Page 8 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE August, 1989

Men may be reverting to risky sex

by Lisa M. Keen

While the great majority of gay men have adopted safe sex practices, new studies presented at the Fifth International Conference on AIDS in June reported that a significant percentage of gay men may revert to sexual practices that put them at risk of contracting the HIV virus.

Two studies involving more than 1,000 gay and bisexual men in San Francisco found that while about 90 percent had adopted the routine use of condoms and other safer-sex practices since the onset of the AIDS epidemic, 13.7 percent said they had gone back to engaging in unprotected sex.

Maria Ekstrand, a researcher presenting the results of the studies, conducted by the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco, said one reason gay men may be going back to unprotected sex is that nearly all AIDS prevention messages today still carry a message designed to get them to make the initial change to adopt safe sex. Such messages in the gay community, said Ekstrand, probably should begin to address themselves more specifically to helping gay men maintain safe sex behaviors.

The San Francisco studies and others presented in Montreal also suggested a number of common reasons given by gay men who revert to high risk sexual practices. The most common reason give, according to the San Francisco study, is that the gay man was "turned on" by his potential partner -57.3 percent said that had been true.

Forty-one percent said they went back to engaging in high-risk sex because their

partner wanted them to. (However, there was no indication as to whether the partners in each case were long-term, monogamous companions who were uninfected with the HIV virus.)

Almost 35 percent of those who had returned to their high-risk sexual practices said they did so because they had the same antibody status as their sexual partner, and 20 percent said they changed back because they were "in love" with their sexual partner.

One in five men who reported going back to engaging in high-risk sex said there was no condom readily available when they had sex, that their sex partner was "very good looking" or that their sex partner told them he was HIV-antibody negative.

A study of 279 gay men in Australia found that more than 70 percent could describe at least one occasion during the past year in which they engaged in highrisk sex. Half the men said they did not intend to engage in high-risk sex but made their decision to do so after meeting their partner; 60 percent said they did not make that decision until after sexual activity had begun.

Peter Grant of the Victorian (Australia) AIDS Council, which conducted the study, said that despite the appearance that these decisions were impulsive ones, his study revealed that the gay men were using a deliberate process of rationalization. Thirty-three percent, for instance, rationalized that unprotected anal intercourse would be safe if they did not ejaculate into their partner's rectum – a rationalization that

WE ARE EVERYWHERE

by John Huger

Thailand-The Asian Lesbian Network (ALN) has been formed in Thailand. Supported by the International Lesbian Information Service (ILIS), headquartered in Amsterdam, the Asian Lesbian Network aims to establish a space exclusively for lesbians to meet each other in Bangkok, as well as to encourage similar groups throughout Asia.

Tang Unchana Suwannanond, the ALN organizer, recently completed twoyears work in Amsterdam with an organization called the Foundation Against Traffic in Women, counseling Thai women brought to Amsterdam for purposes of prostitution. Tang now has

returned to Bangkok to work with a women's center around prostitutes' rights and to organize the Asian Lesbian Network.

A low-cost hostel for traveling lesbians and other women is the Network's first successful project. Opened in early 1989, the hostel, called "The Ladies Lodge," provides foreign women safe lodging in Thailand and a chance to meet Thai lesbians. Local Thai lesbians also use the hostel as á meeting place.

Another major project is the planning of a conference for Asian Lesbians, scheduled for December, 1989, in Bangkok. The meeting will be for activists who want to build a supportive regional network, to share organizing ex-

Springhill Farm

LODGING* and DELUXE CABINS

*Smoke Free

Reservations Are Required

مد حبي

SWIMMING

HIKING

FISHING

HOT TUB

is not supported by fact.

Other common rationalizations, said Grant, included, "I can't be perfect all the time" or "People take chances every day." Thirty-one percent believed that using a condom would destroy the "magic of the moment."

Grant said a particularly disturbing finding from this study was that many gay men believe they can accurately judge whether a partner is HIV-infected just by looking at him.

"They would think, "This guy looks healthy' or 'He's so nice and so intelligent; I'm sure he wouldn't have sex with men unless he was safe.'

