Relationships are fantastic: I have found the person who doesn’t mind me watching “Holiday Baking Championship” while knitting and shouting at the TV, and that is an awesome feeling. I am fully aware that this may make me sound anti-relationship (something my partner of seven years may take umbrage at).
Recent research by my team showed that gay men in relationships perceive themselves to be at less risk of HIV and test less frequently for HIV than single men, despite frequent non-use of condoms with their main partners. Not using a condom can be a way to show you trust your partner more, to feel closer to your partner, or it may just not be convenient to always be using condoms. Issues of trust and a desire for intimacy mean that men are often less likely to use condoms with their male partners.
