'Barebacking still feels more taboo, because obviously for years there was no way to protect yourself against HIV without using a condom or being fully monogamous,' he says. Sam also says that for him, a bareback encounter still feels like a subversive or risky act. This might be another reason why people are seeing it more on apps.' 'So I'd imagine that apps like Grindr are being used more often as a way to gather people who have the same interests together. 'A lot of men who enjoy group sex have had safe spaces like saunas and sex clubs taken away from them and have no outlet for this anymore,' he says. Howley says PrEP hasn't just made condomless anal sex less risky – it's also made it a more “mainstream” proposition on dating apps, especially since the pandemic has reduced the MSM community's options. PrEP is a prevention method and those who are using PrEP correctly are protecting themselves and their partners against HIV.' Still, Howley also points out that PrEP doesn't offer complete protection because it doesn't prevent other STIs such as chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhoea. “But let’s not think they're having 'unprotected sex'.
'What PrEP has done for many is lift the guilt and shame associated with sex and I would imagine that means that more men are choosing to have condomless sex,” he says. Howley says PrEP has even changed the way we should talk about anal intercourse between MSM.
