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After working in sexual health for a few years, I have always found that people tend to ask you questions about their own sexual health. One question that has always come up is, “I fucked someone bareback last night, and I don’t know what to do?” This is when I would tell them about PEP, or Post Exposure Prophylaxis.
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The term ‘coming out’ has been used widely to indicate the process of informing others of our sexuality. Indeed, it is often seen as a rite of passage for many gay men to ‘come out’ to their family and friends. One can argue that coming out is an on-going process as we often have to inform others of our sexuality in different social context. As such, the general advice about coming out is often framed around personal comfort, time, and safety. However, coming out is not a universal rule when it comes to informing our family of our sexuality.
In the last few years there has been significant debate about having an undetectable viral load and what that really means in HIV transmission. Globally, medical professionals have stated that having an undetectable viral load makes HIV transmission virtually impossible, this idea has been met with disdain from both people within and external to our community.
King Henry VIII in merry, ye olde England was said to have had it and apparently it sent him mad! He was the King who invented the Church of England so he could divorce the women he had married who he didn’t like anymore, excluding of course the ones who lost their heads – literally. What he had was a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that is currently causing a lot of concern here in Victoria and around Australia generally for all gay, bisexual and other men who have sex men who engage in casual sex.
Have you ever experienced an awkward moment at a sexual health clinic? Like bumping into someone you know or seeing someone that you are currently bumping. It is good to know that people are getting tested for HIV and other STIs but it can be awkward sitting in the waiting room...
I love having a graphic mind. I was sitting at a forum discussing sexual health issues, in particular the rise of Syphilis cases among men who have sex with men in Victoria, and someone pointed out the need to reinforce the use of condoms. I completely agree with them: condoms will reduce the chances of getting or passing on Syphilis. But in my opinion, as a gay man, when it comes to oral sex, no one likes eating candy with the wrapping still on...
In my last article, What’s in a Name, I discussed the rationale behind the naming of the campaign Staying Negative which, to recap, was to accurately frame the end goal of the campaign – to help HIV negative men stay HIV negative. This explanation was given to provide context to concerns that the campaign stigmatises HIV positive people. To reiterate my point, VAC/GMHC in no way supports stigmatisation of people living with HIV. However, despite our explanation as to why the campaign is named Staying Negative, we felt it was still important to address this concern through a recent independent evaluation. So we asked the question “What do you think of the name Staying Negative?”, to help us look at the views of the community in relation to the name and give people an opportunity to share their concerns with us.
Hooray! It looks like summer might finally be here, and that means it’s time to get those short shorts on and party like it’s well…the end of 2013. Now, if you’re end of year looks anything like mine, you will have a raft of social events, family gatherings, lunches, dinners, bbq’s and drinks to attend. In fact with so many social occasions it’s easy to get caught up in the fabulousness of it all and perhaps overindulge.
We are very fortunate to live in a country that has slowly but surely embraced same-sex attraction as part of its social fabric. Even though there is still much more work that needs to be done to ensure complete equality, our rights are already largely protected by the law.
The silly season is here! Having said that, retailers started dangling in our faces Christmas paraphernalia in October; anyhow the fact is that between carols and the gorgeous Christmas trees it is impossible to get away from the flashing shiny lights, festive ornaments, baby Jesus’, Rudolph and the old jolly HO, HO, HO!!!
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