Two condoms better than one?

I often get some calls about guys wearing two condoms instead of one. The thinking is the more protection the safer. Actually, this could make sex risky! Wearing more than one condom makes them much more likely to break or slip off. You only need one condom at a time and you can use whatever thickness you want. All that information about gay men having to use extra thick condoms is leftover sex negative 1980's nonsense. Use whatever kind you like but make sure its with a lubricant thats condom friendly.

6 Things Never to put up there

I sometimes get calls from guys who are experimenting with anal play. It suprises me when I hear about the various things that are going up there and disappearing. This causes alot of panic and an trip to the emergency room. Not only can this be embarrassing but it can also be bad for your anal health later on....you can do lots of damage up there..so, five things never to put up your bum...


Bottles
Besides the fact that they are made of glass and glass breaks (ouch), if the bottle is open it can create a vacuum and get stuck up there, potentially causing injury or at least an embarrassing visit to the ER.

Live Animals
One of the misconceptions I grew up with was that gay men put hamsters or gerbils up there bum. This even made it to South Park as an episode! This is not a good idea. Besides the fact that they have claws and teeth, you don't want those PETA protesting outside of your house!

Light Bulbs
Glass and a** don't mix!

Grandma's Broom Handle
They are hard and rigid and the path up isn't a straight line. Figure it out!

Pens and Pencils
Anything pointy and sharp for that matter. Getting impaled by #2 pencil isn't sexy!



If your going to play - remember to use toys that are flexible in nature and have flared edges so they don't get sucked up.

Rules to live by..

Here are some of my summer rules to live by at the beach....

We will not get a third degree sunburn because we will make sure we wear sunscreen.


We will get enough sleep to make sure that the shade of our umbrella does not slowly creep away from us as we snore.


We will not wake up the next morning wondering if we have the same dark circles, blood-shot eyes, and pounding head of the guy or gal next to us because we will drink only enough … and not too much.


We will not be shy about asking Sal for information about safer sex, if we need it.


We will not be someone else’s summer regret because we will watch out for our community – emotionally and physically – whenever possible.


We will take every reasonable precaution so that we do not remember our incredible vacation with a new infection of gonorrhea, hepatitis B or C, HIV, genital warts, and/or syphilis!


What are your summer rules?

Leather weekend

On the flip side of the seeing guys in bathing suits - let's talk about guys in leather! Not only does this weekend mark the start of the beach season but there is also a major leatherfest in Chicago called IML (International Mr. Leather). This event attracts thousands of leather wearing, daddies, boys, Sir, Slaves, Pups. I am always working this weekend at the beach, so I am never able to make it to this event!


Speaking of the leather community - I think they really have the edge on safer sex and HIV prevention. Most play safe, establish limits. I respect them and take to heart the messages they offer. One of the places that is a supporter of us is a shop called Leather Central. They are the only place in town where I send guys to who are looking for some leather wear or looking for some special toys! Chris and Jason do a great job providing a service the the GLBT community in Rehoboth. I use them as a referral for guys who are expierimenting with self - pleasuring (truly the safest sex!) or guys who are looking to enter into the leather community by purhcasing their first piece of leather. These guys have been supporters of the CAMPsafe program since I met them when they owned a local B and B.

If you are in town, stop by their store. They have some really great stuff and do care about the community in Rehoboth.

Beach...

One of the things we do in the summer is beach outreach. Even though today isn't the hottest of days, the guys are out having some fun in the sun! The outreach team of CAMPsafe goes to the places where the guys are! So - we spend some time on the beach during the summer talking to them, handing out some goodies and making sure everyone has a good and safe time. Here are some shots from today..

Memorial Day Weekend..

More to come..but here is a teaser..click on this link for the web cam.

Testing Thursdays...

One of the best parts I like about my job at CAMP is doing HIV Testing and Counseling. Besides sexual health counseling, this is the one program where I get to talk to men and women at the moment they are in most need of someone who can answer their questions about sexual health concerns or at least give them some peace of mind.

