There are many assurances we make to ourselves: “being gay is great, because we can get married or have a thriving queer community”; “I’m HIV-negative and therefore I am ‘clean’ unlike those POZ guys—sucks to be them!”; and “working out is important because it means I will get laid.”
The problem with this thinking is that none of it is healthy, and all of it is wrong (even if some guys like abs and will only fuck you if you have them).
So Daddy’s second tip is: don’t assume you aren’t vulnerable to anything, just because you believe you are the exception to a non-existent rule.
Take what is happening in Russia as an example: not doing anything is a mistake. ‘Something’ could be anything from raising awareness to raising a flag, and yet some people still don’t believe that call to action is necessary (even after all the suffering to date). This is an example of western queer privilege that has led to us taking stock of our own needs before the much more needy.
And that’s just one way to look at our queer privilege. Here’s another: When a person is infected with HIV, the Internet and life-breathers, in an assortment of fruit flavours, will refer to this person/these human people as not-clean. Why is it that when someone becomes positive, they become unclean? If lovers become lepers, where is the inspiration to disclose? When the social infection spreads from within the queer community, from people who deem themselves better or cleaner by virtue of the fact that they are HIV negative, another division—in a long line of divisions—is formed that creates boundaries to access. These are boundaries that limit what we learn about the virus–they slow progress and prevent change.
As for abs? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Do you, and love and sex will find you.
Photo credit: Justin Monroe
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I really like Daddy Mayonnaise. Will he be doing tours in America?
Diamanda Galas made a lot of stuff on this subject, “Plague mass” was very interesting and you should listen to this album if you haven’t yet. She thought tooth and nail to stop discrimination against HIV + people in the 80s/90s ,this is her musical interpretation of a text from Leviticus chapter 15 (about lepers, maybe that’s what “Daddy” had in mind when he/she wrote?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fC3sUDtR7U
I would like to know her position now that HIV is “willingly” acquired by so many people ( if you’re a barebacker, it’s usually more of a matter of “when” than a matter of “if” you have HIV), having lost her brother and many of her friends to this disease . She has moved on to other battle fields now, but it would be great I think if someone could interview her on this subject.
I think a distinction really needs to be made between being HIV+ and actively promoting barebacking in the context of this epidemic ( yes I still use that word). The latter is irresponsible and I don’t give a shit if the person gets some negative feedback for her actions.
Also, don’t believe someone who tells you he is HIV neg or “clean” ( stupid word, really) on the internet if he says it so you can bareback. Chances of him lying are extremely high and he probably said the same thing to the last 300 people he fucked with too :).People are reckless and will do anything to get laid “raw” if that’s their fantasy.
Actually I’ve found something but it’s not in english…Here is the google translation (originally in french)
http://www.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vacarme.org%2Farticle1726.html
I know most of you have never heard of her and I might be talking to myself but it’s OK I can take it :p
That video is one powerful piece of art.
I’ve faced far more discrimination from gay people than from any social conservative or religious person.
Well I wonder why!!? Maybe because you are into 13yo boys…
Or maybe he just waits to see what happens when a man of colour enters the MH top ten.
No, I based my comment on this guy’s history here, he said he was VERY much into youth (under 18, specifically).
Considering that, I doubt religious or conservative people he meets are aware of his sexual deviance.
The gay community doesn’t want to be associated with this for a very simple reason: you are taking advantage of children, and whenever a conservative tries to make an argument against homosexuals having rights, he tries to liken it to pedophilia and zoophilia.
But you know , I was gonna thumb up his comment too before I looked at the nickname who posted it. Consensual sex between adult men isn’t the same thing as an adult seeking kids who are barely starting puberty to satisfy his fetishes. This shit does not fall under the umbrella of “gay”, it’s repulsive, unethical and should not be tolerated .