San Francisco Chronicle - Monday, September 14, 1992

Jack is a married father, with his second child on the way. At the weekend party, Jack had unsafe sex with other men.

"The setting went further than I thought it would go," said Jack, a 37-year-old bisexual architect, who did not want his full name used.

His telephone call was to a University of Washington research project offering free, anonymous group telephone counseling to gay and bisexual men who are trying to stop engaging in sex practices that can spread AIDS. Several San Francisco AIDS organizations have praised the counseling service, called Project Aries, which is available by calling a free number: (800) 999-7511. Clients include men from San Francisco to New York.

ANONYMOUS PROTECTION

"What we're hoping," said Roger Roffman, associate professor of social work at the University of Washington and the director of Project Aries, "is that we'll reach people who otherwise wouldn't or couldn't seek support at an in-person environment."

This includes gay and bisexual men who do not want others to know their sexual orientation and men who do not want others to know that they are not always sexually safe, Roffman said. It also reaches men living in small towns or rural areas, who do not have easy access to gay services.

"If they can get the people we can't, terrific," said Don Wohlfeiler, education director of Stop AIDS, a San Francisco nonprofit organization that provides educational street outreach and safer sex workshops to gay and bisexual men. "We know there are a number of men who would never come and sit in a room with other self-identified gay or bisexual men." Project Aries' weekly counseling sessions last for an hour and a half and run for 14 weeks. Similar to a conference call, each session includes six clients and two licensed therapists. The goal is to create an environment where the men can intimately and honestly discuss their sexual lives.

Clients learn to identify what triggers their unsafe sexual situations. They also try to develop safer responses to those triggers. Stress, anger, boredom and loneliness can all prompt sexual situations where safety is overlooked. Aversion to condoms, shyness or the influence of drugs and alcohol also contribute. And sexual behavior can be addictive, even when it is life-threatening, specialists say.

Jack learned that anger prompted him to seek anonymous and often unsafe sex in parks. Another Aries participant, a 36-year-old high-school principal named Chris, learned that when he felt overwhelmed by job stress, he went cruising. Now, these men said, they call friends, go running, or at least put condoms in their pocket when they recognize their own danger signs.

Encouraged by follow-up interviews with clients from a two-year pilot project serving only Seattle, Roffman expanded Project Aries in April. Intended as research as well as a community service, the project is financed by a four-year, $2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

UNIQUE IN U.S.

Aries is the only program of its kind in the country, health experts say. Since April, it has received more than 1,000 calls from men located in several states and in Canada. Of those, more than 350 are participating in the project.

Although the number of reported AIDS cases is growing steadily among intravenous drug users and members of ethnic minority groups, it appears to be leveling off among gay men. In San Francisco, the number of new AIDS cases among homosexual and bisexual men reported to the city Health Department increased from 36 in 1981 to 1,776 in 1989. But the number dropped to 1,664 in 1990. According to the Centers for Disease Control, national rates reflect a similar trend.

Health professionals warn that the numbers are only for AIDS cases, not for those testing positively for HIV.

UNSAFE SEX STUDIES

A 1991 San Francisco Health Department survey of 258 gay men under age 25 found that 29 percent said they had unprotected anal intercourse within the previous six months.

"People don't understand how it can be that someone who is bright can be so stupid when it comes to sex," said Chris. "And I don't know the answer either. It's habitual behavior. You've just got to change the habit. Unfortunately, this is a habit that happens to kill people."

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1992. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1992. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .