28 January 16

Ending HIV

BIG FUCKING DEAL: SEX SUMS TO CONSIDER

For the guys who like their sex in multiples (whether we’re talking partners or party groups), cast your eyes over these multiple-choice gay-quations …

1 guy + 1 guy =

1. just right
2. a bit dull
3. a good start

1 guy + 6 guys =

1. a water polo team
2. just that one time
3. my kind of night

1 hook-up a month =

1. the stuff of memory
2. the stuff of fantasy
3. get stuffed – I need more than that!

 

If you answered c) to any or all of these, then chances are you might consider yourself a sexually adventurous man – or SAM, for short. You like to push the boundaries, experiment and have fun. You play hard, stay hard, party lots and with lots of guys. For you, numbers count: the more, the merrier!

There’s one pesky little number that might give you pause for thought, and that’s 35: this is the percentage of new HIV infections made up by sexually adventurous guys. However, we’ve got an equation that can help crunch that number down …

Fuck More = Test More

It’s that simple. Have all the fun you like but if you’re enjoying multiple partners, there are now a whole heap of ways to reduce the chance of HIV transmission occurring. We recommend testing for HIV and STIs every three months or more, plus every time you think you may have been exposed to HIV if you’re HIV negative. If you are positive it is important to get tested for STIs at the same rate. Find out how often you should be tested here. Testing has never been as easy as it is today. Across NSW there are GPs and sexual health services that specialise in this type of testing. In Sydney, there are four a[TEST] sites run by gay staff that offer fast, free testing with your results in 30 minutes; some other clinics can deliver results via SMS in 24 hours. You can book an a[TEST] right now  or find a convenient testing site near you.

Craig Does His Sums

“How many hook-ups have I had in the past month? Around three to four,” says Craig, one of several guys who shared their testing experiences with us. He plays the numbers game well, explaining, “Having a lot of sexual partners is why I get tested regularly.” For Craig, testing has become “standard procedure … I go every three months. Sometimes I go every two months, just depending on how successful that month was for me personally.” Peace of mind is clearly a big incentive and lets Craig get back to enjoying the fun stuff. “I look forward to knowing the result,” he says. “I go to put my mind at ease.”

Add it Up

Okay, so: Test More + Negative Result + Peace of Mind = Hot Fucking. Obvs.

But consider this: Test More + Positive Result + Early Treatment = Hot Fucking.

No, really! Of course, avoiding HIV transmission is what we are all hoping to achieve. However, these days, HIV treatment is so advanced that a pos guy on treatment has the same chance of a long, healthy life as a neg guy. What’s more, treatment reduces the amount of HIV in the body so the risk of passing it on is hugely reduced, which is good news for all guys. Considering that your viral load (the amount of HIV in your body) is very high in the first six months of contracting the virus, you can see how early treatment would make a big difference to you and the guys you play with.

Safety in Numbers

No one wants the worry that HIV might gatecrash their party, especially when testing and treatment can do so much to prevent that. If more guys get tested more often, we’ve got the chance to rewrite the stats.

Let’s come back to Craig. “What I would tell people who don’t get tested, if they are being active, if they do have multiple sexual partners, they need to care for themselves and they need to care for everyone else within the community.”

To sum it up: 1 guy testing more regularly = 1 more chance to kick HIV in the arse.

You do the math.