In the run up to World AIDS day there is going to be increased publicity on the subject of sexual health and on HIV and AIDS in particular. Whilst it is most certainly the case that Sexually Transmitted Infections are not a unique issue to the LGBTQ community; more often than not, the issue becomes more complicated than when dealing with sexual health issues within mainstream society. Anyone who is sexually active needs to have a basic awareness of safety and how to protect their own personal health, regardless of their sexuality, yet lack of awareness is a widespread issue. A general guide to sexual health resources in the Birmingham area can be found here. Whilst the leading sexual health charity in the UK is the Terrance Higgins Trust.

However, there are unique issues with regards to sexual health in the LGBTQ community, and a number of services aimed at dealing with this :

1. There is very little information available for women who sleep with women with regards to safe sex practices. Lesbian sex is often regarded as a low risk activity, yet according to Stonewall, less than half of gay and bisexual women have been screened for STIs, and women who sleep with women are at high risk of STIs such as Herpes. This perception of low risk activity combined with the more general problem of lesbian and bisexual women’s invisibility means that sexual health in this area is all too often overlooked. The NHS has an online guide on lesbian and bisexual women’s sexual health issues which can be found here There is also a guide by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation which can be found here
2. The Trans population faces particular problems when it comes to accessing sexual health services and trans specific sexual health information. Personal issues relating to body image often make sexual health clinics very intimidating and intrusive; for those who have received treatment, or gender recognition this may be combined with the issue of disclosure. Other issues include sex specific clinics not necessarily being equipped to deal with trans individuals. These issues clearly make access to testing difficult for many trans people, and whilst progress is being made in this area, it remains problematic. The Terrance Higgins Trust is currently in the process of delivering trans specific sexual health training to its staff, and Gendered Intelligence are in the process of producing a sexual health guide for trans people. The only booklet currently available which I’m aware of is aimed at queer trans men: queertransmen.org
3. Men who sleep with men have far more resources available to them than either of the above, in some respects this makes accessing services and information easier. The importance of accessing this information is nonetheless important and available resources include Healthy Gay Life (Birmingham based) and Young gay men (Terrance Higgins Trust) Note: see THT’s main website for more relevant links.Once again, there are specific issues relating to men who sleep with men, notably HIV has had a disproportionate impact on the community in the past and although at this point in time the rate of new infections amongst heterosexuals is higher than that in the gay/bi male community, the issue remains relevant, and this trend can only be maintained if individuals continue to take responsibility for their own sexual health. The idea that HIV is a “gay disease” still causes issues to this day, for example attitudes within the medical establishment have been heavily influenced by this, which in turn can impact on patients.

This blog can only go into so much depth on these issues, but the importance of sexual health and protecting yourself cannot be understated. If you are sexually active, regardless of your sexuality or gender identity, it is important to make sure you are keeping yourself safe and getting tested regularly.

If you find yourself in a situation where you may have been exposed to HIV it is vital to get yourself to A&E or a GUM clinic within 72 hours (preferably 24 hours) in order to receive PEP treatment. This is a month long course of treatment (not a morning after pill) which can give an 85% reduction in the risk of HIV taking hold in the body. More information on PEP and a self assessment for risk factors can be found here: PEP microsite

As I’m sure many of you will know, last Friday was Transgender Day of Remembrance (see below) and the LGBTQ association held a candle lit vigil that evening. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who turned up including both LGBTQ people and straight allies. I’d like to give particular thanks to Rev Kara Cooper from the Chaplaincy, who following the reading of the names and the one minute silence gave an eloquent non-denominational prayer.

The issue of violence against trans people is still a very real problem both within our own society and in many places across the world, and given the small percentage of the overall population who are trans, the numbers effected by this are still far too high. TDoR acts as a way for the trans community and those allied to it to address this issue in a reflective manner, allowing for both healing and renewed strength in the battle against discrimination. The people listed within TDoR services only represent a part of the picture, for we will never truly know how many there are, nor shall we know all of their names; but it is important to remember that alongside these losses there are also many who have survived this type of transphobia, and continue to fight against it.

Transphobia, like any kind of discrimination, presents itself in many forms, and the consequences of it may not always be directly apparent. In its most apparent form we open abuse, but this does not address more subtle issues such as social exclusion and societal attitudes, factors which explain why statistics state that 34% of trans people have considered suicide (Samaritans). Violence can also take on more passive forms; many both on and off the list died not on the streets, but in their homes and in hospitals, refusal of medical treatment based upon trans status is far from unknown, even in the Western world.

It is for these reasons that Transgender Day of Remembrance exists; for so long as the situation remains at it is currently, it becomes imperative to ensure that these injustices are not overlooked. The candle lights during the vigil are meant to represent the lives of trans people; in many services the candles are snuffed out one by one with each reading of the names, but throughout the vigil we chose instead to keep relighting the candles blown out by the wind; and at the end of the service some of us sat around and allowed as many of the candles as possible to blow out naturally. The most important thing to be taken away from this is not the sorrow brought about by the deaths we were there to remember, but the renewed hope for a better future.

Transgender Health (NHS)