bout: GMFA launched Think Again in 2014 which aimed to tackle myths about HIV in the gay community. For more information about this campaign please email [email protected]

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GMFA launch new HIV prevention campaign for young gay men.

Advert 1: 'He'd tell me if he was positive': Think Again

Most HIV infections in gay guys in the last year came from men who didn’t know their status [2].

If someone doesn’t tell you that he’s HIV-positive, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he is HIV-negative. Most of the time when we have sex we don’t actually talk about HIV at all. This is true of men with HIV as well as of men who have not been diagnosed. HIV is associated with fear and stigma, so if you are positive, you might not want to be open about your status because you could get rejected, or because you don’t want other people to gossip about you.

In some cases, if you are about to have bareback sex with someone and he is HIV-positive, he might assume that you are as well. Similarly, a negative guy might expect that the guy he’s about to have sex with is also negative if a condom is not used. Making assumptions about someone else’s HIV status based on their sexual behaviour is not a reliable way of preventing transmission.

Almost one in five gay guys in the UK who have HIV have not been diagnosed, and most of these men will believe that they are uninfected. So if someone doesn’t say that they have HIV, or says that they are HIV-negative, it may be because they don’t know themselves. Men who have not been diagnosed will not be on treatment, which means that they will have a higher viral load than men on treatment and will be more likely to pass the infection to their partners. If a guy is on treatment, and has an undetectable viral load, he is unlikely to pass on the virus.

It is the responsibility of both partners to prevent the transmission of HIV. If you are having sex with someone, it’s advisable that you always use a condom or only engage in sex that is lower risk for contracting HIV. You can get more information on how risky different sexual acts are by visiting our How Risky Is…? section.

Click here to read Adam's story

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Advert 2: 'I'm too young to get HIV': Think Again

One in every three gay guys living in the UK, diagnosed with HIV in the last year, is in his teens and 20s [1].

It’s easy to think that HIV won’t happen to you. Some guys don't see HIV as a relevant health issue for them and others even believe that there’s a cure. Because medication has got much better at treating people with HIV it’s now fairly rare to see people with visible symptoms of HIV. The truth is that HIV can happen to anyone, at any age; it doesn’t matter if you are 16 or 86.

Although HIV-medication is very effective, there is still no cure for HIV. You can protect yourself and your partners by using a condom when having anal sex and getting regular tests for HIV and other STIs. If you become positive, it’s best to find out early so that you can start treatment at the right time, which will prevent you from getting ill and also make it less likely that you pass the virus on to your sexual partners. 

If you are a gay or bisexual man living in London, you can order a free HIV home-testing kit from 56 Dean Street online here.

Click here to read Nico’s story

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Advert 3: 'Only sluts get HIV': Think Again

Two thirds of HIV-positive guys got HIV from their boyfriend or someone they regularly have sex with [3].

The more guys you shag, the more chances you have of coming into contact with HIV – that’s simple maths right there. However, if you are really careful about the sex you have, you can have sex with as many guys as you like and remain HIV-negative. Many guys in a relationship stop using condoms with their boyfriends and, because of this, it's now thought that the majority of HIV transmission takes place within relationships. This may be because one partner had HIV at the beginning of the relationship and didn’t realise or because a partner became HIV-positive during the relationship from sex that he had with someone else.

Protecting yourself and your sexual partner, or partners, is important no matter how many people you have sex with. Branding people living with HIV as ‘sluts’ isn’t just inaccurate, it also feeds into the stigma and fear associated with being HIV-positive and can make people feel afraid to talk about their status for fear of rejection. All of this can prevent us from having open and honest conversations about our sexual health and about HIV. If you’ve recently started a new relationship and would like to stop using condoms, you can get advice and a full sexual health screening, including an HIV-test in your nearest GUM clinic. 

Click here to read a related article from FS Magazine “True Life: I got HIV from my boyfriend”

If you would like to read an account of an HIV-positive guy’s experience with HIV, have a look at our blog post “Am I Really a Dirty Barebacking Slut”.

Click here to read Joshua’s story

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GMFA currently receives no financial support from local or national Government funding for its HIV prevention work. The Think Again campaign, GMFA’s website and FS Magazine are all funded by the support and generosity of individuals from the gay community, and the men and women who value this community. This support is vital in enabling us to continue providing gay men with the information they need to live happy, healthier lives. To make a donation, go to:www.gmfa.org.uk/donate.