HIV+ Guys Have Sex...and they Enjoy it...What the Deuce?

It's been a while since I blogged about the ever controversial US bareback porn studio, Treasure Island Media (TIM).  Their latest release -Drunk on Cum 6 - focuses on oral sex, and the consumption of semen.  However, as a bareback studio, they come under (what I find to be) surprising amounts of criticism for these oral scenes.

The Sword blog posted a little blog piece (NSFW - explicit sexual imagery) with a typically bitchy (and funny) little post, introducing the embedded trailer with: 'Don’t worry, you needn’t have seen Drunk On Cum 1, Drunk On Cum 2, Drunk On Cum 3, Drunk On Cum 4, or even Drunk On Cum 5 to understand the plot.'

The film features extensive scenes of oral sex and semen drinking (or 'cum guzzling' to use the parlance), including (going off the trailer) one scene of someone swallowing the semen contents of a glass jar and also semen being drunk from a condom.

The film is familiar ground for the studio, and the title -so studio honcho Paul Morris once told me - are a tribute to the d.o.c (drunk on cum) lust letters between Paul Beckford and Kevin Dax.  Here's the Amazon blurb for that text:

'The first book of its kind to combine true erotic stories with an intimate look into the developing experiences and relationship of one adventurous gay couple. Documenting the real-life e-mail romance of Kevin and Paul, D.O.C. Lust Letters is a shockingly explicit and movingly honest glimpse into the sexual and emotional lives of two gay men. Readers can follow the writers as they cruise the wild California gay scene of the late 1990s - from San Francisco to Los Angeles and everywhere in between - and journey deep inside gay erotic haunts, from underground sex clubs and bathhouses to parks and highway rest stops. Candidly exploring the writers' passion for multiple partners, a memorably diverse cast of characters - from bi pierced punks to buff go-go boys to shy married men - populates this unapologetic paean to a world weary of safe sex.'

It is a rather wonderful book and TIM did for a time sell the book themselves, but don't seem to anymore.  You can however still buy it through various booklets such as Amazon (a good used copy can apparently sell for as little as £6.09 or as much as £335.07).  It does contextualise the use of the film title - and the appropriateness of still using it.

Anyway, on to my main point.  When I read the post on The Sword, it wasn't the blog that surprised me, but rather the comments of readers.  I'm used to blogs and reports objecting to the bareback sex for which TIM is so well known, and I've written on that before.  What astonished me was the reaction to guys engaging in oral sex, and arguably, 'safer' sex.

There are the (understandable) connoisseur conversations about the semen consumption:

Marty says:
January 7, 2013 at 6:34 pm
Am I weird? The coming in the mouth straight from the dick was so freakin hot, but the pouring from the jar and condom made me want to barf (literally) big time, so gross

sxg says:
January 7, 2013 at 7:36 pm
You’re not weird about a guy cumming in another guy’s mouth. That is fucking hot! A shame there are some studios that still don’t allow that. As far as that cup and condom, that just doesn’t look like it’s all cum, which makes it a bit sick. If it was in fact all white creamy cum, then I might have liked it a little.

J2 says:
January 7, 2013 at 8:02 pm

There’s something distasteful about bodily fluids that have gone cold. Obviously you have a mouth full of spit, but if you spat into a container then waited a while for it to go cold, it would be utterly repulsive to put that back into your mouth.

Well, fair enough.  However, the tone then changes in a series of other comments:

Eddie says: 
January 7, 2013 at 8:31 pm 
I think the best sex is the one that makes people happy and satisfied. It’s like a play where you give and receive care. I find quite impossible obtain this in a group sex. When I see a T.I.M. scene like this it’s like a bunch of men ( or even a couple ) trying to dig pleasure for themselves :’ Alone ‘ among all others. Something selfish. The fuck is more a ‘ masturbation ‘. From T.I.M., with all that HIV-bugchaising thing, sex can’t be fun and it is always portrayed as something humiliating, gross dirt, sick, sad, lonesome. They seem to be always searching for the pathetic: Do you remember the last ‘ milking scene ‘ post here? For Treasure Island Media sex is as fun as a sordid shock treatment to cure lust or… a nightmare.  

Say What? says: 
January 8, 2013 at 5:33 pm 
TIM isn’t searching for the pathetic. It has found it and embodies it. 

And:

Slyvon says: 
January 7, 2013 at 8:54 pm 
I know people have a problem with this studio, but I think the stuff Treasure Island puts out is hot! No bullshit, no star drama, just guys who wanna fuck! Usually cock sucking movies gets boring but if its TI I’ll watch it to see what they do next! 

