臺大公衛學院為加強宣導本院教師之學術成果，進而提升本院國際能見度，由黃柏堯老師之共同撰寫下列文章投稿至ASPPH Friday Letter.
該文目前已刊登於ASPPH Friday Letter, November 29, 2024
發表篇名：Slamsex as Slow Edgework: Sexualized Drug Use and Harm Reduction in Post-AIDS Taiwan
作者：Poyao Huang (本所教師黃柏堯教授及通訊作者)
發表日期：2024.11.01
期刊名稱：International Journal of Drug Policy
摘要/Abstract
Background
Since the mid-2010s, slamsex—sexualized drug use involving intravenously injecting meth—has rapidly emerged in metropolitan gay communities as a sociosexual practice necessitating harm reduction interventions. However, its impact on gay men's sociosexual lives and HIV technologies is not well understood. This paper addresses this gap by investigating two intertwined temporal dimensions of slamsex, viewing it as a form of slow edgework in post-AIDS Taiwan.
Methods
Ethnographic research was conducted in Taiwan between 2022 and 2024, involving 30 interviews with gay men who practice slamsex and 7 HIV/AIDS NGO representatives. Semi-structured interviews focused on slamming events, covering their edge, transition, and healthcare network.
Results
Findings reveal paradoxes within edgework, demonstrating that slamsex can be both extreme and risky, as well as slow and mundane. Participants navigated state surveillance and the materiality of syringes through meticulous risk calculations and digital-savvy strategies for acquiring clean syringes. The practice involved risk and a networked economy of care services provided by other injectors. In response to HIV technologies (PrEP and viral load disclosure), gay men in this study normalized HIV/AIDS while developing a sense of vulnerability to their own infection.
Conclusion
In the era of HIV/AIDS normalization, slamsex as slow edgework underscores the need for temporally and spatially nuanced discussions on drug policy. This study highlights the importance of culturally tailored interventions that consider slow, networked interactions to provide harm reduction for men on the chemsex scene, as well as the needs for more evidence-based, non-discriminatory research on queer sexual health and drug studies.
Keywords
Chemsex; Edgework; Post AIDS; Slam/slamsex; Syringe
