I think it's very disappointing that this week's 30th anniversary of the publication of How To Have Sex In An Epidemic is not only going unnoticed by almost every single gay media outlet online and off, but that the anniversary takes place in an atmosphere where many gay men celebrate what seems to me to be a passionate ignorance about the fact that HIV exists and that bottoming with multiple partners but no condoms is the very thing that is perpetuating an epidemic that need not continue.

Nothing that Richard Berkowitz, Michael Callen and Dr Joseph Sonnabend outlined in their booklet from 1983 is at all out of place today. We knew how to end the epidemic decades ago, but some of us have chosen to forge ahead as though the clock stopped in 1977. Living with HIV -- a deadly and incurable disease -- is something that any reasonable person must take very seriously. Those who live with HIV need to take it and their doctor's advice and their medications seriously, or risk developing AIDS illness and probably, dying. Those who are HIV-negative need to take staying negative seriously, and find a place for that in their casual sex routine, or end up no longer being negative, and locking themselves into the lifelong routines described in the previous sentence. All gay men are obliged by HIV in one way or another.

Don't be confused or bullied into thinking that using condoms is somehow for cowards. Barebacking isn't cool -- grow up! Turn instead to some of the key passages of How To Have Sex In An Epidemic, such as "Sex doesn't make you sick -- diseases do" and remember that "sexual freedom [can] become a tyranny of sexually transmitted diseases". Using condoms if you're negative or you aren't sure of your partner's status is a way to celebrate the fact that gay sex and disease are not inherently connected -- don't believe that barebacking is somehow the "right" way to have sex and that a positive diagnosis is some kind of measurement of your sexual exuberance. Respect yourself, and respect HIV.

You may like to read my interview with Richard Berkowitz, which was published originally here on Nightcharm, and then reprinted at the Huffington Post.

Here is Richard Berkowitz's official website, where the text of How To Have Sex In An Epidemic can be found in its entirety.

And, Dr Joseph Sonnabend has written of this week's anniversary at Poz.com.

Okay!