DPS says: January 8, 2013 at 12:45 am 
I know what you mean. The facial wasting is so fuckin sexy. 

Say What? says: 
January 8, 2013 at 5:34 pm 
So are the distended bellies. 

And these series of individual comments: 

Mike says: 
January 7, 2013 at 9:50 pm 
Customers are saying how most of the loads are weak. So a bunch of nastiness with day-old jizz and the fresh jizz is scarce? Pass. MAJOR pass 

half porco says: 
January 8, 2013 at 6:27 pm 
Looks like cum mixed with poo and several HIV strains. Sexy…:s  

Nick says: 
January 8, 2013 at 10:53 pm 
Do you guys think these TIM models compare viral loads on their off time? It’s like a fun little game they play. They’re H-I-V and oh so P-C. 

OK, so it's only a relatively small number of individuals (although a high percentage of those commenting on this story),  but it reveals a fascinating - and worrying - attitude which rejects the TIM men not for what they are doing, but for what they represent.

The men are positioned as HIV+ (some of the studio performers are, some are not - as with other studios), and as such not only unappealing, but clearly who have no business featuring in pornography.

This attitude to HIV models is simply prejudice.  A culture which has largely banished or silenced AIDS death now apparently seeking to banish the visibility of HIV+ having sex.  The visual presentation of those HIV+ men having sex is evidence that such men are having sex - in this case, not even penetrative high-risk sex - and thus, perhaps they haven't quite learnt their lesson.  Perhaps, one diagnosed as HIV+ they should haul their positive arse out of the limelight?

All of which would seem to lend weight to the inclusion of an extra with the film, which features one of the performers - Mark from scene 7 - who apparently talks about his experiences and his status as HIV positive.

The old Ryan Sullivan's Island film/blog (some NSFW) (what happened to Ryan?) featured a number of guys visiting Morris and talking about being positive, and this 'extra' seems to follow in the wake of them - albeit a couple of years later.

Easy to dismiss as just another sequel, the film is on reflection not only a documentation of authentic erotic experiences, but more importantly, the representation of men - including HIV+ men - having sex, being sexual, being aroused, and experiencing pleasure.

Condom Battles and Orwellian Truth

John Manuel-Andriote is the latest to weigh in on the LA condom law battle.  He uses his article on the Huffington post website to address the issue of depictions of bareback sex in m/m films. he notes: In a 2005 meeting in San Francisco, sponsored by the city's Gay Men's Community Initiative, a group of 70 men discussed sex, including porn videos. They spoke frankly. "Twink barebacking is reprehensible, using kids, paying them to risk their lives," said Titan Media vice president Keith Webb of the growing number of porn movies depicting unprotected anal intercourse. Such films "fetishize internal ejaculation," he said.

'Several of the men pointed to Treasure Island Media's 2004 title Dawson's 20-Load Weekend as an example of irresponsible gay filmmaking for its celebration of what most rational people would deem suicidal behavior. The company's website boasts of a worldwide demand for the movie, tantalizing buyers to pony up $49 with promises of forbidden scenes of a "fresh young man" who "goes from being a barebacking newcomer to a true Power Cumdump as he takes on man after man after man."

'Treasure Island cameraman Nick Stevens defended the movie in the forum. "Our movies are for models to have sex the way they want," he said. "Why should we not film that?"'

OK, so a forum including market competitors to TIM objected to their films.  Err, well they would wouldn't they?  It's also interesting to see that TIM did engage in this debate back in 2005 and the market has meant ever more companies have re-focused to bareback production since.  This all seems to support Stevens and his assertion that it's the way folks - not just models actually - want to have sex, and the kind of sex they wish to bear witness to.

Manual-Andriote uses his piece to assert that 'safe sex is hot sex' (if you need telling something is hot, and you tried it not realising it was hot, it wasn't) and argues that 'endangering other men's lives for the sake of a fantasy has no place in the life of a truly proud gay man or in his erotic entertainment.'

The final statement is crucial in explaining the gulf between the barebackers/reckless risk takers and 'condom Nazis'/community safety activists for it pre-supposes that the films represent 'fantasy' which clearly they do in many respects but perhaps the most authentic element of the film is the bareback sex, the visible ceremonial display of semen strewn bodies and buttocks.  Yes, a film like Dawson's 20-Load Weekend seeks to place on barebacker on a  pedestal - a champion among deviants, but bareback - and TIM - more generally offer up bareback as a depiction of true desire.  If condoms represented true desire, they would arguably be embraced.

