THEGAYUK

Tag: HIV

Read the latest news and analysis of HIV in the UK and abroad. Browse THEGAYUK’s entire archive on news about HIV.

  • ADVICE | Can I get HIV from oral sex?

    ADVICE | Can I get HIV from oral sex?

    A reader asks our sexual health experts on how easy it is to get HIV from unprotected oral sex.

    can you get HIV from oral sex
    BIGSTOCK

    Dear TGUK
    Me and a former boyfriend had partial sex several months ago. We performed hand jobs on one another and he gave me a blowjob. The blowjob wasn’t long (only four sucks) and I didn’t cum. However, as a hypochondriac, I’m concerned about HIV. Prior to sex, I asked him if he had sex before. He had sex only once in the past and it was only mutual masturbation and fellatio. My parents won’t let me take a test because it would worsen my health anxiety. But should I be worried?

    Joe 16,

    Hello Joe

    Thank you for writing to us with your worries, it sounds as though you had a very low-risk encounter with your ex. Oral sex is considered a low-risk activity for catching HIV, especially if you’re on the receiving end of the BJ. However, it’s not just HIV that you have to consider here. Other nasties like Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea can be passed on by both receiver and giver, and might not even show symptoms, however, all these infections can be treated effectively if caught soon enough.

    If you are worried you should make an appointment to go to a clinic, or just pop along to a walk-in clinic. There are some amazing services – and now, there’s even an online clinic called S24, where you can take tests at home and have the results sent to your mobile phone, Google it.

    If your parents are standing in your way of getting a health check maybe you need to have a conversation with them about your worries, however at 16 you can go to a clinic by yourself you have the right to be treated confidentially.

    Hand-jobs and mutual masturbation are very safe activities, as long as you keep bodily fluids such as semen away from open cuts or sores. If you’re worried in future you can use condoms during oral, and there are even flavoured ones to try.

    Visiting a sex health clinic is an important part of life, taking responsibility for your health and for others you’re having sex with. Making regular visits every six months to once a year is suggested if you’re sexually active.

    So don’t delay and more importantly try not to worry yourself too much.

    Did you know you can order an at-home HIV test online? Click here to buy one (AMAZON)

    ** Advice given here is for guidance only. You should always seek to obtain your own medical advice from your own GP or doctor **

    Got a problem you’d like advice on? Use the form below to get in touch

  • This porn star just revealed something and the fans have nothing but love

    Kayden Gray has just come out as HIV positive

    “Why would a porn actor and an escort shoot his career in the face?” is what Kayden Gray said in an 11 minute YouTube video. A video which fans have hailed as brave, amazing and helping to shed light on HIV stigma.

    The actor, who has performed for studios such as Naked Sword said that he had been keeping his status “secret for years” after contracting HIV when he was just 9 months into his porn career. He says he’s now been living with HIV for 3 and a half years.

    He revealed that after he learnt of his status that he took three months off sex – because he felt “disgusting” and “unlovable”. He told fans that he thought his life was going to end.

    Soon after he was diagnosed he told viewers that he found out about anti-viral treatment, which helped lower his viral load, which was around 2 million to just a few 1000, then a few hundred HIV virus particles in per millilitre of blood. He now has an undetectable viral load.

    Fans were quick to send their love and best wishes to the actor.

    Listen to Kayden’s story below.

     

     

     

     

  • Jeremy Joseph is going for a world record at the London Marathon

    Jeremy Joseph is going for a world record at the London Marathon

    But it’s probably not what you think…

    G-A-Y owner Jeremy Joseph wants to set a new world record. He wants to set a new record for the number of comments on a Facebook post. He’s urging people not to share, not to like, but comment to support equality everywhere.

    The club owner is famous for his marathon running and has raised over £400,000 for his chosen charity, Elton John AIDS Foundation.

    In his campaign, Jeremy outlined the many inequalities levelled at the LGBT community, including the number of countries in which it is illegal to be gay, the countries in which being gay attracts the death penalty. He also outlines the access to HIV testing available to the LGBT community in the UK.

    Globally 9 out of 10 gay and bisexual men do not have access to comprehensive and stigma-free HIV and STI prevention services.

    Speaking about why he chose EJAF he told THEGAYUK,

    “The reason why the Elton John AIDS Foundation is important, is because I decided several years ago that I wanted G-A-Y to focus on one charity.

    “I chose the Elton John AIDS Foundation because they distribute money, rather than finance one thing.

    “It means by raising money through Elton John Aids Foundation, you’re raising money for lots and lots of charities.

