Over 30,000 opt-in to Gaydar's STI Notifications

via sayencrowolf, by Sayen CroWolf

31,714 Gaydar members in the UK have opted in for the Sexual Health Messaging Service in the three months since it launched on 29 November last year.

The messages are also available on Fitlads, Recon and Manhunt.

But with 2.2 million Gaydar profiles registered in the UK, gay men’s health charity GMFA is urging more to opt in to the service.

GMFA’s Matthew Hodson said, “If you’ve ever been diagnosed with an STI you probably will have been encouraged to get in contact with as many shags from the last few months as possible.

“This can be really hard for some people, and no-one likes to ring their buddies, lovers or one-night stands to let them know they may have an STI.

Our partner notification service is designed to make the task that much easier and now, with so many gay men on Gaydar opting into the system, the chances of contacting your partners are better than ever.”

The Sexual Health Messaging Service, sometimes referred to as Partner Notification, is funded by a grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Men diagnosed at a participating clinic can be given a unique code for use on the website.

There, contact information for recent partners can be typed in: mobile phone numbers, email or a profile name from a participating dating website.

They are then sent an automated message, alerting them to the fact that they should get themselves checked out.

The messages can be anonymous if you prefer, but backers say recipients are more likely to take action if the sender is identified.


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"He Won't Wear a Condom"

via Advocate, by Steven Petrow

Question: Every so often I meet a guy who tells me he just won’t use a condom because (take your pick): (1) He can’t stay hard; (2) He’s too big; (3) He’s allergic to latex; (4) He’s HIV-negative; or 5) It’s a mood killer. How do you suggest I handle these situations — especially when I’m really turned on?

Answer:  Let me start today by noting that it’s World AIDS Day, which is observed December 1 each year and — as the official site in the U.K. proclaims — “is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.”

That being said, there’s no better way to observe this day than to pledge to protect yourself and your prospective partners from HIV.

And if there’s any tool we have to prevent the continued spread of the virus, it’s the much-maligned, low-tech (but lifesaving) condom. 

I know you’ve heard this before (I certainly hope that you have) but latex and plastic rubbers, when used properly (and yes, that’s key) with a water-based lubricant, provide a high degree of protection to each partner.

But sometimes information alone doesn’t do the trick. If only. Instead of going to the experts (as Mr. Manners often does) I decided to ask a friend of mine who recently became infected why his knowledge of safer sex didn’t safeguard him:

“You can be armed with all of the information in the world, but it's much harder to put it into practice when you combine casual sex, alcohol, and drugs — and put places like Fire Island into the mix,” he told me.

“My suspicion is that somewhere along the line I wasn't sober enough to do what I needed to do to protect myself, and there were enough of those nights that the statistical odds became stacked against me.”

So, how do I suggest you respond to these periodic ploys (and that’s what they are) to have unprotected sex?  It would be facile for me to suggest that you just say no.

Still, you can’t make sound judgments if you’re stoned, high, drunk, tweaked, or toasted — and there’s no question that drug and alcohol use are closely linked with new HIV infections.


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When Condoms Aint Enuf...

via TheBody, by Allen Kwabena Frimpong and Michael Terry Everett

"I also want to mention that we are increasingly becoming better at incorporating conversations about 'harm reduction' into the realms of substance use (needle exchanges, safe injection sites, pill testing, etc.), but we often fail to adequately translate this model when speaking of communicating risk reduction in sex (strategic positioning, sero-sorting, viral load suppression, etc.). My question back to the group then is, how do we more effectively communicate to young people the abstract concept of 'harm reduction' for sex within the context of a sex phobic society?"

This was a question posed by Jamie Forrest of Vancouver, Canada in the North America, Western Europe, and Caribbean CrowdOutAIDS Open Forum on Facebook. CrowdOutAIDS is UNAIDS new collaborative online youth-led project.

He posed this question to the group after people were discussing what they considered to be the main reasons for HIV infection among young people.