If the pro-condom lobby want to succeed in shifting attitudes they must recognise that the safety/fun equation has to shift.  Men used condoms when the risk/harm element outweighed the fun aspect.  In the modern world of HIV/AIDS treatment, that equation was re-calibrated and so too were the condom habits of men.  Draconian laws can not, and will not therefore succeed in truly removing bareback sex.  It will merely serve as an Orwellian attempt to define contemporary condom truth.

Read his full article here.

Raw Desire, Depicting Bareback Sex and Calling Out Hypocrisy

Long standing readers of this blog will know that I regularly rail against the bareback hypocrisy.  Whether it's celebrities such as Dustan Lance Black being exposed in a sex film engaging in bareback sex whilst telling others to always practise safe sex; porn 'stars' such as Chris Porter talking of his condom only stance, only to be revealed as having tried out for the notorious bareback company, Treasure Island Media - he claimed not to know they were a bareback company even though a video recording of his screen set suggests otherwise; or indeed safe sex advocates spending their day using charity or public funding to extol the virtues of 'safer-sex' whilst loving and engaging in bareback sex in private at night.  All highlight the hypocrisy which further erodes the safer sex message.

Yet now the porn blog, The Sword (owned by Naked Sword but with its own voice), seems to also be getting in the hypocrisy naming and shaming act. It may be my imagination but since the start of the new year, the blog seems to have become much more on the ball in highlighting this issue.

We started gently at the end of last year with an interview with the performer, Connor, from Corbin Fisher, performing in one of their new bareback titles (further evidence of the way the porn market - and sexual reality- is moving) (NSFW story link here)

The Sword said:  'There has been a lot of controversy over the “condomless” scenes from Corbin Fisher. Talk about the testing process and why you feel comfortable performing without the use of condoms.'

C: Our testing process is second to none. I can say for myself, since I’ve been a consistently active performer for over four years now, that I have been tested every 30 days of my life for the last four years. We are tested for basically everything, and the company also regularly has us visit and consult with a doctor prior to shoots. We also always get tested a few days before each shoot to rule out any possibilities. I’d imagine the most sterile, controlled environment anyone my age could have sex in would be our sets because of the strict testing.

TS: So is it fair to say that you prefer going bareback?

C: Put it this way…personally, I don’t like watching any porn with condoms. It just doesn’t do it for me, and I watch a lot of porn! The way I see it, porn is here for fantasy, and to let your hair down and see exactly what you want to see. So, if the danger of contracting a disease has been ruled out to the greatest possible extent, why are we worrying about it? I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say, if I could choose it all the time, porn would be sans condoms.

So, this is a sort of 'managed' shift in position.  All fine and dandy.  Companies that previously resisted bareback now embrace it on economic grounds.  Performers now talk of their desire for bareback but is this just marketing, or a revelation of authentic desire?

On 1 January, they celebrate a new bareback scene from Sean Cody - also now amazingly embracing bareback.  They wrote (NSFW story link here):

'I guess if you’re gonna do something, you might as well go balls to the wall and do it all. Sean Cody’s first bareback scene last week was nothing compared to this one, a three-way in which everyone (Dennis, Calvin, Jordan) fucks each other, Dennis gets double penetrated and then creampied, and everyone swallows cum. Happy new year! I’m glad that Sean Cody dropped the stupid euphemism (“unwrapped”) and is calling this exactly what it is: A bareback three-way starring three of the site’s best models. Unfortunately, that awful, hypocritical disclaimer still plays at the beginning'

Here's that disclaimer:

Although - like the Corbin Fisher interview - there is an emphasis on testing they put the second part in which amounts to a 'don't try this at home' kind of warning.

Next up, The Sword goes on the attack with Cody Cummings and a bareback video of him with a  woman (which they post here - NSFW).  They bitchily comment:

'For the company that has staked its reputation on keeping its performers STD free and the company that famously fired Mason Wyler after he contracted HIV, this is a wild and sexy change of pace! Of course, you can’t blame them for allowing one teensy weensy moment of barebacking to slip in when it’s hot as this, and especially when it’s starring gay porn icon Cody Cummings. Because if anyone should be allowed to skirt the rules, it’s our king, Cody. Plus, there’s the aforementioned fact that Cody is having straight bareback sex, with a woman, and everyone knows that it’s always safer to bareback when it’s with a girl. The Sword salutes Next Door Studios for giving their #1 star Cody Cummings the freedom to perform as he chooses—raw and unprotected. Fingers crossed that he doesn’t catch anything!'

