Ashley* (name changed) started taking drugs in his early twenties. Coming from an upper middle class background, he embodied the new variegated, free, unbridled sexuality that more and more young Indians are now coming to be identified with. His tryst with drugs was initiated with marijuana, from which he moved on to poppers, the popular drug used by the gay community, in India and abroad. More drugs were experimented with, which were coupled with a risky sexual life. Ashley has been HIV positive for the past two years.

When I further asked members of the community, anti-drug campaigners and LGBT rights activists about the usage of drugs within the community, one drug that was commonly mentioned in these conversations was ‘poppers’.

Poppers are inhalable alkyl nitrates, that are popular in the gay community. The first mention of them being used for an instantaneous rush came in the 70s and 80s, when Time reported on the drug being used by some members of the community in the United States. The drug is reported to be used quite heavily in the UK too. In a 2006 survey cited by AIDSMAP, some 40-50% of gay men in the UK reported using the drug for recreational purposes.