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Is London's gay scene plagued by self-destructive hedonism?


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"The hedonism of London's gay community has taken a self-destructive turn, with hardcore drug use and unsafe sex leading to levels of death and disease unseen since the '80s. Worse still, no one is talking about it.... 'All over Vauxhall they are dancing till Tuesday morning. All over Vauxhall they are taking G, K, C, V and E [that's GHB, ketamine, cocaine, Viagra and ecstasy]. All over Vauxhall they are dying.'...For years, the focus was on eroticising safer sex. Now it seems the reverse is true. Barebacking is portrayed as just another gay lifestyle choice, like living in a loft-style apartment or shopping at IKEA. "

This article goes on to report about how so many in London's gay party scene seem to be choosing to ignore the dangers involved with hardcore drug use and unsafe sex that are afflicting the gay community. Of course, it's wrong to make sweeping generalisations that suggest the entire gay community is participating in the behaviour outlined in this article. That being said, the writer brings to light a very scary reality that people should know about. Are people really choosing to ignore the reality of HIV? Why are people promoting "barebacking" instead of safe sex? Do gay men really feel that getting HIV is some kind of right of passage? What do you think about this very scary phenomenon?
abbym0308

4 responses // Is London's gay scene plagued by self-destructive hedonism?

  • I know!!!
    You would think that the epidemic would reinforce peoples attitudes towards sexually transmitted disease and safe sex.
    There is either a case heads being buried in the sand or people are tempting fate...
    ovkorrse
  • This couldnt me any more correct at the moment.
    London's gay scene has for years been consumed with a drug culture that has become almost a mainstream part of gay culture in the capital.

    A brief look through some of the gay dating websites and even search engines reveals a huge market for "bareback" erotic material. No longer an underground movement, these DVDs filmed often in developing countries using models who's image is being exploited across the world are not only endangering themselves but fuelling the idea of unprotected sex as this alternative lifestyle choice.

    The worry is that men aged 18-24 are highly likely to want to do this as the safe sex message of the 80's has worn off and men my own age are far more likely to have been influenced by the idea that condoms ruin the fun and that its not proper sex unless its bareback.

    If we dont get the message back out there we will have a generation of young gay men HIV positive with all the massive knock on effects this has for your health and life.

    I say this as a gay man. For too long we've been dining out on the stat that more straight people in the UK are diagnosed as HIV positive than gay peopeople and forgotten the basic rules of how things are...we're never going to be able to safely have sex without a condom for the rest of our lives with a casual partner. The fact that 1 in 10 gay men in London is now HIV positive is a wake up call.
    graemesmith
  • This has left me speechless...I'm appalled. I just watched a friend of mine die of AIDS and found out another friend was just diagnosed with HIV. Hardcore drug use really doesn't surprise me. It's the unsafe sex that surprises me. I would have never expected that would be a problem in a modern city.
    sjjohnson704
  • http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=13241
    Read this article from Dan Savage in response to the story that is referred to in this thread. Basically he demonstrates that the 25% figure is grossly exaggerated when discussing "bug chasing" whether it is consciously or unconsciously being done; intentional or through reckless behavior.

    We need to keep sending the message that HIV is 100% preventable by altering behavior.

    In working with others in HIV education here in Oregon the feedback I get from many of the gay volunteers in our group that reaching gay men, especially those who are in their twenties and thirties, using drugs, and having multiple sex partners are the hardest group to reach. We need to have stronger and bolder advertising campaigns directed at these communities in order to get their attention.
    jubal

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