Has BAREBACK SEX become the new norm; the new STANDARD?

[Guest Saturn1]

There was a time when condoms (yuck!) were a part of SWEET, GAY SEX. Now, it seems that BAREBACK SEX has become the standard. Do you agree? Do you Disagree? I think that BARE SEX is BEST! Anyone out there finally just say: "fuck condoms"? Anyone out there always keep it CONDOM FREE?

[naughtycute82]

I agree, Bareback sex is the new norm. Over the past few years barebacking has been on the up, condom-use is on the down. That said, I do also think gay men have become much more educated and conscious about the risks involved in bareback sex, which makes them consciously choose bareback sex - which I think is totally fine. Personally, I'm not as condom-nazi anymore as I used to be. It's weird, I once stood in front of an IML jury proclaiming it was a good decision to ban bareback porn at that IML market. Now I'm totally the opposite. Barebacking is here to stay. People should just deal with that.

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

Not quite sure bare is the new norm, but I think we are trending that way. To naughtycute82's point, I think level of education about STI's, including HIV, is horrible as evidenced by many posts here on BreedingZone; at least here in USA.

[FatFuckPigMA]

Remember, less than 30 years ago it was THE norm. It's using condoms that is unnatural.

[cam1972]

I don't think the education level has risen where HIV is concerned. Spend a couple of hours on A4A or any site like that and you get a hard dose of reality really quick. I shouldn't be, but I'm always amazed at the responses I get to being poz. So... From where I stand, I don't think bareback sex is the new norm. Or the return to the old norm. Maybe it is just that those of us who choose to only bareback are more vocal about it than we used to be when it became taboo.... And yes.. I only bareback.

[naughtycute82]

Not quite sure bare is the new norm, but I think we are trending that way.

Trending, that's the word I was looking for! Though I think this trend is here to stay...

[naughtycute82]

I don't think the education level has risen where HIV is concerned. Spend a couple of hours on A4A or any site like that and you get a hard dose of reality really quick.

I'm quite surprised...I thought everyone got it in high school these days. Or maybe this is a difference between US and (Western) EU? Interesting...

Maybe it is just that those of us who choose to only bareback are more vocal about it than we used to be when it became taboo...

Oh yes, definitely agree with the fact that bareback cty has become more vocal. Also more visible I think, based on what I see in darkrooms and at leather/sex parties.

[fskn]

I'm going to take a contrarian position and say that bareback sex has always been the norm. Even at the height of the HIV epidemic, some of a person's sexual contact was still bare -- perhaps with a boyfriend, a trusted fuckbuddy, or an irresistibly hot trick. It's just that very few of us admitted it.

Condom use must have increased due to outreach campaigns. I imagine that it is now declining. As far as HIV is concerned (but not all other STDs, of course), the science is coming down firmly on the side of TasP (Treatment as Prevention) and PrEP. The biggest reason to use condoms -- fear of getting HIV -- is disappearing.

Bareback sex is the new norm, and was the old, if unspoken, norm.

[atlfukbud]

I agree that BB sex has always been the "norm" -- according to most stats over 80% of str8 men do not use condoms with any consistency...probably the same for gay men, although many of us keep our fuck-circles smaller and attempt to bb w/ more trusted pals these days -- wrapping your dick up in a rubber simply feels unnatural to me (like taking all of the seasoning out of food).

[slowfuck]

I think it always was the norm too, but it has been modified by fear such that most of those having casual sex wish to protect themselves somehow. There are many who will fuck bare if when both want it, but I don't get the impression it's the majority of casual sex guys by any means. The majority of guys who approach me for sex insist on condoms and get quite vehement about it. There again as most of them turn out to have wives and partners, that's another aspect to it.

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

Motivated by this thread I asked some younger guys on A4A about their knowledge about STI's, including HIV. And as I suspected, it is largely not there. Barely covered in school, and no current education (save for what one might find here on BZ).

Bare is just natural. And lack of education might account for what seems to be increase in BB sex (although I am not sure there is any change). I see more of what slowfuck (above) sees, most pushing condoms, clueless on better methods to mitigate risk.

[Cumfilledbottomboi]

Motivated by this thread I asked some younger guys on A4A about their knowledge about STI's, including HIV. And as I suspected, it is largely not there. Barely covered in school, and no current education (save for what one might find here on BZ).

Bare is just natural. And lack of education might account for what seems to be increase in BB sex (although I am not sure there is any change). I see more of what slowfuck (above) sees, most pushing condoms, clueless on better methods to mitigate risk.

Barely covered in school because they promote abstinence only....

[VersatileBreeder]

I'm quite surprised...I thought everyone got it in high school these days. Or maybe this is a difference between US and (Western) EU? Interesting...

naughtycute82, I almost laughed out loud when I read this. Not at you, but at the thought of what sex education is like in American schools nowadays.

If you had the <insert sarcasm here> *luxury* of going to Catholic school like me, you would find that health class curriculum when it comes to STD's gets taught all in basically one class period. Almost as though they don't want to teach it, but they have to, so they try to get it over with as soon as possible. And it basically says that if you have unprotected sex, you will surely get a girl pregnant, catch chlamydia, gono, herpes, syph, HIV (or all of the above) and die. And to boot, you're a sinner for having sex before marriage, so you're also a horrible person who is going to hell.

If it's a public school like what I teach at now, it's a bit more down to earth, but the real education still is totally not there. They teach nothing about how HIV is actually spread. Nothing about HIV meds. It's basically all scare tactics to use condoms. The message is- use a condom and you won't get AIDS. Don't use a condom and you will get AIDS. Now here, everyone take some condoms...

I actually had a casual conversation with the health teacher in the school I teach at earlier this year. Without telling her about my sexual practices, I probed a bit about what they are teaching kids these days as far as STD's. She responded that it's basically all the same bullshit we learnt when we were in high school 10, 20, 30 years ago. I asked her if she knew about how much things have changed with HIV due to advance medicine since then, and if so, why are we still relaying messages from 1988 to our students. Her only response is that she would like to keep her job as a teacher.

Point taken.

[petehill]

Over the past few years I have noticed the trend towards bareback sex, particularly with the 20-25 year old guys I hook up with at the gym or pool. There is seldom mention of condoms - those that do seldom mind when I tell them I don't have any (or forgot to bring them). I don't ask about their knowledge of STD's - I just enjoy what is on offer!

[sinfuljock]

Since going bare I've only had one person say he had a condom....and when I told him he didn't need it his dick twitched and got harder before he slipped it in. No one else has even mentioned, and ages range from twinks to daddies, married "straights" to partnered gays to singles.