'm not going to pass judgement and say they are evil or stupid for not doing so, although it certainly does increase the possibility of more resistant strains arising.

 

If I *were* HIV , I would make the choice to avoid getting a different or possibly drug resistant HIV strain, but that is an order of magnitude different from being [bold]negative[/bold] and engaging in risky behavior, and being negative, would also not risk getting fucked bareback even taking the medications, as no medication is 100% effective.

[Guest leandream1]

Honcho, Don't bareback as a top or bottom. It's not worth the risk to you and it is not fair to your partner. Your tests only show that you were negative at the time you were last tested, not in the interim. ALSO, you can catch clamydia and or ghonorhea from barebacking as the top.

 

As many of you may have gathered by now I am not afraid to judge. Basically, we now know how HIV and other stds are spread. Anytime you don't minimize that risk you are putting both of your well beings, not to mention lives, in jeaporady. 20 years after aids surfaced, all I can say is that we know better. Nobody desrves to become sick, reckless or not, but no one should be put at unnecessary risk for someone else's pleasure either. It's bad pool. If a client insists, tell him to move on.

 

(This relates to why I find no fault with the escorts, not me, who don't kiss; they are only protecting themselves and their clients from potential nasty infections. Consider how much business an escort can lose as a result of an intimacy contagion such as strep throat. Consider how you will explain a cold sore, or mononucleosus, to your wife.)

 

More preaching from Hagen.

[Guest RO]

Though Mr. Hagen has a negative opinion of me personally, I agree and am impressed with his postings. Contrary to what he THINKS, I am not unaware OR disrespectful of his intelligence, but that's another thread.

 

The bottom line here is why are we PRETENDING to need reminding that unsafe sex is life threatening? What's this dysfunctional bullshit about further need for safe sex education? HELLO ... I thought all those sad funerals I've attended in the past 20 years were more educational than anything I ever wanted to learn. Sorry, I will not accept that anyone in any civilized place has yet to acquire enough aids awareness to know the answers to questions about bareback sex.

 

We criticize the world for refusing us the rights we deserve, but we don't afford ourselves the right to live. Are we that self-destructive? By the way, I'm not being any more critical of others than I am of myself in this post. I recently made a STUPID mistake that unknowingly could have put me at high risk for the first time in at least 10 years. Fuck!! The reality is horrifying.

 

How's that for abrasive, Rod?

[Guest Dr. DG]

Hi. I'm the real MD that has to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, but am happy to respond to medical questions.

 

I have been away for awhile, but I'm back and I wanted to clarify Barebacking.

 

Bareback sex is nothing less than sticking a loaded

gun up your ass to play Russian roulette. Hopefully

no sane person does this, but barebackers take risks

that are nothing short of dangerous in this day of

increasing resistance to antibiotics, antifungals and

anitivirals. Many of my patients who have engaged in

bareback sex now have infections from microorganisms

which were not previously identified as human

pathogens. And this observation is made for patients

who are both HIV positive AND negative. The human

digestive tract is exceptionally dirty--it is a refuse

heap of microorganisms (fungi, bacteria and viruses).

Would you eat from a dump? I don't think so. I won't

harp on safer sex practices since so many of you know

that I have gone on this diatribe before...but

please...PLAY SAFELY...use condoms and use them

properly. Oh for a thin layer of latex helping to

prevent yet another life made miserable or deadly by

an STD or incurable infection all for the sake of

having a dick up your ass? Sorry...I find that

unacceptable.

 

As for hepatitis A and B:

 

The assertions that Hepatitis A can come from

shellfish, restaurant workers and children is 100%

correct. Any form of hepatitis (A, B, C, etc.) can

lead to liver failure, cancer or death. Fulminant

hepatitis is particularly dangerous for gay men who

are HIV positive. Hepatitis A, while it has the

potential for being a dangerous infectious disease, is

generally less dangerous than its rabid cousins

Hepatitis B, C, D, E and the theoretical but potential

F. Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for gay

men. It's easy, it's cheap to do and relatively

effective. Hepatitis B vaccine series is an absolute

must for every gay man. It affords resonably reliable

protection against Hepatitis B and is relatively

inexpensive. Both vaccinations have the potential to

fail in some select patient groups, most notably those

who are unable to produce antibodies or are on immune

suppressive medication therapies. I rank Hepatitis B

as being far more dangerous than Hep A in general,

since Hep B may lead to acute liver failure or

development of other hepatitis forms. Hepatitis A can

be equally as dangerous in gay men, particularly in

patients who are HIV positive. Either way...I

recommend vaccinations against both along with

subsequent laboratory testing to determine efficacy

through titer levels.

 

I will continue to address health issues in this venue

as I am able. ALL patients with health concerns

should consult their physicians to address individual

health issues. Don't be nervous, afraid or timid

about asking your physician for information--that is

why he/she is there!

 

Dr. DG

[Guest RO]

Doc, thanks for your input. I had recently wondered what happened to you. Glad you're back.

 

There's yet another thread begging for your expertise. It concerns the risks, etc. of Viagra. You answered questions for me about this subject back in the original forum, but I think your advice deserves repeating because it's such a relevant subject, and obviously there are others with questions.

