Michael is to be congratulated not only for taking a stand on an issue that's important to him, but also for being willing to think carefully about the bigger issues outside of his own views and his personal tastes, and make a tough call.

I credit Michael for being one of the main people that caused me to think about a viewpoint I'd never considered -- that of gay men who are HIV positive and are constantly reminded of that in safer-sex porn and in all of the media coverage of the importance of safer sex.

The issues involved are extremely complex, and there are few, if any, black-and-white answers to any of them. As many have pointed out, it is near impossible to be "pure" on the safer sex issue in the porn industry in part because of differing opinions of what safer sex is, in part because so many parts of the industry are driven by financial issues and not by ethical ones.

Michael has taken a bold step and put his money where his mouth is. That doesn't mean that his decision is the right one for everyone else, and it certainly doesn't mean -- as some seem to think -- that it is a condemnation of bareback or a call to ban bareback. It is simply a step, made from the heart, by a person who has been around long enough, both in the industry and in life, to understand the bigger issue.

And as for those claiming cheating or worse, sorry but I don't agree at all. This is a step made for reasons that are personally important to Michael. It is encouraging to me personally to see people taking such steps, and I hope that we will continue to see meaningful dialogue on the many issues that come into play -- the potential impact on a webmaster's income, the psychological effect on those who view bareback content, the safety and other issues surrounding those who perform in bareback productions, the absolute right of those who wish to view and to create bareback to create it, and the challenge that many of us face in balancing success or growth of our businesses against the ethical issues that arise.