IML Tells Bareback Companies to Fuck Off

UPDATED: Read IML Founder Chuck Renslow’s response here.

The unexpected letter states that the ban is “effective immediately” and condemns a wide swath of companies and materials, from film vendors to product merchandisers to “gifts, post cards or any other information tending to promote or advocate barebacking.” The letter states that HIV infections are on the rise and goes on to say:

Too many in our community believe HIV/AIDS is curable or manageable.  Too few understand that HIV/AIDS infections dominate life. … Several years ago when “Meth” was the scourge of our community, IML drew a line in the sand and raised awareness and used all our influence to try and stop this addictive madness.  As is the case with HIV/AIDS, we believe it is our further obligation to do everything in our power to prevent future infections.

Unapologetic barebackers are livid, naturally. The former studio porn star and current bareback fuck-stud producer Owen Hawk attacks IML organizers for drawing a connection between bareback porn and rising infections. He writes:

The fact of the matter is that if you are HIV negative and want to stay that way, you are not going to go to a sex party sponsored by Treasure Island Media and sit with your ass in air and a bottle of poppers.  You’re far more likely to get infected by trusting that guy on manhunt who has negative in his status and swears that he was tested two weeks ago.  Now there are not going to be any more parties sponsored by TIM and all those guys are gonna be on manhunt, so please don’t be an idiot.

While the infection goodie bags at IML contain more than just HIV, there is no telling what the future holds for the sex police there. To wit, upon returning fom Chicago IML this year, the bareback blogger Raw Top wrote:

It happened last year, it happened this year – brought something home from IML. But it’s not surprising: I mean I fucked about 19 different guys and got blowjobs from a few more, and some of those guys had been fucked over 100 times.

And yes — in case you were wondering, Raw Top is pissed about this. We’re sure the “Hot BB btm” from last year’s IML Chicago isn’t all that happy either:

RELATED:

Tim & Roma (and Wolf Hudson’s Testicles) at The 2009 Grabby Awards
They Can Treat That Right?: The 2008 Grabby-IML Weekend In Review
The Sword Guide to Bareback Sex Blogs
New ‘Sex Positive’ Documentary Reminds Us That We’re Filthy Sluts

IML Bans Bareback Companies, Ignores Reality (Dark Alley blog)

47 thoughts on “IML Tells Bareback Companies to Fuck Off”

  1. This is 2009 and I doubt it, HIGHLY, that gay men – young and old – do not know how HIV is transmitted by now. If you decide to bareback, well its YOUR decision, your body – you know the risks and you are willing to take them. By banning bareback companies at IML is just a way to prevent to save IML from being banned altogether. It is just done to save the event from being closed down by the CDC, etc. in my eyes anyways. Please guys, there are more private bareback parties going on at IML than almost all other events so you can sugar coat the surface but reality is something way different. Any guy who “trusts” someone just because they say they are negative and want to do bareback sex is a complete idiot (i.e. on ManHunt and others). Unless you are raped, almost all bareback sex is consentual – just my 2 cents

  2. It was on another site … a few people got swine flu and hundreds wear masks. A few million people got AIDS and people still don’t want to wear condoms.

  3. David- You Rock! For people to say they can no longer attend or enjoy IML simply because they will not be able to buy bareback products in the leather mart is ridiculous. I hear your same comments from lots of younger guys getting into leather and fetish. They feel pressured to bareback by a lot of the other guys in the scene. Thanks for speaking up and representing another side of the issue.