Today was one of those days for Anthony. He gave his second HIV+ result to a young gay man. Giving postive results is a tough job. You are with the client at the very moment - they hear some distrubing news. Anthony did a great job this evening. I am really glad to have him be part of the CAMPsafe family.

Thanks Anthony!!

Condom Stuffing...

The coming of summer usually means that we are getting ready to distribute our safer sex kits around town. In order to get these packets ready, a group of volunteers gets together for our "condom Bees". I really enjoy these events and impressed by the dedication of the volunteers who donate their time creating these packets. Not only am I grateful for their handy work but I also enjoy being able to spend time with them to joke around, tell jokes and eat pizza!

I want to thank them and I can't wait till our next stuffing event.

Can Tops Get HIV?

This is a question I hear very often in testing and counseling sessions.

HIV can enter through cuts, abrasions and ulcers, but even if you don't have any of these on your penis, you can still catch HIV. It can enter through your uretha (you know the place where your pee comes out of!) during sex and cause infection. If you are uncut, your foreskin can trap the virus and enter into your body. HIV can even enter through the head of your penis.

So, next time your top tells you, he could never get HIV - tell me he is wrong!!!

"sorting" things out....

“Sorting” Things Out

One of the things that I enjoy when I am not working is checking out profiles of guys on websites. It’s pretty interesting to see how men are crafting their profiles (the pictures aren’t bad either!!). I always get a kick out of the “Rehoboth” area profiles as guys are starting to plan for their Memorial Day holiday. Already, we have guys looking for leather daddies for a week, guys who are smooth, guys who build portable “glory holes” in their hotel rooms and guys into groups. One of the postings on a popular website was for HIV+ guys only.

It’s amazing to see how long it takes trends from bigger cities like NYC, SF or Philadelphia make there way down to the gay community of Rehoboth. Maybe I haven’t noticed or maybe I am naive but “serosorting” has come to this area. Despite its criticisms, I believe this is a good strategy and I applaud HIV+ men for taking the initiative to protect other men from getting infected with HIV.

What is Serosorting?
Serosorting comes from the word "serum" which has to do with fluids of the blood. If you are HIV+ then you are sero-positive, and if you’re HIV- you are sero-negative. So, as I'm sure you've figured out, sero-sorting is the process of choosing your sexual/romantic partners based on whether or not they have HIV.

I think the HIV+ community use serosorting to avoid potential rejection, reduce fear or anxiety related to condom breakage, or for a greater sense of shared intimacy. This really isn’t unusual. I think many men have been doing this for a long time. Until recently, it’s been about romantic relationships but now it’s moved over to picking and choosing sex partners based on their HIV status.

While it's a great strategy for HIV+ guys, HIV- guys need to be careful about serosorting. I like to call this smarter sorting for HIV- men. Just because a guy says he is negative doesn't mean he truly knows for sure. It takes about two months for HIV to show up on a test, which means if they've had unsafe sex recently a negative result doesn't mean a thing. So, we're not advocating having bareback sex with somebody who says he's negative as a way of avoiding HIV infection but maybe eliminating high risk negatives out of your potential pool of sex partner. But pairing off with someone of your same status, while still practicing safer sex, definitely reduces your chances of catching HIV, or something else.

Just because you're serosorting doesn't mean condoms and lube should fall out of the picture, but it can be another important tool for maintaining your health whether you're Positive or Negative.


What Do You Think?

One more...

Here is another picture from the nor'easter today! I am finally dried out. Quiet this evening.

Days Like This...

Being in Rehoboth does have it's advantages...but on days like this...its amazing to see how awe inspiring Mother nature is...

How risky is.....

How risky is rimming?

There is no risk of catching HIV from rimming. You can catch other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI's) from rimming. Some of these are: Hepatitis A, gut infections and even worms (YUK!).

Friday...

