Serosorting and sex clubs - Mark King's video blog takes us there

"Ever taken a guided tour of a gay men's sex club? Brace yourself," says Mark King. In his latest video blog entry, Mark gets a personal look at what these clubs are all about -- and dives into the controversial topic of whether it's OK for someone with HIV to have unprotected sex, as long as it's with someone else who's HIV positive.




When I was sleeping around, I gladly shared my HIV status because I preferred other poz partners. It meant less anxiety and probably unprotected sex, which I preferred. While my sex partner count has been reduced to 1 these days, it turns out my former sexual strategy has a name: serosorting. Seeking out partners who share your HIV status.

In one of life's ironies, I remember alarmists in the 80s suggesting that HIV-positive people be sent to an island or otherwise segregated so as not to infect others. Today, many gay men are essentially doing just that, by limiting sex to other poz men.

It's risk reduction in an epidemiological sense, but does it simply allow for risky sex that might promote other STDs? And what of the more psychological effect, that is, limiting our bodies (and our hearts) to only those "similarly afflicted"?

I'll tell you where I stand. Any practice that a) promotes HIV disclosure to partners, and b) reduces the chance of infecting an HIV-negative person, is fine by me. Yes, people lie. But as a general practice I believe it is solid risk reduction.

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Source - The Body.com