     

  • Suicides in men with HIV are twice the rate of general population

    Suicides in men with HIV are twice the rate of general population

    A shocking study has found that men living with HIV are more likely to commit suicide than those living without.

    CREDIT: tashatuvango-bigstock

    Around two per cent of men living with HIV are known to commit suicide, this figure is twice as high as seen in the general population. Suicide was most likely to happen within the first year following diagnosis. 

    The new data came from a fifteen-year study of almost 90,000 people diagnosed with HIV in England and Wales, with comparison against the general population. Sara Croxford of Public Health England presented the findings to the British HIV Association conference in Liverpool yesterday.

    Sara Croxford of Public Health England presented the findings to the British HIV Association conference in Liverpool and said,

    “Our findings highlight the need for a reduction in the stigma surrounding HIV, improvements in psychosocial support and routine screening for depression and drug and alcohol misuse, particularly at the time of diagnosis.” 

    Matthew Hodson, Executive Director of NAM aidsmap said,

    “It’s 2017, we have had effective treatment for HIV for over 20 years. By now, nobody should be dying as a result of HIV infection.

    “The shocking data presented at the BHIVA conference demonstrates the importance of testing. Late diagnosis accounts for the majority of HIV related deaths. The data also forcefully shows that there is still much work to be done to challenge the stigma that surrounds an HIV diagnosis.

    “It’s urgent that people know that with treatment someone can have a normal life expectancy. Both people living with HIV and those who are not living with the virus need to know that an undetectable viral load on treatment means that you will not pass the infection on to your sexual partners.

    “More needs to be done to support people disclosing,

    “The viral closet only creates an environment where misinformation and fear flourish. HIV stigma discourages people from accessing testing and honest conversations about what it means to be living with HIV now. HIV stigma is killing people. It must end.”

    By the end of 2012, deaths had been recorded in 6% of the cohort (5302 people), representing an all-cause mortality rate of 118 per 10,000 person years. The death rate was six times greater in people with HIV than in the general population. Delays in testing, linkage to care, and treatment were the major factors that contributed to this increased mortality.

    The most important cause of death was AIDS-defining illnesses (58%), almost always in individuals who were diagnosed very late. Over half of those who died of AIDS had never attended HIV clinical care or had never taken HIV treatment.

    Other causes of death included cancers (8%), cardiovascular disease or stroke (8%), infections (8%), liver disease (5%), substance misuse (3%) and suicide (2%).

    Looking into the 96 deaths from suicide in more detail, 91 occurred in men, with similar rates in gay and heterosexual men. Rates were elevated in injecting drug users, compared to other groups.

    Women’s suicide rates were not higher than those in the general population.

  • COMMENT | HIV: It’s time to embrace undetectable means untransmittable

    The year was 1981, sexual liberation was in full swing with destinations like Key West being a bimonthly pilgrimage for many gay men who, no doubt drank, joked and dare I say frolicked among the sand dunes of Higgs Beach.

    What does UEqualsU mean?

    It was an era that can merely be reminisced of, impossible to recapture. Anybody reading the LA Times on June 5th could easily be excused for their oversight in failing to notice one small paragraph telling the public of a new “gay cancer” that had been documented among some doctors mainly in the New York and San Francisco areas.

    Over the years, many more articles were published about what we now know as HIV & AIDS. The most recent of them, hailing milestones such as PrEP, a preventative treatment for the condition that society wished for decades ago. There have been amazing advancements in treatment, meaning people living with HIV who have undetectable viral loads, who are consistent with their medication, are unable to pass on the virus but, the fight is in no way over.

    To begin we must break down the stigma surrounding PrEP and the naïve insinuation that if someone is using PrEP, they are having an orgy every night of the week, or failing to protect themselves in other ways such as using a condom.

    We also need more organisations, government departments and influential voices to get behind the undetectable equals untransmittable campaign, it is a scientific fact backed up by The Swiss Statement (2008) as well as the PARTNER study.

    Of course, some people are reluctant to embrace science on this occasion and question the viability of the UequalsU message, however, they do so while failing to question science from the 80s and 90s which led to such heightened fear of HIV and by effect those of us living with it.

    Put aside people living with HIV who desperately deserve this message to be endorsed, society deserves it too. For more than 30 years grown men and women have lived in fear of this invisible killer. Generations of children have been raised with a background of AIDS fear, leading in some cases to a severe negative impact on their sex life.

