OBQO {the orginal butchqueen oracle}

Newly released study reports:

What’s Next for the South?

Memphis, Tennessee, an entertainment hub, once home to Elvis Presley and site where the assassination of one of the world’s greatest leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., occurred.  Memphis is also home to high rates of poverty and an increasing number of infections, specifically among young Black gay men (BGM).

 Recognizing this disparity, The Red Door Foundation on June 8, 2013 convened a Tri-State African American LGBTQ Community Summit held during the 2013 Saving Ourselves Symposium, in Memphis, TN designed to address some of the social and structural determinants of HIV in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.  It was a vision of mine, to bring my community together, specifically young Black gay men, to better understand the importance of becoming active in their own quality of life.  To help guide me in this effort, workshops were facilitated by Mr. Daniel Driffin, Dr. David Malebranche, Mr. DaShawn Usher, Mr. Earl Fowlkes, and Mr. Venton Jones just to name a few on topics like Black Gay Leadership, Social Media, Black Equity, and the Affordable Care Act and how it will impact Black gay men.

 One important discussion held during the Community Summit that involved planning and conference calls prior to from all three state health departments (Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee) addressed the challenges that Black gay men face in this region with regard to accessing care. With the help of Mr. Blake Rowley from National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) we explored challenges from all three states.

  What we found out:

 Lack of Resources - The South carries the bulk of the epidemic but has the least amount of resources. Persons have reported that in some rural areas of these jurisdictions, Black gay men have to travel up to 2 hours to receive mental health services and treatment for STDs and HIV/AIDS.

 Stigma - Memphis is known as “the Buckle of the Bible Belt,” which results in high rates of stigma for young Black gay men on many different levels.  Black gay men experience extreme homophobia in this region and are highly stigmatized, particularly in church around the issue of homosexuality.  Due to such high stigma, it is extremely difficult to provide adequate HIV/AIDS education in faith-based institutions, which serves as the cornerstone of community for many Black families.

 Culturally Competent Spaces and Clinics - The way young Black gay men are treated in clinics plays a role in service acquisition, testing practices, and linkage and retention in care.  Often times Black gay men feel as if they are not being valued in the healthcare system from the first point of contact, and thus avoid accessing healthcare altogether.  Body language, demeanor, and culturally appropriate communication is highly important for clinicians and frontline staff alike.

 During a 2011 needs assessment done in Tennessee, young Black gay men reported feeling as if they were invincible to contracting HIV.  Although infection rates rise year after year, this needs assessment suggest that young Black men seem to have adopted an “it can’t happen to me” attitude, which could contribute to negligent safer sex practices.

  Next Steps:

The following are next steps in addressing HIV among Black gay men in Memphis which could possibly be used across the country in addressing the HIV epidemic in similar locations:

  State funding for HIV programs should follow the epidemic, thus prioritizing the needs of young Black gay men between the ages of 16-30 in the South

Invite and involve young Black gay men from start to finish in research and policy changes that affect us

Provide culturally appropriate and responsive healthcare

Make available tools and resources that empower young Black gay men to seek  health care and stay engaged in the system

Recognize the myriad healthcare needs for Black gay men and address Black gay men’s health holistically

   While not new for some, new ways of testing individuals have recently been implemented in Memphis such as testing in jails, emergency hospital rooms, churches, and barbershops.

Today I reflect on getting my first HIV test. It was a blood test and I can remember the changes in my body.  Subsequently, my first test in 2007 was the last test needed.  I can recall requesting a HIV test from my Primary Care Physician and getting a call two weeks later from the nurse requesting that I come in. Like so many of my peers, I ignored that call and the many more that followed. I experienced many of the aforementioned barriers regarding linking into care.  Knowing your status can save not only your life but the lives of many you come in contact with. As new infections occur across the country, we must be intentional about educating the community, ensuring linkage and retention in care, and achieving viral suppression.

A month later after National HIV Testing Day, be responsible for someone today.   Challenge a co-worker, friend, or family members to go get tested!

 Will we ever see a decrease in HIV infections in young Black gay men?  I certainly believe so.

Re-Think Possible,

Marvell L. Terry, II

His report highlights the negative impact of social stigma, lack of services and a greater need for culturally appropriate spaces for accessing care. This symposium brought together various talented young men from around the counrty including Mr. Daniel Driffin, Dr. David Malebranche, Mr. DaShawn Usher, Mr. Earl Fowlkes, Mr. Venton Jones and Mr. Black Rowley. Collectively these men facilitated some authentic conversations and obtained valuable insight that can be used to inform the developmental process of future programs.

