March 24, 2015
Yes, as hard as it is to believe, there are actual men who desperately want to get HIV. Some of these men are thrill seekers who want to play the ultimate game of Russian Roulette. Others want to take advantage of a myriad of health organizations that will provide free medicine and health care to keep them healthy and alive. Still others have convinced themselves that if they simply get HIV on purpose, they are free to have all of the unsafe sex they want without fear of contracting something they already have. Regardless, the practice has been called “intensely erotic” and the “ultimate taboo and most extreme sex act left.”
The men who want to contract HIV are called “bug chasers” and the HIV positive men who can provide the virus are called “gift givers.” They are usually white, middle to lower class and between the ages of 20-35. An online community of “chasers” and “givers” exist on Facebook and Twitter, as well as a “bug chaser” website boasting a total of 5000 members within the U.S.
These men arrange HIV conversion parties, then meet up and “poz” those who seek the virus. Some chasers go so far as to have their rectum scraped with a wire hanger to cause open wounds and increase their chances of receiving “the gift.” Bug-chasers claim the virus gives them a better quality of life because of the medication they subsequently have to take.
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“Nick,” a 30-year-old who joined the bug chaser site and contracted HIV 2 years ago, says he has had unprotected sex with more than 1,000 men, including many he knew were HIV positive. Now that he finally has “the gift,” he’s happy. “I feel fit as a fiddle. I feel full of energy and healthier as a result of being on my medication.
When Nick was first diagnosed, he wrote on Facebook: “Tested positive on September 21st and totally loving it! Wanna share with any chasers, CD4 is 971, VL 100,000 – nice and toxic!”
CD4 refers to his white blood cell count while VL is the “viral load”, which indicates how likely a carrier is to pass the virus on. VL 100,000 is extremely high.
“I don’t regret the sex I had or becoming HIV.” Nick said. “The only downside of contracting the virus is it took some of the excitement away.
“I get my liver function tests every three months, my cholesterol tested regularly and I get loads of general health checks so if there are any underlying conditions I know straight away.” Even better, he says, he gets it all for free.
Unfortunately, “chasers” and “givers” don’t seem to understand that multiple types and subtypes of HIV exist, meaning if someone becomes infected with 1 strain of HIV, they can also be reinfected with a totally different (and possibly less manageable) strain. Also, HIV infection can be accompanied with other sexually transmitted diseases, including syphilis, a deadly form of gonorrhea, and even herpes, which has no cure.
In addition to bug chasers, there are also HIV positive men who want revenge by purposely infecting as many others as possible. Their logic is that since someone hurt them with the virus, they want to “get back” at the world by hurting as many other unsuspecting partners with the virus as they can.
A documentary entitled “The Gift” was produced to shed light on the community of bug chasers. In addition to seeing several men become giddy at the news that they finally contracted HIV, the film also shows several chasers who initially believed getting the virus was in their best interest, but are now regretting their immature and irreversible decision for the rest of their lives.