  4. It is so funny how so many gay men sit on there glass perches and act as if they are not gay or the fact that they have never gave into temptation….you are human we are all flawed and for Chuck renslow to hurt the economy of vendors and there lively hood thinking that he will save lives it is up to the person to save there own life. Just because I see someone crossing the street the wrong way doesnt mean that I do and its sad that parents do it with kids…..life happens and what many of you are saying is that you are perfect and HIV POZ men are not ….they got what they deserved….porn is entertainment, contracts are signed and if someone feels that a bareback video is what they want to do with their life it is there life….judge you have no right to judge anyone you are gay so you are already being judged. No one said anything is being glamorized sex is being glamorized through porn to begin with so stop watching porn and shut down the industry as a whole. Many of you aren’t leathermen anyway so what are you doing there to begin with???? Oh yeah you want to see sex, get high off poppers and dance the night away …..or maybe find love amongst the men still you made a choice and Chuck made his and in this economy so be it….and new infections are happening because people are saying they NEG playing with other supposedly NEG men and someone is lying to someone to get laid …oh so BB sex is till happening with or without BB porn….imagine that.

  5. Sorry but Im down for it. I will admit bareback videos can be hot but I simultaneously feel sorry for the people throwing their health away and someone making a profit off of it. Its totally anyones decision whether or not to do it but I cant say its the best karma to market it so boldy. i mean I for one would feel super guilty if just ONE person caught HIV inspired by some hot barebacking video and if I ran IML and that supported it I would feel responsible. I also feel pressured by people to do it bareback and I DONT LIKE IT AT ALL, so for someone or thing to back up my feelings about it Im down for. I understand its anyways right to do it but unfortunately it goes beyond that, and we all know when your horny you can make BAD decisions and that last thing I need is the idea of being a bareback pass around party bottom glamorized any much more then it already is in my brain, I admit it, the idea is hot, its totally tempting, but Im really happy they did this because it sorta shakes you and makes you realize .. “Oh yeah , not such a great idea and other people are with me on this.” The fact that someone says “Enjoy IML, I no longer will” creeps me out! Learn to have fun bitch. Its as if the only way to have fun is to cause detriment to your body in some form????…ugh that attitude just bugs me…gross. Whoever you are I never wanna hang with you, youre the opposite of a good time in my brain.

  6. You guys who are upset over this kill me! It boggles the mind to think you view this issue so selfishly. To compare it to drinking/smoking is like apples-to-oranges. Can you even comprehend that globally right now the world is spending $50 BILLION a year in fighting HIV/AIDS? Do you even care that for every TWO people receiving treatment there are FIVE new infections? It is estimated at this infection rate and increase to the rate of $80-$90 BILLION dollars is going to be needed just to fight HIV/AIDS alone, least any other dreadful new diseases emerge this century. This is unsustainable, especially with governments world-wide in financial crisis and having to make decisions to either cut funding or simply not increase funding to social programs.

    This is a serious issue. I believe this is only the tip of the iceberg, IML sets the standard for the entire leather community and I think we will see a lot of other voices stand up to do what is right by not promoting and glamorizing a sexual behavior that has deadly consequences. Unless all the bareback companies want to provide the $50-$90 BILLION dollars for treating HIV/AIDS I don’t think there should be any choice in the matter or room for anyone to talk. If we are going to accept that it is a “right to bareback” and/or your “personal choice” then I guess all of us raising money and funding organizations and programs helping gay men with HIV/AIDS maybe should rethink supporting these efforts if it is in vain.

    1. It is also your choice to support the organizations ….this is America isn’t it….the organizations are not in people bedrooms man so they are only doing what they can they are there if you need them as they should be….yes and if America had a real health care plan and HIV stop being treated like a plague out of the bible and respected like Cancer and Diabetes then you would see a shift in who those billions are spent….cause I don’t see billions spent on AIDS/HIV when research has stalled for the last four years now….but again its a choice to lay up with someone and take dick/cock RAW did they force you to do it…NO

      1. Man you need to get a clue. First of all I don’t think anyone treats HIV like “the plague” as you refer to in your post; rather we treat it as a serious health concern in 2009 that needs to be addressed. If you believe differently than you must not have been around in the 80’s and 90’s at the beginning of this health crisis when things were really bad. Secondly, it is NOT the responsibility of “America” to come up with a “real health care plan” solely to support gay men who feel barebacking is a “right” and become infected with HIV. If YOU support and practice raw sex, then YOU need to have an action plan in place to come up with the funds to manage your HIV infection as a result of your choices…it is called PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, something that is sorely lacking in America these days. On average it costs fifty thousand dollars a year to manage an HIV infection, that is a lot of money to throw away when all it takes is putting on a condom that can be found for free if you make an effort.

