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A Pill for Promiscuity: Gay Sex in an Age of Pharmaceuticals
For a generation of gay men who came of age in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming sexually active meant confronting the dangers of catching and transmitting HIV. In the 21st century, however, the development of viral suppression treatments and preventative pills such as PrEP and nPEP has massively reduced the risk of acquiring HIV. Yet some of the stigma around gay male promiscuity and bareback sex has remained, inhibiting open dialogues about sexual desire, risk, and pleasure.
A Pill for Promiscuity brings together academics, artists, and activists—from different generations, countries, ethnic backgrounds, and HIV statuses—to reflect on how gay sex has changed in a post-PrEP era. Some offer personal perspectives on the value of promiscuity and the sexual communities it fosters, while others critique unequal access to PrEP and the increased role Big Pharma now plays in gay life. With a diverse group of contributors that includes novelist Andrew Holleran, trans scholar Lore/tta LeMaster, cartoonist Steve MacIsaac, and pornographic film director Mister Pam, this book asks provocative questions about how we might reimagine queer sex and sexuality in the 21st century.
A Pill for Promiscuity brings together academics, artists, and activists—from different generations, countries, ethnic backgrounds, and HIV statuses—to reflect on how gay sex has changed in a post-PrEP era. Some offer personal perspectives on the value of promiscuity and the sexual communities it fosters, while others critique unequal access to PrEP and the increased role Big Pharma now plays in gay life. With a diverse group of contributors that includes novelist Andrew Holleran, trans scholar Lore/tta LeMaster, cartoonist Steve MacIsaac, and pornographic film director Mister Pam, this book asks provocative questions about how we might reimagine queer sex and sexuality in the 21st century.
- GenresNonfictionQueerLGBT
154 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2023
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March 2, 2023Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.
Further disclaimer: Readers, please stop accusing me of trying to take down “my competition” because I wrote a review you didn’t like. This is complete nonsense. Firstly, writing isn’t a competitive sport. Secondly, I only publish reviews of books in the subgenre where I’m best known (queer romcom) if they’re glowing. And finally: taking time out of my life to read an entire book, then write a detailed review about it that some people on GR will look at would be a profoundly inefficient and ineffective way to damage the careers of other authors. If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them, at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain.
*******************************************
The existence of this essay collection feels important because this isn’t a topic that gets a lot of attention, academically or journalistically. And, I mean, I’m no sociologist, but I wonder if we’re maybe at some kind of cultural tipping point? Like, I doubt the advent of PrEP will miraculously revert queer sex to however it felt post-sexual offences act / pre-AIDS. But perhaps it will help us peel away some shadows of shame. I don’t know. I just don’t know.
In any case: like I said, this essay collection is timely and welcome. It does its best to offer a range of perspectives, from the literary to the academic to the personal, and to encompass a diversity of voices.
The problem is, it feels … fractured in ways that are probably inevitable but end up being quite frustrating. The tonal shifts, especially given the fact some of these pieces are quite lengthy and others are a bare couple of pages, are jarring and made it really difficult to tease out the sort of thematic connections I think a work like this needs to make it cohere.
Possibly this could have been achieved by a stronger introduction. But that mostly repeated information discussed in some of the other essays before whistle-stop-touring us through the contents without helping me understand how and why these particular pieces had been put together in this particular way. There is an epilogue, except it’s similarly abbreviated.
Obviously essay collections are difficult beasts at the best of times. I honestly feel a bit of a dick for not responding more positively to this one. There quite a bit worth listening to, I think, in some of the ideas, thoughts and experiences included here. It’s just finding them is hard work and feels a bit like digging through someone else’s study. And, ironically enough, I ended up more conscious of queer disunity, than the alternative I was seeking.
(Just a point of information for anyone who does pick this up, there’s one essay in particular that touches upon some personal experiences that could well be triggering for some people, especially because the writer goes on to defend the … perpetrator of those experiences in quite an uncomfortable way. It is not my place, or anyone’s, to tell someone else that their way of perceiving and processing something that happened to them is wrong. I mention it because, if you’ve undergone similar experiences of your own, the way this subject is discussed might come across as specifically hurtful to you. Or it might not. People are complicated. Life is subjective. How we talk about our own lives is our own business.)
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.
Further disclaimer: Readers, please stop accusing me of trying to take down “my competition” because I wrote a review you didn’t like. This is complete nonsense. Firstly, writing isn’t a competitive sport. Secondly, I only publish reviews of books in the subgenre where I’m best known (queer romcom) if they’re glowing. And finally: taking time out of my life to read an entire book, then write a detailed review about it that some people on GR will look at would be a profoundly inefficient and ineffective way to damage the careers of other authors. If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them, at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain.
