Special Edition FOF: Risky Business?

Aug 23, 2009 · 1985 views

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Live podcast forum on Barebacking, risk, pleasure and the influence of porn. Taped at the Center on Halsted in Chicago, August 17, 2009.

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  1. Just to reiterate, for many people, this is just the start of the conversation surrounding sex without condoms, it is not the final word. If you have any questions or insight, please leave a comment and keep the conversation going. Please be respectful and refrain from personal attacks, inflammatory remarks or general hysteria.

  2. Andy says:

    I still think sex without condom is wrong unless people who have sex got recently tested and know their status. But it is still a risk. Unless there is another, more effective way to protect ourselves against sexual transmitted diseases like HIV we should use condoms.

  3. jimberly says:

    Hey – if you wanna see pics from the event – check out the photo set here
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_pickett/sets/72157622074014612/

    Looking forward to hearing more feedback on this forum!

    • jimberly says:

      And a point of clarity – our next forum (set for Nov 11) will not “leave safe sex at the door.” Rather – it will leave HIV/STDs and anal sex at the door – and talk about other ways in which we can experience – give and receive – pleasure.

  4. MaxT says:

    Thank for this When I was working here in Switzerland on the campaign for the LGBT “marriage” in 2003 (which we won!!!) I met a lesbian now a friend. She told me about the early years of the fight for LGBT rights in our country. How she was involved with lot of other people, men and women during the 1970-1980. She told me “of all those people all the men are dead. They died because of AIDS”.
    This happened everywhere, in every city when people where talking about others it was a necrology. SF, LA, NYC… the same.
    Yes, today you can survive for a very, very long time with HIV. But AIDS is still deadly. My question is: Do we want our community to become again a necrology?

    • What kind of question is that? Say what you really mean Max.

      • MaxT says:

        Sorry I shouldn’t have said that I was questioning. That wasn’t a question, I am wandering.
        Everyone is free to do what ever one wants, it’s his/her choice. There are consequences. In this case the risk are diseases.
        In the 80s – 90s we were afraid, now with the pills one thinks one has the choice. Hell this is a choice! The medicines save your life for how long? We do not know for sure they say 40 years, but the pills are there since ’96. And honestly the pills? If AIDS doesn’t kill you, the pills will. They are not really healthy. But once you are positive, you must take them, every day, several time pro day.
        Back to bare backing: how much does it take to have sex? 5 minutes, 30, 60…? In a life time that is nothing. The risk of diseases and pay the consequences until one is dead?
        … Have to go to work, have to leave it there for the moment.

  5. Michael Valdez says:

    #fofrisky
    Fausto & Marc,

    Wow! I thought the Risky Business podcast was phenomenal! I am a gay man who has had in the past condomless sex, and sex with condoms for years. This podcast really put into words for the first time the thoughts and feelings that I have had in my head on these issues.

    Yes, what we all long for (every human being) is connection. And all the preaching about using condoms and protection does not reach the depth of the feelings and needs we have inside to connect with that other person skin to skin. HIV education and prevention is important, but we have to couple that with respect and understanding for the individual so that he/she can make informed decisions.

    I am so very glad that the panelists, who were all amazing, started a dialog on people’s innate human needs and challenges.

    Keep up the good work!

  6. Curtis says:

    You talk about “alarming” new infection rates during the intro. I have a problem with language like this when you don’t give the actual statistics. I know here in SF the Health Department has downgraded HIV infection from epidemic status because infections had DECREASED so much in the last several years from previous infection rates. I would be interested to have “alarming” quantified. It’s unnecessarily vague and carries such an air of fear around it that it doesn’t work very well in a discussion.

  7. Curtis says:

    Excellent forum guys. It’s such a fascinating and important topic. The surface of this topic was barely scratched. Every point made in this forum would be worthy of longer and more thorough examination, perhaps even a show dedicated to just that aspect…

    I don’t think barebacking has really taken on identity level status in people’s lives. I think it more realistically is just an activity or particular way of having sex. None of the people I know who bareback (and I know many) would describe themselves as capital “B” “Barebackers”. They might be willing to say they are barebackers as a way of describing what they enjoy in bed, but I really don’t think any of them see it as rising to the level of an identity.

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