Phoenix

Phoenix is a program for men who want to reduce their risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection such as HIV but who have not always been able to reduce their risk as much as they would like to. Unlike some programs that may give the impression that reducing risk necessarily requires making compromises in terms of pleasure and sexual satisfaction, Phoenix explicitly aims to meet the challenge of teaching men in the program to better combine eroticism with risk reduction.

Phoenix is based on scientific knowledge of the sexuality of gay and bisexual men available when the program was developed. This knowledge indicates that various factors contribute to risk taking, and that not all gay and bisexual men expose themselves to risks under the same circumstances or for the same reasons. Male participants in the Phoenix program explore various examples of circumstances and factors that negatively influence their intention to protect themselves. These circumstances and factors include individuals taking substances such as drugs or alcohol that diminish vigilance and thus play a role in some risks they would otherwise not have agreed to take under other circumstances. They include the search for intimacy, which leads some men to avoid condoms in order to feel closer to their partners. They include the pursuit of strong sexual sensations, in which case using condoms would be a kill-joy or an obstacle to pleasure. As well, there are unfavourable attitudes towards condoms, especially in that they cause erectile difficulties in some men; there are setbacks in life that are so serious that caring about your health becomes of secondary importance; there are assumptions about the risk level of sexual practices and about the HIV status of sexual partners; and, finally, there are the difficulties of telling your partner of your desire to reduce your risk.

In order to meet this challenge, Phoenix suggests a four-stage procedure. The purpose of the first stage is to make men aware of the specific combination of factors and circumstances that lead them to engage in risky behaviours. The second stage consists of planning risk reduction strategies.
The third stage of the Phoenix project involves putting into practice the risk reduction strategies. After a break period of a few weeks, the fourth and last stage consists of the men
1) re-evaluating the extent to which the strategic action plan they developed was realistic;
2) identifying the obstacles encountered in their application; and
3) considering methods for overcoming them or of reviewing the relevance of certain strategies and replacing them as required.

Martin Blais and Joanne Otis
for the Phoenix Team