Messaging Gay Men About STIs

posted: 07/04/2011

Manchester gay and bi men using the Royal Infirmary's Hathersage Clinic (along with men using STI clinics in Sheffield, Brighton and at four London STI clinics) now have a new way to warn partners they may have been in contact with a sexually transmitted infection.

The Sexual Health Messaging Service has just begun, launched by GMFA, the gay men’s health charity, and is linked in with the popular gay profile sites Fitlads, Gaydar, Manhunt and Recon, and the cruising app Bender.

Men need to Opt-in for notifications  if they get an invitation, for it to work.

It's funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation and aims to help cut the number of men with undiagnosed STIs, including HIV. Men who are diagnosed with an STI can tell previous sexual partners by using an online system (anonymously if prefered), so the partners can go and get tested and, if necessary, treated.
 

99% want to know about any STIs

Over a quarter of gay men with HIV do not know they have HIV. GMFA’s study shows that the vast majority of gay men (99.3%) want to be told if any sexual partner gets an STI and 97.5% want to be told if this is HIV.
 

Matthew Hodson of GMFA, commented: “Many STIs don’t show any symptoms, so lots of men may be infected and not know it. While it’s best to tell men you’ve had sex with if you find out you’ve picked up an STI, making that awkward phone call or sending an email can be difficult. As a result, some men choose not to tell, even though they know they should. We’ve made the process as easy as possible by doing most of the work for you – all you need is a contact for your partners and we’ll take care of the rest.”
 

An easy (even anonymous) way to tell

Existing ways of telling partners often require anyone who is diagnosed with an STI to contact their partners direct, sometimes using a pink slip issued by the clinic. GMFA’s research shows these systems often don’t work.

For all kinds of reasons some men can't or won't notify sexual partners. Of the men who do tell partners about having an STI or HIV, only 65% told all their partners. Here's some of the difficulties and reasons for this

• not having partners’ contact details (sometimes only a first name, or only a profile name)
• embarrassment
• not wanting the partner to know about their having an STI or HIV 
• not wanting to see the guy again.

Now men using the Hathersage in Manchester, men in Brighton, Sheffield and parts of London can use GMFA’s new Sexual Health Messaging Service. It  will then be spread across the rest of London later this year and then the rest of the country next year. 

The GMFA service means clinics give men a unique reference number so they can log in to the online system and send notifications using a number of contact methods, including

• website profile name
• cruising app profile name
• mobile 
• email.

The message is automatically written and contains links to where their partners can go for testing. While men are encouraged to say who they are, it can be kept anonymous.

The service started its six-month pilot on Monday. The clinics taking part are

• In Manchester, the Hathersage Centre (Upper Brook Street / Hathersage Road corner) 
• In Sheffield, the Royal Hallamshire Hospital
• Brighton, Claude Nicol Centre at Royal Sussex County Hospital
• 56 Dean Street, Soho, London,
• Homerton University Hospital, London
• The Lloyd Clinic at Guy’s Hospital, London
• St Bartholemew’s Hospital, London 

Men can use the service to send messages to partners met through the four participating gay dating websites (Fitlads, Gaydar, Manhunt and Recon) and the cruising app, Bender.

Opt-in to take part 

Profile site members need to opt-in to receive notifications if and when they are sent an invite.
 

Matthew of GMFA tells us: “This is a major project and marks a huge shift in the way men can notify their partners about STIs they’ve picked up. By making the process easy, we hope to make more men aware of any STIs they may have and ultimately reduce the number of STI infections in the community.”

Talking and Telling about HIV

posted: 28/02/2011

There’s a lot of fuss made about how important it is for gay and bi men diagnosed with HIV to tell their sexual partners about HIV, before any sex takes place – which is known as ‘disclosure’.

Telling people whether or not you have an STI / HIV is your choice.

We think it is smarter if every  person in the UK were to talk about HIV and discuss their and partners’ HIV and STI status and risks before sex. But telling others about having HIV is always a choice.

One-sided talking

One major problem is that undiagnosed people, including gay and bi men, rarely ever talk about their own HIV status, but instead expect diagnosed people to always reveal their HIV status.

Some undiagnosed men then decide not to have sex, or decide on less risky sex after the partner says they have HIV.

Conference debates

George House Trust has critically examined the evidence for and against relying on being told HIV status as a way of avoiding getting HIV. Chris Morley, George House Trust's HIV policy expert, issued a challenge to gay men's HIV prevention workers when he gave a detailed presentation at the CHAPS conference last week for England's sexual health and HIV prevention organisations.

The challenge is to tell undiagnosed men that relying on being told by people with HIV is a seriously flawed way to try to avoid HIV. The HIV risk run by men expecting disclosure is simply too high. The challenge was also to help undiagnosed men be more respectful to anyone who does disclose having HIV. Some disclosing men with HIV are then shamed, abused, rejected, or worse.

Talking about HIV happens very unevenly and the expectations of disclosure put an unbalanced burden on people with HIV.

Dysfunctional Disclosure

The far bigger problem however, is that relying on being told, and being told accurately, is a highly risky way to manage anyone's HIV risks.

Only men diagnosed with HIV have HIV status information that is at all reliable.

Depending on men to tell you they have HIV puts you at a big HIV risk. Disclosure doesn't work at all well as a way of staying HIV negative. 

• 1 in 3 gay and bi men have never had a HIV tested - so untested, can't tell anyone anything useful about their own HIV status
• Men who have been tested usually only have information that is past its sell-by date
• Many men have had condomless anal sex since they had their last negative HIV test. An MOT certificate saying your car was roadworthy is no guarantee of future safety after you have had a crash. In the same way, a negative HIV test result becomes worthless once you have had unprotected sex.
• The only dependable information is from men who have been diagnosed with HIV to tell you this; but not all diagnosed men disclose in all situations; for example disclosure by diagnosed HIV+ men is less common in gay saunas and clubs.

George House Trust is also making a second presentation, about cuts in legal advice and representation for people with HIV. 

HIV Legal Advice Services
Among the hundreds of cuts, one cut would remove most legal aid for advice and representation at courts and tribunals. £450 million is to be slashed from budgets for advice, such as provided by Citizens Advice, Manchester Advice, Law Centres and other organisations, for immigration and asylum, welfare benefits, housing, employment and most discrimination cases.
 

This will affect millions of people a year, and you can tell things will become really bad, because even the Judges’ Council has gone public with its objections.

HIV Talking and Telling - George House Trust discussion for CHAPS-14 conference, Manchester  

HIV Advice Services - George House Trust discussion for CHAPS-14 Conference, Manchester

CHAPS-14 Conference, Manchester, March 9-11th

Image - Let's Talk HIV - Swedish language HIV site
 

Manchester HIV Training

posted: 19/01/2011

Dates and details of all the training courses on HIV, sexual health, drugs and alcohol for the next year are now listed and can be booked with Manchester Public Health Service.

HIV courses

• Positive Interventions : HIV & Sexual Health Awareness

2 Day course, for frontline workers, in April, July, November, January (2012), February and March

• Positive Plus : Advanced HIV Awareness

1 Day Course for frontline workers - you need to have done their HIV introduction course Back to Basics, or have a good knowledge of HIV. In May, November

• Back to Basics : An introduction to HIV and Sexual Health Awareness

1 Day Course, for frontline workers, in June, October, November, and March (2012)

• Rather have a cup of tea : Over 50’s, sexual health and HIV

1 Day Course for frontline staff working with people over 50, in August

Other Manchester sexual health, drink and drug courses

• Crushes to Hot Flushes : Women and Sexual Health (women only course)
• Getting the Measure of it : Basic alcohol awareness
• Alcohol and Dependency : Women and alcohol
• It’s a Man’s World : Working with boys and young men
• ‘It’s not an issue’ : Sexual health, sex and relationships for people with learning difficulties
• Reducing Drug Related Deaths : Overdose Management
• Living the High Life (Part 1) : Drug Awareness
• Living the High Life (Part 2) : Advanced drugs awareness
• No Girls Allowed : Men and sexual health (men only course)
• People, Pins and Prevention : Safer injection training
• The Jury’s Out : Harm Reduction
• The Sleeping Giant Awakes! : Hepatitis C
• Who ate all the P.I.E.S : ‘An Introduction to Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs’
• Call the Cops : ‘The essential guide to Legal and illegal 'Legal Highs'
• Curry & Rice : The Ultimate Take Away [about the high risks of speedballing: using heroin and crack together]

Manchester Public Health Service sexual health training booklet with application form

Sexual Health and Harm Reduction Training Administrator: Kellie McGuire
MPHDS
Mauldeth House
Mauldeth Road West
Chorlton
Manchester
M21 7RL
0161 882 2301

 

Other Manchester Public Health training booklets

• Mental Health and Well Being, contact
• Physical Activity, Health Eating & Cancer Prevention, contact
• Stop Smoking, contact

Manchester Public Health Development Service

Battle of the Bars £409

posted: 15/12/2010

Remember late November, at AXM, when entertainers, hosts and bar staff from venues across the village came together to battle it out to support George House Trust? We do, and the event raised a warming £409.22, for which we are very thankful.
 

The venues and their crews pulled out all the stops to be crowned winners of Battle of the Bars 2010.

Miss Thunderpussy (Thompsons Arms), Jessica Barge (Queer), Veronyka Kastle (Churchills), Misty Chance (View) as well as representatives from AXM, Sugar Pops, Crunch, The New Union, Manto, Via, The Birdcage and others put in their time for free just to entertain you.

The 10pm to 5am night at AXM was free entry apart from your generous donations on the door, all of which went directly to George House Trust.

The Battle of the Bars were keen to maximise charitable giving and so offered Buy One Get One free on all drinks from 10pm until 1am and drinks at promotional prices.

Thank you to all the venues for taking part, and to the artistes for performing free for you, the staff and people who supported us in any way on the night - generous people all!

Thank you very much from all of us at George House Trust!
 

Interested in fundraising?

See what you could do to help us fundraise and how we can help you with this, on our community Fundraising pages

Beating HIV Hate Neighbours

posted: 07/12/2010

Tom faced a four year campaign of HIV hate from his neighbours before he finally moved away. Tom (not his real name) is gay and HIV positive and his sexuality and having HIV made him a target for one of his neighbours in a block of flats in Manchester.

• They made inappropriate and abusive comments to him and his partner
• Then they accused him of playing loud music in the early hours
• They accused him of threatening them, so he was arrested.
• They also told other people in the block about his HIV
• Tom was assaulted twice
• His landlord, a housing association, went to court and got an injuction against him
• His landlord tried to evict him.

"This neighbour kept diaries about me, recording who was visiting my flat, and she claimed I was bullying her. The housing association that owned the flat issued an injunction against me. She got me arrested for allegedly threatening to kill her."
Earlier this year Tom’s housing association tried to end his tenancy, by sending him a court summons to repossess his flat .
 

Breakthrough Help

That was when he asked Breakthrough UK to help. Breakthrough are a Manchester-based national charity which supports disabled people who are victims of hate crime. Tom said "They advised me to give up the flat and get out. They gave me support, and now I'm in private accommodation. This neighbour made my life hell. She was making stuff up about me. I couldn't stand to be in the flat. I started drinking and would stay out as late as possible.
 

Police Say - Not a Hate Crime
"I told the police but they didn't see it as a hate crime – just anti-social behaviour.

I am a lot happier now. I have no stress and I'm free from all the hatred and homophobia. Without the support of Breakthrough I would probably have finished up in prison. The neighbour had claimed I had breached the injunction, but that was untrue, she just wanted to get me locked up."
 

Stamping out HIV hate
Lorraine Gradwell, Chief Executive of Breakthrough UK, said: "Our service sends out a clear message that any kind of hate crime against disabled people must be stamped out." Hate crime can be a physical attack or verbal attack towards a person because of their disability. Last year Greater Manchester Police recorded 74 incidents of hate crime against disabled people, but not this one.
 

The police are now working closely with disabled people and disability organisations including Breakthrough UK, to raise awareness of the crime and encourage victims to come forward.
 

Sergeant Kate Crompton, Greater Manchester Police, said: "Some disabled people are subject to appalling crimes because of their disability. Many are unaware that incidents such as name calling, harassment and intimidation can be criminal offences and should be reported to the police straight away. We are working hard to catch offenders and support victims and would ask anyone who has been subject to this crime to come forward. This type of behaviour is entirely unacceptable and will not be tolerated and those responsible will be brought to justice."
 

HIV Hate Too?

If you have been a victim of HIV or disability hate crime, you can contact

• George House Trust services team by email or by phone 0161 274 4499
• Breakthrough UK
• The Working It Through Together Project at Breakthrough UK runs a Disability Hate Crime Helpline for Greater Manchester     0161 882 2213        on Wednesdays between 2pm - 6pm, and you can leave a message on the ansaphone outside this time.
• your local neighbourhood policing team at www.gmp.police.uk or by calling 0161 872 5050
   

Working It Through Together  staff are also available on the main Breakthrough UK phone number       0161 273 5412       on Monday - Friday between 9 and 5, or by e-mail.
 

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