You’re nervous and excited when you first arrive at the orgy — everyone there is a major babe alert, DTF, and one mystery guest just happens to be HIV-positive. Ooh-la-la, that last bit is really twisting your gears as you shuffle into the living room.
Goosed with the possibility of catching the virus from one of these handsome strangers — could it be him, the one in the leather harness with that new-car smell? — you rip off your shirt, snort your fresh bottle of Amsterdam poppers, and hurdle yourself into the steamy, thrusty miasma of manflesh.
The downside: you won’t know whether you’ve succeeded in catching HIV for at least a few weeks. Nevertheless, you try to live in the moment, surrendering your body to hunk after hunk, closing your eyes and choosing to believe you’re going to catch the virus because you want it more than any of these other wannabes.
If a sea of new articles from the likes of Dazed Digital, The Sun, The Daily Mail, and The Mirror are to be believed (and we strongly suspect they aren’t), you’ve just attended your first (or maybe your fifth) “sex roulette” party, a troubling and probably totally pretend new trend that’s a new spin on the idea of “bug chasing” or “gift giving.” Even some gay press reported the story as reputable news.
How about we take this to the next level?
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“Doctors” warn that these nefarious sex parties are “on the rise,” according to The Daily Mail.
Well, like, one doctor in Barcelona.
Sex roulette parties where one person is secretly HIV positive and nobody is allowed to use condoms are on the rise, warn doctors.
The parties are usually attended by gay men, who are entertained by the ‘thrill’ of not knowing whether they will be infected or not.
Spanish doctors have noted a rise in the parties where attendees often take anti-viral drugs to reduce the risk of transmission.
That last bit is rather perplexing to us: hordes of gay men are flocking to bareback orgies, enticed by the prospect of potentially catching the HIV virus while also decreasing their chances of catching the disease by taking anti-viral drugs? Isn’t that like playing Russian Roulette with an unloaded gun?
Speaking to el Periodico, Dr. Josep Mallolas of Hospital Clinic Barcelona sounds very, berry worried about these totally fabricated “sex roulette” parties currently sweeping across the land.
“There is everything,” he begins philosophically. “Sex roulette parties, or sex parties you can only attend if you already have HIV.” (The door guy at those parties really has his work cut out for him.)
Dr. Mallolas claims some of these parties are known as “blue” parties because… because that’s the color of anti-viral pills like Truvada, you see.
Kate Morley, a “psychosexual therapist,” has been widely quoted as saying, “Going to sex roulette parties is about the risk, partygoers think the higher the risk, the stronger the thrill.”
“In the case of sex parties,” she says, “the intense high is as you combine orgasm with high adrenaline.”
And suddenly, we yearn for the simpler days of auto-erotic asphyxiation.
So. Do you think this could this possibly be a real trend? Or, like us, do you think this is a sorry attempt to drum up some good old-fashioned gay panic (and plenty of clicks.)
Kieru
While I don’t doubt there are bug chasers out there, I think you have a greater chance of getting crabs (or a treatable STI) from one of these parties than you do of contracting HIV.
Hell… the article contradicts itself when it calls the party “Blue” parties. If the party-goers are on PrEP they certainly aren’t attending these parties hoping to contract HIV. They are attending these parties while actively protecting themselves from that very risk (although you know… condoms would also help).
Seems like a fabricated story designed to slut-shame
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
Seems like something joemygod and his bug pushing followers would be promoting.
Godabed
@Kieru: Prep is not 100% especially if there are different strains or mutated versions of HIV, we all know their are truvada sluts that will attend such parties an there are even pornos on this very subject. So when know they do exist. So are they more likely not to get HIV yes when truvada is used correctly, yes, can they still get HIV hell yes, because they areally nit adhereing to the program as outlined. It’s playing russian roulette with bullet only you have taken put 80% of those bullet. And when you do get HIV it’s worst because it’s not going to be normal version of the virus.