*******************************************
The existence of this essay collection feels important because this isn’t a topic that gets a lot of attention, academically or journalistically. And, I mean, I’m no sociologist, but I wonder if we’re maybe at some kind of cultural tipping point? Like, I doubt the advent of PrEP will miraculously revert queer sex to however it felt post-sexual offences act / pre-AIDS. But perhaps it will help us peel away some shadows of shame. I don’t know. I just don’t know.
In any case: like I said, this essay collection is timely and welcome. It does its best to offer a range of perspectives, from the literary to the academic to the personal, and to encompass a diversity of voices.
The problem is, it feels … fractured in ways that are probably inevitable but end up being quite frustrating. The tonal shifts, especially given the fact some of these pieces are quite lengthy and others are a bare couple of pages, are jarring and made it really difficult to tease out the sort of thematic connections I think a work like this needs to make it cohere.
Possibly this could have been achieved by a stronger introduction. But that mostly repeated information discussed in some of the other essays before whistle-stop-touring us through the contents without helping me understand how and why these particular pieces had been put together in this particular way. There is an epilogue, except it’s similarly abbreviated.
Obviously essay collections are difficult beasts at the best of times. I honestly feel a bit of a dick for not responding more positively to this one. There quite a bit worth listening to, I think, in some of the ideas, thoughts and experiences included here. It’s just finding them is hard work and feels a bit like digging through someone else’s study. And, ironically enough, I ended up more conscious of queer disunity, than the alternative I was seeking.
(Just a point of information for anyone who does pick this up, there’s one essay in particular that touches upon some personal experiences that could well be triggering for some people, especially because the writer goes on to defend the … perpetrator of those experiences in quite an uncomfortable way. It is not my place, or anyone’s, to tell someone else that their way of perceiving and processing something that happened to them is wrong. I mention it because, if you’ve undergone similar experiences of your own, the way this subject is discussed might come across as specifically hurtful to you. Or it might not. People are complicated. Life is subjective. How we talk about our own lives is our own business.)
January 13, 2023
**I received this book as a ARC**
I'm actually really bummed to have to rate this book as a 2 star because the first 2/3 of the book I really enjoyed and learned a lot from. It was clear the author did their research and provided the reading statistics to prove their point and to drive home the impact of the information.
The huge drop-off point for me came when the author wrote about an personal experience being filmed during sex while underage and without consent. He reflects back and says that he wasn't mad because he looked good in it, and while he believes the person that filmed it probably uploaded years later as revenge, he shouldn't have face criminal charges for it. Although the suspect already had a criminal record for child pornography, the author argues that because this suspect had low sexual maturity and because his victims liked to role play as the 'little boy' he shouldn't really have faced the consequences he did. He writes that we need to challenge the labeling of a pedophile on individuals like this and come from a place of nonjudgement and with an open mind when discussing this topic.
This is not only invalidating and damaging for victims of sexual assault, but also is a dangerous proposal that we need to cut offenders some slack because of a, b, c, etc. The legal system is already set up to not protect victims of sexual assault and almost always bring victim shaming into the mix during the legal proceedings. To propose that these offenders should be cut some slack because the victims may or may not have been into role is just a poorly disguised way to say "They were asking for it.".
I'm actually really bummed to have to rate this book as a 2 star because the first 2/3 of the book I really enjoyed and learned a lot from. It was clear the author did their research and provided the reading statistics to prove their point and to drive home the impact of the information.
The huge drop-off point for me came when the author wrote about an personal experience being filmed during sex while underage and without consent. He reflects back and says that he wasn't mad because he looked good in it, and while he believes the person that filmed it probably uploaded years later as revenge, he shouldn't have face criminal charges for it. Although the suspect already had a criminal record for child pornography, the author argues that because this suspect had low sexual maturity and because his victims liked to role play as the 'little boy' he shouldn't really have faced the consequences he did. He writes that we need to challenge the labeling of a pedophile on individuals like this and come from a place of nonjudgement and with an open mind when discussing this topic.
This is not only invalidating and damaging for victims of sexual assault, but also is a dangerous proposal that we need to cut offenders some slack because of a, b, c, etc. The legal system is already set up to not protect victims of sexual assault and almost always bring victim shaming into the mix during the legal proceedings. To propose that these offenders should be cut some slack because the victims may or may not have been into role is just a poorly disguised way to say "They were asking for it.".
