PrEP - a new bareback culture?

[LeatherGayBB]

Hello everyone, 

in the last days, after reading a lot of threats and posts on this site, I started to wonder if PrEP created a new (more uniformed) kind of barebacker.

Let me explain: I started having bareback sex a few years before PrEP was available. I made the conscious decision to only have bareback sex with all the risks involved. I knew what I could expect and was prepared. As I read through this forum a lot of you state the same, that they decided it with a complete understanding what bareback sex means.

Nowadays,  I have the feeling a lot of guys think PrEP is the magic potion to fuck raw without any consequences. I had discussions with friends, that say someone who is on PrEP couldn't give them any STD/STI as they get tested regularly. They always get shocked, when I tell them I got my first STD while on PrEP because I started to enjoy more riskier stuff. They usually call me, when it is their turn for their first STD/STI, as I would know what to do (while it's always the same answer: go see a doctor). I feel there is a real lack of knowledge and a lot of uninformed decision making.

So, I was wondering if you have the same experiences and if so, do you think this is a kind of barebacking culture different to the time before PrEP? 

 

[EuroMusk76]

Barebacking culture has definitely changed with the arrival of PrEP: doing it raw has certainly become mainstream. Before it was niche for the adventurous, the careless, the inebriated & the ones in 'committed relationships'.

People thinking that PrEP will ward off all diseases is just dumb. Most guys should know there's a residual risk of contracting HIV & all other STIs are not affected by HIV-PrEP. In my experience a lot of people are aware of that. With the advent & promotion of Doxy-PEP a good number of guys know how to prevent infection with other STIs. While people might be dumb, they aren't necessarily ill-informed.

[Rillion]

It has definitely changed the sexual norm. Barebacking is pretty much the default these days for most sexual encounters from my experience. With PrEP and Doxy PEP more guys are having raw sex and not using condoms. In the past three years I have picked up one case of Chlamydia (before I started using Doxy) and one case of Gonorrhea (at Dore Alley this year) even with using Doxy. 

[PozPigCumDump]

Indeed, the fuck culture amongst gay men has changed dramatically over the last 10 years. And it's a good thing... I think! 

And true, that there is still a lot of education to be had even amongst gay men. PrEP will only almost eliminate the risk of HIV transmission, but not other STD's. However, even before HIV era, men were having bareback sex and syphilis, gono, chlam, and all the others were still present. The thing is that with a little bit of effort all these other illnesses can be treated. A penicillin shot here and there, one or two pills for others, and we're good as new. Of course, for many having to disclose these illnesses means that we somehow have to admit to promiscuity. But let me ask a question? Who the fuck cares what the doctor or the nurse says? When a doctor tries to gives me a sermon about promiscuous lifestyle I tell them in no uncertain terms that my illness keeps them in business and to thank me for billing the system. Without me, their new car, the new carpet or new phone would be so much more difficult to buy. So that's that. 

I am not diminishing the discomfort or the complications these illnesses come with. But, let's not live our lives in fear. However, I don't live in US where the medical setup favours the rich, so I admit that insurance costs complicate things.

At any rate, PrEP did change the gay sex culture and I am happy that we're coming to a point where new infections are coming down, and people are having more uninhibited fun.