Gay Men - Count Me In

posted: 03/12/2010

HIV affects gay men’s lives and thinking in some odd and complex ways. To stop the spread of HIV amiong gay and bi men, we must be serious about tackling the common wrong-headed ideas and actions that lead to HIV transmissions.

Count Me In is a community campaign from GMFA (Gay Men Fighting AIDS).

GMFA are asking gay men to make five simple pledges and for gay men’s health organisations, the gay media and community leaders to join GMFA in tackling these issues head on. The work may not be easy or straightforward, and some messages can be be difficult to hear. However, if we want a change in the health of the gay male community, this is what we need to do.

Our five steps to heaven?
The campaign asks gay men to join the campaign and commit to stop the spread of HIV by agreeing this simple five-point personal action plan:

• I will know my HIV status
• I will not assume I know anyone else’s HIV status
• I will take personal responsibility for using condoms
• I will value myself and my health
• I will stay informed about HIV and how it’s spread

If every gay man in the UK commits to each of these, we can significantly reduce the spread of HIV in our community.

• GMFA’s goal for ‘Count Me In’ campaign is
  
• for all gay men to be confident and empowered to take responsibility for our own health
• to support each other,
•  to openly discuss issues such as HIV status and safer sex without fear or stigma and
• where the barriers to effective condom use are overcome.

By working together we can prevent new infections and make a real difference to the wellbeing of gay and bi men.

GMFA Count Me In

Facebook Count Me In

HIV Pledge for Gay Men

posted: 15/11/2010

Gay men’s health charity GMFA has a new HIV awareness campaign. Count Me In asks gay men to make a five-point pledge to look after their own health, and not to assume they know the HIV status of other men. GMFA say that if every gay man in the UK kept the pledge, rates of HIV would fall dramatically.
 

Knowing about HIV and how condoms can stop transmission are key parts of any prevention strategy. However, knowing is not enough. We must also deal with the things that help spread HIV and discourage effective and consistent condom use. GMFA believes that three of the main causes of HIV infection among gay men in the UK are:

1. Mistaken stereotypes of gay men with HIV and taking sex risks based on those mistaken stereotypes
2. Men not knowing their own HIV status because of not testing regularly
3. Poor mental and emotional wellbeing affecting sexual risk-taking.

For more information on these, visit the campaign at the GMFA blog OutSpokenOnHealth.com

It is these three things that discourage men from using condoms consistently and taking responsibility for their sexual health and behaviour.
 

Matthew Hodson at GMFA, said: “This isn’t just about what we can do around World AIDS Day – it’s what we can all do on an ongoing basis to stop the spread of HIV in our community.
“We’re delighted that so many have recognised the importance of what we’re trying to achieve and have joined us in the campaign. With their support, we hope to encourage gay men to re-commit to tackling the virus and to make a real difference.”
 

Gay Men's HIV Pledge:

• I will know my HIV status
• I will not assume I know someone else’s HIV status
• I will take personal responsibility for using condoms
• I will value myself and my health
• I will stay informed about HIV and how it is spread

Sign the Pledge

To sign the pledge and find out more please visit the gmfa Count Me In campaign blog

HIV Status Talking

posted: 01/11/2010

Figures suggest that one in seven gay men on the scene in big cities has HIV, and that among men in their 30s and 40s, perhaps 1 in 3 men have HIV. Shocked? Many gay guys act like the risks aren't there and don’t seem worried. Almost half the gay men having casual sex never talk about HIV status with their partners.

Telling confidence 

Telling partners about having HIV is connected with how confident we feel. "It depends on how someone disclosing their status was taken in the past," Sona Barbosa of GMFA explains. "Some people have had really good feedback and they feel more confident saying, 'I'm HIV positive.' But those who've had negative feedback feel more reluctant to disclose."
 

Negative silence

HIV-negative men find talking about their own HIV status hard to talk about, as the men worry that being open about HIV will frighten off their shag. "People think, 'If I talk too much, I won't be accepted. If I broach the subject of being safe, I may lose the person: and so they find it's better not to talk, and not to risk losing the opportunity.'

But why take the risks (by not talking about your HIV status and not using condoms), putting your health on the line, and then face all the worries that follow taking those risks?
 

"This is such a cliché, but it's better to be safe than sorry;' says Peter Stevens, agony uncle for QX, the gay lifestyle magazine. "Lots of people are honest, but some guys lie about their status, and others might not even know they're HIV-positive.

So, if you can't be certain of someone's status, be aware of the ways the HIV virus can be transmitted, and make sure you're confident enough to ensure you both practise safer sex.”
 

The latest issue of FS for NW England for gay and bi men from gmfa includes articles on

• being more confident in talking about sex
• sex, drugs and smoking and breaking our bad habits now
• the 6 stupidest sex questions ever
• the FS problem page

Gay and Positive in 2010

posted: 07/01/2010

What’s it like to be a gay man with HIV in 2010? George (29), Leo (21), Tim (45), James (25), Jezz (37) and Ben (29) all talk about the ups and downs of being positive and gay in the latest issue of FS, gmfa’s magazine for NW England. Find out what they thought about HIV-positive guys before they were diagnosed, what it’s like being HIV-positive on the gay scene and their advice for HIV-negative guys.

And in the same issue 23 year old Adam talks about My Life – he’s positive too.
 

Problem Page - how to react when a positive guy tells you 

Sort It Out - the problem page – tackles how to react when a guy you’re about to shag with tells you he’s positive. Positive guys know from experience that half the time undiagnosed men make a mess of this – so here’s advice from readers and a counsellor on how not to embarrass the hell out of yourself with positive guys who trust you enough to tell you this.
 

Life Tips

There’s life tips in Change for Good – how to make those New Year resolutions stick and live the life you want.
 

Download the latest FS for NW England here and scroll down for back issues (and for other English regions) here - It's intended for adults - gay men.
 

Gay men and FS magazine

posted: 29/10/2009

There's a lot of good stuff for gay men living with HIV in GMFA's FS magazine's NW edition.

The latest issue has

• a personal account of living with HIV from Adam, 23
• a really helpful main feature - 21 ways to upgrade your life - excellent help for getting out of a rut and to help deal with depression
• article about navigating open relationships
• 6 ways to stop condoms breaking
• dealing with abuse and violence
• problem page and more

current NW edition pdf

dozens of back issues (London, not NW version)