EXPERT: MOST GAY MEN DON'T USE DRUGS

Susan Kingston, a meth expert from the King County Department of
Public Health in Seattle, Wash., brought a fresh approach to how the
gay and general communities should begin to treat crystal meth
addiction and, more importantly, the individuals using the drug
during her presentation, "Crystal Meth Uncensored: What the DEA and
Gay Media Won't Tell You."

Kingston's presentation was part of a day-long event presented by the
Chicago AIDS Foundation and the Center on Halsted entitled
"Preventing HIV: Ethics, Activism and Promising New Strategies,"
which took place June 27--National HIV Testing Day--at the Center on
Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted.

Kingston began by discussing the myths that she believes the media
has perpetuated, including that crystal meth is the most addictive
drug; meth users fail treatments and that the addiction is impossible
to treat; and that it is the worst drug to hit the gay community.

As far as treatment results, Kingston believes it is the treatment
programs failing the drug user, not the other way around, and that
the worst drug to hit the gay and straight communities is alcohol.

She also pointed out that poppers are far more abused in the gay
community than meth and are just as frequently associated with
unprotected sex: "Ten percent of guys have used meth in the past
year. It's two to four times that much for poppers, but we seem to be
kind of okay with that. Is that really okay?"

Yet, according to Kingston, the media never reports the good news,
which is that most gay men don't use crystal meth and that, in
actuality, there is not a meth crisis in the gay community.

Kingston added that the message that needs to be out there is one of
wellness within the gay community. "Before we answer the question
what are we supposed to do about this meth thing, we really have to
think about who do we think gay men are?," she said. "If you think
gay men are pools of deficits, then crystal makes complete sense. On
the other hand, if you think that gay men need to keep a
squeaky-clean image, then anybody who picks up a meth pipe starts to
be the deviant who's making the rest of us look bad, and we need to
shove him back into his hole. That's what's happening.

"I would be so excited if I heard a prevention program where I heard
a gay newspaper say most gay men don't use drugs [ and ] most gay men
don't have HIV; they take care of themselves sexually; they're not
reckless; they're not irresponsible; they go to work; they shop for
groceries; [ and ] they value love just like anybody else."