        Cancer, diabetes and a multitude of other diseases are largely the result of genetics combined with environmental factors, though not 100% exclusively. HIV/Hep C are the result of sexual behavior, something that CAN BE CONTROLLED by the simple act of putting on a condom each and every time you have sex., As I stated earlier, the facts are for every 2 people receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS there are 5 new infections. Worldwide right now fifty billion dollars is spent on HIV/AIDS, at the growing pace of infections it is estimated that ninety billion dollars will need to be spent. Funding is simply unsustainable at these rates. Countries have put a stop to things such as smoking because of the toll it is taking on the health care system, obesity I guarantee you will be next in line. Why should HIV be any different when it is 100% preventable??? The solution is simple in order to reverse these trends: put on a condom every time you have sex or find a monogamous relationship.

        Back to the point of this news article: The end of this story may be near anyhow as HIV/AIDS organizations are suing OSHA in the state of California to MANDATE that all adult movies require condom use 100% of the time because they are not following guidelines established for body fluids and how they are handled. That will put an end to this story and debate once and for all, as it should.

  7. Good for Renslow and IML. Anything having to do with bare backing is stupid. Anyone who fucks or gets fucked BB is an idiot and will be positive soon enough. No one is treating any one with AIDS or STDs like they have the plague. What we are saying is put a rubber on it-no one with a brain in their head wants to get sick and no one who has any humanity should want to infect some one. The movies and performers that feature bare backing lower inhibitions to that activity. Don’t these idiots remember the fear and remember the funerals and seeing people walking around and you could tell they were sick and you felt so sorry for them and so sad? Well folks people are still dying from AIDS-they just look better while they are doing it. SAFE SEX ONLY- ALWAYS -TILL THERE IS A CURE.

  8. Hey, why stop there!!!! Keep it going. Let’s have a national ban on cigarettes. It causes cancer. How dare you smoke when you can get cancer. Hey, let’s close all the liquor stores so that we can prevent liver disease. I, myself, will boycott restaurants due to our current obesity problem which has caused out healthcare costs to rise. Speed limits are no only 20 mph to prevent car accidents. I can go on and on and on. We, as gay people, have joined the right wing hypocrites to dictate what others do in bed. How appalling. After 30 years this is where we are? During the height of HIV combined with horribly tolerated drugs, we were fine. Enjoy IML. I no longer will.

  9. Bill Armstrong

    Bravo IML for sending the right message.These young guys did not live through what we did going to funerals almost weekly and watching our friends and lovers die an agonizing death. And since the “cocktail” is only effective in about 30% of HIV+ patients, this is not the time to let up onsafe sex. I have never been prouder of our community than when we instituted the original safe sex campaign in the 80’s because we truly were saving our own lives and those of our friends and lovers. Congratulations IML on your principles stand. Your action will save lives.

    1. Principles what principles does this man have if he had them IML would be canceled altogether. How dare you speak about the dead and yet you say that we young people don’t know about the deaths and funerals you older men went to We live because of those people so don’t tell me what I do not know. It is so sad to see that the leather and for that much more the gay community is so divided within itself. How will his action save livess when he is not in the hotel rooms this is some Anita Bryant shit and what lives did you save when you said yourself all of your friends are now dead??? what a contradiction.