July 1, 2024
A really interesting collection of essays on Prep and promiscuity. I think I’m pretty sheltered by coming out in the sort of post AIDS/Prep era- so a lot of these ideas and feelings were newer to me which was cool to hear even if I still don’t totally understand. It got a bit mystical for me at some parts and I do think a number of the essays could’ve done with some more material critical analysis but overall worth the read just to hear a variety of gay voices on what is a really important topic within the community.
January 17, 2023
*I received a free copy of this book as an ARC.
First of all, the overarching topic of this book is incredibly important and should be discussed. That being said, I enjoyed a good portion of the essays within this book and found them to be very educational. I also thought the mixed media that was included was a pleasant surprise. However, some of the essays were lackluster for various reasons. For example, a few essays were not written to the standard of the others and I felt they stuck out. Additionally, one discussed a sensitive subject topic that, in my opinion, was not handled well. With this being a topic I don't know much about, I did enjoy reading this book at the end of the day.
First of all, the overarching topic of this book is incredibly important and should be discussed. That being said, I enjoyed a good portion of the essays within this book and found them to be very educational. I also thought the mixed media that was included was a pleasant surprise. However, some of the essays were lackluster for various reasons. For example, a few essays were not written to the standard of the others and I felt they stuck out. Additionally, one discussed a sensitive subject topic that, in my opinion, was not handled well. With this being a topic I don't know much about, I did enjoy reading this book at the end of the day.
April 25, 2024
As with any essay collection, some better than others. The back few got a little woo-woo for me at times. But overall this was an excellent read, made me so grateful that I came of age in the era of PrEP, but made me consider my unwavering acceptance of its place in my life.
Some spicy takes (the underage/ filming consent one was a DOOZY). The focus on sexual acts as being the cornerstone of gay-ness can and should be interrogated. I know respectability politics and the fight for equal marriage is controversial (and agian-- can and should be debated) but there were moments where they felt excessively harped upon.
Some spicy takes (the underage/ filming consent one was a DOOZY). The focus on sexual acts as being the cornerstone of gay-ness can and should be interrogated. I know respectability politics and the fight for equal marriage is controversial (and agian-- can and should be debated) but there were moments where they felt excessively harped upon.
February 9, 2023
I think this is a very important collection. As someone who has done a lot of research into this concept, I think this fills a very noticeable void. This is a collection of short essays by various authors with different degrees of notoriety. This includes very graphic material on sex and some graphical depictions as well. I found it interesting to have so many different perspectives on the topic of HIV prevention and intervention. I think there are some formatting changes I would have made, like I think it would have helped to contextualize the essays more. I think adding a publication year would’ve greatly helped focus the essays in the overall conversation. The issue of intervention in HIV is a moving target so it would have been helpful it was clear where in the timeline the essays fall, and had more information about who is writing the essays themselves. I would have included this in the title sections.
I think the book achieves the overall goal of offering a collection of information about HIV intervention very well. There are also various essays about general promiscuity in a world where HIV exists. There is a controversial essay in here that involves sex work and has a vague stance on how we prosecute pedophile, that is honestly kind of jarring to read, and I think it says something about the general chaos when it comes to this collections tone. Some of the articles are very scholarly and some are the opposite. I think which ones you gravitate towards will have a lot to do with personal preference. I enjoy a wide range of different types of book, so I actually found the variety nice, and fresh. I could see how it could be off putting to some readers, but I think this will become an invaluable source in queer studies about HIV.
I wish they had some more recent scholarly pieces due to how much has happened recently, particularly with Descovy. But timing with a collection like this is always gonna be hard. Although, I do think dating the essays would have helped in that area.
I think the book achieves the overall goal of offering a collection of information about HIV intervention very well. There are also various essays about general promiscuity in a world where HIV exists. There is a controversial essay in here that involves sex work and has a vague stance on how we prosecute pedophile, that is honestly kind of jarring to read, and I think it says something about the general chaos when it comes to this collections tone. Some of the articles are very scholarly and some are the opposite. I think which ones you gravitate towards will have a lot to do with personal preference. I enjoy a wide range of different types of book, so I actually found the variety nice, and fresh. I could see how it could be off putting to some readers, but I think this will become an invaluable source in queer studies about HIV.
I wish they had some more recent scholarly pieces due to how much has happened recently, particularly with Descovy. But timing with a collection like this is always gonna be hard. Although, I do think dating the essays would have helped in that area.
March 14, 2023
Edited collections from academic presses are often strange amalgamations, and so I was delighted to see that this volume brought together a range of perspectives and styles -- academic and non-academic, traditional essays and more artistic ones (including a photo essay and a comic-style piece). While this variety perhaps takes from the volume's continuity, I thought that it made up for this loss through the many perspectives and approaches it brought to the table.