Still others, said Grant, indicated they would agree to high-risk sex with a personal bargaining chip, such as "This is my one last fling," or for reasons of low selfesteem, such as, "He won't like me if I insist on using a condom."

Studies gave mixed indications as to the extent to which alcohol use precipitated the reverting to high-risk sex. While some studies showed no correlation, a study from Chicago indicated that 37 percent of gay men directly attributed their behavior to the use of alcohol. Another 12 percent cited drugs,

while 33 percent said "passion" was the determining factor.

A study of 440 men in San Francisco found that those who continued to engage in high-risk sex were "more likely to perceive that peers continued to practice high-risk behaviors." Men who knew they were HIV antibody positive were more likely to use safe sex practices than

periences and to plan future actions. Asian lesbians from outside of Asia are very welcome. Contributions of money and material for the conference will be most appreciated.

To contact the Asian Lesbian Network, write to: The Ladies Lodge, P.O. Box 322, Rajdamnern, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. Please do not use the word "lesbian" on the envelope.

Austria-The 11th International Lesbian & Gay Association Annual Conference took place in Vienna, Austria from July 16 to 22, 1989.

Founded in 1978, the ILGA has over 200 member groups from over 40 countries.

New & Used Books

Art Literature ★ Politics & So Much More

those who tested negative, according to several studies; but, men with high selfesteem were better able to maintain those safe sex practices than those with low self-esteem.

A study of 10,000 Norwegians between the ages of 18 and 60 found that the earlier in life one began having sex, the more likely that person was to adopt and maintain safe sex behaviors.

Meanwhile, a study of 25 men by gay activist Bruce Voeller at the Mariposa Foundation in California revealed that when men do use condoms, they are frequently uninformed about which lubricants are safe.

"All 25 men claimed only to use 'water-based' lubricants, never using 'oil-based' lubricants," reported Voeller, in a report exhibited during one of the conference's four days of poster presentations at the conference hall. "Yet, 23 identified their usual lubricant as Vaseline Intensive Care hand lotion, Johnson's Baby Oil, or Nivea Hand Creme [all of which are oil-based]. Each of the 25 men believed these lubricants were 'water-based' because they were readily washed away in tap water." All 25, noted Voeller, were college graduates. The use of oil-based lubricants causes condoms to rapidly deteriorate. The 25 men whom Voeller discovered were using oil-based lubricants, for instance, reported condom breakage more than 10 percent of the time.

Reprinted with permission from the Washington Blade.

The six-day conference featured workshops and business sessions dealing with education, AIDS, lesbian identity and visibility, violence, documenting discrimination, lobbying efforts with Amnesty International, the Lesbian & Gay Prisoners Project, twinning efforts between member groups to increase memberships in poorer countries, and reports from the Latin American and Asian Information Pools.

Two groups from Mexico, GOHL of Guadalajara and Colectivo Sol of Mexico City, presented a bid to host the 1991 ILGA Conference in Mexico.

The ILGA is seeking to increase membership in the U.S.A. Organizations, publications and individuals are

Monday-Saturday, 10-6 Sunday, 12-5

Bookstore on West 25th 1921 West 25th St. Cleveland, Ohio 44113

(6 Steps Down from the West Side Market) 566-8897

Continued on Page 13

THU

(614) 659-2364

REC ROOM 5704 Highpoint Road Glenford, Ohio 43739

SUSAN & KATHY OWNERS

OVEN Productions presents

NANCY VOGL on her

Overseas Adventure Tour

A concert/fundraiser to support Nancy's year

in Spain as an International Peace Scholar

Saturday, August 19th

8:00 pm Unitarian Society on Lancashire Rd., Cleve. Hts.

DANCE TO FOLLOW CONCERT

Tickets: $6.00 at the door more if you can/less if you can't

This concert is also "A community celebration for

Susan Woodworth." After 15 years, OVEN's last founding member

is retiring. Come pay tribute to this wonderful woman!!!

Concert interpreted for the hearing impaired Childcare provided by advance reservation only

YOUR HOUSE DOCTOR

468-0720

For more information or

333

to volunteer call 321-7799.

"Call For A Free Diagnosis❞

Full Housecleaning Wallpapering

Painting Plumbing Electrical

References

RAY KEMSKI