  10. Again I am going to post about this issue Bob you talk about the commercial exploitation but wouldn’t you be talking about all of porn. How can one ask one man Owen Hawk to stand up for something that so many beyond him partake in….BB is something that is of a choice like any other thing that grown men chose to do; adults considered 18 + are of legal age and a sound mind to make there own choices rather good and bad; again I say this is only splitting the gay community and especially the gay leather community that the rest of society considers to be a bunch of freaks down the seams…so what do you tell new boys who are just now entering the leather community that this is how it is for them….from the moment I walked into IML i sensed it was more of a play space for all gay men and they may have worn harnesses and chaps and bandannas but I asked where they really committed to the leather life in there everyday walks of life and I just didnt get that vide like I do the events in san Francisco and Europe…..this is a shame that people have died to that I can not only be a part of an event that boys need…..this is pure foul and I hope that many don’t go to IML because I think that I will now pass this event up and watch the gay press talk about how the spread of HIV still took place at the event…..

  11. also find it funny that the two sponsors on the official IML website offer up bareback content as well (extreme restraints and boyzshop). just saying.

  12. So does this mean that Nakedsword/AEBN and other VODs that offer bareback content will be banned as well? Or how about banning alcohol? Drinking also lowers your inhibitions. Is IML going to ban companies that sell non condom friendly lubes?

  13. Stores, organizations and people get to make the choice of what they want to be associated with. IML has made the decision that they do not want to be associated with the sale of bareback content. If you don’t like his decision then you have every right not to attend the event. You are more than welcome to have your own event and promote all the bareback you want. Instead of bitching about it, do your own event. It’s really as simple as that.

    This is about the commercial exploitation of high risk sex, not about personal and private behavior. No one’s freedom of speech is being taken away. You can still do whatever you want personally and you can still make and sell all the bareback content you want…you just can’t sell it at IML anymore. It’s a matter of principle for Chuck and he’s standing up and saying what he believes. And guess what…it’s his event so he gets to make the decisions.

  14. Owen since you seem to have become the “spokesperson” of bareback companies affected by this new IML policy I have to ask: if you feel this strongly about your beliefs in HIV/STD prevention and/or harm reduction, and I sincerely believe you do, the question comes down to are you personally willing to go as far as Bill Gardner at HDK (as well as the heterosexual porn industry) by stating publicly that you will begin testing ALL models at Dark Alley Media and its affiliate companies for a wide-range of STD’s using AIM Healthcare services in order to educate and prevent the transmission of HIV/STD’s during your productions if they remain “condom-free”? Actions speak louder than words, so the saying goes. I think many people would say this would lend a greater amount of credibility to your beliefs in prevention and education about HIV/STD’s, particularly in this regard why you are against IML’s new vendor mart policy.

    1. I already offer HIV testing to models who request it. No, I never took out a press release stating this as I have tended to operate without announcing everything to the media. I do not make it mandatory, and because of my experience working this field I do have concerns about such things as confidentiality of medical information. It’s one thing to keep a person’s passport on file, another to keep their medical history! I don’t support testing all models, certainly not those who self-disclose as HIV poz. I am a bit cold on the idea of testing for the full STD panel — not unless the whole industry wants to deal with it, as there are some STDs that are spread in the presence of condoms.

      Leather88, I really think this is something that should eventually be address industry wide, even by condom-only producers who often pair HIV poz men with HIV negative men without thinking they have any responsibility to disclose that information because they use rubbers. Remember, I was a model for all of these companies for years before starting Dark Alley, I know they had at the time 0 protocols in place to protect models beyond the condoms. Would I be happy to be part of a conversation about how to address this industry-wide? Of course. But Its nearly impossible to have a discussion when the other party starts out with the assumption that you are evil and immoral.

      Because of high amount of HIV poz models in gay porn, I don’t think a mandatory testing and quarantine policy, like the straight industry, would be workable. But there are other options that are possible that are not too invasive of models privacy. There should definitely be training offered to producers to learn how to speak to models about this — most don’t even know how to bring up the subject, as it is a difficult thing to communicate about. I also don’t think porn companies should administer tests themselves, certainly not without protocols for dealing with delivering potential positive results.

      And I have no interest in being a spokesperson for anyone other than myself.

