LGBT Drug Treatment Blog

High Risk Sexual Behavior and Non-Consensual Sex

Another major finding is that high-risk sexual behavior and non-consensual sex while using ecstasy was a frequent practice. For example, as noted above, 14 out of 25 respondents were involved in risky sex while using “X.” One informant had his first “X” the week after his 18th birthday:

…I went and had the best time of my life. I loved the feeling on “X”, and I love being in this club. I had come out the closet about half way into my senior year, and this was my first gay club. It is not actually a gay club, but there are more gay people than straight there. Later that night I took another hit with this transvestite I met there and had sex, and that was it I knew that I wanted to do this every chance I got.

One woman, who was taking “X” about twice a week, relates her experience of being raped and contracting AIDS while having unprotected sex:

I went out with this guy I had met a week before at a rave…We were going to a club…and he had some “X”. Things were going good, until he started touching me constantly. I didn’t really mind at first, but then when I started coming down it started bothering me. I asked him to take me home and he said that he had to stop by his house on the way. When we got to his house he grabbed me and took me into his room and raped me. I found out about a week later that he has AIDS. So I went and got checked about six months later and the test came back positive… by telling you this somehow it will help someone from making the mistake I made. I blame myself. I was out of control all I could think about was getting “X” and doing anything to get it. I did not plan on being raped, but if I had never started doing it, or at least been able to control myself it would not have happened.

Most of the respondents had unprotected sex because they were focused on the sensual experience of ecstasy itself, and not the possible consequences of their behavior. Strong sexual feelings coupled with the feeling of being immortal resulted in unsafe sexual practices. We want to stress that, aside from the frequently reported strong sexual urges experienced while using “X”, the users reported that it made them feel almost immortal. According to one user: “If I wanted to feel like wonder woman I could just get in the right mind set and I would be wonder woman.” Another gang member said, “I liked it, I would feel like nothing was going to hurt me. I thought I could get shot and wouldn’t feel it.” This feeling of invincibility is an important factor leading to unsafe sexual practices.

If you are looking for a gay friendly addiction treatment program go to www.gay-rehab.com or call the ecstasy addiction helpline at 1-800-511-9225