liz@ai.mit.edu (Liz A. Highleyman) (05/23/91)
I too was at the Nat. Laeather Assoc. meeting with Alan Chiras. What impressed me about his presentation was not *his* opinion that oral sex (without ejaculation) is safe, but the fact that the typical European AIDS organization has been giving this advice for, it seems, a number of years (a leaflet Alan passed out from a German group was dated 1987). Can anyone here tell us more about what the guidelines are like in Europe and else- where? I assume we would have heard about it if there seemed to be an increase of HIV seroconversions in men reporting oral sex as their only risk activity. I agree with Gary that it's better to be safe than sorry, but American organizations do tend to be more conservative in sexual matters than European ones. I've even seen brochures from several groups and health departments that claim that fisting, rimming, and most s/m activities are *always* risky, regardless of precautions like gloves, dams, etc. -Liz