    I clearly remember the day being diagnosed, November 27th, 2013. Sitting in that chair I knew death was not coming for me just yet and my biggest obstacle in life from that day forward would be the opinion and perception of others, not necessarily, family or friends, I knew they would be willing to stand by me and if not then they would have been the wrong friends to have chosen.

    It was society’s opinion and perception I knew would be the obstacle and one I would have to change. After several weeks of wondering what I should do, I set a goal which was to reach an undetectable viral load, this happened in September of 2014, a day that will remain among the most special of my life. I knew the very thing that had prevented me from doing anything more than kiss a guy for the previous 9 months, was no longer an issue.

    People say the day a cure for HIV is found will be like a battle or war ending. My battle ended that day when I became undetectable and untransmittable but my war is still going because nearly ten years after the Swiss Statement was released too few organisations who accept public funding in the name of representing me and people like me have promoted this statement of fact.

    On a recent trip to Key West I paid a visit to Higgs Beach where once all that laughter and fun took place, there now lays a memorial as a tribute to those who died from AIDS. This seemingly endless list of names, to me, was a testament to my commitment to promoting the UequalsU message.

    So I make this a call to action, by asking the 100,000 of us living with HIV in the UK to embrace the fact that being undetectable means we are untransmittable and ask you to lobby your local organisation, politician or influence maker to embrace it with us, they have nothing to lose in doing so and don’t forget to

    #UequalsU.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, it’s management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Gay charity GADD set to close after fatal funding cuts

    One of Northern England’s longest running  LGBT+ charities, aimed at tackling homophobia and giving advice on LGBT sexual and mental health issues is set to close.

    © chrisbradshaw Depositphotos

    Gay Advice Darlington/Durham is to close its doors in late April for the last time after deep and “savage” funding cuts from the current Conservative government. From 1997 the charity has been funded by the County Durham and Darlington Health Authority for its work in South County Durham and Darlington Borough Council to support those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in Darlington.

    The charity’s chief officer, Emma Roebuck wrote on her LinkedIn profile,

    “The organisation I have invested 18 years of my life in GADD is coming to an end. In April we will close the doors for the last time and I feel adrift in mixed emotions most of which are negative and useless.

    “…The current situation with austerity and cuts to organisations such as GADD have made it impracticable to function without serious mission drift in the name of sustainability”.

    According to Emma, the charity’s popularity has not dwindled and demand for its services is as high as it has ever been.

    She continued,

    “I do worry for those who have sought out support or will do in the future. LGBT+ people in the area now have no voice or safe place to call their own. The demand for help by those in need has not waned or dwindled but the financial help to drive that support has dropped significantly to the point the costs of the building and its services is unsustainable’.

    Board of Trustee member Phillippa Scrafton said,

    ‘GADD has operated for several years facing unrelenting financial challenges from within

    “GADD has operated for several years facing unrelenting financial challenges from within an economic landscape of a wholly ‘ideological’ austerity agenda imposed by this Tory Government.”

    “Savage cuts to local government funding have impacted on us terribly which ultimately affects the most vulnerable. In my opinion the situation we face is firmly at the feet of this out of touch Government and their ‘cuts’ agenda!”

    MP for Darlington, Jenny Chapman told THEGAYUK,

    “It’s terrible news. Sad that such a long standing important charity is closing. Question now is, what do we do next?”

     

    THEGAYUK reached out to the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust for comment.

  • Jeremy Hunt is being urged to save HIV charity from closure after theatening funding cuts

    Jeremy Hunt is being urged to save HIV charity from closure after theatening funding cuts

    The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt is being urged to take action after an HIV charity in England signalled it could close due to crippling funding cuts.

    Sussex Beacon
    CREDIT: Sussex Beacon

    HIV charity, Sussex Beacon says it could be forced close by June due to funding cuts from the NHS. The charity which was formed in 1992 faces a “very real risk” of being shuttered after its core funding was reduced by the NHS. The charity currently costs £2 million a year to run. Trustees from the charity say they cannot continue to absorb these cuts.

    The charity, which is based in Brighton, serves around 500 people per year who are living with HIV and AIDS related illnesses. It has already announced it is to close its psychological services due to lack of funding.

    ALSO READ:

     

    A petition has been launched urging Jeremy Hunt to save the charity. Since it went live over 10,000 people have signed it.

    The closure of the vital service has been called devastating by Brighton’s MP, Caroline Lucas who called on the government to make an “urgent intervention” to stop the charity from closing.