Far from being the definitive word on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), this book may even ask more questions that it answers. Considering equity in access, the consequences of prophylactic pharmaceuticals, the changing culture of sex in queer spaces, etc., this book allows us to delve into important issues and trends of how PrEP has changed the gay community since its emergence in 2012. I appreciated how the book considered how PrEP fits into larger issues of promiscuity and respectability, especially in framing this with Andrew Holleran's 1988 "Notes on Promiscuity."
Two brief notes: other reviews note that one of the essays includes a problematic discussion of sexual assault -- I didn't read this essay, but readers should be cautious. In addition, several of the essays are very short, almost incomplete, but I still found them useful for raising important issues meriting future consideration.
As a historian, I also think this short and impactful volume will be useful in future historical work of understanding how the gay community adopted and adapted PrEP and thinking about sex.
Far from being the definitive word on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), this book may even ask more questions that it answers. Considering equity in access, the consequences of prophylactic pharmaceuticals, the changing culture of sex in queer spaces, etc., this book allows us to delve into important issues and trends of how PrEP has changed the gay community since its emergence in 2012. I appreciated how the book considered how PrEP fits into larger issues of promiscuity and respectability, especially in framing this with Andrew Holleran's 1988 "Notes on Promiscuity."
Two brief notes: other reviews note that one of the essays includes a problematic discussion of sexual assault -- I didn't read this essay, but readers should be cautious. In addition, several of the essays are very short, almost incomplete, but I still found them useful for raising important issues meriting future consideration.
As a historian, I also think this short and impactful volume will be useful in future historical work of understanding how the gay community adopted and adapted PrEP and thinking about sex.
January 7, 2023
📚 Thank you to @netgalley and Rutgers University Press for the eARC!
Through the lenses of academics, artists and activists from different generations, this book discusses the impact of the AIDS epidemic and the rise of PrEP in the gay community. I normally don’t read non-fiction, but the AIDS epidemic holds such importance in gay history and this collection of interviews and stories provided new insight and modern perspectives. These topics can be difficult to discuss but the editors do a great job of providing facts while also sharing lived experiences from various perspectives. I really loved the discussions surrounding cis-heteronormative values that have been pushed onto the LGBTQ+ as a way to “tame” our sexuality. I also thoroughly enjoyed learning about how inaccessible PrEP can be to the BIPOC community & furthermore, how the healthcare system can be a scary and overwhelming beast (for many communities). These stories/interviews felt raw and at times felt like conversations with friends, despite the intense nature of these conversations.
For more information on PrEP you can visit www.whatisprep.org for a list of resources!
Through the lenses of academics, artists and activists from different generations, this book discusses the impact of the AIDS epidemic and the rise of PrEP in the gay community. I normally don’t read non-fiction, but the AIDS epidemic holds such importance in gay history and this collection of interviews and stories provided new insight and modern perspectives. These topics can be difficult to discuss but the editors do a great job of providing facts while also sharing lived experiences from various perspectives. I really loved the discussions surrounding cis-heteronormative values that have been pushed onto the LGBTQ+ as a way to “tame” our sexuality. I also thoroughly enjoyed learning about how inaccessible PrEP can be to the BIPOC community & furthermore, how the healthcare system can be a scary and overwhelming beast (for many communities). These stories/interviews felt raw and at times felt like conversations with friends, despite the intense nature of these conversations.
For more information on PrEP you can visit www.whatisprep.org for a list of resources!
February 10, 2023
Good lord this was bad. I find queer history fascinating and was really excited to read this. But it ended up being a series of redundant essays that I didn't think explained the AIDS crisis, PrEP, or queer culture well in the slightest. There was so much victim blaming and slut shaming throughout the book and the idea that sexual activity is what should define the queer community just irks me the wrong way and it came across as someone agreeing with the hate that came toward the gay community during the Reagan Administration. I've read better works about this topic. Even the parts I agreed with were watered down and felt like copy pastes of things I've seen written or talked about in other works. Overall I get what the book was trying to do but it failed spectacularly and the only reason I'm giving it 2 stars and not 1 is because the intent was good but that doesn't make up for a really poor execution.
April 4, 2023
With any collection, I enjoyed more essay than others. I typically find it difficult to rate collections as I can love some and dislike others. For A Pill for Promiscuity, my main critique wasn’t necessarily the essays chosen but the way they were presented.
There wasn’t very clear direction with the flow of each essay. I think the book jumped around topics at random. I loved the inclusion of personal stories and the different formats. I think it would have benefited from more visual collections as it is now just made the comic and photography feel out of place.
