Christmas is a time to celebrate with our loved ones. We hosted our first Christmas party organised by our volunteers and held at AfA. We wanted to thank all the volunteers and new friends who came on Dec.22,2014 to exchange gifts, laughter and revel in each other’s company. May you all have a safe holiday and wish you the best for the coming New Year! From your MSM Programme staff (Avin, Alex and Daniel).
World AIDS Day event will be held at Taboo on this Saturday,Dec 6th starting at 10pm. We will be launching our 2 new initiatives, the Pink Carpet Project and the PEP SOS. Please do come down to show your support for World AIDS Day and we will be conducting free HIV testing. See you guys this Saturday!!!!
We’ve all heard that ‘tops’ are less likely to get HIV than ‘bottoms’. Sometimes guys will be on top during anal sex (or frontal sex with trans guys) in order to reduce their risk of getting HIV. When guys with different HIV statuses have unprotected anal or frontal sex, sometimes the negative guy will top the poz guy to reduce the risk of transmission.
This is called ‘strategic positioning’, and is based on the fact that it’s easier for HIV to get into the body through the ass than through the cock.
However, some factors could make strategic positioning not so strategic for reducing HIV transmission risk.
It’s technically less likely to be infected as the top than the bottom, although the risk isn’t eliminated. According to a study in Australia, around 1 in 5 men who recently contracted HIV were tops. In a research study published in 2007, among a sample size of 102 gay and bi men who were recently diagnosed HIV-positive, 10 of them were infected despite ‘strategic positioning’.
Giving and receiving unprotected anal sex are both considered high-risk for HIV. That means a lot of guys have become HIV-positive this way. When a condom is used, it’s low-risk for both partners.
Don’t assume another guy will bottom or top just because he is trans, masculine/feminine, or because of his ethnicity, race, age or cock size. Also, don’t make assumptions about your partner’s HIV status.
| Never used condoms | 5 | 5% |
| Sometimes | 9 | 9% |
| Most of the time | 12 | 13% |
| All the time | 43 | 45% |
| No casual male partner(s) | 22 | 23% |
With practice, most guys can have pleasurable anal sex without any pain whatsoever. Here are some tips for trying out a new position:
Your risk reduction strategy is up to you. But it’s important that you know the facts before you decide what kind of sex you want to have. No risk reduction strategy is as effective as consistently using condoms with lots of lube.
Remember that unprotected sex puts you at greater risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. An STI can harm your health, and also put you at greater risk of getting or passing on HIV. They often don’t show symptoms, so you should get tested regularly.
Syphilis is a sexual transmitted infection and one of the many sexual transmitted infections (STIs) you will learn from Gayhealth.sg. We will make it simple for you so that you can be equipped with this “silent ” infections which can cause brain damage, nerves, heart, eyes and even blood vessels. Okay, go grab a refreshing drink, sit down on a comfortable chair and read this, or book mark this page, so in an emergency, you know where to get up-to-date, lay men information.
Syphilis is caused by bacterial and is (easily) curable if detected early. However, late infections may leave permanent organ damage. Infection can be asymptomatic for a long time, only to surface later. As a result, many infected persons are unaware and continue to spread the infection to others.
As with most sexually transmitted infections, one becomes infected through unprotected sexual intercourse. Unlike other STIs like HIV, Syphilis can be contracted through intimate skin to skin contact. You can get infected when any of your body parts including mouth or genitals, come into direct contact with someone who has an affected sore (Chancre), even with condom use.
If you don’t seek treatments, syphilis can show up many years later and will cause severe damages to your organs as mentioned above.
Anyone who is sexually active and if you think you came in contact with a painless sore (chancre) that is usually found in the genitals area and in the mouth. Makes you think twice about play Spin the Bottle huh.
Ok relax. You can test for Syphilis by going for a blood test. Usually it will take 21 days to 3 months for the infection to show up after exposure.
Wait! Blood test?
Yes, of course! How else will they test for it? It’s a simple, quick and painless rapid (finger prick) test. Only a couple drops of blood is taken. It canbe done anonymously too.
So you have stages of infection when left untreated. Ready?
Primary Stage:
Secondary Stage:
It’s actually just one stage. Only when left untreated, it will progress. Now train yourself to include Syphilis testing with your HIV test so you can fix it before it becomes stage 2.
