There seems to be an upswing in Hep C cases in poz guys in NYC…

Researchers in New York City are reporting their work uncovering a new epidemic of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) who have HIV infection. These authors have previously reported unusually rapid fibrosis progression due to new HCV in MSM who have HIV infection and now expand on their findings, demonstrating that sexual transmission rather than injection drug use is the route of infection. Treatment is highly successful if started early in the course of infection, however, they report ominous news about liver disease progression. “This epidemic represents a new clinical syndrome for HCV infection that turns much of our knowledge on its ear: a new risk group becoming infected through a previously rare route of transmission resulting in unprecedented progression of liver fibrosis,” (Source)

Previously Hep C was almost always transmitted through shared needles. Now they’re seeing a fair amount of Hep C passed through sexual contact. So detection and early treatment are important. What I don’t understand is why they’re not worried about sexual transmission among neg guys.

So when you go in for your routine tests, make sure you get tested for Hep C – it’s not just for drug addicts anymore. I’ve always heard Hep C can be worse than HIV – so don’t take this lightly.

UPDATE: Another piece of research has been released that says that fisting is one of the primary risk factors for Hep C in men who are already poz. Basically it’s blood, not semen, that’s doing the damage.

I’ve been a little consumed by real estate stuff lately. Looks like we have to be out of our place in 3 weeks (knock wood). We’ve been looking in Harlem for a new place. I’d like to be better connected to subways (especially express trains). Right now I’m on the A train, but I’d like to have more (and better) options…

So, here’s a question for you… If you were hooking up with someone uptown (north of 110th Street) which subway line(s) would you hope the person was on? You can check off more than one.

Please don’t answer if you’re outside NYC or wouldn’t travel uptown for a trick…

Update: So I’m a little surprised the 1 train is doing so well in the poll. I’ve always hated that train – it makes so many stops. The A and the D trains skip the whole Upper West Side and are so much faster – and the A train is best for Hell’s Kitchen and Chelsea (the biggest gay neighborhoods for those of you outside NYC). My target neighborhood for when we move has always been Hamilton Heights / Sugar Hill (145th on the A/B/C/D and 1 trains), but it’s been hard finding a place, so we’ve been looking in Central Harlem as well lately. But I can see that the 2/3 and the B/C will probably result in fewer hookups. So it looks like I should continue to prioritize Hamilton Heights / Sugar Hill in our search, though my hookups aren’t going to be a huge factor in our decision.

Here’s an e-mail I received… I get a lot of questions like these, so I thought I’d share my answer and let others chime in as well…

Hi rawTOP,

I know you’re really busy (I read your blog, huge fan) so I’ll try to keep my fan letter brief. I can tell you’re a really smart guy. You don’t sugar coat your opinions, and you don’t back down from your positions. This makes your writing extremely gratifying and affirming to read. I know I can point my browser to your site, read some hot, mind-blowing posts, blow my load, and be happy for the day.

I guess that this is the problem. Lately, I’ve gotten more and more preoccupied with bb sex (reading about it, thinking about it, beating off to it). I used to think of your blog as a simple “safety valve” for these raw fantasies. But now, more and more, I’m finding myself swayed by your astute and foreceful arguments.

I guess, to get to the point, I’m hoping you’ll give me some guidance in this. I’m 22, just graduated from a really good school (ivy league) and since the job market is so shitty and my degree (liberal arts) is so useless, I’ve been escorting a bit to pay my rent, which has actually been really fun. I’m in a young, uninhibited time, and I’m plagued by hot dreams of going “all the way” as it were, taking raw loads from all cummers (generally, while vers for “professional” reasons, I’m a happy sub bottom when I’m off the clock).

In your extensive experience, do you think I should just go for it already, and maximize my fun while I’m young and carefree? Or do you think there are other factors I need to consider? I’m very curious about your opinion, since I look up to you. Do you have any words of advice?

My response…

You didn’t mention whether you were neg or poz. If you’re poz it’s simple – be a cum dumpster and have fun. There’s actually research out there that poz guys who take loads do better since their body is constantly being asked to defend against new strains of HIV. Fighting the other strains of HIV actually helps the body fight it’s primary strain of HIV and keep viral levels relatively low compared to poz guys who avoid sex or rubber up.

But I’m assuming your neg – hence the angst. Every person is different – there’s no single correct choice. There are guys for whom it’s not a question – always bareback or always with a condom is just 100% natural for them. The fact that you’re even asking the question says something, but like most of us you’re probably in the middle somewhere.

I can’t make that decision for you. All I can do is give you some guidelines… First would be to be realistic. If becoming poz would totally freak you out – don’t bareback. But also don’t pretend there’s no risk or never think about the risk. Be honest with yourself. There are ways to reduce the risk of bareback sex – but never pretend you’ve reduced the risks to zero. And whatever you do, if you become poz – don’t blame someone else. It’s your life – take control of it and own it.

Look at other areas of your life and ask yourself what sort of person you are… Do you take risks just to experience things and have fun or are you more calculated in your risk taking? Pick an approach to sex that’s consistent with who you are on a fundamental level.

These days you’ll probably live a long life even being poz, but it will probably cut short your retirement. If that’s not OK with you, then reduce your risk.

OK, this has nothing to do with gay sex, but it’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while. It’s three of The Real Housewives of Orange County trying to answer questions put to them by Jay Leno…

That’s the official version, but the full version is on YouTube and is much better…

I knew I liked Jeana best – at least she got some of the questions right. But stop and think for a moment that these women are incredibly wealthy and yet they have no understanding of history or current events, but they do vote. (I know Vicki is a staunch Republican).

