But HIV isn’t a ‘gay disease’ anymore, is it?

HIV has never been a ‘gay disease’ as anyone can contract it.

What is true is that statistically in the UK men who have sex with men remain significantly more at risk of contracting HIV than their heterosexual counterparts, and indeed are more at risk of contracting the virus today than at any time since the onset of the epidemic 25 years ago.

Certain behaviours make it more likely that someone will contract HIV in the UK, including anal and oral sex between men. More than one in ten gay men in London are now living with HIV, and one in 25 gay men in the rest of the country. These figures make it statistically far more likely that sex between two men will be sero-discordant (where one partner has HIV and the other does not) than sex between a man and a woman.

It is unhelpful to play down the devastating impact that HIV has had on gay communities in the UK and the very great, and disproportionate, HIV vulnerability that gay men still face. We consistently call for investment in initiatives that improve the sexual health of gay men in the UK. While HIV is not a ‘gay disease’ it is a huge issue for gay men.