How to explain why the HIV rates among gay and bisexual men in Amsterdam aren’t declining, and may actually be on the rise? Because fewer MSM are using protection while doing the deed, researchers conclude in a report published in the journal AIDS. Looking at 1,642 MSM in Amsterdam over 25 years, “researchers found that from 1984 to 1988, the percentage of men who said they’d had unprotected anal sex in the past six months dropped from 78 percent to 33 percent. The rate then crept upward, reaching 38 percent in 1995, before jumping to 55 percent by 2009. When it came to yearly rates of new HIV infections, there was a sharp drop early on — from 8.6 percent of men in 1985, to 1.3 percent in 1992. But since 1996, there has been a small increase — from 1.4 percent to 2 percent in 2009. And while it’s unclear if the new, upward trend is real or just a matter of chance, the researchers say it’s concerning considering the increases in risky sex.” Fingerpointing lands first on the success of HIV drugs making the virus less of a death sentence and more a manageable health condition.
Bob
Anyone that has ever visited Amsterdam knows why this is the case. Most bars have backrooms (or darkrooms as they are also called). Sex is everywhere. On our few trips to Amsterdam, it was very tempting and I can see how easy it is to get pulled into the wild open sex, but, my partner kept me from straying….lol.
Rando
@Bob: It depends on where you go in Amsterdam. The Regulierdwarsstraat doesn’t really have any bars with backrooms, as it’s the younger gay scene of Amsterdam.
I honestly think the lack of condom use is due to the lack of prevention programs running in the Netherlands. Really, I’ve just seen my first one recently.
Bob
@Rando:
I must admit, it has been four years since we last visited Amsterdam so I may be giving outdated information. I know when we were there last; most bars we went to were mostly empty except for the action in the backrooms. We attended a ‘shoes only’ monthly event that was fun in looking at all the hot naked guys, but that too became mostly a big orgy and we left. Not that we are prudes or totally monogamous, but a room full of guys whose HIV status is unknown, is too risky to take a chance.
Qjersey
About 5 years ago during my last trip to Amsterdam, I met a hot man in a bar with a back room. He told me he was HIV negative as his way of getting me to fuck him bareback. I told him that was crazy and his response was literally “it’s not a big deal, if you get HIV, the government pays for your meds and healthcare.” I turned him down. Sadly we have a similar situation here. If you are poor and get infected with HIV, you actually get better benefits that you would just being on public assistance and Medicaid.
a bear
This is a city where you can buy a dildo the size of both of your forearms put together, in at least two different stores. I watched two men tripping lay on the ground in a club and let anyone come up and do whatever. And that wasn’t even a leather club.
There’s a LOT of sex going on in the city and all of the little gay bar portions have dark areas, from red light district to Spyker and Church and then the bathhouses. It’s no shock.