July 20, 2012

Dr. Chris Beyrer’s new study on HIV points mainly to unprotected anal sex as the reason for the high transmission of HIV among men having sex with men. Though this is new evidence, it is not new knowledge. As early as 1987 gay historian Randy Shilts (And The Band Played On) told the world why gay men were getting HIV at an alarming rate. Shilts attributed it to promiscuity, unprotected anal sex, and rimming (mouth-anal sex) popularized in the gay community by the book The Joy of Gay Sex. In his 1996 book, Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth, Dr. Jeffrey Satinover wrote than any type of anal sex was an unhealthy practice even with a condom. The Beyrer study does confirm existing knowledge, but only offers the same type of solutions that haven’t worked well in the past. An article on the study can be found at: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/19072831/biology-leaves-gay-men-highly-vulnerable-to-hiv-study.