Gay Men And Tanning Beds

In My Way Sauna 13, we said:

"For those who didn't know, there is a tanning bed in My Way. It's in the TV room discretely hidden behind a painted wall. There is a coin-operated timer.  Bring your own tanning lotion. We've noticed GAMs actively embracing fake tans in places like My Way, Alexander, ABC and Action.  Some of them are very dark and when in a swimming pool or on the street, look like pieces of shit.  That combination of a yellow skin tone and dark brown Coppertone.....you'll see what we mean."

But there's something else fags with a fake tan need to know...

"A newly released health study shows that the indoor tanning trend is as popular as ever among gay and bisexual men, but you won't find as many lesbians or bi women in tanning salons. 

Gay and bisexual men are six times more likely than their straight counterparts to indulge in indoor tanning, according to scientists and as a result, are two times more likely to report skin cancer. 

In a special report for LGBT Health Month, The Advocate named indoor tanning the number one unhealthy bad habit that is killing LGBT people. 

“One likely cause of more skin cancer among gay and bisexual men is greater exposure to ultraviolet radiation caused by indoor tanning,” said Sarah Arron, the associate professor at UCSF who led the study and the director of the school’s High Risk Cancer Program.....“Many people, especially younger people, associate tanning with health and attractiveness, and unfortunately, that myth has serious consequences.”

---"Study: Tanned Gay, Bi Men At Greater Risk of Skin Cancer", The Advocate, October 8 2015

Comment

1.   As we look back on our observations of gay men on the streets, toilets, bars, beaches, pools, gyms, saunas, business mixers, fund raisers and online, what really stands out is the compounding of factors and behaviours that might ultimately be unsafe.

2.  Some random examples:

• Repeatedly dyed or bleached hair with deep artificial tan;
• Repeated deep artificial tan with heavy smoking;
• Heavy smoking, drinking and poppers
• Heavy smoking, drinking, poppers and amphetamines;
• Gym boy repeatedly doing steroids, protein powders, Creatine, crystal meth, Viagra and "social drinking";
• Prescription drugs taken with street drugs like crack cocaine;
• Weed, cigarettes and alcohol;
• Repeated late nites with some form of chemical and / or alcoholic stimulant 

3.   Get the picture..?  For gay men, the pursuit of pleasure and "looking hot" is aggregate and cumulative.  The results, also in the aggregate and cumulative, are potentially disastrous and potentially fatal.

4.   That's why we squirm when we see ads where the fag proclaims he's "D/D free and healthy".

5.   We have no idea what that actually means.  And frankly, neither does he.

Originally published 13 April 2016
Amended and Republished 5 April 2018
  
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