Wow, it's a change of pace for Corbin Fisher, and - I think - a change of pace for Naked Sword too as they start to highlight these changes and continued hypocrisies.

As the 'gay' studios embrace bareback sex, it also creates a headache for long-standing bare backs studios such as Treasure Island Media.  They are featured in the new issue of Desert Knight News (see here - safe link) talking about their 'vision'/'mission' and this is increasingly important rather than simply defining themselves as bareback.  It's nothing new - and the message is one familiar to those who know the company well but they are now clearly putting it out there in a bid to define their niche more closely.  They do not, for example, 'make porn', they don't 'direct guys' (although some scenes suggest this does come in - especially from Liam Cole) but the Morris pure ideology is one of providing a natural habitat in which men can play and be observed.  The arousal comes in witnessing raw 'authentic' desire on display. No hypocrisy from these guys but we'll see who The Sword goes for next...

Revised 21.33 4/1/12

Condoms and the Porn Industry

It didn't take long!  I wrote yesterday in my first post of the year about bareback sex further developing as a regulatory and legal issue in 2012 - in porn and beyond.  The Los Angeles Times reports today that City Atty. Carmen Trutanich has gone to court to block a proposed Los Angeles city initiative requiring performers in adult films to use condoms on the set. His motivations make sense — he believes that the ballot measure, even if adopted, would infringe on state regulatory power and would be struck down in court; he wants to save the city from the needless expense of conducting a special election, and perhaps the additional cost of defending a purportedly unenforceable new ordinance.

The paper continues its longstanding approach of a hardline approach on the use of condoms in porn and uses their editorial to suggests that Trutanich 'back off' and allows the measure to go forward to the electorate.   It goes on to argue that:

'...sometimes cities must take the lead, even in workplace safety regulation, because Sacramento may lack the will or interest to protect workers. Los Angeles banned smoking in restaurants and bars to protect not merely the comfort of patrons but the health and safety of staff who otherwise were inhaling carcinogens each day. The move pressed the state to finally catch up.'

So, just like smoking in public, we should insist on condoms in public too is the logic.  I was opposed to smoking bans and I'm opposed to mandatory condom use, but it's clear this issue isn't going away fast.  Just like the smoking ban, what achieved prominence in LA and California could soon spread globally and transform the terms of the debate in a relatively short period of time.  Bareback studios will be eagerly watching developments in California.

Read the full story/editorial here.

Growing Old Disgracefully

As London and other cities around the UK erupted into violence in the Summer, British media as well as that around the world focused upon the youth of the nation; the feckless lazy youth, wanting something for nothing, lacking a sense of responsibility, selfish and too focused on their own pleasures.  Not like the gold old days.  Similarly, when we look at rising STI rates, it is ignorant youth, failing nee again to behave in a responsible manner.

It was therefore interesting to see this story on the BBC this morning.  At a time of mass cuts in local government, Portsmouth Council managed to shuffle enough cash together to organise a workshop for Portsmouth Residents (no outsiders allowed) aged 60 or above who wanted to find out about 'sex in later years' and would have focused on safe sex practices.  Unfortunately, the event has now been cancelled due to a lack of interest.

The event actually has a sound rationale, we know that with the development of Viagra, and a shift in culture, the baby boomer generation are not only still randy past 60, but are able to 'express' those desires, creating rising (no giggling) STI rates in this age group.  So, faced with the need to behave responsibly, and to 'rubber up', use condoms and be aware, they have decided "sod that" whilst commensurately bemoaning the young people who similarly react.   Oh well.  Read the BBC story here.

The Barebacking Apprentice

I should begin with a warning that the links in this post will be of an adult nature, so please don't click through if you're of a sensitive disposition!

So, there's yet another new bareback blog that's caught my attention. This one is entitled 'Raw Lad London 1984' and is written by a twenty-seven year old Londoner and reveals via his various profile links that he is HIV positive. His blog celebrates slutdom, semen and bareback sex and he states that 'The Guy I’m Aiming To Be Like!' is Josh (Confessions of a Bareback Sauna Slut) who I've previously blogged about.