      Owen

  15. I am loving this thought provoking and to the point response because this is true. I like the fact the TIM asks on its application to do porn if you are alright with sleeping with men who maybe HIV POZ letting you know the risk that you maybe taking….the porn companies who supposedly support condom only sex can’t say that there stars aren’t in risk when many of them have METH addictions and let’s not talk about there nasty over the top attitudes of entitlement….in the end to me its the separation of the have and the have nots just like the racial disparity it is now a disparity of one’s HIV status when there are so many people who have died so that I as a POZ man can live. I volunteered during IML giving out a story that I created for an AIDS ORG in Chicago and I got a lot of respect and at the time I got a lot of noses turned up so I could tell who wanted to receive the message. In that case the CDC should shut down IML because STD numbers rise during that entire weekend so not only people at risk of getting HIV but they are getting so much more ….and yes it is there event but the owners of IML has lost friends to AIDS and I just have to think what it is that they would think.

  16. My whole point is that if prevention is your concern, then approach the problem from that perspective. First, understand the problem — you’ve got this event, IML, which is attended by 1000’s of already poz or high risk men. They are there for an entire weekend, and many come specifically because of the availability of multiple sexual partners and high risk sex. So what do you do? Give out free condoms? Thats great, but not likely to be really effective. After all, many of these guys have already made the lifestyle choice not to use condoms. So what is effective prevention?

    In this situation the best prevention would be to create spaces where men that are already poz or don’t care can play with each other, thereby “sorting” the risk pool as much as possible, and distribute Harm Reduction materials to those at high risk. Well guess what… who was already organizing these sex parties? Who has access to this population to distribute materials? Those same companies that have just been banned, and who is going to organize them now? No one as far as I know.

    Its like this, you have these companies that have not only access to high risk populations, but also the trust of those populations — and if you have worked in Harm Reduction you know how important both access and trust are. But instead of going to these companies and saying “hey we want to work in an innovative and non judgmental way to do some Harm Reduction work” they just want to shut out and alienate these companies, losing a huge opportunity to forward their stated goals.

    In other words you have a situation where people say they want to do “everything in their power” to help the problem, except they can’t get over their moral aggrandizing and address the situation in a pragmatic and effective way. They think, foolishly in my opinion, that blacklisting, alienating, and trying to censor or otherwise sanction bareback porn that they are going to effect people’s behavior. Really what they are doing is losing a potential allies because they cannot get over their morality-based judgments of other people’s consensual sexual preferences.

    But yeah, it’s their event and they can do whatever they want, however foolish I think they are being.

    Owen Hawk
    Dark Alley Media

  17. I find it offensive that someone would comment IML is treating people with HIV or STD’s as the “walking plague.” In NO way, shape or form does rejecting the content of bareback companies treat people with HIV or STD’s with any less dignity and respect than prior. Rather, it simply is an admission that the GLAMORIZATION and PROMOTION of a sexual behavior that has serious, if not deadly, health consequences simply cannot be sold and/or purchased at this private event. Don’t think for a second this is about “STOPPING” people from engaging in this behavior as so many have written; nobody is delusional that they can control what people do behind closed doors. The creed of the leather culture has always been SAFE-SANE-CONSENSUAL and this decision simply emphasizes, encourages and promotes the “safe” of leather sexuality. I find it to be no different than anti-smoking campaigns or anti-drunk driving campaigns.

    1. please tell me how it is not sure the words may have been graphic but it is what stuck in your head isn’t it???? So you are telling me that you need a porn company to tell you to have safe sex….well then man you have a lot of growing up to go …..

  18. If someone wants to use the “freedom of expression” argument with regard to bareback product promotions and sales, they need to accept the difference between having their rights violated and being opposed by an organization that doesn’t agree with their opinion. IML is a private event.

    Bareback vendors and people who want to support their businesses can have their own events in their own locations with their own money. If they’re as successful as they say they are, they can afford to do so.

    IML donates large sums of money to HIV / AIDS prevention charities. It’s been glaringly hypocritical of them to allow businesses that advocate high-risk behavior to benefit by participating in their vendor market.

