I came out in 1973 in Boston, when I was 25. Disco bars were born 2-3 years before disco really surfaced to the whole culture. Cruising was everywhere. It was a glorious time. Excitement overwhelmed any felt danger.
Sex was so much more than today's Top/Bottom "scripts". For many of us, there were no scripts -- sex was all about discovery and chemistry and sensuality -- among men like me, who tended to settle into a monogamy orientation before HIV struck.
The very promiscuous and had meetups in libraries, department stores, beach dunes, and various bushes private areas of parks. I moved to NYC in 1982 and stayed safe (to this day, no HIV, no STDs, no STIs. Very sadly, I watched it all get out of control. By the end of the 1980s, I recall that 50% of the gay men in NYC died.
I see the same amount of pre-AIDS promiscuity these days -- and worry. PrEP is too new, possibly open to HIV mutations, and preliminary research is hinting at long-term kidney and liver damage. Plus, PrEP does not prevent the STDs and SDTs that are affecting more guys.
I hope that one day, a way is found to eradicate HIV virus, and gay men can totally experience the excitement of gay sex without any risk.