| South Africa has lately been at the
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| | gonorrhea, guarding against pregnancy,
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| center of the world prostitutes movement.
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| | protecting your clients from infections.
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| The International Network of Sex Work
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| | Nobody wants to expose a customer to an
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| Projects is currently based in Capetown.
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| | STD.
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| And not far from Capetown, the recent
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| | When it comes to prostitution and
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| 13th International AIDS Conference was
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| | illness, it's the transmittable ailments
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| held July 9-14. But whether it occurs in
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| | that get all the front-page coverage. But
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| Geneva or Durban, this event is a magnet
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| | for many hookers, the biggest health
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| for sex workers' rights activists and is
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| | problems are work related yet
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| a must-attend for anyone who plays a
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| | noncontagious. So, safe sex can also mean
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| leadership role in the world prostitutes
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| | abstaining from vaginal intercourse --
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| movement.
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| | with lovers or clients -- to reduce the
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| Right now, as I sit in New York, playing
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| | mechanical irritations leading to
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| hooky from the biggest event of the year,
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| | nonspecific urethritis and recurring
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| alliances are forming and shifting,
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| | bladder infections.
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| dying, reviving. Political love affairs
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| | "I had a UTI [urinary tract infection]
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| are breaking down. Some are being
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| | that was actually caused by my boyfriend
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| tenderly nourished. Covert enemies are
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| | -- we were having too good a time -- and
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| smiling at each other as they salivate
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| | I couldn't work," one girl told me. "My
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| over each other's funding. New factions
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| | doctor ordered me to stop fucking for two
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| are sprouting as former enemies are
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| | entire weeks. I didn't listen to him
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| forced to share hotel rooms. Australians
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| | because I felt better -- the infection
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| are dissing each other to their foreign
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| | was gone. And then the problem came back
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| allies, Latin Americans are making North
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| | a month later. I lost more time because I
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| Americans feel guilty and North Americans
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| | was too greedy to give my body a rest."
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| (especially from the U.S.) are trying not
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| | The second time around, she stuck to oral
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| to offend anyone from Europe or any
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| | sex during the recovery period and was
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| developing countries.
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| | able to return to work.
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| AIDS is a tragedy of epic proportions,
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| | In each case, then, "safe" takes on
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| claiming millions of lives. But AIDS has
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| | different meanings. Many readers of my
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| also made the prostitutes movement a
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| | fiction series have asked why fictional
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| global one. Before AIDS, the movement
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| | call girl Nancy Chan doesn't kiss. Is it,
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| sought its alliances among feminists, and
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| | they ask, because kissing is too
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| this limited our growth. During the past
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| | intimate? Not exactly. Refusing to kiss
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| decade this has changed and most of the
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| | clients on the mouth is, for many
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| important alliances tend to be AIDS
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| | professionals, a form of safe sex.
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| related. AIDS is terrible, we all agree,
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| | Many working girls say that kissing
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| but it helped our movement come of age.
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| | increases their chance of catching a
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| Many activist prostitutes have built
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| | cold, and most prostitutes I know worry
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| innovative careers in public health,
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| | more about catching a cold than they do
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| social and medical research and elsewhere
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| | about contracting an exotic and deadly
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| because of AIDS.
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| | virus. The STD problem they've got
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| In real life, far from the politicized
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| | covered -- with condoms -- but other bugs
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| atmosphere of the sex workers summit in
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| | are harder to dodge. Many prostitutes say
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| Durban, working prostitutes also benefit
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| | that being exposed at close quarters to
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| from the very thing they fear. In the
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| | so many people is a challenge to the
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| 1980s, when my friends in the life became
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| | immune system. They fanatically dose
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| aware of AIDS, some clients had trouble
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| | themselves with vitamin C and coenzyme Q,
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| getting used to condoms. And one working
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| | keep boxes of homeopathic cold remedies
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| girl I know expressed the problem
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| | on hand and sleep a lot.
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| personally. She told a client: "If you've
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| | Even though a cold won't kill you, it
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| ever had to sit next to the hospital bed
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| | will put you out of work for a week.
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| of a friend who is dying of this disease,
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| | Prostitution is demanding: You are
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| you'll appreciate the need for a condom!"
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| | required to look and act alert, happy,
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| Yes, '80s foreplay was sometimes
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| | healthy and pretty at all times. You
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| heavy-handed. But she wasn't kidding. One
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| | cannot do this with a runny nose or a
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| of this girl's best friends from high
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| | sore throat. In some jobs, you might be
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| school, a gay man, had just died.