Reading the responses on Facebook gave us one of those jolted reactions.

The dominant message about sexual health in relation to HIV prevention has been focusing on condom usage. Jamie's question was one that I saw as challenging; given the propaganda that the HIV/AIDS field has been pushing around what it means to have safer sex.

My colleague at the Harm Reduction Coalition, Michael T. Everett, was also raising this same question especially among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) of color given that their rates of infection have been steadily increasing while rates of infection among injection drug users has been on the decline.

The question for us became what (besides the exchange of needles) was accounting for the decrease in transmission of HIV among injection drug users, and how could we use what works in harm reduction messaging and education when it comes to drug use (if anything) for other high-risk populations greatly affected by the epidemic through sexual transmission.

We considered this in light of the following:

1. We cannot exchange condoms like we do syringes.
2. We know people are not using condoms all the time, and the possibilities of HIV and other STI's has not scared enough people into doing so, and so ...
3. If people have been harboring condom use as the dominant end all be all harm reduction response- well then something is terribly wrong with this picture.

The place to begin the conversation around the idea of prevention of at-risk behaviors like having unprotected sex is a great place to start.

We need to engage an intentional conversation concerning the reality that the message of safe-sex, by way of condom usage, may not resonate with people because it is limited and does not allow one to ponder the spectrum of other possible harm reduction practices.

The point is: we want people to still live a healthy life without causing further harm to themselves and others. The spectrum of harm reduction practices includes everything from prevention to helping those who are most affected by the collateral consequences of their at-risk behavior.

The spectrum does not begin or end with condom usage only.


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Health Screening for Gay Men

via thehealthybear, by George Forgan-Smith

Hey there Guys,

I was recently sent an interesting question from a reader about gay men’s health checks…

As an older (well, not that old) gay man who has had a fairly long and complicated journey towards self-acceptance and becoming sexually active, beyond the basic considerations around safe sex (i.e. condoms), what should I be considering (like immunisation, screening, etc.) around managing my sexual health, and managing other health issues where gay men are at increased risk?

Really quite an interesting question. I sometimes think we forget that gay men can suffer with all sorts of health issues, not just those based around HIV.

Today I thought it would be good to give an overview of some of the health issues gay men may be at higher risk for as well as some ways to reduce or even avoid those risks.

By the very nature of our sexual expression, gay men are at a higher risk for exposure to diseases such as Hepatitis A and B and in some cases Hepatitis C.

Hepatitis A is spread from oral contact with faeces with practices like rimming potential ways of spread. Hepatitis B and C can be spread by sexual contact, blood contact and also sharing of toothbrushes and razors with people who are infected. 

While there is not vaccination available for Hepatitis C there are very good vaccinations for both Hepatitis A and B. I highly recommend all gay men consider these vaccinations.

Other vaccinations worth considering are the HPV vaccine to help prevent genital warts as well as oral and anal cancer.

The best time to consider this vaccine is before you have become sexually active however the there are recommendations that all gay men up to the age of 26 should consider the vaccination.

While it may be useful past this age there are concerns that it may not be as effective.

Gay or straight all men face similar medical issues as they age.

This includes heart disease, prostate problems, risk of cancers and other diseases as we get older. For this reason I recommend getting a good health check up as you enter your 40′s.

Currently the Australian government has a program for men aged between 45 and 49 to check for health risks like diabetes, cancers, obesity, depression, heart disease and other factors.

This is a fantastic initiative and I highly recommend talking to your doctor if you are between the age of 45 and 49. This is a great opportunity for a top to tail health checkup.

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Stop Transmitting Silence: Join us for the conversation

There is a disturbing rise
in the number of cases of STD/STI and HIV/AIDS
in the black community.

What can we do to stop this?

Come hear from elected officials, public health advocates,
faith-based leaders, parents and youth.

Wednesday, October 5th
6pm-8pm

Chicago Urban League
4510 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60653

Refreshments will be served.