Three films have been withdrawn from sale following a Newsnight investigation into the health risks of so-called bareback gay porn - which shows men have unprotected sex.
It follows concerns within the gay community that performers are being infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Two of the DVDs featured footage from a week-long shoot during which eight British models had sex with each other in multiple combinations without condoms.
Four of those who took part were diagnosed as HIV positive soon after. One of the men told the BBC he was distressed that footage which he believed showed him becoming infected had been put on sale.
In a separate case a British producer, Rufus Ffoulkes, was jailed last week on a child pornography charge for putting a 16-year-old boy in a gay porn film in which he had unprotected sex. The US company which released the film had refused appeals to stop selling the DVD until it was approached by Newsnight. Now, Britain's leading bareback film company, Icreme, has told the BBC it has decided to only do films using condoms. Most heterosexual pornography has never featured condoms. But showing unprotected sex became taboo in gay porn after HIV and Aids emerged in the 1980s. Yet in the last four years there has been an explosion in the production of bareback films. They now make up about 60% of the gay market.
Some health officials believe this is a sign of a wider complacency in society about the risks of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases which is mirrored in rising statistics for new infections.
Ceri Evans, Senior Sexual Health Adviser at West London Centre for Sexual Health, told Newsnight: "I think that there is a possibility of something being called condom fatigue.
"We have been talking about condoms so long that people are bored or think they know it all. Education in schools is not what it could be, for anybody, for heterosexual but particularly if you are gay."
The rise of bareback porn exasperates many who lived through the 1980s and 1990s.
In the US the leading gay porn director Chi Chi Larue has taken a very public stance against bareback films.
"After all the gay community has been through why are we putting people at risk for porn," he says in a new advert aimed at persuading consumers to boycott bareback films.
In Britain the campaign against bareback is being lead by a director called Steven Brewer.
He is inviting both producers and performers to sign up to a new code of practice designed to minimise risk within the gay porn industry.
He told Newsnight: "I just don't want another 18-year-old model crying on my shoulder not sure how to tell his partner or his parents that he is now HIV positive."
source
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
The Unzipped Interview with Steve Cruz
I decided to post the full interview with Unzipped Magazine. It illustrates my views on safer sex and the reason why I have worked so hard to bring you this site. This original interview was source for the Naked News feature in Unzipped Magazine February 2008.
Interviewed by Ken Knox
Unzipped: What was the impetus for starting HowIRoll.info?
SC: I noticed that bareback porn was starting to make a real presence in the top 100 in DVD sales on GAYVN.com. At the same time I noticed in my personal life more and more guys were wanting to bareback. It's unclear to me whether DVD sales are simply reflective of the times or if the films were contributing to a relaxed attitude around condom use. Regardless, the real irony here is the fact I felt safer on a porn set
than I do hooking up with guys in my personal life because on the set (Raging Stallion, Titan, All Worlds, Hot House, Falcon) you just use condoms- no questions. I have always been involved in public health— as a designer and volunteer— on the ground level of several campaigns promoting safer sex, Crystal Meth prevention and enrollment in the trails for an HIV vaccine. It was something I could do on my own, so I made the time in my crazy pants dropping schedule to do it!
Unzipped: How do you feel that your celebrity will assist you in getting this message off the ground?
SC: Well people are paying attention right now... I'm cast in some pretty major flicks and I'm Raging Stallion Man of the Year in 2008. So while I have the attention why not promote a very important message? I'm a porn star. I have a lot of sex- HOT SEX. I play safe because I'm in the highest risk group for infection. Who better to send the message? When guys tell me that condoms are a turn off I'm taken back... unless your deathly allergic to latex I don't see a valid reason to feel that way unless taking risks is a thrill. Like playing chicken or Russian Roulette. When I feel protected I'm free to experience pleasure and a connection with the guys I'm screwing. Otherwise I'd be freaking out about infection...Talk about NOT HOT!
Unzipped: What kinds of marketing/advertising do you plan on doing to spread the word?
