Though the LGBT community proudly achieved federal marriage equality in late June, public opinion still varies on those enjoying the single life, even within the community itself. Slut-shaming and a fear of AIDS has cast an ugly light on gay promiscuity, according to Noah Michelson, the editorial director for HuffPost Voices.
Michelson sat down with HuffPost Live on Tuesday to discuss how an article he published on his own sexuality as a single gay man was taken by his audience.
"When I published the piece about liking having sex, I had people stopping me on the street, people I've never met before, and they said, 'Thank you, because no one's talking about this," Michelson told host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani. "On the other hand, people are saying that I'm a pervert, and that I'm ruining it for all of us, and why can't I just behave myself? And it's immature to act that way, and that's how a teenager would act. I think that's the thing about sex positivity -- that it's very threatening."
Michelson added that as a younger man, health concerns like AIDS caused him to think of gay sex as a "death sentence." However, he looked optimistically to the future for further sexual liberation for the LGBT community.
"With things like more education, Truvada, things like that, we are seeing people live longer, we're seeing ways to stay safe," he said. "I think what's going to happen next in terms of how gay men have sex is going to be very interesting."
Watch Michelson describe the stigmas attached to gay promiscuity in the video above, and click here for the full segment on reserving the right to be gay and single.
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