Dave Downunder
I know there are plenty of bareback orgies going on all over the place but I have never heard of this exact format. It’s more just a matter of everyone showing up for raw sex with no discussion of HIV status or Prep etc. It’s usually the meth heads that organise them.
bobbyjoe
Dr. Mallolas seems a little confused, no? He mentions these roulette parties in the same breath he mentions “parties you can only attend if you already have HIV.” Wouldn’t that sort of be the opposite? How would you catch HIV if you were already HIV-positive and everybody else was HIV-positive? And as others have pointed out, why would you be taking a drug designed to help prevent HIV if you were bug chasing for HIV? If Mallolas’ point is simply that if you attend orgies, you’re at risk of an STI (duh), then why all the scare images of HIV, particularly when what he’s describing often sounds contradictory?
Xzamilio
Okay, is this satire? Because I got a weird “Bug Chasing is Hot” kinda vibe from reading this.
@Kieru: You can’t slut-shame those who aren’t ashamed… or have none.
DCguy
Oh look, more fake articles from the same publications that claimed there was “Super AIDS” that was going to kill people in a few weeks, and who have been pushing these phony bug chaser stories for over a decade.
bobbyjoe
I have no idea how to respond to this article. Not because I don’t know what to say, but because I get the awaiting moderation message from Queerty (meaning my message won’t ever be displayed) any time I try to post, even though the language I’m using is not only not any different than what’s in the article, but not even different than what’s in other people’s comments. I don’t even have any clue as to which words are flagged, because they all appear in other posts. Seriously, trying to post here sometimes is like playing Alice in Wonderland.
jdboston617
Sorry, I don’t buy the story. It’s as old as Madonna.
BUT don’t be disappointed. The odds are VERY HIGH that there are multiple people with HIV at an orgy. So play safe. What are the cases of HIV for gay men within the US population? 20%? 30%? It doesn’t take a mathematician to see sex is roulette regardless of the venue. Have fun but be smart.
joeyty
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: Dude, I can’t stand Fat Joe Jervis and his vicious clique of no-life foolish followers, but……..they’re not THAT sick.
1898
I’ve seen m4m ads on craigslist from guys wanting “the gift” or whatever verbiage they use. Pretty creepy. Not sure if these parties are a real thing, but I suspect there is a very very tiny percentage of the population that is turned on by becoming infected. Not much different than the middle aged couple in Maine who played sexual Russian Roulette in their sex dungeon and one of the guys ended up blowing his brains out. People like that are an extremely tiny minority but they do exist.
Tackle
This is old news. The only surprise, is that Queerty is reporting like it’s something new. And when I say old, I’ve been hearing about this for the past 6yrs. There are even videos on YouTube about this, and I’ve seen an excellent one from my video store regarding this. The only twist from what I know,is that it’s not just one guy. In this game of roulette, it could be multiple guys who are HIV positive, and the excitement comes from doging the bullet. Not necessarly becoming HIV positive…
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
@joeyty: Obviously you’ve never seen them rant and rave because someone purposely spreading HIV without telling people the have it getting arrested.
joeyty
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: Granted, I hardly ever read anything there…
Stache
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: I recognize you from over there. You’re the crazy troll Joe finally banned. Anytime there was an HIV thread you would attack everyone.
You change your names often but you’re still very easy to identify. What a great site you’ve landed on. Troll away.
Stache
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: Btw. It’s so nice not having you over there. Anytime these topics come up we can peacefully talk about them now. Glad your gone.
Stache
@Dave Downunder: I agree. This is dumb. Here in LA we have these happening every wknd. Same situation. Just no one calling them “sex roulette”.
Stache
@joeyty: Why are you so hateful towards the JMG site? It’s mostly political in contrast to the fluff stories on this site. Left leaning and anti religious usually but that suits me fine.
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
@Stache: No you don’t recognize me. He bans a lot of people for daring not to agree with him and you crazy fanatics, including anyone that dares to say spreading HIV is a crime. He doesn’t like gays pointing out he is a bug spreader. It tarnishes his regal self image. Plus he bans on other topics too. So you are just shooting in the dark hoping to hit something on that one. Remind me again did ole Joe run the story on that barbark porn star that was picking up kids of Grindr and giving them HIV or did he chose to try to cover that up on his site? That guys ya’ll hero.
