“The Bug Chasers,” a new play currently being performed at the Carnival Fine Arts Center in downtown Miami, examines the phenomenon of HIV-negative men attempting to contract HIV by having unprotected sex with other men living with the virus (cbs4.com, 10/26).
Director Octavio Campos, who is gay and negative, examined this phenomenon for over a year and was surprised at the number of “bug chasers” he came across.
“The field research I did was pretty scary,” says Campos. "It was pretty intense and has a lot to do with the nightlife on South Beach."
While he hardly condones this behavior, the director attributes the thrill-seeking fascination many have with playing this game of sexual Russian Roulette to the relatively manageable nature of the virus in the age of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).
"I'm HIV positive and diabetic (as well as have high cholesterol) and some of my meds specify taking them with 'high fat foods' which I have to do twice a day. I've eaten as healthy as possible, but when it comes to high fat foods, I am in a quandary...about what to eat sometimes..."
