Have You Heard? The Sex Edition

I guess it’s no secret by now that I’ve got a pretty sexual past, but honestly that should be the least interesting part of my background. The most interesting part of my personal history is actually the fact that I once drank a 2-liter cola in under 30 seconds and didn’t barf afterward. That’s what we call personality.  Anyway…

Did you know that there is a second type of PrEP out there? Descovy provides all the benefits of Truvada but at a lower biological toll. Two things about that, however: Truvada is still a useful form of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and the conversation about these drugs should still center HIV+ folks. Yes, it’s great that PrEP can help limit transmission, but at the same time we should devote efforts to patent bust and lower prices to helping Poz people first and foremost. Also, maybe put a fraction of the energy that goes into advocating for PrEP into recognizing that undetectable equals untransmittable? Also, Poz people don’t live their lives to be sexually desired by HIV- people.

Next up, can we just talk about x-rated pics? I maintain, always have, that there’s a coming time when far more than a majority of people have produced x-rated pics for their own use and the consumption of selected people. Rules regarding operational security apply pretty universally here, including not sending nude pics to people who might spread them, not sending pics to those who have not consented and not under any circumstances spreading revenge porn. There are a lot of reasons that a person could be disqualified from certain public service jobs, but having an OnlyFans is not one of those reasons.

Have you heard about Portland State Queer Resource Center’s Sex Week? That’s coming up in just a couple of weeks, March 2–6. You’ll see more and more flyers around campus as that time approaches!

Can I riff for a second, y’all? It has always been my bathhouse pet peeve to see folks smoking in the space, but now they’re vaping to an extent that far exceeds any smoking I’ve seen. I was at a pool party a few months ago, and every few seconds I’d smell an acidic cotton candy-scented smoke. But anyway…

As to that last point, I’d complain but I can’t speak and use ASL, so complaining is a difficult prospect! That said, and totally relevant, did you know that queer deaf/hoh communities have a lot of great signs for different sexuality and gender-related concepts? On YouTube you can find videos from Nyle diMarco and Chella Man and Rogan Shannon.

Finally, as some of you may know, I am a historian. I study public history in the History Department’s MA program and my emphasis, surprise surprise, is sodomy laws and queer relations on the West Coast, specifically in Portland. In the near future I hope to bring you queer history highlights, especially those that are relevant to PSU. Anyway, ‘til next week: bye-eeee!