Yes there is. If detected within one year of infection, syphilis is easily treated with penicillin injections. If you are allergic to penicillin you will get a different injection of doxycycline or erythromycin. If syphilis is detected later than one year, you will require longer courses of treatment. It is currently felt that persons living with HIV may need a longer course of treatment to successfully cure a syphilis infection.
We have Syphilis testing at our Anonymous Testing Service (ATS) at 31 Kelantan Lane. See operating hour HERE.
You can contact us for more information.
9 Kelantan Lane #03-01
Singapore 208628
or
c/o DSC Clinic:
31 Kelantan Lane #02-16
Singapore 200031
Tel : (65) 6254 0212
Fax :(65) 6256 5903
Email : info@afa.org.sg
Ever noticed that your sexual appetite and behavior change when you’re stressed? When you’re depressed? When you’re happy? Your state of mind affects how horny you get, how often you want sex, and what kind of sex you might have. It’s why some people make use of male pheromones to help get them into the right mood for what they want to do.
We live in a society where gay and bi guys are told from a young age that we are sick, immoral and even criminal. Some gay and bi guys are rejected by their family or friends. Discrimination against us is commonplace, especially those of us who are HIV-positive. It only makes sense that this would have a negative impact on our mental health.
Often, gay and bi men live with depression, anxiety and feelings of low self worth. For many guys it’s just the reality of surviving homophobia, racism, transphobia, and many other forms of discrimination. Some of us have also survived traumatic events in our lifetime, such as childhood abuse, sexual assault, or we are living with post-traumatic stress.
Being in this state of mental health, whether temporary or more long-lasting, can make us devalue ourselves and take more risks with our health. We might also take risks in an attempt to satisfy some other need, such as:
Maybe you notice these issues when you are hooking up? Maybe you notice them after a pattern of behaviour. Maybe you don’t notice them at all. These are bigger issues that can put us at greater risk, but require more than just knowledge about HIV transmission to overcome.
Before you go to have sex, think about how you’re feeling. Notice patterns of behaviour, or triggers that make you take risks. Acknowledge realities in your life that you might need to change, or you might need to accept.
Decide on some boundaries about what you will be comfortable with before you go ahead, and make a contract with yourself to stick to them.
Sometimes, your mood or low sexual desire may just be a one-off thing, or it may be something that happens regularly. Try and evaluate why it’s happening to you, and whether the problem lies elsewhere. You might be facing problems getting an erection when you are feeling stressed or down, and if this happens often, you might have to consult a doctor and buy vardenafil online to ensure that you can combat this issue.
If you find that your state of mind is making it difficult for you to make decisions you’re comfortable with, in the moment or later on, you can try one of these or other options that have worked for other guys:
AFA MSM Programme
Daniel Le
Address: 9 Kelantan Lane #03-01
Singapore 208628
Tel: (65) 6254 0212
Fax: (65) 6256 5903
Email: daniel.le@afa.org.sg
Hotline 6226 2002
Tuesdays – Thursdays: 7pm – 10pm and,
Saturdays: 2pm – 5pm
WhatsApp 8592 0609
If you prefer to chat, you can get in touch through WhatsApp during our hotline operating hours. Please note that this is NOT an SMS service.
Click here for more info or to access e-mail counselling.
31 Kelantan Lane #1-16 S200031
Tuesdays & Wednesdays 6.30pm to 8.15pm
Saturday 1.30pm to 3.15pm
Many of us have accepted condoms as part of our sex life when we’re having casual sex outside of relationships, but it’s not unusual for guys who usually use condoms to stop using them when they get serious in a relationship.
Whether the relationship is monogamous or not, some guys feel that they’re willing to accept the risk of not using condoms with the person they’re in a relationship with, especially if they have an agreement about what kind of sex happens outside of the relationship. This is sometimes called ‘negotiated safety’.
When you agree to give up condoms, you’re also giving up some control over managing your own risk. That requires having a lot of trust in your partner.
Gay and bi guys have pioneered new ways of thinking about sexual and romantic relationships. Whether a guy wants to be monogamous or non-monogamous, neither is a reflection of his commitment to his relationship. Some guys find it difficult to sustain monogamous relationships over the long-term, so opening up the relationship to other sexual partners can be a way for them to preserve the relationship.
Source: Thesexyouwant
When we were young, we had many dreams; some aspired to grow up to become that idolized proud gay man we knew as a child or be that high-flier complete with a big house and fancy cars to boot. But the ultimate dream is to have that special someone to share a life with…our very own happy ever after.
