HIV positive gay men 'face unemployment threat'
Gay men who test positive for HIV are more likely to have experienced current or past unemployment, it emerged today.
New figures released by the Gay Men’s Health Survey found almost half of all men have had unprotected intercourse, with 7.6% of those forced to engage in sexual activity against their will
It also disclosed men under 20 were the least likely to have been tested for HIV, while men in their 30s and 40s were the most likely to receive a positive result.
Those with higher educational qualifications were most likely to have taken a test.
The figures were disclosed at the 4th Annual All Ireland Gay Health Forum, staged by the Gay Men’s Health Project – the only statutory gay men’s health service in Ireland.
Hate crime, mental health, profiles of services, body image, ethnicity, HIV secondary prevention and transgender services were among the key issues on the agenda.
Under the theme Real Men (Representation, Empowerment, Assessment and Location), the project vowed to continue to highlight the realities of the lives and the matters facing gay and bisexual men.
Its survey – which assessed and examined sexual health experiences and attitudes of almost 2,000 gay men – also found that in 2004, just 46.5% of respondents were tested for HIV, compared to 69.9% in 2000.
“These results highlight the need for the continuation of our ongoing health and education outreach programmes,” said Mick Quinlan, project co-ordinator.
“They also draw particular attention to the necessity to promote such campaigns among men from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds in order to ensure that all men have been exposed to information regarding best sexual health practice.”
The All-Ireland Gay Men’s Sex Survey combined the responses of 1,030 men in 2003 and 868 in 2004. Established in 1992, the GMHP provides clinical, outreach and counselling services to gay and bisexual men in the greater Dublin area and beyond. It is administered and funded by the Health Service Executive.
