Most gay boys don't go for an HIV test often enough, says AIDS-Hilfe. It was the other way round for me. I really got on the nerves of the health authority in my home town of Magdeburg. And this is how it happened:
I was 16 and had just had my first sexual experience with another guy my age. Fucking hadn't been involved at all. Nevertheless, I was ticked off because sex is a wet affair. So I went to the health centre in complete hysterics. The employee there asked me a few professional questions and quickly came to the conclusion that there was no way I could have been infected. But she did the test, told me the result a week later and wished me all the best.
"I now take a more relaxed approach."
"All the best and goodbye"? Without me! Until I was about 20, I sat opposite the poor woman every three months. At some point, she just rolled her eyes when she saw me. You have to realise that I would never fuck without a condom. And the woman knew that. I also knew that I couldn't have anything. But I just couldn't get the fear out of my head.
I now take a more relaxed approach, even though I've been living in Berlin for a good ten years and certainly not like a monk. I make sure I have safe sex and keep an eye on my body. If everything stays in order, I go to the doctor once a year and get tested for everything that a sexually active person can catch. I think that's not only important for myself, but also for my sexual partners.
Photo: Hagen Seyring. http://hagen-seyring-photography.de