What do we do?

CAMPINGsafe – That’s what’s it’s all about!

What is the CAMPsafe program? What do you do? What are you about? Those are just a few of the questions that CAMPsafe outreach workers have been recently asked. So, what is the program all about? What is CAMPsafe? What do we do?

CAMPsafe is an HIV prevention program that serves the gay/bi male community in Eastern Sussex County. CAMP Rehoboth was given a contract in 1998 by Delaware’s Department of Public Health. This contract was to work with gay/bi men in Eastern Sussex County. Since 1998, the CAMPsafe program continues to grow and thrive with each passing year. The program started by offering services only during the summer and now provides them all year round.

HIV Testing and Counseling

Knowing your HIV status is one of the most important things you can do if you are a sexually active gay/bi male. Not only are you taking time to learn your status, you are also protecting your community. CAMPsafe offers free and anonymous HIV Testing and Counseling at its office on Baltimore Avenue by appointment or walk-in during the week. Along with the Sussex County AIDS Committee, CAMPsafe offers testing on Thursdays from 3-6pm. During 2001, we tested 120 individuals who came in to access this service.

Sexual Health Counseling

Sexual health counseling was begun by the CAMPsafe program because we saw the need for gay/bi men to know that there is a place they won’t be judged because of their sexual practices. CAMPsafe offers Sexual Health Counseling for gay/bi men who have questions about risks of sexual activities, sexual health or need someone to talk to about issues they have around sex. Counseling is free and is offered by staff in a non-threatening environment where gay/bi men can come in and ask questions. During 2001, 65 men were counseled through this program.

Beach, Bar, Beach House Outreach – Condom Distribution Program

The outreach program of CAMPsafe is the program that allows us to be visible in the gay/bi community. During 2001, CAMPsafe supplied 12,000 condom packets to the many bars, restaurants and nightclubs that the gay/bi male community frequent in Rehoboth. During the summer months, you can find CAMPsafe staff at these places during the weekends between the hours of 10:00pm till 1am handing out condoms and talking with guys about safer sex. On special weekends, CAMPsafe holds special safe-Tea dances at Cloud 9. Also, outreach staff can be found on the beach handing out condom packets and HIV testing cards. During 2001, we talked with over 500 men at our outreach events.

Social Marketing Campaign

The social marketing campaign of CAMPsafe is perhaps one of the most widely known programs. Our famous postcards campaign has been with the program since its inception. During the summer season, collectible safer sex postcards can be found at many of the places gay/bi men frequent. The postcards are supposed to be fun and campy so that we can reach many men with the important safer sex messages that can be found on them. Another thing that makes these cards special are the men who help with the campaign. They volunteer to appear on the cards because they care about the men in the gay community who will be making safer sex choices. 8,000 cards were handed out during 2001. Another aspect of our campaign is through “Letters”. “Letters” has donated space to the CAMPsafe program so that we can publicize our many services and create awareness around our program.

CAMPchats/M-Groups and the Community Advisory Board.

These programs usually occur off-season and are geared towards the local gay/bi population. CAMPchats and M-Groups provide a group setting for gay/bi men to learn risk-reduction skills around sex and other health issues. The Community Advisory Board has become the heart of the CAMPsafe program this year. The CAB is group of men who come together to talk about the CAMPsafe program and help evolve it to a community - centered program. This allows the community to have more input on how the program should reach out to the community.

Internet Outreach Program

CAMPsafe was given a pilot grant in December of 2001 to do outreach online to men who frequent the Internet chatrooms to find sex partners. Online staff is talking with many men who are visiting the area or who live here. This medium allows staff to inform men that may not live in this area of the programs and services that CAMPsafe offers.

CAMPsafe is out there to serve the community in Eastern Sussex County. The program is very proud to be an important part in helping to shape decision-making around safer sex issues. If you are in need of any of our services or would like to be a part of the CAMPsafe program, please call us at 302-227-5620.