And we wonder why America is in the condition it’s in…

If you’re not familiar with PrEP you should read the article in The Daily Beast. The guy who wrote the article contacted me a couple weeks ago, but I didn’t have much of anything interesting to say other than the fact that I’m completely against it…

If you’ve never heard of PrEP here’s a little history… It comes out of the concept of PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) where they give people who are exposed to HIV drugs for a month after exposure to prevent HIV from taking hold in their bodies. It’s a particular mix of the same anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) that people with HIV take. It was proven effective in hospital workers and then they started giving it more broadly to guys who had guilt after a night of raw sex.

Well, PrEP takes that a step further and thinks if ARVs are good after exposure then maybe negative guys who are barebacking regularly should just be on ARVs all the time. It’s PRE Exposure Prophylaxis.

Let me put this bluntly – you should only take powerful drugs like ARVs when you have a serious medical problem and you have no other option. Taking highly toxic drugs when you don’t need to take them is just stupid. Think about all the side effects and the damage they can be doing to your body. Developing a resistance to ARVs before you need to be taking them is stupid as well. Don’t be stupid.

Personally I think that PrEP is a product of guilt and fear. Guilt from having unprotected sex, and fear of HIV. It’s never smart to make decisions based on guilt or fear. You need to live a life where you don’t regret your decisions. If you’re going to bareback (especially if you’re bottoming), be honest with yourself and accept the risks. Barebacking is a risk/reward situation like all of the others you encounter in your life. If you can’t deal with the risk, don’t bareback. It’s really that simple. If you’re living a life you’re ashamed of, taking loads and then regretting it the next day – then I pity you… You should be getting off on the loads that are leaking out of your ass… 😉

It’s really a choice of a long life filled with fear and shame or a somewhat shorter life where you feel good about yourself and your choices, and you make the most of every moment – including every moment of your sex life. To me it’s not even something I have to think twice about. I’d rather live to 70 and enjoy the moment than live to 85 and feel like I missed out.

I’ve heard poz guy after poz guy say that becoming poz changed them for the better. While they wish they were still negative, finding out they were poz changed their outlook on life and they get more joy out of their life now than they did when they were neg. My boyfriend who died of AIDS years ago had a note on the fridge that said “Don’t Postpone Joy”. That is how you should be living your life – whether you’re neg or poz.

For some of you a life of no regrets means a life using condoms. That’s fine if that works for you. For the rest of you – embrace the risk (don’t fear it), and understand that it’s what comes with the reward of a fulfilling sex life – find the right balance of risk and reward, go forward and don’t look back… And for god’s sake, don’t fuck up your health by taking toxic meds you don’t actually need when there’s nothing wrong with you (other than guilt).

Back when Obama was running there were people who just couldn’t stand the thought of him getting elected – Obama gave them the willies. Back then I wondered out loud if racism wasn’t the reason for that type of opposition and a few of you slammed me for saying it. Well, it appears I wasn’t far from the mark and racism is at the root of “teabagger” movement that’s going on right now. It’s white people who can’t stand the idea that their President is black. We’re talking law and order, respect the commander and chief types who show nothing but contempt for their commander and chief. I’m not saying all teabaggers are racists, I’m saying that a good percentage of the most fervent teabaggers are indeed racists. The funny part is these people don’t like being called racists, yet there are almost no Blacks or Hispanics among them.

Take a look at this clip from Fox News – they go on and on about the race issue. They try to excuse it by saying “the majority of the US is white and middle and working class”, but the fact of the matter is the teabaggers are not representative of Americans…

So why is this relevant in the context of this blog? It’s because it’s all about bigotry and the same bigots who don’t like Obama ’cause he’s black (actually mixed race) don’t like you and me because we’re gay. George W. Bush won both elections because gay marriage was an issue in the campaign and the same haters who you see out at these protests are the same ones who got riled up back then. It’s not just about race, it’s about hatred and bigotry in general.

Those of you who are gay and support the teabaggers – please think twice. What comes around goes around and the hate you’re feeding on can come back and bite you or someone you care about in the form of gay bashing or employment discrimination.

The message here is all forms of hate and intolerance are wrong. (Intolerance of intolerance is a double negative and not the same as other forms of intolerance.) There is no room for intolerance in a civilized, multicultural society. If it doesn’t stop with us (a minority group), who is going to stop with? The sooner a live and let live attitude spreads the sooner people will stop being upset by us fucking in bars or sex clubs… The problem is the teabagger movement shows that’s a long way off. Many of those people aren’t going to change their minds, but their kids and grandkids might…

Honestly, when I see stuff like this I just wish New England and New York could split off from the rest of the country and form our own nation… We’ll even take Quebec!

But as they say, success is the best revenge. I’ll just keep my head down, work hard, live a comfortable life, fuck who I want how I want, and thank god I live in a generally sane place like NYC…

UPDATE…

Wow, I write the post above and then it comes out a few hours later that President Carter feels the same way. He’s saying it with the experience of someone who cut his teeth in Southern politics during huge race wars. There aren’t too many other people with his level of credibility and experience who can speak on this issue. Listen to this clip – his words are worth hearing…

I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he’s African American. I live in the South, and I’ve seen the South come a long way, and I’ve seen the rest of the country that shared the South’s attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African Americans. And that racism inclination still exists. . . . It’s an abominable circumstance, and it grieves me and concerns me very deeply.

It’s just sad our country is going backwards like this, but in thinking about it – we’ve had some rough times in our country – we’ll get past this…