I want send special gratitude to Mr. Terry for his continued efforts an dedication to affirming his community. Check out his report and see where his conclusions may be appropriate in your own prgram enhancement. 

Today I applied to work as a volunteer for the Hillcrest Aids Center in Durban, South Africa! Eagerly awaiting their response.

I have just messaged a good friend to tell her the news:- My happiness is not found in material things. Its found in my family, friends and helping other people xxxx

Ever heard of the saying “Love became harder to find, when sex got easier to get?" Yeah well I truly believe it. You see, some of us, daydream, fantasize if you will, of who our “perfect" lover will be. He might be tall, he might be fat, he might be drop dead GORGEOUS, he might be average. He might be intellectual, cultured, or hood and street savoy. We ALL have our own list. Which I feel there is nothing wrong with having. I do feel however that a lot of individuals AREN’T REALISTIC with their requirements or themselves. 

You want someone with big bands, “swag", perfect this and perfect that. Okay, that’s fine, but what YOU (and we all should do) is look in the mirror and see what exactly do we bring to the table. You want a man with great finances, how are yours? You want a man with a body “of the gods" how’s those love handles? You want a man but do you still act a little childish? You want him to have a luxury car yet you still take public transportation. I feel as though what you put out in the universe is what you shall receive. Opposites do attract, yes, it’s happened, however REALISTICALLY speaking some of the things on individuals list are delusions of grandeur! 

THE METH-FUELED, WEEKLONG ORGIES RAVAGING LONDON’S GAY SEX-PARTY SCENE

By Max Daly

Tim, who used to organize “slamming" parties until he got out of the scene a couple of years ago.

Weeklong, unprotected orgies fueled by intravenous doses of crystal methamphetamine are an increasing feature of London’s gay sex-party scene.

The orgies—or “slamming parties," as they’ve been dubbed ("slamming" is a euphemism for “injecting")—are known to a small but rapidly expanding section of London’s gay community. They are covertly organized over social networking sites like Grindr and Bareback Real Time.

However, that’s not to say they’re particularly exclusive. As long as you’re gay, don’t mind potentially exposing yourself to a host of STDs, and can get into the idea of taking Viagra and injecting crystal meth (and sometimes mephedrone) for several days straight, you’re welcome to swing through the revolving doors and join the party.

The various slamming get-togethers are pretty fluid affairs, taking place over several days and in several venues, from darkened private homes and West End saunas to dingy apartments and suburban mansions. There are constants, however—the nonstop porn being streamed on massive projector screens, the cascading synth lines of shitty Euro trance, and the glow of guests twiddling with their iPhones as they attempt to get hold of more drugs and bodies to invite along.   

“This new scene of bare-backing and injecting is pushing the limits of what’s socially acceptable,” says Tim, a 39-year-old web publisher who hosted and attended slamming parties for two years before giving it up. “Injecting crystal meth makes you incredibly horny and willing to do anything. People turn into animals when they come up on it. It’s basically a blizzard of sucking and fucking.”

Yes, the scene might sound a bit like the more hedonistic, cosmopolitan equivalent of dogging, less Micras, more Mosley madness—Dogging: A Love Story reimagined by William S. Burroughs and Tinto Brass. But, given the sharing of needles and lack of condoms, the repercussions that come from these blizzards of sucking and fucking are arguably much more grim than what you’re left with after a stolen encounter in a Stevenage lay-by.

Specialist drug services are witnessing a rise in gay men addicted to injecting crystal meth and, more worryingly, a jump in gay drug users who are testing positive for HIV.

Someone injecting meth at a slamming party.

According to David Stuart, director of Antidote—London’s only dedicated LGBT-specific drug-and-alcohol support service—the number of crystal meth and mephedrone users injecting the drugs in a sexual context leapt from 20 percent in 2011 to 80 percent in 2012. Seventy percent of those injecting are reportedly sharing needles. “It’s a staggering and frightening increase," Stuart told me.

And, of course, what makes these slamming parties unique is the slamming itself. Injecting meth (or “Tina," as it’s commonly referred to in the gay community) provides a far more intense, longer, and therefore cheaper hit than smoking it, ramping up your libido and stripping inhibitions. It’s turned London’s already pretty athletic gay sex-party scene into an extreme sport, with revellers apparently averaging up to five sexual partners a session.  

