Wyler at Heart

One of the most controversial figures in the porn industry, 27-year-old Mason Wyler shook things up again when the HIV-positive performer announced this month that he was appearing in two bareback scenes with Owen Hawk and Brandon Hawk — porn stars, and boyfriends, who are also HIV-positive. The reason for Wyler's decision was that he simply wanted to have sex with the pair and that working with HIV-negative actors, bareback or not, often incites fear in them. His announcement on his blog (NSFW link here) was articulate, but was it sensible? Speaking from his home in Houston, Wyler elaborated his thoughts on the matter and the state of safe sex in porn.

The Advocate: What has reaction been to your post?
Mason Wyler: I wouldn’t say it’s been universally positive — everyone has an opinion — it’s a wide gambit of responses. For the most part it’s been positive. Obviously, most people who would go to WylerNation are fans.

Isn’t there danger involved in HIV-positive people having unprotected sex together?
I’m sure there is. I think right now the focus on HIV is safe sex [in regards to preventing HIV]; that’s where most of the resources in terms of education goes. So, there hasn’t been that much education or information out there in terms of what the possibilities are for HIV-positive people having unprotected sex with one another. I think the last thing I really heard was the super HIV strain where a handful of guys in New York City progressed from HIV to AIDS very rapidly. But from what I read, it wasn’t entirely conclusive that they got multiple strains and that it accelerated the progression. From what I heard, those people were also involved in heavy drug use and that obviously takes a toll on your immune system.

So was reinfection of another HIV strain a concern to you?
It was a slight concern. Not really. I mean, if it was a major concern I wouldn’t have done it.

Read the rest of the interview at Advocate.com