 

In addition to the questions noted on the thread, I think it would also be important to discuss the dangers of mixing Viagra with recreational drugs like Speed & Coke. Though I don't practice this risky behavior personally, I suspect one of my favorite escorts does, which concerns me. Imagine what a horrifying scene that could be ...

 

Thanks.

[Bilbo]

I haven't checked it yet this morning, so may be you have already. But if you get a chance, Doc, it would also be kind of you to drop in on the thread about butt munching.

[Guest Merlin]

I assume an escort who advertises to the public as willing to go bareback as a bottom, is already infected. I practise safe sex, but even so I would not have sex with someone I knew or believed to be infected. "Safe sex" is never completely safe.

[Bilbo]

For me, part of Safe Sex is always assuming that all of my playmates are positive. That way I remember what's at risk all the time.

[Guest Jake]

Neither is crossing the road, Merlin ... but, like the chicken, sometimes I just have to get to the other side. The first time someone I was having sex with told me he was positive, I freaked. Since then, I've made it my business to learn as much as I can about safer sex. I agree that I assume a risk of some kind, but I must say that if I hadn't taken that chance I would have missed meeting some of my dearest and most cherished friends. My life has been immeasureably added to by their existence.

[Guest Dr. DG]

Barebacking, Viagra, Poppers, Speed, Cocaine and Buttmunching

 

Thanks RO! It is nice to be back...I have been enjoying the company of my new boyfriend. We just moved in together, so please forgive my absence!

 

Viagra should not be used with speed, cocaine or poppers since dangerously low blood pressure (hypotension) or rapid heart beat (tachycardia) could kill you. Speed, cocaine and poppers all exaggerate the effects of Viagra and may lead to cardiovascular collapse. It's that simple...don't use them together. Although I love sex...I never met a piece of ass that was worth dying for...I'd rather live to enjoy more ass!

 

As far as barebacking, see my comments above.

 

As for buttmunching...yes...it is very dangerous because it is an efficient pathway for hepatitis, HIV and bacterial pathogens. Safer sex techniques address rimming and should be used consistently as well as condoms for oral:genital or anal:genital contact. I do not advocate rimming without use of a dental dam or other efficient barrier to help prevent STDs. I know of no other way to make this activity safer. Even with hepatitis A and B vaccines, HIV and bacteria may still be transmitted.

 

I do not advocate any unsafe practices...that would violate my moral, ethical and professional responsibilities and beliefs. I care too much!

 

Thanks for listening.

[Guest Merlin]

RE: Barebacking, Viagra, Poppers, Speed, Cocaine and Buttmunching

 

Dr DG, what can you tell us about the safety and effectiveness of lubricants with Nonoxonal 9 (sp?). I understand that nothing is 100%, but it would seem to be a way to make sucking and rimming at least a little safer. And, of course starting with a mutual shower is always a good idea. Are there any other anticeptic soaps or liquods which would be more effective? Thanks

[+ honcho]

RE: Barebacking, Viagra, Poppers, Speed, Cocaine and Buttmunching

 

I'm not Dr. G, and I'm not an M.D. but I did read an article very recently (and I think it may have been in the Bay Area Report) about a study in which they determined Nonoxynol-9 may place people at *GREATER* risk for HIV transmission, because it causes massive shedding of epithelial cells. The cells grow back within 24 hours. The effect was noted first in mice and then they decided it was important enough to very in humans (the shedding of cells, not the transmission of HIV because of it, obviously!!!). (Epithelial cells are the very outermost cells of membranes like the cornea, the rectum, the lining of your mouth.)

[Guest Dr. DG]

Nonoxynol-9

 

The research on nonoxynol-9 is far from complete. Many clinical studies have demonstrated conflicting results. Unfortunately, there are no clear conclusions to emerge from these efforts.

 

Preliminary reports indicated that nonoxynol-9 may have an inhibitory effect on HIV transmission. Inhibitory in the sense of decreased transmission resulting from nonoxynol-9's biochemical action restricting HIV replication or invasiveness into human cells. No clear explanation is available.

 

I have read and seen the reports concerning this substance's ability to produce shedding of epithelial cells in the human body. It must be noted that this research was demonstrated in mice, but not confirmed in humans. Since mice do NOT get HIV, it is difficult to incorporate this theory into actual clinical practice.

 

I do not routinely recommend nonoxynol-9 lubricated condoms or lubricants for use in oral sex. However, they may be of some value for fucking, unless the above research proves otherwise.

 

The most important safer sex methods that any man can use are a condom, lubricant and a hell of a lot of education. Whether or not you use a nonoxynol-9 lubricant, just continue to use condoms and lubricant appropriately. If there is added protection afforded by nonoxynol-9, research must proven this assertion in a more clinically meaningful way.

 

Bottom line: nonoxynol-9 is not necessarily the most important defense against HIV, but condoms, adequate lubrication and education are!

 

As I get more information, I will update this forum.

 

And thank you so much for listening!!

[Guest REGINA]

RE: Nonoxynol-9

 

Dr. G,

 

Thanks for listening??? THANK YOU for taking the time to put some myths aside and give us the 411 on all these issues.

 

What kind of dr. are you anyway? I sure wish you were my doctor, I HATE having to lie to him all the time (I fell and hit my bumb, that's why it's sore; I sat on a traffic cone by mistake; I guess I sneezed too hard...)you get the drift.

 

Thanks again, I really like reading your posting. Big kiss XOXO