In the face of alarming increases in HIV and STD* infection rates among Gay, Bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, we--the MSM HIV/STD Prevention Task Force--issue this Manifesto calling for desperately needed community norms and actions.

Every Gay, Bisexual, or other man who has sex with men is responsible for the health and well-being of the community. Our sexual relationships should be passionate, healthy, consensual, honest, and respectful. We are accountable for our behavior-to ourselves, our sex partners, and our community:

• Knowingly transmitting HIV is avoidable; its transmission is unacceptable.
  
  
• Disclosing HIV/STD status does not negate the necessity to practice safe sex.
  
  
• Bare-backing is unacceptable high-risk behavior except in committed monogamous relationships between partners of the same HIV status.
  
  
• Transmitting HIV knowingly is an act of violence.

HIV/AIDS prevention workers, health care providers, public health staff, and AIDS service organizations must lead by motivating the community to prevent future STD and HIV infections through:

• Up-to-date, relevant information about HIV and STD prevention.
  
  
• Loud, clear messages of health.
  
  
• Diverse, specific, and crucial HIV and STD prevention statements delivered in a variety of media.

All Gay, Bisexual, and other men who have sex with men must care about health--their own, the community's, and each person's-as an act of self-love and an affirmation of self worth by:

• Joining together to make safer sex-the proper use of condoms and treating each partner with honesty and compassion-our community norm.
  
  
• Challenging friends or loved ones that do not conform to this community norm with the consequences of their actions.
  
  
• Advocating for information, access to treatment, and an end to discrimination.

We who are HIV positive men must take responsibility for not transmitting our virus, to demonstrate compassion for all our partners, anonymous and long-term, and to show our concern for the standing and reputation of our community.

We who are HIV negative or don't know our HIV status must believe that HIV infection is not inevitable, must learn what our status is, take responsibility for not acquiring HIV, and get tested regularly. We cannot assume we are HIV negative if, since the last HIV test, we have had unprotected anal sex with a partner whose HIV status is positive or unknown.

To all Gay, Bisexual, and other men who have sex with men:

	If you have multiple sex partners, use a condom for anal sex and get tested regularly for HIV and STDs.
	Know your HIV and STD status, disclose your status to sex partners, and ask them to disclose theirs to you.
	Challenge any sex partner who doesn't know his HIV and STD status.
	In disclosing to potential sex or drug partners, give an honest, accurate HIV/STD history, including test results and how long since your last tests.
	Realize that medications for HIV are expensive and damaging to a person's system-even with today's advances, HIV infection is never trivial.
	If you choose to use mind-altering substances, like poppers or crystal, you risk letting down your guard-being high is not an excuse for unsafe sex.

What people are saying about the Community Manifesto:

"It has been good to participate in the process of developing the Manifesto because it makes a strong statement to the community that we must all be responsible to stop the spread of STDs and HIV. The Manifesto contains clear statements of how that can be done and challenges us all to take an active part in it every day, in every encounter we have with others in the community."