I've certainly had to grapple with the barebacking issue. And the only thing I can tell you is that I go back and forth on it.

Ultimately, I decided to use barebacking guys and pictures in my galleries because they sell, and they sell big.

I call my site a "fantasyland of bears and hairy men." So, in a sense, I've already put it out there that every one on this site is a fantasy, and in the real world things would be different.

On my list of things to do is to write out a disclaimer that tells anyone reading it that I'm not telling guys they should use condoms and I'm not condemning guys who don't, all I expect from people is that they talk about it. If two positives, or two negatives, or a mixed bag of knowns and unknowns decide to engage in unsafe sex, but they've talked about it, then who am I to stand there on my mount giving a sermon.

I believe that not disclosing your status and engaging in unprotected sex is wrong. If you disclose a positive status and someone still wants to play with you, and do so in an unprotected way, that's up to you guys to sort out. After all, we continue to smoke and let people we love smoke in spite of the fact that we know it will probably harm or kill us in some way. Is there a difference between barebacking and smoking?

If you work at McDonald's and you're serving up three Big Macs to a 450 pound man, do you not owe it to the guy to say, "Dude, did you think about what you're doing to your body?" No, that would be insane and probably get you fired. The guy walked into McDonald's willingly.

If you know that a famous jean manufacturer or shoe producer is using near-slave labour in under-developed countries, do you continue buying those products knowing that you're helping to hurt thousands of people? Do you continue to shop at Wal-Mart knowing that more and more of the products they sell are not made by Americans, and shopping there is costing Americans their jobs?

Just exactly where do you draw the line? They're all moral and ethical issues, but we each have to draw our own line somewhere. As long as we've thought about it and can live with ourselves, then we've made an informed choice.

I would like to get my disclaimer written soon, and tell people to (a) talk about it, and (b) realize that these actors in these barebacking galleries have probably talked about it and know the status of their partners. Along with the disclaimer, I will provide some links to well-known AIDS organizations around the world so that people can seek out the information they should have.

As far as the boy, teen, barely legal thing is concerned, I wished we'd clean it up ourselves before VISA or MasterCard pulls support on any site using those words, just like they did with "protect", "adult verification" etc. Yes, I know that "barely legal" means they're legal, but for me it's implying a grey area. Just like we all know that "free memberships" aren't really.

BTW, I still thing a post this long should count as three or four posts in this contest. I do, I do, I do. :goof:


Cheers,
Dzinerbear