Back to Reality

 My Desk—April, 2023

I came home totally sated from CLAW and the Horse Market.  I was sorry that I hadn’t been able to stay longer at the leather weekend, but I was in the middle of a short-term contract that was taking up a lot of time.  I made some notes about the event and went back to work.

But something felt off.   It was 10 days later—and after that wholesale fucking event, I wondered if I had brought something home with me.  On the same day, I got the usual group email from the organizer reminding everyone to get checked for STIs after all the fun.  My county health department isn’t open on the weekend, so I waited until they re-opened on Monday and went in.

With my house move, I was in a new county, and while I had got my vaccines for Covid, flu and Mpox there, I had not gotten the full battery of STI testing from them.  I have to say, I love the women I have met at county health departments.  They are efficient, great at putting people at ease and have seen it all—literally.  The two women I met on this trip also appreciated that I was coming in at the earliest warning sign, knew what I was talking about and I didn’t gloss over my sex life to make me ‘look better’ in their eyes.  (Unlike my GP who really doesn’t want to talk about my gay sex life at all…)

This was also a wake-up call to me.  While not playing during all that time with Covid, I had not followed my usual sex screening routine for some time.  It felt good and empowering to be back on track.

I pissed in a cup.  I was swabbed. I was jabbed in the finger.

The nurse asked if I was interested in learning more about PrEP.  I told her how I had decided before:  I never bottom, I am cut, my regular partners are on PrEP or are undetectable.  I was pleased that she agreed with my reasoning and that, as long as I continued testing regularly, I was in good shape there.

Test results were fast.  They did find chlamydia.  I got the prescription and took my pills, glad that I hadn’t played since the event—so I had no one I could contact.  (I just hope all the attendees of HM took the letter from the organizer to heart.)

This is not the first time I have not had the usual sex driven post—but I think it is a good reminder for anyone having sex out there.  STI’s happen.  Take care of them.  Notify your partner(s) when you can.  It is part of having bareback sex.  Actually, even condomed sex—I got gono from a blow job before the condom went on back in the 1990’s.

So, there’s the public health announcement for today. 

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I have written about all this before—and perhaps more eloquently in 2017.  I will include a link to:  The Un-sexy Post