A new U.K. study from the University of Westminster reveals that seven in every 10 gay men in London preferred to have sex without condoms. Additionally, four of every five gay men have previously engaged in condomless sex with someone they didn't know.
The study, which was first reported by PinkNews, surveyed 160 gay men in London about their sex habits. Researchers found that 94 percent of the men said they were more likely to go bareback with someone attractive.
Researchers attributed the high rates to Grindr and similar apps, with several of the applicants claiming to have used it. One in particular, an HIV-positive London man named Jason, said he was addicted to Grindr.
"It became a habit, and I spent all my free time and days off meeting and having sex, then going to group sex parties where I tried drugs and had long sessions of unprotected sex with guys, often not aware of what was happening," Jason said. "I was recently diagnosed with HIV, and I blame my lifestyle for it."
Westminster students have started a campaign called "AIDS IS NOT DEAD" for 2014, with the goal of raising public awareness about unrpotected sex and similarly dangerous behavior.
"We call for the government to increase prevention funding for everyone and make sex education an all-round informative and compulsory subject in the U.K. education system," one of the campaign's coordinators, Alex Filicevas, told PinkNews.
