CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
"
>
"
data-page-title="
A controversial film about gay men who deliberately contract HIV or recklessly risk doing so debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival on Tuesday. Louise Hogarth's film The Gift is a collection of interviews with gay men, mostly from the West Coast of the United States, who talk about the phenomenon of "bug chasing"--deliberately seeking infection with HIV--and "gift giving"--intentionally infecting an HIV-negative person. The men interviewed said they sought the virus because they were tired of practicing safer sex, felt guilty that they had remained negative while their friends and lovers were HIV-positive, or simply decided to take control over becoming infected instead of worrying about if or when they might be exposed to the virus. At least one man interviewed said he now regrets having been infected. "I've made a terrible mistake, and there's no fixing that," said Doug Hitzel, a 21-year-old from San Francisco. "There is no benefit in this, and that's what needs to be said." The documentary's debut comes on the heels of an article in Rolling Stone magazine that quoted a San Francisco physician as estimating that at least 25% of gay men newly infected with HIV deliberately sought it out. That article quickly came under fire from AIDS activists as being misleading and sensationalistic, and two of the sources in the piece have said information attributed to them, including the percentage of gay men seeking HIV infection, is untrue.
"Bug chasers" film debuts at Berlin festival
" >Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: The Daily
Trending stories from our video partner Advocate Channel.
For more videos and shows go to advocatechannel.com.
Trending stories from our video partner Advocate Channel.
For more videos and shows go to advocatechannel.com.
Latest Stories
Biden will hammer Trump over abortion bans in Florida speech
April 23 2024 5:00 AM
Tristan Snell, who brought down Trump University, sees conviction in hush money case
April 22 2024 7:36 PM
Joe Biden admin marks Earth Day with major environmental initiatives
April 22 2024 4:18 PM
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott: 'We want to end' trans and gender nonconforming teachers
April 22 2024 4:13 PM
Nonbinary 17-year-old killed two years after being reported missing
April 22 2024 3:46 PM