    Caroline Lucas said,

    “The closure of the Sussex Beacon would be devastating for service users, staff and volunteers. The importance of the work being done by this vital service for people with HIV cannot be overstated – and I have written to the government asking for an urgent intervention to prevent any closure. I know that those involved with the Sussex Beacon will not let this service be slashed without a fight, and I’ll be continuing to be closely in touch with them and standing with them every step of the way.”

    In 2016 the LGBT+ mental health charity PACE was forced to close after funding cuts were made to local authority budgets. It had been in operation for 31 years before its closure.

    THEGAYUK.com reached out to Jeremy Hunt’s office for comment.

     

  • 11 unbelievable myths that still exist about HIV

    11 unbelievable myths that still exist about HIV

    Decades on since the first recorded cases of what would become known as HIV and AIDS, myths are still circulating about this condition. Here’s 11 of the weirdest that still persist.

    CREDIT: tashatuvango-bigstock

    1) That only gay men can get HIV

    Are you living in the 80s? HIV does not see sexuality, it does not see gender, it does not see race or greed. Anyone who comes into contact with the virus could potential be infected.

    2) HIV can be transmitted by kissing

    HIV cannot be passed through saliva, so cannot be

    3) HIV can be passed on by sharing a toothbrush

    HIV cannot survive outside the human body, so it is unlikely you can pass on HIV through this method.

    4) People with HIV will die young

    There is no reason why someone who is living with HIV will die young because of the virus. Get tested, know your status and get the medication you need.

    5) You will get HIV if you sleep with someone that has HIV

    Not always the case. A lot depends on their viral load, whether they are on medication and how much exposure you have to their bodily fluids. So if you’re both using condoms, using PrEP and their viral load is low the likelihood of you contradicting HIV is near zero.

    6) You can catch HIV?

    Nope HIV isn’t a ball or frisbee.

    7) You can get infected with HIV by sharing a bath with someone who has it.

    HIV can not live outside the human body and bath water is pretty much deadly to the virus.

    8) HIV and AIDS are the same thing.

    Not true. HIV means that a person has the virus in their body. AIDS is when someone’s immune system is compromised so much that they can no longer fight off diseases.

    9) HIV is a death sentence.

    As long as you test, know your status and get manage your health in the right way, you can live a long, full life.

    10) HIV is a bisexual disease

    No matter what you heard on TV, there’s nothing to suggest that this is true. HIV doesn’t care if you’re gay, bisexual or straight.

    11) Kids are learning about this stuff in Schools.

    Sex ed is not compulsory in all schools in the UK.

  • LBC Radio Presenter: If your partner has HIV don’t have sex

    In a late night rant about the prescription of PrEP the LBC presenter, Ian Collins, told listeners of his show not to have sex if their partner was HIV positive.

    After the news that NHS England lost its appeal over whether it is responsible for prescribing the anti-HIV medication, PrEP, to “at risk” demographics of which gay and bisexual men are; one radio host Ian Collins suggested that the move was scandalous and people at risk of being infected with HIV shouldn’t have sex.

    PrEP pills
    (C) marcbruxel Depositphotos

    The Court of Appeal told NHS England that it is responsible for prescribing PrEP – a move which could cost £20 million.

    PrEP is described as a ‘game-changing’ pill that, when used alongside condoms, testing and treatment, could help bring the beginning of the end for HIV.

    Speaking on his LBC show Ian Collins said that the decision to fund a preventative drug for people who haven’t got HIV as a “scandal”.

    He said,

    “Critics have said at £400 per person per month, the drug treatment is too expensive and those in that high risk group should be encouraged to practice safer sex. Well just don’t have sex at all.

    “We are funding a drug for people who haven’t got HIV, but as a way of protecting them so that they might not get it so they can still have sex with their partner and not worry about protection.”

    He then went on to suggest that if your partner has HIV not to have sex at all.

    “Love your partner, hug your partner, kiss your partner, do all manner of other things you can do with your partner, just don’t have sex. If your partner HIV positive, don’t have sex. There’s lots of people that don’t have sex for lots of reasons.”

    Collins also stated that if you’re in a relationship with someone with HIV that you should “keep your pants on”.

    “…you’re being asked to just simply keep your pants on. This is not a drug that is funding people with HIV. It is funding people without HIV so that they can sleep with people with HIV. That’s it.”