As age and wisdom gets the better of us, we soon come to realise that dreams rarely pan out the way we planned them. Difficult choices had to be made at times and dreams get dropped along the way as reality bites. Yet despite so many milestones achieved, one box remains elusive and at times, challenging.
Where is that life partner we are promised, where is the man of my dreams?
As we look around us and see many other gay men in a happy relationship with their partners (or in some cases, partners) the question of companionship or the lack of it will starts rearing its ugly head…
“Why are they so lucky, where do I start searching?”
What is it about being a relationship that makes many gay men yearns for it? Why are we so afraid to be alone? Undeniably there are benefits of being single and you really are never alone even when you think you are. Nonetheless here is a good read for the singles out there who thinks that they need to be in a relationship to be happy.
Yes, having a life partner could be the greatest thing to ever happen to anyone but for some that could also mean constantly questioning the validity of their relationship. Some might start to explore options like watching PORNSTAR MOVIES and various other ways to spice up a ‘stale’ relationship. The constant demands to keep the relationship going may remind some of us the many benefits of being single and the list includes:
There are many good points that most people can agree with (while some don’t) yet it is an undeniable fact that a relationship is not always a ‘happily ever after’ and may on the contrary be a ‘work in progress’. Relationship comes in many different types and it depends on you to define it and it is constant hard work to maintain one. A good friend once shared “relationship is like a job; you must start at the entry level and work your way to a career…” a fact we wholeheartedly agreed with.
A relationship is also not a stage in life for you to explore your belief systems and values or your ‘self-ness’ of what makes you essentially you. So don’t dive into one the next time you meet someone on Grindr or at a sauna just because you see others in a relationship. It is not a fashion statement you’re making or a trend to follow. Use this period of singlehood to learn more about yourself and enjoy life and the benefits it brings along. If some special were to come along, he is yours to keep. Most importantly as a single healthy gay man who is enjoying the buffet table of available partners, a regular testing regime is a must. Test every 6 months for any sexually transmitted infections especially Syphilis. And always use a condom.
AFA (Action for AIDS, Singapore) presents a special, free, by invitation only screening of ‘The Normal Heart’ courtesy of HBO. The event is taking place on 10 Sep 2014 at Golden Village, Great World City.
Your respective programme managers/coordinators should be getting in touch with you very soon!
Academy Award® nominee Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Emmy® winner Jim Parsons and Academy Award® winner Julia Roberts star in THE NORMAL HEART. Directed by Emmy® winner Ryan Murphy and written by Academy Award® nominee Larry Kramer, adapting his groundbreaking Tony Award-winning play of the same name, the drama tells the story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation’s sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial.
Ruffalo portrays Ned Weeks, who witnesses first-hand a mysterious disease that has begun to claim the lives of many in his gay community and starts to seek answers. Matt Bomer plays Felix Turner, a reporter who becomes Ned’s lover. Taylor Kitsch plays Bruce Niles, a closeted investment banker who becomes a prominent AIDS activist. Jim Parsons plays gay activist Tommy Boatwright, reprising his role from the 2011 Broadway revival. Roberts plays physician Dr. Emma Brookner, a survivor of childhood polio who treats several of the earliest victims of HIV-AIDS.
Over the weekend of June 28, 2014 we held our 2nd MSM Community Symposium – Time to Act forum.
The gay and MSM community is experiencing increasing numbers diagnosed with HIV infection every year. Many of the MSM who are diagnosed are young (29 years and below).
We took this opportunity for our stakeholders to unite, as a community, for a meeting to discuss the issue of HIV and MSM in Singapore and came up with some new & better ideas to stop the spread of the infection and to assist those with HIV/AIDS amongst us.
The first session of the presentation was the HIV/STIs done by Prof. Roy Chan (NSC), Dr. Martin Chio (NSC) and A/Prof. Lee Cheng Chuan (CDC). The second session was from the clinical services for MSM by Anwar Hashim (AFA), Paul Toh Club Genesis support group and Avin Tan (AFA) followed by our community support group for intervention and education with Bryan Choong (Oogachaga), Hafiz Muhd (SG Rainbow) and Nathan Renga (The Purple Alliance).
We had a great turn out to the our event and with so many new and familiar faces. We also took this chance to launch our very own MSM website Gayhealth.sg for the MSM community in Singapore. Please visit www.gayhealth.sgfor the site.
We would like to thank all our community members for coming since Pink Dot was also having their event as well.
Stay tuned for more updates and summary from the symposium.