SC: The How I Roll campaign is a website and community forum. It 'rolls out' at the 10 year anniversary of The STOP AIDS Project's Condoms Now Program. I enlisted famous illustrator Glen Hanson to create the artwork and together we will produce the Steve Cruz condoms to distribute free to bars and sex clubs based on the quantity I can afford to produce. Raging Stallion Studio has generously donated studio time to help me develop a short video ad on all on their DVDs in the year 2008. Of course I'd like to advertise, web banners and print ads... since I am just one man, I will rely on the generosity of donations to do this. Any agency or private donor that believes in the cause can really make a difference. To contribute contact me through my website at SteveCruzXXX.com.
Unzipped: How will this project differ from similar ventures, such as Chi Chi's Wrap It Up campaign?
SC: I was totally inspired by the 'Wrap It Up' PSA and by Titan's Safe Sex Web ads. I have so much deep respect for these companies , especially in light of the recent controversy at the David Awards. Whether you think it noble to refuse an award or just plain rude, you have to admit— they believe in a cause and they live by their principles.
In addition to sending a message, I wanted to provide useful information. There is a lot of controversy on both sides. Those in support of a barebacking industry say that the general public is not swayed one way or another by what they see in a movie. While those in support of condom-only flicks might say that the eroticizing of risky sex makes it more appealing, especially to younger generations just coming of age who might not know someone who's had complications related to HIV or who's lost a loved one. You can say that this is an adult industry and we are capable of making our own choices, I'd agree. But don't just stop there! That's why I partnered with STOP AIDS. Without information, how can you make an informed decision?
Unzipped: Give me a quote that best describes how you personally feel about the issue of safer sex.
SC: You have to do what works for you. For me, that means fucking with condoms. If the community is relaxing our attitudes toward condom use then the next option might be to only hook up with guys with like status. If you're negative and you're hooking up with only negative guys, ok fine, maybe that works for you. But how negative is he REALLY? And how negative are you? When you ask a guy what his status is and he says negative, go one step further and ask when they last had an HIV test. If it was 8 or 12 months or later, he's overdue for a test... unless he's been locked up in a kinky chastity device... and he's probably status unknown. Keep in mind there is an entire window of time between tests that you can never really know. I assume everyone is positive and protect myself as best I can. I test every 3 months or so because I fuck a lot, and that includes getting screened for STDs.
Unzipped: Anything you want to add.
SC: At the soul of my campaign is PROTECTION. HONOR and RESPECT.
Protect yourself and others.
Honor your partner, find out and tell the truth about your status.
Respect his limits, if he says no... leave it there.
Get involved! Visit HowIRoll.info and participate in the online
forums... tell us what works for you!
Interviewed by Ken Knox
Unzipped: What was the impetus for starting HowIRoll.info?
SC: I noticed that bareback porn was starting to make a real presence in the top 100 in DVD sales on GAYVN.com. At the same time I noticed in my personal life more and more guys were wanting to bareback. It's unclear to me whether DVD sales are simply reflective of the times or if the films were contributing to a relaxed attitude around condom use. Regardless, the real irony here is the fact I felt safer on a porn set
than I do hooking up with guys in my personal life because on the set (Raging Stallion, Titan, All Worlds, Hot House, Falcon) you just use condoms- no questions. I have always been involved in public health— as a designer and volunteer— on the ground level of several campaigns promoting safer sex, Crystal Meth prevention and enrollment in the trails for an HIV vaccine. It was something I could do on my own, so I made the time in my crazy pants dropping schedule to do it!
Unzipped: How do you feel that your celebrity will assist you in getting this message off the ground?
SC: Well people are paying attention right now... I'm cast in some pretty major flicks and I'm Raging Stallion Man of the Year in 2008. So while I have the attention why not promote a very important message? I'm a porn star. I have a lot of sex- HOT SEX. I play safe because I'm in the highest risk group for infection. Who better to send the message? When guys tell me that condoms are a turn off I'm taken back... unless your deathly allergic to latex I don't see a valid reason to feel that way unless taking risks is a thrill. Like playing chicken or Russian Roulette. When I feel protected I'm free to experience pleasure and a connection with the guys I'm screwing. Otherwise I'd be freaking out about infection...Talk about NOT HOT!
