Sex Myths

I only have sex with healthy people, so I don't worry about condoms.

[1.3M QT] Matt: But you don't know what my status is and I don't know what your status is. We both could be infected or we might not be. Just because I look healthy and just because you look healthy doesn't mean anything. I have friends who are younger than me that are HIV+. They thought they were choosy but they weren't.

When I've had a lot to drink, or I'm on drugs, it sometimes seems more of an effort to stick to safer sex.

[1.2M QT] Matt: I take drugs and sometimes go out of my head. So I always think ahead and carry condoms and lube with me. And I always have them at home -- not just by the bedroom. I have them in the bathroom and the kitchen; I have them all over the place because I never know what's going to happen and so I plan ahead.

I just hate condoms, and I lose my hard-on if I try to use them.

[1.7M QT] Chris: When I was 15 or 16 I remember buying a pack of condoms and having several wanks with them on. I thought it was a real turn-on at the time. I mean, definitely it was. My original thought was, you know, this is sort of a turn on, and I wanted to not look stupid the first time I ever got a chance to use it, as in not knowing how to use it or things like that.

It doesn't feel right to be using them with my boyfriend, and it's probably too late to start now.

[1.4M QT] Darren: If you've got a boyfriend, it's like you can't be 100% sure they are being faithful to you. Cause mine wasn't, and that's how I got it. So, it's like, just cause you're in a relationship for maybe 6 months don't stop using them. You've got to use them all the way through.

I only have sex with healthy people, so I don't worry about condoms.

[608K QT] Roger: He might look fit, he might look healthy, but that's like, you don't know. I think you should assume every person you go to bed with is HIV+.

When I've had a heavy night out, it's easy to forget condoms.

[400K QT] Roger: Be it drunk, be it drugs, or anything, it's like: No Condom, No Go.

Sometimes it just happens -- that's the way sex goes.

[714K QT] Matt: I know sometimes it just happens, and you're not sure. But plan ahead. I always think about these things beforehand. I know I want to go out and have sex, so I plan ahead.

All video clips in QuickTime format with Cinepak codec. (SGI Irix 5.2 Movieplayer won't read these.) From the video Doing It Right. A Young Gay Man's Guide to Safer Sex, available through

[email protected] (Sun Feb 5 04:06:19 1995)