Dads Against the Divorce Industry

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Gay Pride?
On Parade

Homosexual Men Flouting Safe Sex, Researcher Says

Tue Sep 9, 2:55 PM ET

By Jeremy Lovell
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/reuters

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - A British researcher said on Tuesday many young gay British men were flouting safe sex and trying to catch HIV

But Europe's biggest HIV and AIDS charity dismissed the claim, saying there was no evidence to support it and that it would only serve to further demonize gay men.

Melissa Parker of Brunel University said the booming gay sex pub, club and sauna scene in London had been growing since the mid-1990s, with unprotected sex with multiple partners the rule.

Catching the AIDS precursor HIV was not just a risk, it was a goal, she told reporters at the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (news - web sites).

"Being diagnosed with HIV is a badge of recognition of being truly gay," she said. "There is a sizeable number of young gay men new to the gay scene, exploring their sexuality but wanting to belong. HIV is seen as a bonus."

The combinations of therapies now available for people with HIV might even have exacerbated the problem.

"They have made HIV less frightening," Parker said.

Admitting she had no figures to support her claim, Parker said her research consisted of several years of interviews with a large number of sexually active gay men.

But Will Nutland, head of gay men's health promotion at the Terrence Higgins Trust, said the research was unreliable.

"Her assumptions will only serve to further demonize gay men," he said.

"Her comment that unprotected sex with multiple partners is the rule, rather than the exception is not backed up by evidence," he said. "On-going surveys of gay men's sexual behavior since 1997 show that most men use condoms most of the time with most of their partners."

He said that while levels of unprotected sex have increased, gay men still viewed HIV as a serious medical condition.

The Terrence Higgins Trust, named after one of the first people to die of AIDS in Britain, is the leading HIV and AIDS charity in the UK and the largest in Europe.



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