How is the Internet changing gay sex?
This was just one of many topics tackled during LifeLube.org and Project CRYSP's June 12 forum, 'Driving Tips for Sex on the Superhighway.' Held at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, and moderated by the Feast of Fools podcast, the forum sought to discuss the dos and don'ts of hooking up online; the responsibility of Web sites such as Manhunt and Adam4Adam when things go wrong; and more.
The panelists were Stephen Adelson, former general manager of Manhunt ( one of many sites used by gay men to meet each other ) and current executive director of Internet Intervention Inc.; Beau Gratzer, director of Howard Brown Health Center's HIV/STD Prevention; and Brian Mustanski, assistant professor of psychiatry at University of Illinois at Chicago.
According to Adelson, Manhunt became successful, in part, because of its timing. AOL ( America Online ) chat rooms and Gay.com started to 'burn out' because, as mainstream spaces, they couldn't handle more adult content. Manhunt was also successful because of its lack of advertisers, he said.
'There was a lot more freedom for people to express themselves sexually,' Adelson said.
Adelson firmly believes that when something goes wrong—say, someone using such a site turns up missing after a hook up or contracts syphillis—the Internet is not to blame. Things can go awry if you bring a stranger home to hook up after meeting at the bar, the bathhouse or a Web site.
'I don't think it's how you meet someone; it's what you do when you meet,' Adelson said. 'You have to protect yourself no matter how or where you meet.'
So, should sites such as Manhunt be regulated? Adelson disagrees. Most Web sites, he said, have good advice on them already, like meeting someone in public before you meet in private, being honest within your online profile, leaving a screen name or note by your computer when you leave, etc.
People need to be smart consumers, Adelson said, adding that any consequences are far outweighed by the benefits such hook-up sites provide, such as allowing men—straight, bi and gay—to step outside stereotypes and enjoy their sexuality.
Adelson believes that sites such as Manhunt have the potential to also really increase the conversation about HIV/AIDS and other topics. However, he added that consumers need to speak up.
'If we make health as gay men our concern, the Web sites will reflect the same,' he said.
Gratzer's department coordinates the organization's online outreach, which started with the once-popular AOL chat rooms and has since focused on sites like Adam4Adam.
The online outreach program helps to answer Internet users' questions, he said. According to Gratzer, the most popular question involves the relationship between HIV and oral sex, followed by where individuals can get rapid HIV testing.
As for the their presence in chat rooms and popular sex-seeking Web sites, users aren't really paying attention, Gratzer said.
'The biggest problem we have right now online is we can't get people interested,' Gratzer said.
Adelson agreed that the biggest challenge is to motivate people to access resources and information that are already online.
Part of the problem, Gratzer added, is public health. Because of lack of funding and other reasons, 'public health works like a dinosaur,' he said. 'We are slow to adapt, so its hard to keep up with what's going on.'
According to the panelists, another problem is that Web sites occasionally don't want to cooperate because they don't want their clients to feel pestered. Like Adelson, Gratzer said that it is up to the consumer to advocate for health resources on sex-seeking Web sites. Sites are more likely to listen to their clients, he said.
Despite some setbacks, Mustanski sees these sex-promoting Web sites as opportunities for public health to reach out to even more people.
'We can reach these youth in ways we have never been able to before,' Mustanski said, adding that there are not a lot of opportunities to teach LGBT people in traditional settings, but online, the sky is the limit.
'I see it as something that has so many positives, and only a few negatives,' he added.
During a Q&A segment following the panel discussion, attendees brought up a variety of issues, such as the lack of discussion and resources available about sexual addiction.
Gratzer felt that was a fantastic point that illuminate how little the LGBT community talks about issues. 'We don't talk as a community, even about alcohol,' Gratzer said. 'The community needs to address these issues head on.'
An upcoming live podcast forum about the LGBT community and alcohol, 'Let's Take a Glass Together,' will take place Wed., July 23, at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the discussion begins at 7 p.m. Space is limited, and you have to be 21 or over to attend. RSVP at www.lifelube.org or call 312-334-0939.