However, whilst Josh has been unusual in revealing his life - and face - on the Internet, providing a visual context to his barebacking, he remains (perhaps surprisingly) HIV negative. In contrast, RLW84 or 'Jay' sets out his positive status but choosing to define himself by a raw barebacker identity rather than as 'positive'. These labels are defined separately, although they clearly overlap. He writes:

'1. Yes, Im HIV Positive. I am open about it and its not a problem, not on meds, and still healthy. I do not want to discuss my HIV status here tho and I do not see it having a place in this blog. You’re status is not important to me, but it’s important for you to know that I’m Poz'

There will be many upset at someone openly HIV positive continuing to engage in unsafe sex but his positions trikes me as a fundamentally honest one. It is a very clear caveat emptor philosophy that arguably enables Jay to navigate the English criminal law in this area and the focus upon 'recklessness' (see more here).

Jay's blog is also interesting in that it situates itself against the earlier established blog written by Josh. For those who fear that these blogs might encourage other people to act, there is perhaps something of the 'performance' that is encouraged. Jay is posting photographs and will - as his blog develops - no doubt recount his experiences. However, I suspect many of these would have happened anyway. What is perhaps different is the way that these actions are constructed by the self, and their contribution to the formation of a queer community that challenges the normative approach of society.

For those wanting to understand the beating heart of today's queer radicalism, a radicalism that directly challenges current socio-legal norms, they need to read this blog and others like it.

Sex in the Community

I recently heard rather a lot of disquiet about rising prices at San Francisco's (porn) sex shops. This relates to the price of using 'buddy booths' or video booths'. The small rooms showing porn, sometimes with gloryholes, sometimes filthy, occasionally the effective day-centre of some homeless guy and occasionally the scene of orgasmic delight. Such is the external vision of SF, that some might assume there would be some community orgasm programme, but in a very American fashion, there is a private sector option. Treasure Island Media (TIM) is currently offering the first of a new series of community 'coupons'. TIM have stated that: 'as part of our commitment to supporting our local and global sex culture, we have arranged special deal with business around the country. We will be introducing one new T.I.M. deal per week.'

You can download/print the first voucher here. It's for Folsom Gulch, one of the SF venues with apparently a recent price increase. There's no website for them but they can be found at 947 Folsom St. The venue has previously been used for TIMs 'Suck Dick, Save the World' event last year (linked to their DVD series of the same name)(pictured right) and has also featured as the scene for a bareback film. Bareback sex is also reported to take place there. Of course, the voucher scheme provides 'value added' from the porn company - you don't have to buy anything to download the voucher - and also could increase footfall at Folsom Gulch. Win win no? Of course, there is then the question of the men who will want to go there - Folsom Gulch can hardly complain if a traditionally more oral based venue becomes increasingly the scene of fucking - and bareback fucks at that. As such, it could present a commercial challenge to Mack Folsom prison - a sex club - which is an established bareback venue (although its website obviously emphasises safe sex).

It will be interesting to see what venues/deals TIM now goes for. It will also be interested if this will have any impact on the SF commercial sex scene. Ant recent visitors care to share their experiences of any impact?

Condoms in Porn

This story has been rumbling along for a little while now, but the attempts to introduce mandatory condom use in California based porn production seem to be nudging further ahead. Read the Huffington post story here. I have mixed views about the proposal. Sure, preventing the spread of HIV seems sensible, as it does to prevent the spread of any illness or disease. I think that you will see more 'home-made' porn that does not wear condoms (will the State of California prosecute them?), and other parts of the world will sit up and take notice. Elements of the porn industry may relocate to States that have failed to thus far to succumb to what has been termed 'condom Fascism' by the pro-barebackers, and other companies may relent - it will be interesting to see. It's certainly going to be one hell of a pain in the butt for San Francisco based treasure Island Media (and not in a good way). It's probably good news for European bareback porn producers.

If the proposals are successful, I do predict the next stage of argument in California will be about the 'visibility' of condom use. If people appear to be fucking bareback whilst actually wearing condoms (and some companies have already achieved this with some films), then the desire for bareback porn may to some degree be met, but this defeats the 'education' argument. If the pro-condom lobby is really only concerned about the health of porn performers they would have no reason to object. The pro-condom lobby must therefore logically push for condoms to be visible. After that, why not legislate that condoms must be shown being put on, and 'safely' removed. What about swallowing cum? This seems far more complex than those who simply advocate condom-use would initially suggest.

Drug and Disease Free Queer Culture

A came across this video via the Wyler Nation blog (Wyler is a HIV positive porn performer). It's a rather wonderful take on gay men, HIV and online hook-up sites. The language is also weirdly accurate.

