A recent story published in the Los Angeles Times reported that an increasing number of gay men are taking the AIDS drug tenofovir before having unprotected sex, hoping it will protect them from becoming infected with HIV. Said to be common in bathhouses, clubs and circuit parties, men are downing tenofovir with Viagra and other party drugs like Ecstasy and crystal meth to reduce the risk of transmission. This risky business has alarmed public health officials who say there is no proof that taking antiretrovirals protects against contracting HIV, and are quick to warn that recreational use of tenofovir and other AIDS drugs could lead to drug resistance down the road.

Some doctors, however, are prescribing tenofovir, saying any protection is better than none – perhaps a reflection of HIV prevention efforts losing their effectiveness. Are these same doctors doling out treatments for gonorrhea and syphilis each Friday afternoon in anticipation of a fun-filled weekend?

A report released by the CDC found that new infections among gay and bisexual men rose 8 percent nationally in 2004, and syphilis rates have jumped 29 percent over the last four years – a tribute to the spike in unsafe sex.

Popping tenofovir, crossing our fingers and hoping not to get infected is just one example of the risk-taking endemic in the GLBT community.

Are we here at the Gay & Lesbian Times the only ones who think these people have lost their minds? Why do we continue to play this game of Russian roulette? Is there something inherent in being GLBT that fosters destructive behavior or lack of self-preservation?

In this week’s feature, “Live for today: Young and HIV positive,” Shawn Frey, 24, talks about how he came to be positive.

“At the time, I was using drugs heavily,” he says. “It was so irresponsible and I just didn’t care. I was young and coming to grips with being gay. I was abused as a child, and I didn’t have the best self-image. I had an abusive, alcoholic stepfather who kept telling me I wasn’t good enough. You hear that long enough, it gets to be in your head. That made me believe I was something less than I actually was. And then to realize I was gay. I guess I was slowly trying to commit suicide. The drugs and the sex were just my own way of doing that, I guess.”

Should it come as a surprise that our community engages in risky, unhealthy behaviors given the hate directed at our community, not to mention our own self-loathing and internalized homophobia? Many of the issues harming our community are self-inflicted: alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse, unsafe sex and promiscuity. Homophobia and discrimination have a profound impact on our health and sense of self.

Products of a society that fails to recognize them as equal, GLBT people struggle to form an identity that includes self-love and self-esteem, and later find challenges in creating healthy relationships.

Statistically, members of the GLBT community are disproportionately affected by drug and alcohol addiction, use tobacco at higher rates and experience greater mental and emotional health disorders, including depression and suicide.

At the October California Gay Men’s Wellness Summit in Long Beach, popular columnist Dan Savage called this argument the “excuse factory,” a justification for the unhealthy behaviors running amok in the gay men’s community. Instead of perpetuating this poor-me justification, community leaders and health professionals, he says, need to say that meth use, unsafe and promiscuous sex are not OK, instead of making excuses for it.

Does he have a point?

The community’s best medicine is furthering our equality. Change is already in motion. Gay-Straight Alliances are promoting tolerance and diversity in schools. Popular culture, however inaccurate, has begun to showcase GLBT culture, characters and relationships. And many state legislatures are passing laws to protect our communities, families and futures.

Some things cannot be brushed off, however. We as a community can understand the root of the problem and condemn behaviors that negatively impact all of us – especially our youth. Much like parents, we should provide an example for future generations of GLBTs to follow, and instead of turning a blind eye – or even providing a pat on the back, in some cases – we need to speak up and challenge each other about what is acceptable.