“Good” sex? “Bad”sex?
Just what do gay men want anyway?

“We have a lot to talk about…”

On Thursday, April 17, a community forum on gay men’s health featuring author Dr. David Halperin will be held at the Center on Halsted.

In addition to Dr. Halperin, panel experts include Dr. Gary Harper of DePaul University and Northwestern’s Dr. Michele Morales. The award-winning Feast of Fools podcasters Fausto Fernos and Marc Felion will host and moderate.

The event begins at 6:00 p.m. in the Irving Harris Family Foundation Reception Hall at the Center on Halsted – 3656 N. Halsted. Light refreshments will be served. A book signing with Dr. Halperin will take place at the conclusion of the forum.

The lively debate will explore gay men’s relation to sex and risk in the age of barebacking—or condomless sex—and will confront the inaccurate and damaging psychological concepts that are used to describe gay men.

Headliner Dr. Halperin is the author of What Do Gay Men Want?, a provocative essay that exposes the overwrought clichés about gay men’s alleged low self-esteem, lack of self-control, and various psychological “deficits.” Halperin offers a unique, fresh understanding of gay men’s inner lives and challenges the common moral assumptions about “good” and “bad” sex.

“We are living in dangerous times,” says Halperin. “The old rule of ‘use a condom every time’ is losing its force, but new strategies for limiting the spread of HIV infection are still in their infancy, and we have yet to work out another set of communal standards for sexual behavior that balance our desires for pleasure, affirmation, and human contact against the degrees of risk we are collectively willing to accept. We have a lot to talk about.”

Note to editors: Dr. Halperin is available for phone interviews in advance of the forum.

Co-sponsored by Project CRYSP and Lifelube.org, the forum features an open, honest discussion between attendees and panel members.

“What Do Gay Men Want?” kicks off a series of forums that seek to advance healthy community for gay men.

LifeLube.org promotes a healthy, holistic and integrated gay sexuality that goes beyond HIV and STDs to embrace body, mind, and soul.

Project CRYSP (Crystal Prevention) is a five-year program through the Chicago Department of Public Health to address the intersection of meth use, HIV infection and mental health issues among gay men. Agency partners in Project CRYSP include AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Center on Halsted, Howard Brown Health Center and Test Positive Aware Network.

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