Young People and Safer Sex Education

I don't know about you but I do find Charlie Brooker always brightens up my Monday. His mixture of bile and cynicism always gets my week off to a good start. I was therefore gutted to rad those dreaded words in G2 today: 'Charlie Brooker is Away.' His column was instead taken by Stuart Heritage who talked about his role with World Contraception Day and specifically the approaches that can/should be taken by sexual health workers regarding young people. It's no Charlie Brooker but it's worth a read. Check it out here.

Public Sex, a Knight and Oxford's Capture by the Whore of Babylon

One might be mistaken for believing that Oxford has come under the jurisdiction of the Whore of Babylon going off the local rag - the Oxford Mail - this week. You might argue that could be a good thing but that's one for another post...

Today, the illustrious rag features a piece on a local vicar complaining about children drunk and 'having sex' in his church yard. The alcohol seems well evidenced (like much of the country) and we are right to be concerned about this tiny minority of young people who do drink alcohol to excess underage - and we ought to work with families to address this. The sex point seems a bit more odd. No-one seems to have witnessed sex in the article (I can see how "vicar watches teens have sex in church yard" might take the story in a different direction), but the vicar comments that: "I notice the condoms in the path when I go to open up, and sometimes we pick up empty vodka bottles. You would think it would be in the summer, but it’s any time of year".

I do like the implicit idea that you can understand a 13 year old having sex outside in the summer, but the winter, now come on that's just plain naughtiness. There is no indication whether the condoms are used or not (and thus whether they are just young kids messing around with condoms or using them for sex) but at a time of sky-rocketing STD rates, isn't it great that these kids are managing their sex lives? Doesn't it perhaps show that even when pissed out of their skulls, these kids are switched on enough to think about their health and make reasoned decisions about pregnancy and/or sexual health?

Anyway, that's just a minor story I stumbled upon and you can read it in full here. The real story that drove me to the Oxford Mail (for it is not my general source of news) appeared on Pink News on Friday. It's the story of Sir Beville Stanier (only in England can we have people called that) who Pink News tells us is a 'Tory grandee' and also 'a friend of the Queen.' That's not code apparently -they mean the little elderly lady we think of as Her Majesty.

Well, Sir Beville has got a spot of trouble with some blighters on his land. TB carrying badgers? Foxes? No, it's those rampant horny men humping and bumping all over his modest 2000 acre estate. This noble knight of the realm (heaven help us) is upset at recent moves by the council to 'clear up' his site and install a new fence - which the Pink News helpfully tells us 'can be accessed from a layby on the M40.'

Apparently, it's not good enough and the blighters are returning for some nocturnal cruising. Now, one presumes this is not in direct sight of Sir Beville? If it is going on in trees one does wonder how he knows about it? Who exactly is it bothering? Why on earth are the Police maintaining a "presence" at the site, and why should Sir Beville get his way and have even more Police there? I for one suggest he dons his armor like knights of old and guards the fence himself, or alternatively digs into his presumably substantial pockets and pays for a new improved fence.

Check out the Pink news story here and the Oxford Mail story here.

Papal Falliability

There's much talk about the 'historic' nature of the Pope's remarks on condoms. Most HIV and sex campaigners seem to be welcoming the Papal acceptance that condoms are not "always wrong". The comments are indeed historic for moving, as Peter Tatchell has noted, beyond church dogma that has appeared immovable. The comments come in the form of a book interview to be published this week. Benedict commented:

'As a matter of fact, you know, people can get condoms when they want them anyway. But this just goes to show that condoms alone do not resolve the question itself. More needs to happen. Meanwhile, the secular realm itself has developed the so-called ABC Theory: Abstinence-Be Faithful-Condom, where the condom is understood only as a last resort, when the other two points fail to work.

This means that the sheer fixation on the condom implies a banalization of sexuality, which, after all, is precisely the dangerous source of the attitude of no longer seeing sexuality as the expression of love, but only a sort of drug that people administer to themselves. This is why the fight against the banalization of sexuality is also a part of the struggle to ensure that sexuality is treated as a positive value and to enable it to have a positive effect on the whole of man's being.

There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection.'

Historic indeed. Not only does Benedict accept that condoms can be used but he also chooses the example of a male prostitute. His choice of a male sex worker over a female lays open the possibility he may be engaging in a homosexual act as well as recognising that men are sex workers as well as women.