Stache
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: As far as the pornstar story went Joe doesn’t typically run those kind of stories. To say he’s covering up anything is just dumb. Dumber still is you calling him a “bug spreader”. You might want to watch your words too. That’s considered slander.
I’ve never seen anyone get banned till you and I’ve been there for many years. Believe me. There was a collective sigh of relief when that happened. People don’t like your antagonistic my way or I’ll attack you way of commenting. I’m sure Todd especially is glad you’re gone.
DCguy
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou:
I love how you claim to not be the guy from the other blog, then go off on a rant and attack the other blog just like the person they describe would.
If you want to stay hidden you’re going to have to do a better job.
joeyty
@Stache: I hated JMG because it had the most extreme examples of those negative aspects I see in lesser degreees in most gay blogs: geared toward bored gay guys who waste their time there because they feel this illusion of being part of a gang, or group, or clique…..so they can all parrot each other, and if anybody comes in with a different opinion they scream, “Hey, we don’t like trolls here!” “You must watch Faux News!” “We won’t be fooled by you!” All the club rules about who to hate and who not to. Etc. Using the term “we” at imagined enemies. Every guy there would improve his health if he got away from there and started interacting more with real people in the outside world. (Or started exercising instead of getting fat and trying to excuse it by claiming to be a “bear”).
Masc Pride
Gay nightlife organizers and gay sites/apps generally promote some of the most reckless behavior, but then when guys take it to a new extreme, everyone wants to shame them and act like limits should exist. I’m definitely not advocating participating in an event like this, but the gay community had a hand in creating this monster. Where was all the outrage and desire to set boundaries BEFORE things got this extreme? It’s just like parents that let their kids behave as uncivilized as they please for years and years and then want to try to calm their kids down when they get to an age where that uncivilized behavior is inexcusable and/or more dangerous.
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
@DCguy: Work on your reading comprehension. As I pointed out that site bans a lot of people for the same reason. Not agreeing what the fanatics that live there. There is no “guy”. There are a lot of guys and gals too for that matter. When that is the case screaming you are that one particular guy makes no sense. Are the slow kids in class caught up now?
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
@Stache: Yes you can all peacefully talk about how killing people with your disease is your right and it’s the other person’s fault for believe it when you lied and said you are negative. You are a real class bunch.
Stache
@joeyty: As I said. JMG is left leaning. I’ve seen your posts and you have some conservative opinions. It makes sense that you would have problems with that site.
I don’t even know what to say about the bear vs fat stuff and how it’s even relevant to this. Lol However, you’re absolutely right. That can be an argument for many other sites too.
Stache
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: Wow. Amazing that Joe banned you with that kind of mature “logic”. LMAO
Juanjo
This is just another story which has a common theme – gay men and hyper-sexual, self destructive mentally disordered individuals. We run around engaging on orgies, lurking in public restrooms and school playgrounds, seeking out HIV+ people to infect us and all manner of other such behavior. So add to it a for of HIV+ roulette. Logistically just how would that work? Does the party promoter just take your words for it? Do you have to be tested in advance? How do you control for the percentage of HIV+ men vs sero-negative men?
joeyty
@Stache: Whether it’s in a conservative or liberal or left or right blog, any group that likes to gang up on those with differing views (even though it’s just ganging up online, but…again..it gives the illusion of being in a tribe) would get the same criticism from me. When I saw someone get banned (for no good reason) and this fool Vorpal (?) posted something like “Hooray! Glittter now for everybody!” and Joe Jervis didn’t ban HIM for saying something so idiotic, I realized what was wrong with that blog. (And then there was that horrid fat self-hating NYC Jewish landlord who adored Palestinians! Good heavens).
joeyty
@Stache: (Also I’m a NYC native and hate out-of-towners who come here and add nothing. But that’s just personal, and neither here nor there).
