Gay Today: World

British Psychological Society Hears Barebacking Research

By Rex Wockner
International News Report

One reason British gay men are having more anal sex without condoms is they're bored with being told not to, a new study has found.

Research by Michele Crossley of Manchester University, presented to a British Psychological Society conference December 19, found that premeditated and defiant barebacking is, in part, a response to monotonous safe-sex campaigns.

"The term 'barebacking' suggests a shift toward something sexy or alluring," Crossley said. "This risk is increasingly taken as an aura of rebellion and excitement. This is the boomerang effect -- it is people reacting to a pressure to reestablish a lost freedom. Health promotion, by failing to understand this context, may be making things worse, exacerbating the problem."

In one study of 6,000 gay men in inner London, 38 percent barebacked in 1998 compared to 32 percent in 1996.

Crossley also blamed boredom with condoms, the perception that being HIV-positive is less serious now because of improved treatments, and the feeling that unprotected sex is more romantic.

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