    As an owner of a business that continues to promote safer sex, I applaud Chuck’s admission that IML can no longer ignore the obvious conflict of interest.

    Brian Mills
    TITAN MEDIA

    1. Yes and outside of the job can you honestly say that your stars have not BB anyone ??? NO you can’t so again you are judging people and you are a business and in business you can not judge you have to be biased. How totally hypocritical of you because we all know thanks to this your models get more attention and you sales of DVD’s go up….this fight is personal not professional and if the porn industry wasn’t making loads of money off TIM it would be out f business and thanks to this controversy will only make more…..as people we support the underdog. In other words you guys are saying that people are nothing but followers who have no minds of there own and we just do what we see…..well I follow no one no matter what kind of porn I watch…I watch movies that blow thins up doesn’t mean I’m going to go just that…..

    2. Feelin' Bytchy

      Your videos suck. Could this response be fueled because Treasure Island has much better products than Titan. I will not be attending next year either.

  19. Readin all the comments…if guys wanna bareback…well they will…and nobody will stop em…removing these companies from iml……well its not gonna stop em…iff u BB u do…if u dont u dont….simple …it wont change anything….mmm…nothin else to say.

  20. If you live in Chicago come to this special gay men’s health forum:

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  21. This is appalling because this goes to show you what people in the gay community are still thinking about HIV POZ men as the walking plague when all these negative men are lying about being negative so that they can still get laid. All of a sudden IML wants to boycott some of there biggest supporters and act as if we don’t belong when we belong just as much as anyone else. As an african american its already hard to find where I belong in IML already and for a black leatherboy its even harder when all the hard bodies are walking around looking to get with each other. I applaud Owen for taking a stand about this. I know that people need to do what is best for there own health but that doesn’t mean that the POZ contingent has to suffer. We belong like everyone else. So is someone going to boycott IML now????

  22. I can’t believe people are angry over this.

    Those who want such entertainment know it is out there and can get it. It certainly shouldn’t be gaining promotion from events. Yes I’m sure most people don’t watch the vid and think it is all right to go and do it but I’m also sure there are plenty who DO.

    Cheers.

  23. Bear from chicago

    Okay having known Chuck Renslow for the last 20 years and the bars and clubs and bathhouses he owns that are nothing more than a breeding ground and ground zero for HIV infections. Its sick of him to even say stuff like this. This has to be something that his buddy Richie told him he had to do to keep IML running in Chicago. Someone ask Chuck about the day when on the way into work at Man’s Country he got pulled over with I think the figure was 25k to 60k of rock cocaine oh yeah they call it CRACK bagged and ready for sale at man’s country. Funny how he was arrested and then it just went away nothing else became of it. must be nice to have friends in high places like the Mayors office.
    So for him to talk about Meth and Barebacking is like George Bush trying to blame Obama for our current problems.
    People are adults and not everyone that barebacks is HIV positive.
    This will do nothing to stop the infection rate. The infection rate goes up because people get comfortable because the news media down plays the epidemic thats still sweeping the country.
    But then again maybe he is trying to redeem himself before him and his bad Toupes go to the grave.
    I actually like the guy but man does he get some major breaks from running sex clubs to getting off without jailtime when caught with a carload of crack.
    Just find this whole thing funny.
    Just because he puts condoms out on a bar and gets a little concious he is trying to become a sex police officer is kind of funny.
    Having witnessed what goes on in the pitch black bathrooms of his bars and clubs on many occasions if he truly had a concious he could of saved 1,000’s if not millions of lives many years ago.
    just my 2 cents….

  24. I have to say that though I agree with Leather 88 to a short point, I think banning those said bareback studios is NOT showing IML is being responsible. It is being prejudice and blocking freedom of experssion. What IML and Chuck Renslow should be doing is promoting safe sex practice among its attendants not the vendors. Its not like the administrators of IML are doing safe sex here.. They all have been BB promoters within thier own homes for a century or more. I feel it is foolish to ban such studios. What they should be banning is all the drugs and alcohol that is going on in all the suites. That is the bigger issue here spreading HIV. NOT the vendors. If you had drug testing on the premises, you would soon discover an epidemic. As for the vendors, seeing your banned from IML… I say host your own promotion and stick that in the asses of the IML administrators!

