Aside from the arguments whether most STIs are treatable and the chances of getting HIV from civvies is small or not; personally I really don't care what risks people take when they are the only ones who get affected. Smoking, barebacking, mountain climbing or whatever. However, what I find it troublesome is the fact that by barebacking civvies in the pursuit of your "big reward" you are being extremely selfish and inconsiderate as you will certainly be passing STIs on to other women.
Granted, some people may argue they get what they deserve for barebacking with you but do you always tell them you are happy to take those risk with every woman as long as you get your "big reward" and that they should also take that "very small risk" with you?
With respect, I think you haven't thought this through and your label of me being 'extremely selfish and inconsiderate' is unwarranted.
To correct you on your first point, I am not 'certainly passing on STI's to other women'. I have only had chlamydia before and I did not pass this on.
I normally get tested after about 2 or 3 new partners so acknowledged, the potential is there for me to do so. I doubt there are many people who get tested after each new partner. This also applies to those of you wearing condoms - you obviously can still catch STI's but do you wait a month and get tested before your next encounter with someone new ? Akauya ?
My main point is that you seem to forget it's a two way street. If I am being extremely selfish and inconsiderate is not the woman too? There's an unspoken agreement in casual encounters that in the absence of lies or indeed any questions that you're BOTH prepared to take the risk. Do I volunteer my sexual history? No. If asked though, I tell the truth. If it's a one night stand at almost 40 I doubt she thinks she's pulled a virgin. Do I ask the girl ? No. If she thinks we're going to have sex and KNOWS she has an STI I'd assume she'd tell me ( otherwise what a cunt!). If she's prepared to have sex with me knowing she has an STI she's not going to tell me the truth if I ask her so I don't ask questions.
As I've stated I know what I do isn't wise. I would much prefer if I had no issue with condoms but I do (there's no point in detailing reasons here).
As I've stated what concerns me most is HIV. Actually what concerns me most is pregnancy but that's another matter !
...So (and I will wait for you to all pick holes in my pseudoscience!) I look at it like this - My potential partners are sexual active women between the ages of early twenties to mid forties. I can't find any stats for this age group but it's approximated that there's 22000 people living in the uk who have HIV and don't know it and less than a quarter of these are women. So approximately 5000 are women out of (I'm really guessing here) 15 to 20 million population in that age bracket. A very very small fraction of 1%
The transmission rate with hetero sex from a woman to a man is extremely low (a fraction of 1%) per act. You multiply your small faction of a percentage by a small fraction of a percentage and you get an even smaller figure.
So to sum up, the chances of me contracting it are very very very small. Again, this is a risk I am willing and knowingly taking.
