For the past several years, the conversation about gay life has been, to a large degree, a conversation about gay marriage. This summer””on social media, on Fire Island, at the Christopher Street pier, and in certain cohorts around the Âcountry””what many gay men are talking about among themselves is Truvada. And what’s surprising them is how fraught the conversation can be. For some, like [Damon] Jacobs, the advent of this drug is nothing short of miraculous, freeing bodies and minds. For doctors, public-health officials, and politicians, it is a highly promising tool for stopping the spread of HIV.
But for others, a drug that can alleviate so much anxiety around sex is itself a source of concern. They worry that Truvada will invite men to have as much condomÂless sex as they want, which could lead to a rise in diseases like syphilis. Or they fret that not everyone will take it as religiously as they ought to, reducing its effectiveness and maybe even creating resistance to the drug if those users later become HIV-positive and need it for treatment.
I will take comments on this submitted by email only to KSHarmon[at]mindspring[dot]com.