  25. midwestern leather guy

    Some of those companies couldn’t afford to get more space this year. The biggest video vendor? Dick Wadd. And what does this do with businesses that sell both safe sex and bareback porn? Aren’t they also banned, since they distribute? And publications that review both? Would they be banned for promoting?

    One, the market is driving the popularity of bareback. These companies wouldn’t sell it if people didn’t want it.

    Two, IML is a big sex party. Plus, people there are doing poppers, trying each other up, whipping each other, fisting, knife play, etc. None of these activities are risk free. And don’t forget MRSA, syphillis and other diseases.

    Third, if you want to promote safe sex, really promote it. Don’t depend on companies. I saw two HIV service agencies at the IML market. Both had small booths and were pushed to the sides. Help THEM educate if you want to promote safe sex. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.

    Finally, these are adults. They have to make they’re own decisions. Give them the information, educate them. But don’t act like they’re all little kids that need to be protected.

  26. Bravo Chuck Renslow and the IML organizers, it takes a lot of courage to take this sort of stand knowing people will respond with negative and idiotic comments like Owen’s and Bryce’s comments here. It isn’t about “stopping” people from having bareback sex, for IML it is about taking RESPONSIBILITY to NOT PROMOTE an unhealthy and deadly sexual behavior. It has been disappointing over the past several years to see IML gravitate away from the understood meaning of leather culture, that being brotherhood and looking out for one another via SAFE-SANE-CONSENSUAL sex. Whether it is HIV or other STD’s we ALL have a responsibility to stay healthy and not add to the already overburdened health system in the USA, just as we fight against other issues like obesity, smoking related illness, drug addiction, etc. Need we remind everyone that HIV still kills? I have two friends who passed in the recent year who were in their 30’s, poz, “healthy” and died due to complications related to their HIV infection.

    If IML is THAT important to Owen and other adult entertainment companies the solution is simple, produce videos where models are wearing condoms 100% of the time….simple, easy and affordable “fix” to this issue for them.

    Because of this action, I certainly hope that companies like Hot House, Channel 1 Releasing, Titan Media, Jet Set Men, Falcon, Raging Stallion Studios and others who have consistently promoted safe sex in the industry will step-up to the plate and acquire vendor space in 2010 to support IML and their safe sex policy for vendors.

    1. then they where not healthy to begin with ….read what you said man I am healthy have 775 t-cells undetectable and that is healthy so that way you are not susceptible of getting an opportunistic infection and you can’t blame death on HIV…they had AIDS complications man

  27. Ha both you commenters are retarded. You think not letting in bareback vendors is somehow going to magically stop people from barebacking in their hotel rooms? Seriously what are you smoking?

  28. just another leather boy

    Cheers to Chuck Renslow and the IML organizers. True leadership takes guts. IML will probably lose good money over this, but sometimes a principled stand requires sacrifice.

    Thank you for setting an example, and walking the talk.

    1. taking a stand against what….they are being hypocrites and not standing for anything…please barebacking is still going to happen in the rooms suites et.al. I know a sain great man who got an STD from giving a guy head….so how is kicking the bareback porn companies out going to stop the spread of anything in that case shut IML down and stop it altogether…..this is some BS….I have never thought that HIV Negative men would treat there POZ brothas like dirt but its happening everywhere now….glad I will be leaving lame Chicago

  29. Thank God IML is seeing the light, as an HIV + guy living in Chicago, i have “bared” witness to some of the activities that go on during and after IML and hope this, in ANY way, can help stop the spread of HIV.

    1. Hello as an HIV POZ man you should be appalled that this is happening basically discriminating against a practice that has gone on forever and for you to be a POZ man and not to see the hate being thrown your way you are losing your mind man

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