Negotiated Safety Agreements Among Gay Men

Abstract

Describes research on "negotiated safety" agreements among men who have sex with men. In this approach, men who test HIV-seroconcordant (more advisable when both are negative) agree to abandon use of condoms with each other but to avoid risk behavior with others, thus protecting the dyad. While this chapter focuses on gay men, the approach may also be effective for some heterosexual couples, particularly those who wish to conceive children. HIV antibody testing is an important, and until recently, underestimated tool in the prevention armamentarium. While individuals testing negative do not reliably reduce their behavioral risk, a number of reviews and meta-analyses have indicated that those who test positive, including serodiscordant couples, do. Negotiated safety, and the agreements that comprise it, is a complex HIV prevention strategy. The debate about whether it is an effective personal and community strategy needs to continue. The author suggests a framework within which the debate should continue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)(preface)