Editing Bugchasing (section)

== Motivation and activity ==
Bugchasers are [[men who have sex with men]] (MSM){{efn-ua|While other groups are also disproportionately impacted by HIV, including trans women, {{harvnb|García-Iglesias|2022|p=38}}, writes: "I have found little to no evidence (even anecdotal) of trans people engaging in bugchasing, and there is also an absence of trans people from online narratives and discourses about bugchasing. This suggests that it is not objective HIV prevalence but rather the cultural background of HIV that determines the makeup of bugchasing."}} who eroticize HIV infection, particularly through engaging in online sexual fantasies of being infected with HIV, or who actually pursue infection with the virus.{{sfnm|1a1=Buys|1y=2010|1p=483|2a1=García-Iglesias|2y=2020b|2p=1232|3a1=García-Iglesias|3y=2021a|3p=2|4a1=García-Iglesias|4y=2021b|4p=154|5a1=García-Iglesias|5y=2022|5p=34|6a1=Grov|6y=2006|6pp=990–991}} Since little is understood about the practice in general, the motivations for developing bugchasing identity and behavior remain largely undefined.{{sfn|Medeiros|2016|p=67}} However, at least four motivations have been suggested.{{sfnm
|1a1=Carballo-Diéguez|1a2=Bauermeister|1y=2004|1p=5
|2a1=Gauthier|2a2=Forsyth|2y=1999|2pp=93–96
|3a1=Moskowitz|3a2=Roloff|3y=2007b|3pp=22–23<!-- |ps=: "Four explanations have been proffered for this phenomenon ... community ... 'sexual nirvana' ... psychological reactance effect ... and anti-infection 'propaganda' ... inevitable result"-->
|4a1=Romero-Palau|4a2=Cuenca-Martínez|4y=2021|4pp=47–48}}

{{Quote box|quote=Once the initial shock dissipated, he felt relieved, like he had been given a free pass to have consensual bareback sex without worry of being infected.|author=— Journalist Bobby Box on a bugchaser's reaction to HIV-positive diagnosis (2020){{sfn|Box|2020}} |align=right|width=30em}}
First, some men may become bugchasers as a result of fear of HIV infection, which had previously altered their sexual behavior, such as men abstaining from sex entirely, committing to one partner, or using [[safe sex|preventative measures]] such as [[condoms]].{{sfnm
|1a1=Ames|1a2=Atchinson|1a3=Rose|1y=1995|1p=70
|2a1=Gauthier|2a2=Forsyth|2y=1999|2p=93
}} In this way, bugchasers may view their actions as empowering, both sexually and personally;{{sfn|Bollas|2021|p=7}} the transformation of bugchasers from HIV-negative to HIV-positive status is understood by the group as masculinizing, which grants them additional status.{{sfnm
|1a1=Reynolds|1y=2007b|1p=263
|2a1=MacKinnon|2a2=Crompton|2y=2012|2pp=428–429}} Second, some men view HIV-positive status as erotic or sexually stimulating. It may be a subject of pleasure or the ultimate [[taboo]] to overcome.{{sfnm
|1a1=Dean|1y=2009|1p=48
|2a1=García-Iglesias|2y=2020b|2p=1237
|3a1=Gauthier|3a2=Forsyth|3y=1999|3p=94
|4a1=Jaspal|4a2=Bayley|4y=2020|4p=57
|5a1=Santiesteban Díaz|5a2=Orlando-Narváez|5a3=Ballester-Arnal|5y=2019|5p=1420
}}
Third, bugchasers may understand HIV-positive status (or its pursuit) as granting a shared identity and sense of community.{{sfnm
|1a1=Dean|1y=2008|1p=91
|2a1=Gauthier|2a2=Forsyth|2y=1999|2p=94
|3a1=Palm|3y=2019|3p=131
|4a1=Swan|4a2=Monico|4y=2014|4p=466
}}
And fourth, bugchasing has been described as a political device and action against [[social norm]]s (such as those tied to [[heteronormativity]]) through transgression of—or rebellion against—popular sentiments about gay life.{{sfnm
|1a1=Crossley|1y=2004|1p=235
|2a1=Gauthier|2a2=Forsyth|2y=1999|2p=94
|3a1=Hammond|3a2=Holmes|3a3=Mercier|3y=2016|3p=268
|4a1=Inhorn|4y=2020|4p=302
|5a1=Reynolds|5y=2007b|5p=259
|6a1=Tomso|6y=2004|6p=88
}} There is a fifth possible motivation—suicide{{sfn|Gauthier|Forsyth|1999|p=97}}—but this remains an unclear or imprecise explanation for bugchasing behavior.{{sfn|Tomso|2004|p=102}}

Bugchasing is a rare sexual taboo.{{sfn|García-Iglesias|2021a|p=5}}{{sfn|García-Iglesias|2022|p=61}} Many self-identified bugchasers do not deliberately seek out sex with HIV-positive people.{{sfnm
|1a1=García-Iglesias|1y=2021b|1p=156
|2a1=Moskowitz|2a2=Roloff|2y=2007a|2p=353
}} Many men who self-identify as bugchasers never attempt to become HIV-positive.{{sfn|García-Iglesias|2022|p=34}} 

The widespread availability of [[pre-exposure prophylaxis]] (PrEP), capable of preventing HIV infection in otherwise unprotected sexual encounters, has not resulted in the disappearance of bugchasing.{{sfn|García-Iglesias|2022|p=80}} Some men incorporate taking PrEP alongside bugchasing behavior, others experiment with bugchasing while on PrEP, and others view it as emasculating and refuse to use it.{{sfn|García-Iglesias|2022|pp=80, 84–85}}