Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Bay Area Reporter - Friday, April 23, 1999
Mark Norby
Stop AIDS Project released a report earlier this month conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), detailing sex practices among gay and bisexual men ranging between 12 and 29 years of age. The report is the result of 21,857 peer-administered surveys conducted by the CDC between 1994 to the present with self-identified gay and bisexual men, and show sharp rises in unprotected anal sex.
Because currently-administered HIV medications have not been in use long enough to prove the long-term effectiveness on the immune system, Stop AIDS Project is examining how the current trend toward unprotected anal sex could lead to a "second wave" of HIV/AIDS infection and illness.
"We endeavor to address the possibility of a second wave of infections," said forum organizer Darlene Weide of Stop AIDS Project, "and our group of speakers will place great focus on this theory."
"The CDC report," Stop AIDS Project Executive Director Timothy Leifield told the Bay Area Reporter, "is a clear sign that prevention efforts are needed now more than ever. Community-based prevention efforts must address the ongoing restlessness that many gay and bi men feel around safe sex."
The upsurge in unprotected sex has received wide attention in recent months, yet this report is unique in that it shows specific data regarding increases in unprotected anal sex among a generation that has not experienced infection and death in proportions relative to generations that were sexually active during the 1970s and early 1980s.
Declining rates of HIV infection and AIDS deaths is believed to have led to changes in behavior among gay and bisexual men in this age group, and success of some HIV medications and their impact on immune recovery has given rise to the belief that the epidemic has slowed, or at least taken a course where the frequency of infection is low enough that caution becomes secondary in favor of greater sexual pleasure.
"There are many indications that as the epidemic continues to shift course through advances in AIDS-related treatments, so do the sexual practices of gay and bisexual men in San Francisco," Leifield added. "We must commit ourselves to reverse this trend to prevent the loss of yet another generation of gay and bisexual men."
Leifield cautioned that the news of changing sex practices among gay and bisexual men should not be used to condemn gay men's sexuality, but rather inspire the community with information that can help develop understanding of the epidemic and the lives of those most affected by it.
"The speakers we have lined up are a really exciting group and some of the best voices in the country who deal with the complicated issues surrounding the current state of HIV and AIDS," said Weide. "The forum also is an opportunity to allow community members to talk about how they feel current prevention methods are working. The questions we want to answer are 'should we continue to address HIV and AIDS as planned?' or 'do we need to make significant changes in our approaches to HIV and AIDS?'"
The forum is free to the public and food and drink will be provided. MCC-SF is located at 150 Eureka Street between 18th and 19th streets. For more information contact Darlene Weide at (415) 575-1050 ext. 208, or James Nguyen ext. 272.
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