On the other hand, when you look at nearly 30 years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has taken such a devastating toll on the gay community - many of whose members already fight homophobia, rejection by their families and lack of recognition by the state on a daily basis - perhaps the more appropriate question becomes: How could gay men not be exhausted by the prospect of protecting themselves each and every time they have sex? are doing so without condoms - and meanwhile, for many gay men, HIV prevention messages have become like broken records. Why are some gay men still having unprotected anal sex in the age of HIV/AIDS? Whether you're a man who rejects the term 'barebacking' as stigmatizing, dismisses the act and any conversation about it as criminally risky, or embraces barebacking as part of your identity, the fact remains that it's happening - and very few people are talking about it.Īccording to many studies, anywhere from 12 to 46 percent of men who have anal sex with other men in the U.S.
