Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
After I first saw the news brief online about the article'and my face wrinkled, hinting at my skepticism'I started asking other editors around the office if any of them knew where our latest issue of Rolling Stone was. 'Shania Twain is on the cover,' I offered, hoping for a glimmer of recognition in someone's eyes. No luck. So I quickly headed off down Hollywood Boulevard toward a newsstand to grab my own copy. As I found the title among all the other magazines I knew I was getting the issue I wanted right away. Emblazoned in a bold-blue'bordered box on the cover among the references to Missy Elliott, Bruce Springsteen, and Phish was one of the wildest things I think I have ever read''Special Report: Bug Chasers, the Men Who Long to Be HIV+.' Now, I am not at all naive. I have heard of 'bug chasers,' HIV-negative men who seek out HIV-positive men so that they can become infected. I have even read some of their rationales: 'My lover died of AIDS, and I don't want to go on living.' 'I'm tired of being worried about safe sex. I know I'll eventually get HIV, so I want to get it over with.' As a matter of fact, the issue is well-known enough in the mainstream that there was a subplot on an episode of the TV drama ER that revealed one man was purposefully trying to become seropositive because his lover was. The two wanted their relationship to be on a more equitable level. But despite this Rolling Stone article's drama factor, it was not pitched as fiction. The reporter quoted a San Francisco public-health official as estimating seroconversions from bug chasing at 25%. Stop the presses! This reporter had a story he needed to make known. But who could believe this? Of all new infections that occur each year, 25% are actually sought out? I will tell you one thing'I could not believe it. I do believe that bug chasing is also a form of fetish. Many of these 'HIV-negative' guys are in reality heightening sexual thrills by allowing the fantasy that they are being seroconverted during a sex act. It is role play. So as we started work on this issue of HIV Plus, I knew I had to explore this further. But I barely got my start trying to debunk the article when the very next day an online Newsweek report as well as a Salon.com article by journalist Andrew Sullivan ripped the Rolling Stone article to shreds. Not only had others also seen that the holes in the reporting were gaping, but when Newsweek senior writer Seth Mnookin contacted the public-health official quoted on the 25% figure and another official quoted in the article, they both denied they had said the things attributed to them. Thank goodness for healthy skepticism and for a bit of journalistic peer review. It is never wrong to debunk'or debug, in this case'the press. Rolling Stone editors say they stand by their reporter. I stand steadfast in my disbelief'along with many others. In this issue we address the flip side of sensationalism. In our cover story, on prevention efforts directed at HIVers, we talk with some of the volunteers in the HIV Stops With Me campaign. They are putting their faces before the public in several cities, reminding other HIV-positive individuals that the way to prevent infections is by not passing the virus on. We also explore the campaign by Viacom, which is inserting HIV-themed content into many of its TV and radio shows as well as books. The story lines have already begun to appear and will continue for at least the rest of this year. The goal is simple: Destigmatize HIV, yet make people aware of how it truly affects lives. Now, that is some reading that I can get into.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
The science behind U=U has been liberating people with HIV for years
June 04 2024 3:31 PM
As Pride party season begins, the CDC urges mpox vaccinations
May 16 2024 6:52 PM
Exclusive: We kiki with Q from 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
June 24 2024 11:37 AM
The freedom of disclosure: David Anzuelo's journey through HIV, art, and advocacy
August 02 2024 12:21 PM
The Talk: Thriving with HIV
May 08 2024 10:45 AM
The Talk: What HIV isn’t
May 07 2024 10:48 AM
Activist and philanthropist Bruce Bastian dies at 76
June 26 2024 1:28 PM
In honor of Juneteenth 2024, meet The Normal Anomaly
June 19 2024 1:39 PM
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
Meet our Health Hero of the Year, Armonté Butler
October 21 2024 12:53 PM
AIDS/LifeCycle is ending after more than 30 years
October 17 2024 12:40 PM
Twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir, an HIV-prevention drug, reduces risk by 96%
October 15 2024 5:03 PM
How fitness coach Tyriek Taylor reclaims his power from HIV with self-commitment
September 19 2024 12:00 PM
Out100 Honoree Tony Valenzuela thanks queer and trans communities for support in his HIV journey
September 18 2024 12:00 PM
Kentucky bans conversion therapy for youth as Gov. Andy Beshear signs 'monumental' order
September 18 2024 11:13 AM
Why activist Raif Derrazi thinks his HIV diagnosis is a gift
September 17 2024 12:00 PM
Creator and host Karl Schmid fights HIV stigma with knowledge
September 12 2024 12:03 PM
Study finds use of puberty blockers safe and reversible, countering anti-trans accusations
September 11 2024 1:11 PM
Latinx health tips / Consejos de salud para latinos (in English & en espanol)
September 10 2024 4:29 PM
The Trevor Project receives $5M grant to support LGBTQ+ youth mental health in rural Midwest (exclusive)
September 03 2024 9:30 AM
Introducing 'Health PLUS Wellness': The Latinx Issue!
August 30 2024 3:06 PM
La ciencia detrás de U=U ha estado liberando a las personas con VIH durante años
August 23 2024 2:48 PM
Tratamiento y prevención del VIH por inyección: Todo lo que necesita saber
August 23 2024 2:41 PM
Sr. Gay World quiere asegurarse de que estés bien
August 23 2024 2:30 PM
Eureka is taking a break from competing on 'Drag Race' following 'CVTW' elimination
August 20 2024 12:21 PM
With a new case in Sweden, what is the new mpox outbreak and should you be concerned?
August 15 2024 4:48 PM
From ‘The Real World’ to real life: How Danny Roberts thrives with HIV
July 31 2024 5:23 PM