Chasing the bugs out of the system

Why would any gay man want to willingly contract HIV? That’s the question raised in a new study into bug chasing -“ the phenomenon of negative gay men seeking to become HIV positive.

The study, being conducted by Steve Brooker, a researcher and health worker who has been employed in HIV health for 15 years, hopes to uncover the truths behind the contentious topic.

Brooker is now seeking to interview people who have fantasised about becoming HIV positive and have actively sought out unprotected sex with positive partners.

Brooker’s research is part of the PhD into medical anthropology he is completing through the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University.

His interest is in response to the debate over whether bug chasers even exist, and the controversy created within gay and mainstream communities.

With some health agencies insisting bug chasers are little more than a tabloid media creation, Brooker says he wants his study to expose the myths.

The reality is no-one knows and that is why I am doing this research, Brooker said. It may well be that it is not happening, and my research might be my way to say so.

Bug chasing was first brought into the mainstream four years ago when a US magazine did a high-pitched feature on the subject of negative gay men seeking out HIV positive sexual partners in order to contract the virus.

It received further mainstream debate in the wake of the recent criminal cases of deliberate HIV infection in Melbourne and Adelaide.

The fallout was a number of tabloid media outlets then took the opportunity to highlight the reckless approach gay men had to their health and welfare.

Brooker says he was a sceptic until he dealt with a case of a self-declared bug chaser in a Sydney clinic who requested PEP treatment in the aftermath of his risky behaviour.

My theory is that it must be something that is part of human behaviour -“ not gay behaviour, he said. This is trying to de-stigmatise this awful media frenzy that seems to coalesce around gay men and our behaviours. It just increases the stigma, and is another stick to beat us with.

I think this is a real chance to contribute to the knowledge and understanding about it. But if it does exist, I don’t believe it is something people engage in over the long term. I think they might dip in and out for a variety of reasons.

Brooker refused to be drawn on his thoughts of why people become bug chasers, preferring to let his potential interviewees tell their own tales.

I have some of my own theories, but I want to get people’s stories -“ that is if there really are people doing it, he said.

It is a case of trying to understand how people react to epidemics, as this is something we have never seen before. Maybe we are all completely wrong and all it ever was was one person who got a lot of attention. Let’s hope we now find out.

People interested in being interviewed for this study can contact Steve Brooker on 8382 9440 or through [email protected].