Although HIV can be present in many parts of the human body, the concentration of the virus is only strong enough to spread from one person to another in these 5 fluids:

We have to remember that direct contact between two or more of these fluids must occur in order for there to be a risk of HIV infection.  The virus must also be present in at least one of the people engaging for risk to occur.

Kissing and cuddling can be very hot and an extremely intimate part of the sexual experience.  Kissing, touching, cuddling and fondling are both enjoyable and do not pose risks for HIV transmission.  Here are a few things to keep in mind while kissing and cuddling to ensure good oral health:

By yourself, with a partner or an entire group - masturbation is a fun and healthy way to relieve some of that built up stress.  Masturbation does not carry risks of HIV transmission.  Here are a few hints to prevent the increase of HIV transmission risk:

There are virtually no cases of individuals acquiring HIV from being sucked. There are a small number of recorded cases of people getting HIV from taking semen (cum) into their mouth and in the back of their throat. In almost all of these cases the person sucking had herpes sores, cuts or infections in their mouth. It is not easy for HIV to enter the bloodstream through the mouth and throat if they are in good health.

Condoms are always free at ASAAP.

Rimming - licking in and around a person's anus (asshole) - is not a high-risk activity for HIV transmission. Anal fluids that carry HIV can enter through your mouth if you have open cuts, sores or bleeding gums. Rimming is a high-risk activity for certain other sexually transmitted infections. Using a dental dam will significantly reduce these risks.

There exist many myths and misconceptions about anal sex within our community.  But when it comes to our health - it is very important to know the facts.  Having anal sex is something that you should discuss with your partner.   As is the case with all sexual activities, rushing into things can be both painful and potentially dangerous.

Having unprotected anal sex (without properly using a condom) poses the highest possible risk for HIV to be transmitted from one person to the next.  The anal cavity is lined with extremely sensitive tissues and membranes that can be easily damaged during anal sex if not properly lubricated.  Any damage in the anus will cause blood to rush to the damaged area to begin the healing process.  Since HIV concentration is extremely high in both blood and semen, the combination of these fluids provides the virus with a very effective and efficient means of traveling from one person to the other.  Using a latex condom and water-based lubrication during anal sex significantly reduces the risk of HIV transmission.

Many men believe that only the person getting fucked is at risk of infection during anal sex.  This is not true.  Small cuts along the shaft and head of the penis provide openings for the virus to travel from one partner to the other.

Try experimenting with condoms before using them for anal sex. Get yourself used to the feel of them. Try masturbating with them on. Masturbate with a torn condom so that you can feel what that is like. When you can feel the difference, if a condom tears when you are fucking, you will know to pull out.

Some men will tell you that condoms break easily. However, the mistakes that people make that lead to condom breakage can be easily corrected. Condoms are not 100% reliable, but using them correctly is the best way there is to make fucking safer. Remember the following:

HIV can be transmitted during vaginal sex. The virus is found in both semen (cum) and vaginal fluids of people living with HIV. If you are having vaginal sex the best way to prevent HIV from being transmitted is by using a condom and water-based lubricant. HIV is unlikely to be transmitted during oral sex when a man is going down on a woman although the risk increases if there is menstrual blood. If there are cuts or sores in the man's mouth, a dental dam can be used to protect against HIV. Check out the range of heterosexual safer-sex information available.

Some people who share the same known HIV status choose to have anal sex (fuck) without condoms. This can only be safe when you both know for certain that you are both HIV-negative or both HIV-positive. Discuss with your partner how important it is for you to fuck without condoms. If it is not that important, then keep using condoms. If you want to fuck without condoms, then here are some steps you could follow:

Talk with your doctor about the possible effects of being exposed to another strain of the virus. It is your choice to enjoy unprotected anal sex by fucking with another HIV-positive person if you both consent to.

If you both want to fuck without condoms, then you might both want to get tested for HIV. Be completely honest about your results, or agree to go and get tested and collect your results together. What would it mean if one of you had HIV and the other did not? Talk about this first. If it would mean the end of the relationship then maybe you should just keep using condoms? Continue to use condoms every time you fuck for 3 months after either of you could possibly have come into contact with HIV. After 3 months, you might both want to get tested again.

Discuss your future plans. Make a commitment to each other that you'll avoid fucking outside of your relationship (this strategy is more successful) or that if either of you fuck with anyone else you will use condoms (this strategy is less successful). You will need to make a decision about trusting each other. Make a commitment that if either of you has a slip-up or an accident that results in unsafe sex outside of the relationship, you'll agree to tell the other immediately. You'll need to go back to safe sex until you've both been tested twice again 3 months apart.

Using drugs or alcohol might affect your ability to make sensible decisions about having safer-sex, and your ability to let your partner know what you want. It is a good idea to make the choice to be prepared for safe sex before using drugs and alcohol. Making sure you've always got condoms and water-based lubricant with you can make it easier decision to have sex without regret.

If you inject drugs, remember that each person should use a new clean needle and other equipment every time. Do not share needles, swabs, spoons, filters or tourniquets! Cleaning fits for 5 minutes with strong bleach is not 100% safe.

Always clean your toys after each use, and especially before sharing, or put a new condom on the toys for each use or for each person. Ideally, toys can be a fun addition to your sex life while keeping you 100% safe from STIs if you don’t share them at all – think of it as individual investment!

It’s important to clean your toys properly between anal and vaginal use too! There are bacteria that live in the anus (bum) that can cause irritations (like yeast infections) in the vagina.

Being committed to safer-sex all the time is not always easy. There are going to be times when it is hard to stick to safer-sex. It is important to be able to talk about this with people we trust. We should not be judgmental if friends tell us that they have had a slip-up. Most gay men can remember or imagine what leads to an unsafe incident. Remember that slip-ups don not mean we' have gone off the rails or that we are bad people. Just make the decision to have safer-sex in the future to ensure a long life of enjoying sex without regret.