i have been criticizing sullivan's rhetoric and his masculinist assumptions about "real" sex and, more broadly, the barebacking issue which i explicitly said had nothing to do with sullivan when i brought it up. i said that i didn't get the defense of barebacking --casual sex barebacking. i made that quite explicit! i have a problem with that because of STD's. i also have a problem with the way barebacking is defended in the gay community (see below, from an AIDS prevention activist) if you think that's sexual mccarthyism, well you're ...uh...kind of a goof.
the sexual practices of glbt's are not immune from the hetereosexist matrix within we all reside. there is nothing wrong about transgression. in fact, if you've ever paid attn to anything i've typed, you'll notice that i happen to agree that transgression is what makes a lot of what we do so enjoyable. duh! i was criticizing sullivan's rhetoric (the use of the phrase "real") and also criticizing the rhetoric that glorifies barebacking. this is not ecause i want an end to the practice, but because i want to point out that the rhetoric draws on and reinforces hetero/sexist oppression -- the same kind of hetero/sexist oppression that suggests that gay sex is, itself, deviant and not real sex!
Barebacking in the Gay Community by Rick Sowadsky, MSPH Nevada AIDS Hotline Coordinator May, 1999
The term barebacking generally refers to Gay men engaging in unprotected anal intercourse. Barebacking has both its benefits and its drawbacks:
The benefits of barebacking:
Barebacking simply feels better, is more enjoyable, and is more pleasurable, than protected anal intercourse.
Barebacking leads to greater intimacy between men during intercourse.
Barebacking is more spontaneous than protected sex. There is no need to bother with using condoms.
Barebacking is less expensive than having protected intercourse. Using condoms can be expensive, especially if you are on a limited income.
If both men are not infected with HIV, nor any other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), barebacking is 100% safe from infectious diseases. In this case, barebacking falls under the category of "safe sex."
Barebacking can sometimes promote monogamy. If two men are monogamous and uninfected, the ability to safely bareback gives them an incentive to stay monogamous with one another. Barebacking also strengthens the emotional ties between a Gay couple.