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from Medical Issues
Unsafe Sex Practices On Rise
Among Older Gay Males
August 18, 2005 -
A report published in the Tucson Arizona Daily Star on July 18, indicates that
older gay males in Arizona are beginning to give up any attempts to engage in
safe sex.
The trend is attributed to the widespread use of crystal methamphetamines, the
Internet to easily locate multiple sex partners, and "condom fatigue."
A study of sex habits among Tucson's gay male population shows that HIV
infection rates among older gays is on the rise after a decade of decline. In
Pima County, Arizona, gays account for about 5% of the population but comprise
nearly 60% of those currently infected with HIV. Of those, 70% are aged 30 to
50.
One unidentified gay in the study stated: "Let me just become (HIV)-positive,
start my drug regime and then I can enjoy my sex life like I used to when I was
young."
According to Halley Freitas, a local medical anthropologist, about 25% of gay
men in Tucson suffer from severe addictions, depression, or other psychiatric
problems and they will never be persuaded to change their sexual behavior.
Another 25% are safe; the remaining 50% need "the right message in the right
place to change lives."
Additional Reading: "The Health Risks Of Gay Sex," by Dr. John R. Diggs.
Updated: 8 February 2008
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