That said, let's not get too carried away. This is a "last resort". There is also an implicit idea in Benedict's comments that condom usage is a persona turning point - a moment when one turns a life around. The choice of a male sex worker is therefore significant for another reason - this is in Benedicts the most wretched of individuals. A homosexual (bad), having sex (v.bad), for money (vv.bad) who has HIV (a consequence of his 'evil' activity) who now stops that activity and begins to set his life on a different track.

Put in terms of orthodox Papal thinking, the comments are therefore entirely logic, and perhaps offer less hope to liberal minded members of the church and church-watchers than might first seem to be the case.

Take One Penis and Add Condom...(and don't mention the shit thing)

The latest issue of GT carries a piece on having better anal sex or so it might seem on first glance. The piece is entitled 'Be a Better Bottom' and is written by Shaun Evelyn who talks to Gordon from the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT). The piece channels the campaigns that GMFA has been long running nationally. This very issue of GT includes a promotion for 'Sex: The Sex Course' and the aim of these courses is I've always imagined, to get men through the door and open to learning about safe sex. The basic idea seems to be, tell people about sex but incorporate condom usage into the description so as to normalise condom behaviour.

Now, I've never been on one of these courses and so the GT piece is the closest I've got to experiencing this integrated approach. Perhaps if you're 15 you'll read it and take it at face value but I suspect anyone above that age will approach it with a degree of weariness. Advice such as don't douche too much, instead eat a high fibre diet is typical of the preachy high minded and utterly unhelpful advice that leads to people switching off. I don't question that it's well meaning but please? Maybe I'm not the target group and the campaign is a huge success (which beggars the question, what would condom attitudes and HIV rates look like if they were unsuccessful?)

At this point it's worth remembering that one of the great unspeakables about anal sex is shit. Still reading? The thing is, few people want a shitty dick. Douching (where a guy squirt water up his bum repeatedly and squirts it out prior to an encounter) minimises this particularly vile situation occurring (and the inevitable embarrassment that follows). One of the best reasons for using a condom is avoid the shit on dick scenario.

The other bit of advice is to discourage popper use. Poppers are intended to make your arse muscles relax (or in my case, make me red faced and feel as if I'm having a heart attack - does somewhat kill the moment), and consequently once relaxed, able to take a cock without (or with reduced) pain/discomfort, or to more generally enhance the orgasm.

It seems to me that a piece that has lines like 'lube is the slip to our slide' sounds as if it has been trotted out a thousand times on courses (I should know, I trot certain phrases out year after year). A piece that acts to entice a reader with 'be a better bottom' and does nothing but preach about safer sex will be seen by more jaded readers as a somewhat cynical move.

If we approach sex advice with cynicism, where will that leave us? It can only be a matter of time before bareback porn companies and their supporters/fans start to produce anti-condom sex advice. I have a feeling they'll face up to the 'shit question' and we may find they, like their porn, become seen as providers of a more authentic message.

Folsom Street Fair and the Bareback War: The Renegade Invasion

As some of you will be aware, this weekend sees the huge Folsom Street Fair take place in San Francisco. It's an annual event increasingly noted for its controversy as it find itself under greater media and social scrutiny and, like so many LGBT events, it has found itself wrestling with the tensions that arise with such scrutiny. A kink, alternative and rebellious event has become increasingly sanitised and safe. The open nudity and sex acts have previously come under focus with city government figures advocating tents to hide such folks from the "families" that are apparently increasingly visiting.

The official day for the event is tomorrow (Sunday 27th) but the event pulls folks into town for the weekend. Whilst the annual International Mr Leather event is a kinky event within the confines of a hotel, Folsom is an opportunity to celebrate kink identities outdoors and takes place in San Francisco's SOMA (South of Market Area) which is ordinarily a mixture of leather stores, shops and the famous sex clubs BlowBuddies and Mack Folsom Prison.

The Fair website notes that 'with over 400,000 people in attendance covering 13 city blocks, the Fair is the largest leather/fetish event in the world and the third largest, single-day outdoor event in California'. The site also states that this year (the 27th fair)

Perhaps predictably, Folsom has also become another battle scene for the ongoing bareback war. Treasure Island Media (TIM), the notorious bareback porn company has been excluded from the event for a few years but interestingly is taking action this year. They are seeking to host a couple of 'underground events'. The TIM describes their two events (one today, one tomorrow) as follows:

'So we’re having a balls-out booze party on Saturday (at CHAPS II on Folsom @3pm) and a rollicking no-rules chaotic sex-party on Sunday (at MACK on Folsom @12noon).

