HIV and safe sex: An introduction

[samlad]

Here on E-I, we do try to encourage people to practise safe sex. More and more (and more!), we are receiving complaints about people either requesting or offering 'bareback' sex, that is, sex without the protection of a condom.

When two consenting adults are having sexual relations, ultimately it is their own responsibility as to whether or not they have unprotected sex. The fact of the matter is that if one person has a sexually transmitted infection, it will be passed on if the sex is not protected. This is something we have visited before in this thread:

(***WARNING: LINK CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES***)

"Why use a condom? And other sexual health concerns." - Click here.

The images are pretty grim, however this is the reality. There are always clients seeking the services of bareback sex, and of course, will keep asking until they get lucky. There are always escorts that also provide this as a service for an additional cost, many upon request as they don't (and cannot) list this as a favourite. It only takes one person to have an infection to pass it onto the other, and unfortunately the incubation period for some of this infections can be up to six months, meaning that symptoms are not immediately apparent.

We have seen people in the past complaining that an escort had 'given them an STI' with the usual excuse that 'the condom broke' (or whatever), trying to publicly name and shame the escort. Most of the time this is a client that wouldn't get his own way, posting this as an attempt to destroy an escort's credibility as a professional service provider. Unfortunately such low tactics blur the reality of this situation, so we do not allow these public warnings.

Nobody is immune from a sexually transmitted infection. It doesn't matter how clean a person is, nor does is matter what walk of life an individual is from; STIs are not prejudiced. This is an extract taken from a statement from Dr. Derek Freedman, Genito-Urinary Physician at St. James' Hospital during the Irish Government Conference of the Future Direction of Prostitution Legislation in Dublin, 13th October 2012:

"Well, they come from every pattern of life. Tradesmens, you know it’s always interesting, plumbers were number one in the building industry, then the electricians, then the carpenters, bricklayers made as much money but they didn’t seem to feature as well.

Interesting people, often in prominent positions, the captains of industries, politicians, presidents, God knows what. I mean look at Bill Clinton. We forget about the loneliness of people in office and the vulnerability. Tourists, travellers, stag parties, hen parties, all this arises. And we forget there are also female clients. Women go to sex tourism, to Africa, to the Caribbean, and they come in for the, "oh can I have a check-up doctor?" It covers every attitude of life, every age, neophiles, people who have never had sex and their friends kind of think they ought to be lodged. To, I think the oldest person with a case seen was 86 and his wife wheeled him in, and said to me, "Doctor, he’s been naughty with the girls at the wrong end of town.""

This is a very REAL thing that affects anyone from all walks of life.