PrEPping for the end of the world

Dear J & M,

Do you think it's worth it for a queer trans man to go on PrEP? Is it more for people who have anal sex, or is it just good for everyone to take?

Regards,
Doomsday PrEPPER


♥ ♥ ♥

Doom,

In 2019, the hot sex trends are prairie doms, clown kink, ghost play, and safety. Because while good old-fashioned courtship isn't dead, casual-hookup mania is coursing through the veins of the mainstream, and there's no going soft.

Whereas previous generations raw-dogged it all the way to the clinic in the name of "free love," we now enjoy the benefit of groundbreaking preventative medicines. It's time to get with the program — by which we mean a pre-exposure prophylaxis regimen.

For anyone who is having sex with multiple partners, who are likely also having sex with multiple partners, Truvada (the first FDA-approved pill for PrEP use, which, if taken each day, lowers the risk of contracting HIV by up to 92%) is a smart idea.

Perhaps it seems drastic to be so cautious, hence your question. But keep in mind, this treatment is still fresh on the scene. Maybe in a few years' time, PrEP medication will be as commonplace as birth control or multivitamins.

Now, it’s worth mentioning in the interest of reducing stigma that HIV isn't quite as dire as it once was, thanks to medical advances. Even after contracting HIV, one can live a healthy life with regular antiretroviral therapy, which lowers the viral load in the body so that the virus cannot be spread during sex, and won't show up in a blood test.

In any case, it always benefits one to err on the side of caution when it comes to one's health — and that's the bottom line.

Of course, we at The Rag are no authorities on sex education, or education of any kind. In fact, this whole blog should be illegal. So do your own research and make an appointment with Planned Parenthood or Red Door.

But our anecdotal advice is to remember the spirit of YOLO: that we are given only one life to live, so always play it safe and minimize harmful repercussions.

— J & M