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It's World Aids Day today, which is a time of education about the disease and a time of reflection of those we have lost from it. Unfortunately, HIV/Aids has become an integral part of the LGBTQ+ community, as gay/bi men and transgender women are more susceptible to catching it.
However, the conversation surrounding HIV/Aids has changed significantly since its first detection in the 1980s. While there is still a slight stigma for those living with HIV/Aids in the LGBTQ+ community, many charities and sexual health advocates have helped to change the trajectory. Thanks to their hard work, we now have more efficient testing facilities, access to preventative medication, and resources.
The NHS in the UK provides testing and treatment for HIV/Aids, which you can learn more about here. But, if you would like to learn more about other HIV/Aids services and groups, we’ve listed a few of our favourites below:
The Terrence Higgins Trust
The Terrence Higgins Trust is a charity that works to advocate and bring awareness to HIV and sexual health. The charity was established in 1982 in honour of Terry Higgins, a gay man who was the first in the UK to die of Aids. The charity offers both education and sexual health resources specifically for the LGBT community and HIV and sexual health centres around the UK.
Free Testing HIV
Free Testing HIV is a service provided by the NHS that allows users to order at-home HIV test kits. The process is straightforward and confidential and is completely free to order. It's an excellent service for anyone who may not feel comfortable visiting a HIV testing facility in person or cannot because of COVID. However, they currently only operate within certain parts of the UK.
Positively UK
Positively UK is a charity that hosts support groups and peer-lead mentorships for people living with HIV. Their focus is to provide a safe space for people going through the emotional battles related to living with HIV/Aids. As an HIV/Aids charity, they provide counselling and support for everyone living with HIV, including the LGBT community around the country. They even have dedicated socials, emotional support groups, one-on-one mentoring and wellness workshops for gay men with HIV.
For a few hours every summer, the guesswork stops. You can look around and simply know. This is what Pride does that nothing else does. The question worth asking is what happens when it ends.
You and your people are in the same spaces every day. The same supermarkets, the same offices, the same commutes. The problem was never finding each other. It was knowing each other. And that is a different problem entirely.
"Every gay person must come out," Harvey Milk said in 1978. He believed visibility would destroy myths and change the world.
He was right. Nearly 50 years later, coming out looks different. It's not always a speech or a grand announcement. Sometimes visibility is as quiet as wearing a bracelet.