Unzipped: What kinds of marketing/advertising do you plan on doing to spread the word?
SC: The How I Roll campaign is a website and community forum. It 'rolls out' at the 10 year anniversary of The STOP AIDS Project's Condoms Now Program. I enlisted famous illustrator Glen Hanson to create the artwork and together we will produce the Steve Cruz condoms to distribute free to bars and sex clubs based on the quantity I can afford to produce. Raging Stallion Studio has generously donated studio time to help me develop a short video ad on all on their DVDs in the year 2008. Of course I'd like to advertise, web banners and print ads... since I am just one man, I will rely on the generosity of donations to do this. Any agency or private donor that believes in the cause can really make a difference. To contribute contact me through my website at SteveCruzXXX.com.
Unzipped: How will this project differ from similar ventures, such as Chi Chi's Wrap It Up campaign?
SC: I was totally inspired by the 'Wrap It Up' PSA and by Titan's Safe Sex Web ads. I have so much deep respect for these companies , especially in light of the recent controversy at the David Awards. Whether you think it noble to refuse an award or just plain rude, you have to admit— they believe in a cause and they live by their principles.
In addition to sending a message, I wanted to provide useful information. There is a lot of controversy on both sides. Those in support of a barebacking industry say that the general public is not swayed one way or another by what they see in a movie. While those in support of condom-only flicks might say that the eroticizing of risky sex makes it more appealing, especially to younger generations just coming of age who might not know someone who's had complications related to HIV or who's lost a loved one. You can say that this is an adult industry and we are capable of making our own choices, I'd agree. But don't just stop there! That's why I partnered with STOP AIDS. Without information, how can you make an informed decision?
Unzipped: Give me a quote that best describes how you personally feel about the issue of safer sex.
SC: You have to do what works for you. For me, that means fucking with condoms. If the community is relaxing our attitudes toward condom use then the next option might be to only hook up with guys with like status. If you're negative and you're hooking up with only negative guys, ok fine, maybe that works for you. But how negative is he REALLY? And how negative are you? When you ask a guy what his status is and he says negative, go one step further and ask when they last had an HIV test. If it was 8 or 12 months or later, he's overdue for a test... unless he's been locked up in a kinky chastity device... and he's probably status unknown. Keep in mind there is an entire window of time between tests that you can never really know. I assume everyone is positive and protect myself as best I can. I test every 3 months or so because I fuck a lot, and that includes getting screened for STDs.
Unzipped: Anything you want to add.
SC: At the soul of my campaign is PROTECTION. HONOR and RESPECT.
Protect yourself and others.
Honor your partner, find out and tell the truth about your status.
Respect his limits, if he says no... leave it there.
Get involved! Visit HowIRoll.info and participate in the online
forums... tell us what works for you!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Bareback Porn
The topic is bareback porn... not the pre-condom classics of the 70s and early 80s... modern bareback porn in the age of HIV.
Do you watch it? Who's watching it?
Is it hot? not? Is it just a movie or is it much more?
In the age of HIV is it responsible? reckless?
Does a man's HIV status change his perspective?
Let's hear what you have to say.
Do you watch it? Who's watching it?
Is it hot? not? Is it just a movie or is it much more?
In the age of HIV is it responsible? reckless?
Does a man's HIV status change his perspective?
Let's hear what you have to say.
'Smarter' Sorting?
Poz guys are hooking up with other poz guys as a means to avoid infecting negative men, and when they are together they fuck bareback.
Some negative guys are trying it too.
How do you feel about negative guys barebacking?
Do you sort status when hooking up?
Is it working? Is it responsible?
Click here to read up on the STOP AIDS Project's guide to 'Smarter Sorting' and then tell us what YOU think!
Some negative guys are trying it too.
How do you feel about negative guys barebacking?
Do you sort status when hooking up?
Is it working? Is it responsible?
Click here to read up on the STOP AIDS Project's guide to 'Smarter Sorting' and then tell us what YOU think!
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