I/O
Sexual Health Apps Can’t Replace Real Sex Talk
What a new service that purports to confirm users are taking HIV prevention medication gets wrong about relationships
In I/O, columnist Lux Alptraum explores how technology intersects with sexuality and relationships. I/O will embrace the uncertainty of our future and help us craft a better tomorrow, together.
Back in 1984, during the early days of the HIV epidemic, Armistead Maupin’s novel Babycakes imagined a service that would help people partner up amid the crisis. “How do you let someone you are interested know that YOU ARE SAFE?” Babycakes’ fictional ad copy reads. “Now you can let others know simply by wearing your ‘I’M SAFE’ ring or pendant.”
Now 35 years later, dating with HIV is wildly different. HIV tests have gotten more accurate, enabling doctors to detect positive status within weeks of infection, rather than months. Major advances in treatment have made it possible for HIV+ people to live full, healthy lives. And medications like Truvada (also known as PrEP) help HIV– people have sex with HIV+ partners without fear of infection.
Even with all this progress, however, there’s still a market for products that purport to help people navigate tricky conversations about…
