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The Sex You Want and the Information You Need
By John Charles

Debuting this fall is The Sex You Want (TSYW), a print and online resource for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Many such campaigns have been developed over the years by various agencies, but this one differs from most in that it was formulated at all stages, from consultation to final approval, by queer men of every variety (including trans men, men of all HIV statuses, and racialized men). Spearheaded by the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) and the Gay Men's Sexual Health Alliance (GMSH), it offers information that is both practical and knowing, allowing one to make the best choices applicable to your own sexual health.

There is a fine line with public information campaigns that can be difficult to negotiate. They need to get the pertinent information across, but must also engage a reader’s interest and address their life experience to some degree. For example, gay or bisexual men out of their teens are not likely to continue reading literature that starts off with a lesson on how to properly wear a condom. TSYW negotiates this situation very well by covering topics applicable to common interactions between queer men, including what they bring up in general conversation and what they must think about if sexually active. In addition, this initiative offers up the latest information on the topics in a manner that avoids being overly statistical or judgmental, relying on testimonials from a wide spectrum of men to illustrate applicable situations and provide additional risk reduction strategies.

Topics include –

· The practice of Sero-sorting, where some screen out potential partners based on whether they might be HIV+
· The pitfalls of using sex as a way of countering depression
· Whether the risk of transmission is lower for a top than a bottom
· What sort of risk your partner will experience if you are HIV+, your viral load is undetectable and you both decide to forego using protection
· Negotiating condom use with a potential sex partner who does not wish to use one
· Making the mistake of assuming that your partner knows your HIV status and that you know his
· Queer trans men dealing with discriminatory treatment from health care providers

These particular sections are followed by a series of options that the man in question could choose in order to work out the problem encountered. It is a very good structure for engaging one’s interest and the testimonials ring very true, offering situations that most users will be able to relate to and empathize with. Attention is also devoted towards methods that are either not proven 100% effective, require additional testing or have not yet been approved for use in Ontario. While not necessarily recommended at this time, they are in use in the community and also deserve to be discussed.

Check out The Sex You Want website. Its resources are available entirely in English and French, while several sections can be accessed in seven other languages.