December 2018 Issue #24 December 2018 Issue #24 CHRISTMAS | Page 118

Others have concerns about the level of honesty and clarity around a HIV diagnosis.
“I don’t sleep around and just sleep with guys I’m dating,” says Daniel, 35 from Essex.
“The last guy was someone in an open relationship and he said he was negative and
free from STIs, but there’s always a slight worry in the back of my mind that they may
have something that wasn’t detected in a test, or they may have been dishonest. I pre-
fer to sleep with someone unprotected who has been tested, but I get concerned not
everyone is as honest as me.”
And others have deep concerns about the consequences of their preference for bare-
back. Carlos is 23 and lives in Ireland. He’s bisexual, single, mostly passive, and nearly
all of the anal sex he’s had in the past year was unprotected. He worries about picking
up STIs and becoming HIV-positive. “Due to my last few instances of engaging in high
risk behaviour, against my better judgement,” he explains, “becoming positive is still
very much a real danger and it’s a lifelong disease to be stuck with.”
Darius is 26 from Glasgow. He’s single, versatile, and all the anal sex he’s had in the
last year has been bareback. He worries about picking up STIs and becoming HIV-pos-
itive. “I’m petrified,” he admits. “I think it is the fear of the unknown and fear of the stig-
ma associated with it. I am currently waiting for the results of my latest tests. I’m scared
in case I do pick something up – and it could have been easily prevented.”
118