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Studies of Aboriginal young people have often followed a deficit approach depicting them as 'risky' and in need of help. In contrast, this study took a strengths-based approach and focussed on what Aboriginal young people value, how they stay safe and how their culture impacts their lives. 16 Aboriginal men aged 16 to 24 years were interviewed in Sydney, Australia. We examined Aboriginal young men's perspectives about relationships, sex and gender. Interviews were conducted by young Aboriginal men in 2019 and 2020. Overall, four features of positive sexual and romantic relationships were discussed: (1) love, connection and support; (2) enjoyment and fun; (3) responsibility, safety and consent; and 4) honesty, respect and trust. Additionally, three topics related to gender roles: (1) becoming a man; (2) sex as a masculine achievement; and (3) inequality and gender stereotypes. Our study suggests that Aboriginal young men are exploring sexual and romantic relationships, and although they value enjoyment and fun, they are aware of broader issues such as consent and respect. The young men acknowledged gender stereotypes faced by young women. Our results could be used by future school safe sex education programmes to better meet the needs of Aboriginal young men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this qualitative study, 28 young adults (18-29-year-olds) living in Sydney define 'safe sex', report on their experiences of sex education, and reflect on the relationship between the sex education received in school and the reality of sexual activity. Participants had a broadly neoliberal understanding of health and risk as something individuals should manage through an ideal of rational decision-making. Yet regardless of how comprehensive or limited their sex education experiences, most noted a wide gulf between safe sex as taught in the classroom and the reality of actual sexual encounters, arguing that sexual decision-making was rarely rational, and shaped by age and experience, drug use, sexual desire, and complicated interpersonal dynamics. Sex education that aims to empower by presenting individuals as sole decision-makers when it comes to prophylactic use fails to acknowledge the social contexts of sex described by participants. Significantly, young people defined 'safe sex' not only in biomedical terms such as disease transmission and pregnancy, but also in terms of the social and psychological consequences of sexual encounters, with an emphasis on consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decade since highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) arrived has been a time of change for gay men in the West. HIV incidence rates have been levelling off—and in some cities, increasing markedly—for the first time since the early years of the pandemic. New sexual subcultures have found expression, including Internet chat rooms, 'poz-only' sex parties, 'barebacking' and crystal methamphetamine use. These circumstances force a re-evaluation of HIV prevention targeting gay communities. We examine the antecedents of current HIV-prevention dilemmas in findings from a qualitative study of gay men who were personally and professionally engaged in HIV/AIDS in Sydney, Australia, in 1997-1998, immediately after the 'protease moment'. The men's lives were characterized by constant and difficult negotiation of gay subjectivities. They did not find a place of uniform belonging in the gay community; rather, ambivalence—toward the gay community and HIV prevention—and fragmentation emerged as themes. Our findings suggest that by the late 1990s, the ethos of safe sex developed in the early HIV/AIDS period was no longer a unifying cultural value. We explore the conditions that led to this shift and the implications for HIV prevention in the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]