It’s really a thing. “Bug chasers and gift givers,” as they have come to be known, do exist.
HIV used to be a scary diagnosis to be avoided in the 1980’s. But now it has become desired by some gay men these days.
“Bug chasers” are those gay men who are HIV-negative, but they wish to become HIV-positive.
“Gift givers” are gay men who are HIV-positive and are seeking out HIV-negative men in an effort to pass along the life-shortening disease.
Together, bug chasers and gift givers comprise a small fraction of the still small percentage of the population that are gay.
Yet, both bug chasers and gift givers have been the inspiration behind a couple movies already. One was a fictitious tale called Bug Chaser. It is a 2012 film starring Brenden Gregory.
The other, more popular film is The Gift. This was a 2003 controversial documentary chronically the life story of Doug Hitzel. Hitzel contracted HIV on purpose.
Hitzel describes why he did so in the film. He describes the thought of becoming infected with HIV as a “gift.” He says it seemed like the biggest prize, wrapped with the biggest bow.
Only, in the end, he realizes how empty the promise was. He concludes the documentary saying, “I just can’t believe that it seemed like a livable thing to me—there was no benefit in this (bug chasing)—and that’s just what really needs to be said.”
Sadly, not enough homosexual men have heeded Hitzel’s warning.
WHY DO SOME GAY MEN ENGAGE IN “BUG CHASING?”
The big question hangs out there for good reason: Why on earth would anyone wish to be HIV-positive? HIV is known to lead to death, shaving years off one’s own existence.
In the little bit of research I did for this article, I set out to answer that question. Here’s what I learned. This is not meant to serve as an exhaustive list. Nonetheless, here are eight reasons gay men may seek to become HIV infected.
1. To feel loved, accepted into a community
We all have an innate desire to feel loved and accepted. Sadly, some men feel driven to the select company of HIV-positive gay men to fill that need.
2. Empathy garnered
The gay lifestyle is celebrated in today’s culture, regrettably. “Coming out” as gay earns you affirmation these days. If you couple that with sharing the news you are carrying HIV, you will go down as love’s great martyr.
3. To prove they are unafraid
For some gays they just have something to prove to the world. They want to act all tough, unaffected. To show off their fearlessness, they’ll go down the path rarely traveled: HIV transaction.
4. To gain fidelity from the already-infected partner
Exclusivity among gay men is next to impossible to find. Each gay man, even if in a partnership, has had multiple sexual partners in his lifetime.
Still, if a gay man’s partner has HIV, he may be willing to be given the disease to prove his faithfulness to his already-infected partner. That way, the already-infected partner has no reason to withhold his sexual activity in the relationship.
It can seem like there is no way out. Some may feel tempted to give in all the way. They may choose to let the lifestyle consume them, and literally take their life.
It’s a sad irony, is it not? Knowing their homosexual sex could never give life, some seek to give death away instead.
5. Empowerment to decide when to contract the disease that seems inevitable in the gay community
One in five gay men carry HIV—although not all of them realize they have it. With stats like that, and given the high rate of promiscuity among the gay community, a gay man may feel like it is just a matter of time before he gets the disease.
That is why some men try to contract the death sentence sooner, rather than later. Their passions are clearly out out of order, but this is one area of their life where they can assert some control: deciding how soon they die.
6. Complete rejection of societal norms
People are supposed to want to remain healthy. But for some gays, they just assume reject that societal norm like so much of the rest of their life.
7. For feelings of guilt
Some gay men get tangled into the bug chasers and gift givers phenomenon for the simple reason they feel guilty.
They know something is off. Their lifestyle is rough and chaotic. Drugs and alcohol are often used for short-term fixes that can lead to long-term fixations or addictions.
For such gay men, they know what they are doing is immoral and they must pay for it. They may seek to become infected with HIV as a twisted form of penance for sins committed.
Pay now or pay later, right?
8. Emptiness of the homosexual lifestyle
As Hitzel’s quote above alludes to, the gay lifestyle as a whole is largely empty. It is unfulfilling.
Men, by their nature, are made to sacrifice, to adapt, to overcome. But the homosexual lifestyle does not satisfy any of those desires.
It can seem like there is no way out. Some may feel tempted to give in all the way. They may choose to let the lifestyle consume them, and literally take their life.
It’s a sad irony, is it not? Knowing their homosexual sex could never give life, some seek to give death away instead.
IN CLOSING
If only bug chasers and gift givers would realize the saving grace of Christ. The desire to feel loved and accepted can only be satisfied when in a relationship with Him. Let us pray they seek the light of Christ and abandon the darkness of their self-destructive lifestyle.
By the way, in December 2006 a large study was conducted to learn more about bug chasers and gift givers among the gay community. A link to the informative study can be found here.
As well, of all the resources I consulted, I found these two most helpful: an article about bug chasers and gift givers at psychologytoday.com, and an article from the AIDS Education and Training Center Program.
YOUR TURN
Did you realize bug chasers and gift givers were a thing?
Please share your thoughts below on this topic.
