“Straight acting” guys tend to believe feminine men give community a bad name
The struggle to embrace our diversity and deal with internalised homophobia is a reality within the gay community, especially for those who don’t conform to traditional male and female binaries. According to a new study, men who consider themselves “straight acting” are 37% more likely to agree with the statement: “Feminine gay men give gay […]
New campaign aims to get South African MSM testing
Health4Men has launched a new campaign that aims to drastically increase HIV testing amongst gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa. As part of ‘We’re Braver Together’, MSM will be encouraged to overcome their primal fears and in doing so find the courage to get tested for HIV […]
South Africa implements “test and treat” HIV strategy
As from the 1st of September, all South Africans who are HIV positive will be able to receive immediate treatment. The new universal “test and treat” approach to HIV/AIDS is in line with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines to tackle the Aids epidemic. Previously, people who are HIV positive were only given treatment when their […]
WeTheBrave warns of life threatening language barrier
Did you know that there’s no word for gay in Xhosa? Any word to describe a gay person is either derogatory or borrowed from other South African languages. Words used to describe gay men include isitabane, which is interpreted as a man who has chosen to act like a woman. There’s also abantu abathambileyo, meaning not […]
Transgender may be removed as mental disorder
The process of getting transgender declassified as a mental disorder took its first steps with a study conducted in Mexico City. The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal last month, found that the distress and dysfunction experienced by transgender people were more strongly related to the social rejection and violence they experienced than by […]
LGB youth in US face alarming rates of violence and bullying
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual young people are far more likely to experience violence and bullying, and attempt suicide, than their heterosexual peers. That’s according to the alarming results of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nationwide survey of American high school students. This year marked the first time the biannual Youth Risk Behaviour […]
UK court overturns refusal to offer PrEP
In a landmark case, the High Court in London has ruled that England’s National Health Service (NHS) acted unlawfully in refusing to offer the HIV prevention drug PrEP. In March, after 18 months of preparation, NHS England suddenly announced that it would halt its work on the approval and rollout of PrEP, which has shown […]
Stupidity on a monumental level: Tanzania bans lube to stop gay sex
In move that will only increase the spread of HIV, Tanzania’s so called “health minister” has banned personal lubricants in a bid to stop gay people from having sex. According to reports, minister Ummy Mwalimu announced an end to the import and sale of the products because, she claimed, they encourage homosexuality. Bizarrely, she actually […]
Elton John: Aids won’t end if we leave LGBT Africans behind
Elton John says that the continued stigma and discrimination against LGBT people in Africa will hamper efforts to end the Aids epidemic. Representing his Aids Foundation, John spoke alongside his husband David Furnish to journalists at the International Aids Conference in Durban on Wednesday. He insisted that LGBT people and other key populations must receive equal […]
WeTheBrave moves to tackle HIV among MSM in KZN
Almost half (48.2%) of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in Durban are estimated to be living with HIV. This is according to the South Africa MSM Data Triangulation Project Report published by the Department of Health. Factors listed in the report contributing to this exorbitant figure include alcohol usage […]