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
@Stache: Still no denial from you. My logic is looking pretty sound.
Stache
@joeyty: The “horrid fat self-hating NYC Jewish landlord who adored Palestinians!” otherwise known as Ish hasn’t been on the site for a long time. Ever since he got outed.
Vorpal is usually pretty rational. Joe doesn’t spend much time patrolling the site though unless someone gets allot of flags.
There are problems of tribalism and people will gang up on those with different views but most sites I visit tend to go along those lines. Not something I like either.
misterhollywood
To answer the questions at the end of this post, I do think some of what is out there on the sits mentioned this is an attempt to drum up something from yesteryear with a dose of gay panic in the sources mentioned (Dazed Digital, The Sun, The Daily Mail, and The Mirror).
It’s good that Queerty and other LGBT focused blogs speak to these types of stories in a way that calls the out for what they are – BS.
joe
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: bug pushing ? at joemygod? ive not seen that and i like that blog too
joeyty
@Stache: Ish ! That was him. Okay. Well…like I said, I haven’t been there in a long time so maybe it got better. And you’re right that all blogs get cliquey, it’s just that I saw that blog as the worst.
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
@joe: Well you missed it or have selective memory. He won’t run a story a bug spreader now and he took down all the old stories supporting them to hide all the it’s the victim’s fault comments because the bible beater were using his follower’s own words against him. Guess you should’ve been paying attention the last few years.
joe
ha well it scares the hell out of me. i used to be pretty active, LOVED sex parties and hooking up but eventually i caught something and while it wasn’t hiv
( i think i’d hang myself if i caught it – BUT THATS JUST ME)it’s just put the fear of GOD in me. i cant even have sex anymore it’s really affected me. I’M terrified of catching something else. i’ll never understand bug chasing (if it exists at all) hi stache! xxoo is that a pic of you in your leather ;-0)
Stache
@joe: Heya Joe. Long time man. Yeah, that’s me at my last sex party giving instructions;)
Mkiel
There are milloins of heterosexauls living with HIV & many more have died many who cheated on their partners & who also claim to be religious god fearing people .Yet it is only gays that are labeled as sluts.
theszak
The Strategy. BEFORE sex get tested TOGETHER for A VARIETY OF STIs including HIV then make an INFORMED decision, google… tested together before sex
calpoidog
…and I find it unlikely that the HIV party boy is receiving no treatment. If so, he won’t be around too long. If undetectable then the likelihood of him transmitting anything is pretty low if not zero.
BKFREEDOM
I’ve heard about such events for quite some time now, including those where men assemble to pass on the “gift” to a willing recipient. Stupid! Two years ago, my husband and I separated. With all the accompanying emotions that ensue after a breakup, I created a “dating” profile on A4A. Having not been on such a site in over a decade, I was absolutely shocked at the number of folks not only admitting to unsafe practices, but insisting on unsafe practices. I remember thinking that our community has clearly moved on from fearing HIV/AIDS OR ALL THE OTHER STD’S you can contract, and it shook me to my core. After about a week, I deleted that profile, and after six months, decided to start dating my husband again. We are now back together. Should I ever find myself single again, I’m totally prepared to purchase 15 cats and a moumou, and call it a day. To each, their own, but I honestly think this whole PrEP situation is gonna leave our community in shambles.
batesmotel
There is the danger of catching HIV at these orgy sessions. I’ve been invited to many and they are bareback, so that’s totally false that many of them are wearing protection. I’ve never come across that. And then there are the naive who are under the impression that Prep will block any shot of them catching diseases. Prep works like Vitamin C. You can take Vitamin C daily and your chances of getting sick are slim, but it doesn’t mean it’ll never happen. Prep works in the same way. After communicating with many gay men about how they feel when they see someone jumping up and down that they’re on Prep on their profiles, they immediately express the fear that this person seems to be under the belief that they’re now invincible, when unfortunately that’s just not the case. To each his own.
Stache
@batesmotel: Do you have any links to suggest PreP is nothing more then vitamin C? One person in how many thousands and years I’ve only heard of one failure. The other Stds are easily treatable too or caught from using condoms too.
