Chris O’Connor
news: UK Gay Men Porn Survey
River House Art Exhibition
River House is celebrating its 23rd birthday by hosting an art exhibition and reception on 14th September. River House is proud of their longstanding place at the heart of the HIV community in London and is frequently impressed by the creative talent they come into contact with. In celebration of their 23rd birthday, they have decided to host an art exhibition at River House in Hammersmith. The theme of the exhibition is Life. One River House client told BASELINE, “six years ago after spending six months at Chelsea and Westminster hospital I was referred by the medical team to River House. On arrival they referred me to see the clinical nurse specialist, Citizens Advice Bureau and it was through them that I found Positively Women and Zimbabwe Women Support Services. The reason why I look as healthy as I do today is because of the quality and nutritious lunches provided at River House. “What I like about the services at River House is the sense of community as you walk through the doors is the location being by the park, having our own garden and the scenic views of the river. The support I’ve gained from the friendly staff team, the peer support on offer and friends I’ve made.” “If someone was walking through River House’s doors for the first time, I would say to them that River House provides a safe landing, a haven from the world outside, you can take as much from the services offered as you need, but it’s useful to know that they are there.” If you are interested in hearing more about the services at River House contact them on 020 8753 5190 or email: info@riverhouseuk.org Author, Joel Korn: Image, Chris Gunton www.phasedbylight.com 12
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Over 1,000 gay men responded to a GMFA survey through their FS magazine to find out how porn really figures in gay men’s lives. An overwhelming majority (98%) of respondents watched porn, with almost one in four watching it daily (24%) and just over three-quarters viewing porn more than once a week. In recent years there has been a lot of discussion around whether bareback porn encourages gay men to have unprotected sex. The survey results demonstrate that the answer may not be straightforward. Although almost 96% of those surveyed had watched at least some bareback porn, fewer than 7% felt that it had led to them personally having unprotected sex. However a majority of men (53%) believed that watching bareback porn can lead to others having unprotected sex. Matthew Hodson of GMFA, comments: “It’s impossible to say precisely how much impact watching porn has on people’s behaviour but it seems that many people, gay or straight, learn about sex from porn, and perhaps this is even more true for gay men, as we are less likely to get a gay sex education at school.” The survey can be viewed at www.fsmag.org.uk David Bridle, managing director of BOYZ magazine said in written evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on HIV that there were 180 DVDs available in the UK with R18 certification with ‘bareback’ or ‘raw in the title. He said that UK prevention agencies had avoided the issue of bareback porn, whilst in the US the community group, AIDS Healthcare Foundation were currently taking legal action against porn film producers for not requiring actors to wear condoms.
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Summer 2012