Exclusive: 70% of gay men believe that sex without condoms is more pleasurable
New research exclusively published by PinkNews.co.uk shows 70% of young gay men believe that sex without condoms is more pleasurable and exciting.
A study by the University of Westminster also shows 8 out of 10 young men in London have had unprotected sex with a stranger.
Around two people are newly infected with HIV in the capital every day.
A total of 160 men were interviewed for the study.
94% said they were more likely to have unprotected sex with a good looking guy.
Apps like Grindr now allows sex encounters to become as easy to pick up as a cup of coffee, researchers said.
“Although these apps are free, the price they pay might be higher than any presume,” said Milan J of the research.
One of the HIV positive volunteers spoke of his “addiction” to the mobile app.
“I was constantly checking it meeting guys to have sex with. It became a habit and I spent all my free time and days off meeting and having sex, then going to group sex parties where I tried drugs and had long sessions of unprotected sex with guys often not aware of what was happening. I was recently diagnosed with HIV and I blame my lifestyle for it,” said Jason, 25, from London.
Daniel, 24, who was also interviewed, contracted HIV from his first boyfriend, with whom he had sex for the very first time when he was 16.
He said: “It was my own fault. I would never have imagined that my first sexual encounter could have such consequences. I was in love and even though it did cross my mind, I thought he did not look like somebody with HIV.”
Grindr and other social hook up apps encourage users to see ‘risky’ sexual behaviour as a norm, the study warned.
Terms like “NSA” (no strings attached) “BB” and “Chem sex” are all part of profiles visible on display.
Authors claim the increasing availability of Bareback pornography could also be seen to encourage and normalise unsafe behaviour.
With the “AIDS IS NOT DEAD” campaign, University of Westminster students are trying to raise current awareness about the dangers of risky sexual behaviour in 2014.
“We call for the government to increase prevention funding for everyone and make sex education an all-round informative and compulsory subject in UK education system”, campaigns spokesperson Alex Filicevas said.