Overall, I did enjoy a lot of this book and would recommend to people looking to explore how HIV is impacting the queer community today.
There wasn’t very clear direction with the flow of each essay. I think the book jumped around topics at random. I loved the inclusion of personal stories and the different formats. I think it would have benefited from more visual collections as it is now just made the comic and photography feel out of place.
Overall, I did enjoy a lot of this book and would recommend to people looking to explore how HIV is impacting the queer community today.
February 26, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley and Rutgers University Press for this ARC!
This was a very interesting collection on an extremely important and under-discussed topic. I particularly enjoyed the well-researched, statistical essays, from which I learned quite a bit. I think this collection lacks focus, with some essays feeling academic and others like journal entries. While having a diverse collection of essay styles is not outright a problem, here it felt to me like "the point" was missing. Two essays in particular I think should not have been included at all.
This was a very interesting collection on an extremely important and under-discussed topic. I particularly enjoyed the well-researched, statistical essays, from which I learned quite a bit. I think this collection lacks focus, with some essays feeling academic and others like journal entries. While having a diverse collection of essay styles is not outright a problem, here it felt to me like "the point" was missing. Two essays in particular I think should not have been included at all.
April 25, 2023
As someone who doesn't use PrEP but has always been supportive of people who do, this was an insightful and deeper take on the politics of using it, the world pre and post PrEP, and what we can do increase access and decrease stigma.
The text is a little more academic than I was maybe expecting, and I felt the essays sometimes repeated themselves. But very grateful to have received an ARC and deepen my knowledge on this pill and groundbreaking treatment.
The text is a little more academic than I was maybe expecting, and I felt the essays sometimes repeated themselves. But very grateful to have received an ARC and deepen my knowledge on this pill and groundbreaking treatment.
June 13, 2023
This is a neat collection of essays that give a deeper insight into the various points of view of the gay community around the PrEP pill, and makes sure to give both the historical and medical context before letting the essayists move forward. Great writers all, and they make sure to cover the full range of experience such as "hey, Black men are the most likely to be affected and they have difficulty accessing the pill, what can we do about that?", Definitely worth reading through.
May 15, 2023
Everything I had to say has been said, in detail, and with great nuance, by Alexis Hall.
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December 17, 2023
This book, consisting of 12 essays (one is actually a comic, a nice suprise), offers an insight into respectability politics, sex practices, and of course, the gay subculture. I like the concept of inviting different voices to add to this conversation and discussing a variety of opinions.
I personally preferred the more data-driven essays with footnotes to the more philosophical musings as I found the former to be more organized, easier to understand and giving more context I needed to understand the wider implications.
It starts off very strong but I felt some of the pieces included lacked focus, a clear narrative or an actual point they were trying to make. It's a little frustrating to hear these authors ask questions only to never answer them or even explain why an answer might be difficult to procure. Something that also complicated my reading experience is the fact that attitudes and practices regarding gay sex have changed drastically since the 70's and I struggled to connect each year an essay mentioned to its current ideas about promiscuity. It doesn't help that the stories jump around to further disorient you.
I think this could be a great supplemental read but does not really stand on its own when it comes to addressing the general timeline of how the introduction of PrEP changed the landscape and its impact on the affected communities.
I received an advanced reading copy from Rutgers University Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I personally preferred the more data-driven essays with footnotes to the more philosophical musings as I found the former to be more organized, easier to understand and giving more context I needed to understand the wider implications.
It starts off very strong but I felt some of the pieces included lacked focus, a clear narrative or an actual point they were trying to make. It's a little frustrating to hear these authors ask questions only to never answer them or even explain why an answer might be difficult to procure. Something that also complicated my reading experience is the fact that attitudes and practices regarding gay sex have changed drastically since the 70's and I struggled to connect each year an essay mentioned to its current ideas about promiscuity. It doesn't help that the stories jump around to further disorient you.
I think this could be a great supplemental read but does not really stand on its own when it comes to addressing the general timeline of how the introduction of PrEP changed the landscape and its impact on the affected communities.
I received an advanced reading copy from Rutgers University Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 8, 2025
A Pill for Promiscuity edited by Andrew R. Spieldenner, Jeffrey Escoffier offers a collection of essays examining the impact of PrEP on sexual health, identity, and culture. While the subject matter is undeniably thought-provoking, I found the quality of the essays to be uneven. Some pieces delivered deep insights and fresh perspectives, while others fell short, either meandering or lacking the depth I was hoping for. That said, the book as a whole succeeds in sparking important conversations about the intersections of medicine, sexuality, and societal norms.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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