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HIV stigma on the gay scene

HIV stigma on the gay scene manifests itself in beliefs and attitudes which result in gay men with HIV being treated differently, and in a worse way, than other people.

These attitudes and beliefs are dangerous. They affect the health of gay men with HIV and militate against negotiated sexual safety.

They include beliefs that:

• gay men with HIV should, and will, always disclose their HIV status

• gay men with HIV have a greater responsibility than others in preventing the spread of HIV

• gay men with HIV should, and will, protect an HIV negative or untested sexual partner

• gay men with HIV should not, and will not, engage in risky, or any, sexual activity

• gay men with HIV look and behave differently from HIV negative or untested men

These beliefs are not only discriminatory but are unrealistic and not based on facts. Each one of us, whether HIV positive, HIV negative, or untested is responsible for our own sexual health. Safer sex is a joint responsibility and decisions about using condoms may be affected by several factors, e.g. the type of sex that’s going to happen or the influence of drugs or alcohol.

We all make decisions about the sex we have and we have to base these decisions on what is right for us and the information we have about the risks involved.

Gay men with HIV may choose not to disclose their status to potential partners for many reasons including fear that they might react badly or tell other people and fear of the consequences of potential discrimination. It is simply unrealistic to expect someone with HIV always to disclose their status.

Gay men who always expect sexual partners with HIV to disclose their status, potentially place themselves at risk. A large proportion of gay men cannot disclose their status accurately because they have engaged in risky sexual behaviour in the past, have never had an HIV test and therefore do not know their HIV status. Men often overlook the fact that large numbers of infected men do not know they have HIV.