These events are at the same time and place as the Folsom Street Fair (from which we’ve been banned because we’re disobedient)—but they are in a different more free and radical universe: the TIM UNDERGROUND.

Come hang out fuck or blow one or two of our guys get drunk smoke pot do whatever the fuck you feel like doing'.

On the one hand, these events no doubt cater for many of the guys who love Folsom and anyone who's familiar with Folsom will be unsurprised at its involvement. Whilst BlowBuddies has long positioned itself as a safe sex club (for historical reasons which I'll be talking about in my forthcoming book, drawing on some archive evidence), Folsom is the seedier venue. Although it officially is also a 'safe sex' club, it is known for its sleazy bareback sexual encounters. It's also worth remembering that the prospect of meeting a porn performer is one thing, the prospect of being one of those giving a blow-job, fucking or being fucked by a star like Cory Koons (who is there) or other stars such as Christian (not sure but I would imagine will be) is quite another.

Such 'appearances' are undoubtedly good for business and despite Paul Morris (owner and TIM master of deviance) repeated statements that these bans boost business, a presence at these events must surely help support the business and brand awareness. This approach also helps cement their image as the 'renegades', the underground guys. It's further evidence of how utterly miss-judged, counter-productive and plain wrong the ban on bareback companies like TIM is.

Undoubtedly, Mack Folsom Prison must also have made a calculation that it is in their interest to be linked to TIM in this way and they must also be prepared to face the heat. For them, it is a very clear and open positioning of themselves as a bareback venue.

Their website, like the venue itself continues to offer the typical safe sex guidance:

-Cum on me, NOT in me.
-Don't take cum (semen) or blood into your body.
-No fucking without condom.
-No unprotected rimming.
-Fisting or fingering should be done with latex.
-Dildo and sex toys should not be shared unless protected or cleaned between uses.

Maybe they should do a new 'Come in me, not on me' poster? These events are turn is a significant moment in tracing the historical evolution of these venues in San Francisco. There very existence is a response to the legal onslaught of the 1980s against bathhouses which led to their absence from San Francisco.

This weekend, another battle is taking place in the bareback war. Once again, the bareback renegades look set to win. Whether you support, love or hate companies like TIM, the events of this weekend should cause pause for thought and reflection on how the war is faring.

Shut Your Hole

Chi Chi LaRue - the porn director and campaigner has fired another salvo in the bareback porn wars with the video below. It features various porn stars telling people to "shut your hole" or for those trying to maintain their 'hard man' (bad pun, sorry) image, "shut your fucking hole". It's a good idea but just doesn't seem to work. Unfortunately most of the performers seem incredibly wooden (sorry again) and I do fear for those who think they could be actors. A particular joy is the guy who does it in a William Shatner style - I hope this is deliberate. Watch it below.



LaRue also popped up at the weekend (and I get the impression this vid was meant to appear) at the JRL gay porn awards. It seems that LaRue was sort of set up with presenting a bareback award which she realsied at the last minute and stormed off. It seems equally possible given the general shambles of the awards that it was just bad communication (especially given what the voice over says). It led to the crazy situation of LaRue still being heard having a tantrum a little later after flouncing off and the porn performers who came to present awards were left (rather stupidly) shouting "safe sex" at random moments through their presentation (while Treasure Island Media won awards). Utter shambles. Utterly hilarious. Check it out below.

Actually presenting a bareback award to Treasure Island Media while shouting "safe sex" and a safe sex diva has an outburst behind a glittery curtain seems ever so appropriate.

Brent Corrigan Does Sex Education

Apologies to those who realise this story has been around a little while - it didn't really fit with my recent election focus so I've been holding it over. Brent Corrigan is a self described 'director, actor, performer' in the world of pornography. It seems fair to say, he has a rather large following. The 23 year old star (born Sean Lockhart - a better name in my view) is a personification of the 'twink' identity and although he was known for some bareback porn in his early days he is now a firm safe-sex campaigner. he's now joined a campaign to promote safe sex by showing people how to use a condom - literally. he's naked and shows people how to put a condom on by - putting a condom on. He does it with humour and it feels so much better than the usual naff productions we get in safe sex campaigns. This campaign - the FUK|!T Campaign also has a website that you can view here. It also has explicit content. The Campaign is Washington DC based but I'm sure other organisations will be inspired by it.

It seems a really good idea to me (although I remain critical of some safe sex campaigns - and the hypocritical and hectoring tone that characterise some in this area). I can't embed the video as that would mean I'd have to add the adult warning on to this blog but you can check it out here.