New research shows 75% of queer people ‘don’t consider chemsex a serious issue’
Data showed 34% of queer people aren't familiar with chemsex, and 16% had never even heard of the word
By Gary Grimes
New data has revealed a shocking lack of both awareness and understanding of chemsex issues, even within the queer community.
The research, commissioned by the non-profit Controlling Chemsex in partnership with Opinium, showed that 75% of queer people in the UK don’t consider chemsex to be a series issue – despite the reality that stories of chemsex-related deaths are becoming more and more common in queer communities.
Furthermore, the results of a survey of 2,000 people showed that 34% of queer people say they aren’t familiar with chemsex, and 16% answered that they had never even heard of the word prior to taking the survey.
These figures are a major cause for concern over the dangers of vulernable queer people engaging with drugs without understanding the associated risks.
These figures follow a recent documentary by ITV News which was released last week and revealed three people a month were dying from chemsex-related issues in London, and that London ambulance services were reporting one call out per day related to chemsex.
Beyond the queer community, which is disproportionately impacted by chemsex-related issues, results showed that 68% of adults in the UK have never heard of chemsex, and only 14%
of adults in the UK perceive chemsex as one of the most serious issues impacting LGBTQ
people.
Ignacio Labayen, co-founder of Controlling Chemsex, also recently appeared on the podcast All Out with Jon Dean to discuss the realities of the chemsex party scene.
“You go to these sex parties and sometimes there is sex happening and many times there is no sex happening,” Labayen said. Recalling a chemsex party he once attended, Labayen remembered: “One of these guys, he only wanted to suck c***s and people were like, ‘… Okay’. It’s like charity because it was his house… and the guy of the house, he felt that, people are are here because of my drugs and because I offer a house.
“That is why chemsex is not like, ‘Oh let’s have fun and let’s have amazing sex with very sexy guys.’ Chemsex, it can be very tragic.”
Labayen also spoke about the dangers of GHB/GBL (known commonly as G) in particular. “If you take G and you take too much and you overdose, as I told you before, one of the things that normally happens is that you lose consciousness. You are completely vulnerable – if you pass out on G, [and] I had the lighter, I burn your finger, you wouldn’t react. It’s not like if you are drunk.”
If you are struggling with chemsex-related issues you can seek support from Controlling Chemsex here.