I have no issue one way or the other but stop putting out scare tactics and false information.
Stache
@BKFREEDOM: Just like every community you have reckless ones and safe ones.
DCguy
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: stated “”@DCguy: Work on your reading comprehension. As I pointed out that site bans a lot of people for the same reason. Not agreeing what the fanatics that live there.””
-______
It’s always funny when somebody tells somebody else to work on reading comprehension and then gets the comment completely wrong.
Try to follow
1. Somebody claimed you were the poster who continually attacked people on the other block, and attacked the blog.
2. You said you were not….then proceeded to attack the blog they referenced using the exact same language they said the other person used.
3. I called you out on it.
4. You are attempting to pretend that something completely different was being discussed.
I go back to my other comment. IF you want to pretend not to be somebody, don’t act exactly the same way that they act.
I would say nice try, but it wasn’t.
natriley
These stories are nasty, as if written by a prosecutor trying to convict a person of spreading HIV. The conclusions are weighted to prove that illness is spread intentionally by the anti-social perpetrator(s). It is malarky. What is being described is an orgy, group sex, clothing optional party. Such events are legal.
Another reason the story is poppycock is that many poz people will be at these events, but their viral load is suppressed and they don’t pass on the virus. So the risk is overblown. Finally anyone who barebacks or loves cum should be on PrEP. Using these drugs means when you come in contact with the HIV virus the medicine kills it. If you go to an orgy and you aren’t PrEP go to your doctor the next day and get the meds, nothing bad will happen.
As far as the comments go about risk a skydiver is at increased risk for breaking bones, but it is no reason to stop skydiving. The public health objective is not stopping orgies (which can’t be done). The goal is viral suppression so that even if you party with poz people (and please do, it is safe) you have only small chance of contracting HIV. We are on our way to Ending the Epidemic but we are not there yet.
BKFREEDOM
@Stache: If the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it.
Doug
“Bug chasing” isn’t a new phenomenon but it was practiced by a very few guys who had major sex addiction/self-esteem/tweaking issues I’m sure this type of party has happened before, but it has to be extremely rare. I can’t think of too many gay men I know who would even think of participating in something like this, and I live in San Francisco. The Daily Mail loves the shock value of printing stories like this, and it keeps the negative stereotypes about gay men alive so straight people have something to feel superior about.
Kangol
I don’t doubt there are some parties out there like this, but if you step away from the homophobic sensationalism of these papers (and that horrible site Mediatakeout.com also featured this, which should tell anyone how dubious and anti-gay it is), the reality is that far too many gay men are engaging in a form of sex roulette by not knowing their HIV status or that of their partners, not using PrEP WITH condoms, and assuming that if someone “looks” healthy, it’s OK to have raw sex. A risk assessment has to be part of the mix, otherwise it really is roulette with a multi-chamber loaded gun, but we’ve known this since the 1980s.
Kangol
There may be some parties out there like this, but if you step away from the hom0phobic spectacle of these papers, the reality is that far too many gay men are engaging in a form of sex roulette by not knowing their H1V status or that of their partners.
They’re also not using PrEP with cond0ms, and assuming that if someone “looks” healthy, it’s OK to have raw sex. A risk assessment has to be part of the mix, otherwise it really is roulette with a multi-chamber loaded gvn, but we’ve known this since the 1980s.
darren michaels
The unfortunate fact is that if individuals are pursuing parties such as these they are very likely pursuing much more.
It is less about the possibilities of “catching ” anything and more to do with shame and/or lack of personal awareness. These men do considerable damage not only to themselves but also the gay community by presenting an idea and/or image that is then labelled as “what goes on as a gay man”..It goes on in the straight communities as well.
We live in a world where children are raised in unhealthy environments and grow into unhealthy adults without the understanding that to be happy requires significant time and energy and caring about ones self and has nothing to do with good looks and a nice car.
