Communities

We are one community

Our community is a big and colourful one. We’re all different, but we do have things in common: HIV affects us all, and we can and must play our part to ending HIV transmissions.

We are culturally diverse

We all come from different cultural backgrounds, they help contribute to a story of belonging but also sometimes they can also be reflected in HIV risk.

Asian guys belong to a diverse community. Some guys are born overseas, others and multi-generation Aussies. Regardless, we know that accessing HIV information can sometimes be more challenging. This can be for a variety reasons, including language barriers or lack of knowledge about HIV testing to name a couple.

We know that Aboriginal guys are doing a great job at being HIV-aware, using HIV prevention methods, and testing regularly, which is why HIV rates are roughly the same as the broader community, but we need to keep it up.

Whatever your cultural heritage, together we can do our bit by testing regularly for HIV and other STIs, starting treatment early if diagnosed with HIV, and by using condoms, PrEP or the concept of undetectable viral load to stay safe.

Some of us live with HIV

Young and old, hairy and bald, Poz guys come from all walks of life.

We know today that being on treatment reduces the amount of HIV present in the body (viral load), and for most, to an undetectable level. By doing this, it doesn’t only have better health outcomes, but also prevents from transmitting HIV to partners.

In a relationship

Guys who are in relationships make up around 25% of new HIV infections, so coupled up or not, we are all at risk of HIV. Getting tested regularly for HIV is a great a practice, especially if you are in starting a new relationship as many new cases of HIV transmission happen from guys who think they are negative but unknowingly have HIV.

Whatever kind of relationship – monogamous, open, poz/neg, neg/neg or poz/poz – it’s our responsibility to keep ourselves and each other safe.

Younger guys

Some of us weren’t around during the early years of the AIDS crisis. This doesn’t mean, as younger guys, we don’t take our sexual health seriously. But sometimes we have more to learn about how to best look after ourselves and our partners when it comes to sexual health. It’s up to us to test regularly for HIV, learn about HIV prevention methods like condoms, PrEP and undetectable viral load and treat HIV early.

Some of us like to play hard

Whether you are into group action, part of the PnP scene or just like to fuck lots, for sexually adventurous guys   staying safe should always remain top of mind. Learning about what HIV prevention methods might work for you is a great way to start protecting yourself. On top of that you must remember if you fuck a lot, you also need to test a lot.

We can end HIV

Though we are different, we can all unite and rally behind the goal of ending new HIV transmissions in NSW.

Together, we can end HIV transmissions.