Okay, let's say you speak Portuguese and really want to talk about lubes and anal sex. Where do you go to give your opinion? Maybe you're from a small town in Turkey and don't speak English, but you just know that your radical ideas about lube 'n love will help gay men everywhere. How do you spread the word?

The answer to the two questions in the preceding paragraph is the Lube Survey that's posted on www.LifeLube.org, a website targeting gay and bisexual men from all over the world. LifeLube.org promotes candid and affirming sexual health education and relies on frank and honest discussion about sex and related topics. Thus, the website is the perfect host for the much needed Lube Survey.

Right now, lubricants do not need to be tested for safety before being sold, and research coming out in the next year will show that some lubes commonly used for anal sex are not as safe or as effective as others. The Lube Survey will help scientists prioritize the next round of lubes that should be tested. As well it will greatly assist the International Rectal Microbicides Working Group (IRMWG), a collection of nearly 400 community advocates and researchers from 35 countries who are working to increase options for the prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. Their understanding of current day lubricant preferences will be critical when creating future products that will not only protect against HIV, but that will also be desirable. After all, we want a rectal microbicide that is safe, effective and fun to use.

Over 2,000 people have already participated in the Lube Survey, with 73 countries represented so far. It is offered in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, and Turkish, with other languages possibly added soon, including Hindi and Tamil. You too can add your voice and opinion about lubes and love by accessing the Lube Survey link from the LifeLube.org homepage. The survey takes only about five minutes to complete, and is completely anonymous. Best of all, the font is large and the words are small, so you won't have to work too hard at answering the questions.

Additionally, there are all sorts of other great information on the LifeLube.org site: blogs and news, resource listings, book recommendations, links and fitness tips. The very best part is the numerous sexy photos of cute and hot guys all over the website. If the tests I took in school had these types of pictures, I would've studied a lot harder.

[Editor's Note To BOI Readers: In addition to the Lube Survey, LifeLube.org also has a link to an important survey being conducted by the Chicago Department of Public Health's Crystal Meth Prevention (CRYSP) project. The CRYSP team is seeking responses from gay men and "men who have sex with men" (MSM) in order to help design an effective prevention campaign to reduce crystal meth and other drug use. As well they aim to promote safer sex and healthier behaviors among gay and other MSM. This anonymous CRYSP Survey can also be accessed via a link from the LifeLube.org homepage.]