Poz gay
It&#;s important to ensure our HIV and sexual health vocabulary is up to scratch to evade saying something stigmatising or simply incorrect. Here are some terms all actively sexual gay guys should know.
1. VIRAL LOAD/UNDETECTABLE VIRAL LOAD
If you’re HIV positive you&#;ve probably already heard of this. For guys who don’t understand, viral load (VL) refers to the measure of number of HIV particles in one’s blood system – the higher your viral load, the greater the risk of transmitting HIV. Though with treatment, some poz guys can lower their viral load to an undetectable level and dramatically reduce risk of transmission (if kept undetectable for over 6 months and in the absence of any STI&#;s). So it&#;s important that poz guys monitor their VL regularly.
2. PrEP
Short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP is a method where HIV negative guys take medication prior to risky sexual encounters to prohibit HIV infection. Whilst PrEP is not available in Australia yet, ACON is advocating for this additional HIV preventative tool to be made available and trial
HIV-positive men may apply &#;POZ parties&#; to reduce risk of spread of HIV, but other health risks may be involved
Sex parties where HIV-positive queer men meet for unprotected sex could help reduce the spread of HIV, but could involve a risk of sexually transmitted infections and superinfection with resistant strains of HIV, according to a pilot review conducted in Recent York and published in the October edition of Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Although the study is presented in measured language, and is precise to highlight both the potentially positive and negative health implications of sex parties involving HIV-positive gay men, or “POZ parties” as the authors dial them, a media release from the publishers of the journal used much more sensational language and led to alarmist headlines such as “POZ parties spread super strain of HIV” in the popular press.
Events such as POZ parties may depict an attempt by HIV-positive gay men to select sexual partners of the same HIV status, so-called “serosorting”. Although there has been extensive research into the sexual behaviou
In my OKCupid profile, I state (about three paragraphs in):
“On July 1st, , I was diagnosed with HIV.
I’m undetectable (which you should look up because it’s awesome). I like existence upfront about it, along with everything else. The medicine today is fantastic. My past boyfriend, who was HIV neg, never used condoms with me. He’s still neg today, and we boned a lot. A LOT.”
“Oh, and I’m a fucking amazing dude.”
Some might confuse this paragraph as shilling for bareback sex; or perhaps that I so desperately need bareback sex so as to shill for it straight off; or perhaps assuming that I’ll take it from anyone because I’m poz and no one in their right mind would own bareback sex with a poz dude but, at the same time, might get aroused assuming that I’m poz because I’m promiscuous, and promiscuous because I’m poz, as if sex is my sole vocation.
As word of my poz status continues to spread through the people, I receive more and more lusty propositions from neg guys who ponder my status connotes a subservient attitude and better skillset in the bedroom.
These propositions have b
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treetiger
I have been dealing with being HIV for 37 years. After reading this wonderful article, I once again affirmed the need to fight against HIV-shaming by our control community. It is complicated to fight though. Our local AIDS support foundation decided to do away with the food bank that had been a huge support for countless HIV/AIDS patients in favor of taking all of those donations to fund a health clinic that (allegedly) serves the entire LGBTQ community. How act we fight HIV shaming from an HIV org.?
May 27, • Salt Lake City, Utah
Robert Schantz
Peter: Thank you for writing this wonderful article. I agree with much of the content. Unless the gay community begins to practice the mindfulness surrounding HIV/AIDS, then I believe the stigma will live on until a cure is found. I too was one of those that denied that I could be concerned about HIV/AIDS until I tested positive. Now I get it. Took me a while. Again, thanks. I hope one sunlight to meet you. Robert
January 21,
Chad
I asked all the right questions. I gave a much older guy oral sex and did