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| | regarded as a hero for struggling into
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| Later, when just about everyone in our
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| | the office with the remains of a head
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| sphere -- clients, working girls, madams
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| | cold. In this job, you just look
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| -- had converted to the cause of condoms,
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| | desperate.
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| she told me: "Thank god for AIDS -- when
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| | When your body is your business, you
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| I think of all the men I used to see
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| | don't find it insulting to be told about
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| without condoms, I just can't believe
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| | the latest new STD test -- you actively
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| it!" Her sorrow over a friend who died of
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| | want the latest and the best in
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| AIDS was, is, still real. But AIDS gave
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| | prevention, detection and (if need be)
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| her a good reason -- an "excuse" -- to
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| | treatment.
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| use a device that had been unfashionable
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| | A friend of mine in the business says,
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| for a while. Condoms made her work a lot
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| | "If you don't get an HIV test, if you
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| safer in general. Risks she had
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| | don't sit down and think about every sex
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| previously taken for granted pre-AIDS now
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| | act you perform, you're unprofessional.
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| seemed intolerable. Like any other person
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| | If you don't use condoms, if you don't
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| who has experienced technological
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| | get your blood tested, you're an
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| improvements on the job, she was amazed
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| | incredible slob. It's piggish not to care
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| at what she had once been able to live
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| | if you're a pro. But if you're not a pro,
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| with.
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| | it's romantic; it's a sign of your
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| Other prostitutes agreed with my friend.
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| | innocence perhaps or your purity." In
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| It was comforting to know you weren't
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| | 1992, one of my closest friends, an
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| being exposed to chlamydia, pregnancy or
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| | editor in her 20s, was still on the Pill.
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| gonorrhea. Men, the selfish beasts,
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| | I knew what this meant: She wasn't using
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| weren't so easily persuaded by the
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| | condoms! How relentlessly I nagged her,
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| specter of curable ailments or of
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| | and how merrily she resisted my
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| pregnancies that didn't affect them. The
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| | finger-wagging warnings. "Oh, I'm just
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| incurable specter of AIDS became a handy
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| | being very fin de sicle about it," she
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| angel of guilt hovering over our beds,
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| | said, cheerfully. "Besides, I'm not as
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| urging our customers to wear condoms.
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| | much of a feminist about this condom
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| Pre-AIDS, when condoms were not always
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| | thing as you are, Tracy." That really
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| the norm, it was normal to get tested at
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| | shut me up, since I regarded myself not
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| least monthly for a range of STDs
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| | as a feminist but as a post-feminist.
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| (sexually transmitted diseases). This
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| | God, was HIV turning me into one of those
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| wasn't just time-consuming, it was
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| | preachy militant friends -- the kind of
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| expensive. But worth it, of course.
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| | female friend who advises you not to lose
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| "Before AIDS," one friend reminisced, "I
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| | weight because she fears you'll develop
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| used to spend $200 a month on gonorrhea
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| | an eating disorder (even though you
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| cultures and lab tests. Once I actually
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| | really need to lose 15 pounds)? I was
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| had to get a penicillin shot." And once,
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| | somewhat pissed off with her. A
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| she even got pregnant, as a result of the
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| | prostitute who decides to take risks with
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| imperfections of the diaphragm method.
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| | her body would be viewed as a social
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| Condoms have made her life safer and
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| | menace in need of rehab, a dangerous
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| saner by reducing her medical and
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| | vector of disease, perhaps even a felon
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| emotional overhead When your body is your
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| | in some parts of the United States. Only
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| portable workstation, you fear for its
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| | a shameless amateur could get away with
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| safety.
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| | this.
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| You're alert to the many bugs, glitches
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| | It was indeed a very fin de sicle moment:
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| and unwelcome problems that can endanger
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| | My "virtuous" friend had never
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| its health, put you out of work, make you
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| | disapproved of my sexual conduct, was
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| less marketable. For many prostitutes,
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| | quite supportive of my right to do it,
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| AIDS is just one of these hazards and
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| | and I was the scandalized, self-righteous
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| it's not even the largest threat in our
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| | one. I wanted to be a good sexual citizen
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| sex lives.
| |
| | and she didn't care one way or the other.
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| Safe sex means more than preventing
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| | In reality, I was more preoccupied with
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| infection with HIV. It means increasing
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| | sex-based "virtue" than she was. I
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| protection of your cervix from HPV (human
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| | consoled myself with the thought that I,
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| papilloma virus) and cancer by using a
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| | the responsible sex professional, was
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| barrier like a condom or a diaphragm. It
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| | taking proper care of my intimate
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| means protecting your throat against
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| | equipment.
|