He BGB
No thanks. I’d pay a gorgeous Rent boy before doing that (and have yet to do that). What’s the point? I remember when some guys wanted to get HIV about 20 years ago because they felt different or left out or only hot guys were HIV or some other nonsense. Can you still get a huge disability payout and sell a huge life insurance policy?
Louis
I really dont know how to respond to this article I dont believe its true but another part of me questions if this could possibly be a real thing.
I dont think it is to me it seems like something these doctors used to once again condemn and vilify those who actually have HIV.
This has been happening for years ever since the 80s when thousands of gay men died from contracting HIV in this country.
Instead of condemning them for their mistakes instead people should be supporting them and simply reminding them that they are so much more then that .
Its not a death sentence now thankfully people just need to be really careful and that goes for heteros as well considering AIDS / HIV is not a gay disease it can easily be contracted by heteros in regards to having sex and busting the condom and when they give blood and the needle happens to be infected that took the blood.
Remember safe sex is the best sex.
Sluggo2007
This kind of party is for self-haters. If not, then it’s for extreme imbeciles!
GC1985
@joeyty: I don’t see an issue with going after brainless gay conservatives. I really don’t. People who are selling out our community for politics need to be condemned.
As far as this article, this is nothing new. And Prep isn’t 100%. It simply isn’t.
notevenwrong
The allegations are so full of medical contradictions that the only thing that is sure about it is that they couldn’t have been made by a real doctor.
1898
@Stache: “The other Stds are easily treatable too or caught from using condoms too” — tell that to my friend Jon who ended up with anal warts so severe that he’s had to have multiple surgeries (excruciatingly painful recovery each time).
Chris
Just because something happens, that doesn’t mean that it’s widespread. So yeah, I can believe that people hold these sorts of parties; but from my own personal experience, I do not believe that they are widespread. To me, this story is just sensationalism.
ShowMeGuy
I must have missed the news bulletin announcing that a cure has been found for AIDS.
Louis
@ShowMeGuy: Nothing is 100% this is absolutely correct.
Whether gay or straight people need to be very careful and most of all ask whomever it is you are sleeping with what their status is immediately before you actually sleep with them.
Personally for me thats not my thing not because I feel morally superior just that its not my personal thing .
My heart goes out to those who have HIV yes its a mistake that can easily be prevented .
However with that being said they shouldnt be condemned or vilified by our community for those mistakes .
They receive enough of that from the heteros.
1898
@Louis: “ask whomever it is you are sleeping with what their status is immediately before you actually sleep with them.” Unfortunately their status is only accurate for the day they were last tested, which could’ve been a month ago or several months ago. If a person tests negative on Monday, and becomes infected with HIV on Tuesday, it could take up to three months for it to show up on their next HIV test. In other words, even if they’re getting tested every day (which no one does), there’s up to a three month lag time before the test will detect it.
The best thing you can do is assume that the people you’re sleeping with are HIV positive, and protect yourself accordingly.
Brian
Male-male sexual environments tend to become awful sleaze-pits when morals vanish. This is one of the reasons why I think gay clubs should be banned. They are conducive to sleaze and promiscuity, and thus the spread of pathogens. They concentrate it all into a small location, thus increasing the likelihood of transmission.
Of course, this also happens in environments where men interact sexually with women. However, there is a fundamental difference. Women tend not to be as promiscuous as men, and thus serve as gate-keepers, preventing outright promiscuity from breaking out.
The promiscuity of women does increase when they are rewarded for it, as is the case in female prostitutes. However, female prostitution often occurs in vetted environments where the health of the women is checked before they commence their day’s work.
Realityis
OMG Some people really need to take their lengthy conversations and / or arguments (with one other person) to their personal email or chat. It’s exhausting looking at or even trying to read your bickering to each other… “Nice new name troll, last week you were Bob”; “I’m not Bob, I don’t know who you are talking about”, blah, blah, blah
The subject of this article is disgusting to me, but if everyone is a consenting, willing adult, then so be it.
And to BKFREEDOM “To each, their own, but I honestly think this whole PrEP situation is gonna leave our community in shambles.” I agree