Love and intimacy in relationship risk management: HIV positive people andtheir sexual partners

This paper is about intimacy and its role in relationship risk management. Drawing on qualitative interviews with HIV positive people and their primar y sexual partners it becomes apparent that a key tension in relationship ri sk management is the balance struck between 'relationship safety' and 'vira l danger'. We find 'love' and 'intimacy' to be key features of relationship survival, with relationship intimacy and security signalled or strengthene d by unprotected sex. Focusing on 'discordant' partnerships in particular, we note that relationship risk management is a fragile process characterise d by contradiction and anxiety, at once involving risk reduction and risk o pportunity. We conclude that the intimate relationship is a prime source of everyday risk management which may be defended, even at potentially high c ost, in the time of sexual epidemic. We also note that previous research ha s painted an overly calculative picture of risk decision-making in which th e lived experiences of intimacy and emotions are largely missing.