Gay men and HIV: A call to action

Gay men are still the group at greatest risk of acquiring HIV here in the UK.

New HIV diagnoses amongst gay men are the highest ever and are continuing to rise, albeit slowly. Twenty five years into the UK experience of HIV, this is not good enough. We need to renew the fight.

Gay men continue to take risks with their sexual health.

In 2005, nearly half of all gay men in London who had gonorrhoea also had HIV. For men with LGV, co-infection with HIV rises to 80%. Between 1997 and 2006, new diagnoses of all STIs amongst gay men have risen by 112%.

Gay men with undiagnosed HIV are more likely than those who know they are positive to have unprotected anal sex.

Evidence suggests that men who do not know they have HIV are up to three times more likely than men who do know about their infection to pass the virus on. Yet rates for undiagnosed HIV remain the same from year to year.

Gay men are more likely to use drugs during casual sex.

In Sigma's 2005 Gay Men's Sex Survey, nearly two thirds of men surveyed at community venues reported drug use when they had sex with casual or regular partners in the previous year. HIV positive men were more likely to report drug use.

Funding for gay men’s HIV and sexual health promotion is, on the other hand, going down.

In London, more than one gay man in every nine has HIV, but plans under consultation propose that funding for prevention work with gay men be cut by a third. There are many more examples.

Within the gay community, there is very little discussion of these issues. We can all see that the Emperor’s not wearing any clothes, but nobody wants to take responsibility for talking about it. So we’re starting the debate, saying what we’re going to do (and our partners and funders) and asking you, what will YOU do?