SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Last December, a group of sexually active gay men decided that it was time to stop looking for what they wanted and create it themselves. In this case, the “it” was a response to the provocative question: “Is where you just stuck your dick worth a shot in the ass?”According to the men, whose identities have not been revealed, at least some of the answers to that question can be found at their newly launched ShotWorth.com website, which is intended to provide an alternative to what they consider to be “pleading, inaccurate, and often judgmental sites that flourish nationwide from programs with restricted federal funds or faith based focuses.”
By sharing resources and accepting some assistance from local gay businesses, the men were able to create and develop what they hope will help both gay and bisexual men to take personal responsibility for their pleasures and consequences.
Steve Duarte, who designed the upfront and frankly worded site, explains that the group’s anonymity rises from their sense of urgency about getting the message out that “if you fuck around, get sucked, or have multiple sex partners, it’s your personal responsibility to get a routine STD test, inform your partners when you have an STD, and seek treatment.”
Men who do not engage in these activities may not find the site useful for themselves (although everyone has friends), but the mysterious entrepreneurs believe that many men who use the internet in order to hook up with other men or who meet them at sex clubs will find ShotWorthy.com a worthwhile destination site for health information, as well as a form of peer support in their efforts to maintain their sexual health.
This kind of self-motivated and proactive enterprise is precisely what the doctor ordered, as far as Jacque McCright of the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s STD Prevention & Control Services is concerned.
“When gay men take an active role in their sexual health,” he explains, “they are able to design messages that are specific, explicit, and informative to reach other men in a way that validates their personal experiences, not as bad choices, but instead as opportunities to learn.”
McCright’s department has helped people learn about sexual health and safety with sites including HealthyPenis2006.org, SexTestSF.org, and STDTest.org.
The adult industry, no stranger to safer sex debates or STD concerns, is involved with the ShotWorthy.com project, with Titan Media stepping up as the first producer to contribute to the project via a $5,000 donation.
Keith Webb, vice president of Titan Media says that he “hopes that more sites like this will begin to develop.” Further, he hopes that gay owned businesses will support such endeavors.
In addition to their work on the ShotWorthy.com site, the collective are working on a site focused on gay men with questions about Hepatitis A, B and C, with special attention to issues surrounding Hepatitis C and sexual transmission.
