Bareback

Bareback refers to sex, most often anal sex, without a condom or other barrier method. The term is used mainly in gay and bisexual male communities. It drew heavy cultural and public-health attention during the AIDS crisis, when condom use was the central message of HIV prevention. The conversation has shifted with newer tools: PrEP, medication that greatly reduces the chance of acquiring HIV, and U=U, the finding that a person with an undetectable HIV viral load cannot transmit the virus sexually. Many people now approach condomless sex through this harm-reduction lens. Condoms still matter for preventing other sexually transmitted infections, so bareback carries different meanings and levels of risk depending on the situation.