    Ian Howley, the interim CEO of the GMFA said,

    “We understand many people’s concerns with the cost of PrEP being free on the NHS. However, this will only be 0.02% of the total NHS budget for the year. The short term cost outweighs the long term as currently the lifetime cost for treatment of someone living with HIV equates to nearly £380,000. PrEP has shown to decrease new HIV infections by 18% in cities like San Francisco. A similar reduction in the UK, year on year, could save the NHS and the tax payer millions in the long term. Too many people are becoming HIV-positive and we now have a tool that can help stop HIV. GMFA believes that PrEP should be free to anyone who is at high risk of becoming HIV-positive. We need PrEP now.”

    Ian Green, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said

    “Every day the NHS delays access to PrEP, 17 people are diagnosed with HIV – and the lifetime cost to the NHS for each diagnosis of HIV is £360,000. PrEP must be prioritised and made available now to those at risk.

    “There is still a long way to go before people at risk have access to this groundbreaking pill that will protect them from HIV – but thanks to today’s decision, we are a step closer to a world without HIV transmissions.”

  • Court of appeal rules that NHS England has legal power to fund PrEP

    The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court judgement which ruled NHS England has the legal power to fund PrEP.

    PrEP pills
    (C) marcbruxel Depositphotos

    NHS England claimed earlier this year that it does not have the power to commission PrEP but a judicial review brought by the National Aids Trust determined that NHS England could commission PrEP. NHS England appealed this ruling on Thursday 15 September 2016.

    PrEP is a ‘game-changing’ pill that, when used alongside condoms, testing and treatment, could help bring the beginning of the end for HIV.

    The Court of Appeal issued its ruling on their appeal today, in a judgment that confirms that NHS England can legally fund the HIV prevention drug PrEP.

    Ian Green, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said,

      “PrEP is nothing short of a game-changer and, if used alongside condoms, regular testing and treatment, it could be the vital piece of the puzzle to help end the HIV epidemic for good.

    “Two courts have now ruled that NHS England does in fact have the legal power to fund PrEP.  It is time for NHS England to do the right thing and respect its legal duty to consider funding this highly effective treatment.

    “The conduct of NHS England around the funding of this treatment has reminded us that, 30 years on, HIV is still stigmatised in a way that many other health conditions are not.

    “Every day the NHS delays access to PrEP, 17 people are diagnosed with HIV – and the lifetime cost to the NHS for each diagnosis of HIV is £360,000. PrEP must be prioritised and made available now to those at risk.

    “There is still a long way to go before people at risk have access to this groundbreaking pill that will protect them from HIV – but thanks to today’s decision, we are a step closer to a world without HIV transmissions.”

     

    Cllr Kevin Davis, London Councils’ Executive member for health, said,

    “We are pleased that the court has stood by the original judicial review decision that NHS England can be held responsible for funding the HIV prevention drug PrEP, which we have always said.

    “Now the appeal has reached its conclusion, we urge NHS England to consider the results of its public consultation on PrEP and make a swift decision on how the drug will be made available.

    “HIV is a big issue for London as nearly half of all people living with HIV in the UK live in the capital and 57 per cent of new HIV diagnoses are in London.

    “Given these worrying statistics, it is crucial to use all available methods, including PrEP, to protect people at risk of contracting HIV and reduce rates of infection, particularly as the long term impact and cost of living with HIV are significantly greater than prevention.”

  • Journalist Patrick Strudwick calls out hypocrisy over gay sex

    Buzzfeed’s LGBT editor, Patrick Strudwick has called out the hypocrisy surrounding the differences between gay and straight “lifestyle” choices when it comes to sex and taking a pill.

    (C) marcbruxel Depositphotos

     

    With the nation’s attention drawn to PrEP and how NHS England must now reconsider its stance on offering the anti-HIV medication to those most at risk of infection, Buzzfeed LGBT editor Patrick Strudwick has highlighted some of the hypocrisy and some of the “arguments” made about the differences between gay sex and straight sex – or as we like to call it around these places … sex.

    In a tweet entitled simply: “When gay men have sex” – he outlined a number of differences between gay and straight sex.

    He wrote:

    When gay men have sex without a condom it’s called “bareback sex”

    When straight people have sex without a condom it’s called “sex”.

    When gay men have sex it’s called a “lifestyle choice”

    When straight people have sex it’s called “sex”.

    When gay men take a pill to prevent HIV it’s called a “lifestyle choice”.

    When straight people take a pill to prevent pregnancy it’s called a “responsible”.

    Earlier this month the editor slammed the Daily Mail for its coverage of the historic and landmark ruling that NHS England must offer the anti-HIV “lifestyle” drug to those most at risk of infection.