Have Fun, Stay Safe: Knowing Your Status
When last we saw them, our three friends – Anthony, Brandon, and Charles – were all dealing with some challenges to their sexual health. Read below for a quick recap, or go to the next page to jump to the story.
(If you need a refresher, tap the following links to re-watch Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of Keep It Up!: The Series. You can also find them in the Episode List on the Menu bar.)
Anthony found out that the guy he was dating and having bareback sex with was actually seeing and fucking other people. Anthony assumed they were exclusive and did not protect his health needs with condoms and/or PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). That put him at risk for HIV and STIs.
While getting tested together, Brandon’s boyfriend, Yoshi, tested positive for HIV. Although that means Brandon was exposed to HIV through sex, he did not get infected (a.k.a., seroconvert) because he was on PrEP. Now they face new challenges as a sero-discordant or “magnetic” (one positive, one negative, like a magnet) couple.
After having a few too many drinks, Charles got swept off his feet by a very handsome hookup. Neither of them talked about their health needs like HIV status or condoms. That’s because they both assumed it should have been the other guy to bring it up. At Brandon’s recommendation, Charles went to the clinic for PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), which brings us to today…