“The one thing I want to do on crystal is to get fucked by the biggest dick,” says Tim, whose teeth have rotted away due to a combination of being HIV positive and many years of injecting and smoking meth. “I was known as a total party bottom," he continued.

Some slamming parties are more extreme than others, with those at the harder end of the scale usually involving hardcore S&M, whipping, and bondage. And if two people want to indulge in something others might not be comfortable with—like fisting or scat, for example—then they carry on the party elsewhere.

“People are often awake for days with no food or water, just fizzy drinks and Dunns River Nurishment [a nutritional milk supplement]," Tim told me. “But the stupid thing is that no one can ever come, because crystal meth stops you from coming—as does Viagra—so it’s just never-ending sex. It’s painful. Most people end up with no skin on their dicks and some end up in hospital because of panic attacks brought on by too much crystal,” he continued.

Tim says that, although he was one of the first to organize slamming and sex parties, the scene has become more widespread in the last couple of years. And many of the people now involved in bareback slamming are reportedly well-heeled professionals, despite the extreme nature of their drug use.

“There are those who pay for the drugs in order to attract parties. And, at the other end of the scale, there are people who are invited to parties because they’re well hung and can get an erection on crystal with or without Viagra,” Tim told me, before recounting one of the parties he held a few years ago. “People came down from Manchester one time and there were about 12 guys coming in and out of my house. I remember my dark, sweaty living room with half a dozen men having sex with each other. Everyone else was checking out the internet for people in the area or squabbling over which porn stream to watch.”

Tim says the golden rules to holding these kind of parties are to hide your keys and your drugs, and to lock your doors, “otherwise your drugs will be gone and you’ll have guests freaking out in the street.”

A rock of crystal meth. Image via

Victor—a 23-year-old Romanian who moved to London four years ago—has just finished treatment for crystal meth addiction after being involved with the slamming party scene.

“I had used cocaine and ecstasy before coming to England, but I met a dealer and he introduced me to lots of people. I tried smoking crystal meth and drinking GHB. I had great sex," Victor explained. “The first time I injected Tina was at a party in West London. Everyone was injecting and I tried it and it gave me an even bigger high. It was so incredible. I wanted that high again. I had no inhibitions, I tried new things, I got involved in sex parties. It was crazy.”

Both Tim and Victor know how deadly the slamming scene can be. Both have friends who have ended up in the hospital, died, or committed suicide, either because of the psychological effects of meth addiction or because they had contracted HIV or hepatitis C.

David Stuart told me that around 75 percent of the 800 men being treated at Antidote’s services are HIV positive, with 60 percent failing to adhere to their HIV treatment when under the influence of drugs. “Lots of things are driving [the drug use], including the ease of finding the drugs themselves and the use of internet sites to find sex parties and drug dens where people can carry out this behavior,” he told me.

Stuart said the motives for getting involved in the scene are more complicated than pure hedonism. “Many gay men feel their sex is ‘diseased’ or sinful—the kind their parents disapprove of. A culture of online hooking up for sex is eradicating the usual process of developing an intimacy of sorts before having sex. Drugs can overcome these problems, too, providing an uninhibited abandon that these men rarely feel.”

Yusef Azad is the director of policy at the National AIDS Trust, which, as an organization, has sent a letterto all London councils calling for action to address the lack of specialist services that address the “recent and rapid rise in the use of crystal meth in the context of high-risk sex."

Speaking to Azad, he explained the circumstances that prompted that letter: “What has changed is the sort of drugs that are used and the context in which they’re used. A lot of drugs are moving from clubbing to private sex parties. Apps like Grindr are facilitating networking among gay men for extended sex sessions on drugs. Everything we are hearing from clubbers and gay men on this scene is that it is prevalent and increasing. Three years ago, this wasn’t mentioned at all.”

For both Tim and Victor, being involved in such an intense sexual scene has left them unable to have sex without the drugs. “It’s boring,” says Victor. “I can’t get horny without drugs. So for me now, I cannot give up drugs without giving up sex. It’s a been a huge waste and it’s ruined my life.”

Max Daly is a journalist and author specializing in social affairs and illegal drugs. He is the co-author ofNarcomania: A Journey through Britain’s Drug World, published by Random House