Online dating | When Ghosting Haunts You
It’s happened to most of us. Ghosting: it’s when someone seems interested in you and then suddenly goes as quiet as a corpse. Scenario 1. You meet a guy on an app or online, and he seems to be feverishly interested, at first. You’re getting several WhatsApps per day from him and maybe even the […]
South African men compare their penis shapes to bananas #WorldPenisDay
Most South African men rated bananas as the most suitable comparison to their penis shapes, according to new research released on World Penis Day. The study – by underwear company, Frankees, and research laboratory, the South African Pelvic Research Organisation on Body Empowerment (SAPROBE) – looked at the health and habits of men and their genitalia. […]
South African bi, gay and MSM prefer self-HIV testing, study finds
A study has found that young South African men who have sex with men (MSM) prefer HIV self-testing over going to a clinic. The study sought to address the impact that stigma, privacy and other social barriers have when it comes to MSM testing for HIV. It also hoped to “determine the acceptability and feasibility […]
1/3rd of Brits won’t date an HIV positive person
Despite advances in treatment and preventing HIV, 35% of people in the UK would ‘swipe left’ on a dating app to reject someone living with HIV and on effective treatment. According to HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust, an equal amount, only 35%, of Brits would feel comfortable kissing someone who’s living with […]
Theresa May: UK will ban ‘gay cure’ therapies in major new LGBT policy
So-called conversion therapy, aimed at changing people’s sexual orientation or gender identity, is set to be banned in the UK, the government has announced. The decision forms part of a new “LGBT action plan” released on Tuesday and devised in response to the largest-ever national survey of LGBT people in the world. The UK survey, […]
Congratulations! WeTheBrave marks 3 years of changing gay, bi and MSM lives
The national WeTheBrave campaign is celebrating three years of improving the sexual health of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa. Funded by the Elton John Aids Foundation, the project was launched on 26 June 2015, and went on to urge men to be #BraveEnough to make healthy […]
Breakthrough as WHO affirms being transgender not a mental disorder
South African activists have welcomed the groundbreaking decision by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to stop classifying gender incongruence as a mental disorder. The change was announced as part of the launch of the WHO’s new International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) this week, the global guide’s first revision in 18 […]
Gay relationships | My pleasure, as a bottom, matters
“I am here, and my pleasure matters.” Motlatsi Motseoile explores the intricacies of sex in gay relationships, and how being a bottom is often mired in shame and ridicule. We live in a hyper-masculine and patriarchal society, often framed by the cisgender-heterosexual man. Anything that is thought to emulate the behaviour of women, even in […]
Major changes at Health4Men after funding is cut
Health4Men, the groundbreaking sexual health programme that targets gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa, has been hit by a huge funding cut. In a statement on Monday, the Anova Health Institute, the organisation behind the programme, said that Health4Men’s funding from USAID will be coming to an […]
Online dating | Trolls on the Grind
If you’ve surfed the ‘interwebs’ for more than five minutes you’ve encountered the disturbing phenomenon that is the internet troll. Vindictive people that cannot resist posting things they know will hurt or distress others. Almost any popular YouTube video with an activated comments section will also provide you with a selection of unnecessarily mean commentary. […]