Suchergebnisse

Content warning: This relational meditation centers suicidality including suicidal talk (as well as talk by currently suicidal people) and suicidal ideation. Dear reader, approach this piece with compassion and care. Seek the support and care you require—ideally on your terms and in a community of care. In this relational meditation, I offer a performative response to Alexander Baril's (2020) "suicidal manifesto" in the hopes of "building relations with suicidal people" (sec. 2.3.2, para. 2). Of the current crises we are navigating, suicidality persists. Be it through the recent loss of a dear queer mentor and friend to suicide, the suicidal student whose means of relating evade the violence of mandated reporting over mandated care, or the mundane suicidal ebbs and flows that have long organized my own lived experience, suicidality is a fact of my life and I would venture to suggest yours as well. I performatively engage Baril's "critical suicidality" in the hopes of inviting further and even more complex dialogues around mental health, wellness, and suicidality free of stigma and shame. While we theorize, organize, and perform means by which to survive our current crises, destigmatizing suicidality must be of paramount importance. This was not easy to write; it may not be easy to read.

For a generation of gay men who came of age in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming sexually active meant confronting the dangers of catching and transmitting HIV. In the 21st century, however, the development of viral suppression treatments and preventative pills such as PrEP and nPEP has massively reduced the risk of acquiring HIV. Yet some of the stigma around gay male promiscuity and bareback sex has remained, inhibiting open dialogues about sexual desire, risk, and pleasure. A Pill for Promiscuity brings together academics, artists, and activists—from different generations, countries, ethnic backgrounds, and HIV statuses—to reflect on how gay sex has changed in a post-PrEP era. Some offer personal perspectives on the value of promiscuity and the sexual communities it fosters, while others critique unequal access to PrEP and the increased role Big Pharma now plays in gay life. With a diverse group of contributors that includes novelist Andrew Holleran, trans scholar Lore/tta LeMaster, cartoonist Steve MacIsaac, and pornographic film director Mister Pam, this book asks provocative questions about how we might reimagine queer sex and sexuality in the 21st century