The Hobart Sexual Health Service at 60 Collins Street has just started a trial for a walk in testing clinic. If you want sexual health and HIV testing you can walk in and be tested from 9am to 12pm on Thursdays without having to make an appointment first.

Did you know the STIGMA guidelines suggest men who have sex with men should get tested every 12 to 3-6 months depending on the kind of sex you are having, or more frequently if you are HIV positive. Feel free to post a comment on here if you have any questions about sexual health testing, and we will get back to you soon.

There were a number of speeches at the launch of the report, held on 27th March 2013. Speakers included Andrew, who spoke about his personal experiences of harassment and discrimination. Also speaking was Robin Banks (Anti Discrimination Commissioner) and Darren Hine (Commissioner of Police).

The report highlights the fact that LGBTI Tasmanian's are still experiencing high rates of prejudice and discimination, as well as concerning impacts from these experiences.

The research also shows that individuals aren't reporting their experiences for a range of reasons.

The full report and further information can be found at www.beproudtasmania.com 

Dating can be a nightmare for many, so dating websites for people with sexually transmitted infections (STIs), can save embarrassment and rejection.

The most difficult thing about Herpes and HIV is that it carries a social stigma, says dating website UK Positive Singles. When it comes to dating, you may have fewer choices because of your condition.

Also, if you are dating with other singles without an STI, you are most likely to be rejected by them after telling the truth.

UK Positive Singles has 30,000 members in the UK, accumulating 100,000 new members last year worldwide – and DatePositive, which has more than 6,000 profiles, allow users to search for people with almost any sexually transmitted infection.

Other websites such as H-YPE or H-Date, are aimed specifically at people with the most common types of incurable STIs, such as herpes and HPV, which causes genital warts.

‘If you have just been told you have herpes or HPV and you feel like your life is over, well, we are here to prove to you that it’s not. In fact, it’s a whole new start,’ it says on H-YPE.

Once logged on to the websites, users enter age and sexual preference. Then they can search for people with a specific sexually transmitted infection.

To read the full article CLICK HERE

“The Be Proud Tasmania report is based on the findings of a statewide survey conducted last year,” Minister for Community Development, Cassy O’Connor, said. 

“This research is the first Tasmania-specific survey of its kind to ask respondents about their fears of prejudice and discrimination; their specific experiences of prejudice and discrimination; and their most significant incident of discrimination.

“Sadly, the findings confirm that our LGBTI communities still suffer harassment and discrimination, with all respondents to the survey indicating that they experienced at least occasional fear of discrimination and harassment, with one in four reporting high levels of fear.

“The most prevalent types of prejudice were discrimination; harassment; written/verbal abuse; vilification; and threats of physical and sexual assault.”

The Be Proud Tasmania project was funded through the inaugural Tasmanian Government’s LGBTI Grants Program.

“This is exactly the type of initiative we hoped to see from the Grants Program,” Ms O’Connor said.

To read the full report CLICK HERE

An analysis by Dawn Smith of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported at the 20th Conference on Retroviruses & Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2013) on 4 March has provided the first estimate of the efficacy of condoms in preventing HIV transmission during anal sex since 1989. It found condoms stop seven out of ten anal transmissions – the same efficacy found by the 1989 study.

However, it also found that sometimes using condoms is not effective at preventing HIV infection, and that long-term 100% condom use is a minority behaviour: only one-in-six gay men actually managed to maintain it over the three- to four-year time frame of the analysis.

It marks an important win for LGBT campaigners and Native Americans, who will see new protections under the law, and for President Obama, whose attempts to push for a renewal failed last year.

Some House Republicans had held up reauthorisation for weeks in a dispute over expansions to the 1994 law, although it was passed by the US Congress late last month. Senate Democrats offered an expanded law that specifically protects gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender Americans and gives tribal authorities the power to prosecute non-Indians for abuse committed on tribal lands.

To read the full article CLICK HERE

The French researchers followed patients who'd undergone treatment with antiretroviral drugs soon after they'd become infected with HIV. They'd stayed on the medications for several years but then stopped taking the antiretrovirals. That was "fashionable at the time," said Christine Rouzioux, a professor at Necker Hospital and University of Paris Descartes. They are all now in what Rouzioux calls "HIV remission," because the virus has not worsened and they have not shown symptoms for years.

"I know that the U.S. term is 'functional cure,'" Rouzioux told ABCNews.com. "In France, we speak about 'remission.' … The patient controls the virus, but they still have the virus."

To read the full article CLICK HERE

Depression is more than the experience of sadness or stress. A depressive episode is defined as a period of two weeks or longer where the individual experiences persistent feelings of sadness or loss of pleasure, coupled with a range of other physical and psychological symptoms including fatigue, changes in sleep or appetite, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, difficulty concentrating or thoughts of death.

To be diagnosed with major depressive disorder, individuals must experience at least one depressive episode that disrupts their work, social or home life

To read the full article CLICK HERE