Gay Men and HIV/AIDS: Where to Turn for Information and Advice

HIV/AIDS is not a gay disease, and the virus works the same whether you're gay or straight. That said, if you are gay -- or if you're a man who considers himself straight, but fools around with guys from time to time -- there's a lot of information out there that's going to be more relevant to you than if you're a straight guy who only sleeps with women (or nobody at all).

TheBody.com's HIV/AIDS Resource Center for Gay Men is a great starting point if you're looking for basic information, personal stories and thoughtful perspectives. If you'd like to dive in deeper, take a gander at the following links.

Sex, Dating and HIV Prevention

Being positive doesn't mean being celibate -- and being negative doesn't mean you should never sleep with an HIV-positive guy. It just means being smart about sex. If you're a gay man with HIV, you can not only have safe and satisfying sex, but have a healthy attitude about it, too. That's true whether you're a sex pig or prefer to do it the more traditional way, and it's true whether or not you decide it's worth the risk to bareback (a.k.a. have unprotected sex). On the flip side (no pun intended), some guys decide that, as much as they used to love sex, it's OK to shift over to celibacy. Meanwhile, if you're an HIV-negative guy, there are plenty of things you can do to ensure that any relationship you have with an HIV-positive dude is fun and fulfilling (in every way).

For more:

• Read up on some of the major hot-button issues for gay men within the HIV/AIDS community.
• Browse our articles on sex and dating for gay men.
• Read our articles on gay men and HIV prevention.
• If you have a specific HIV prevention question, ask our online expert Robert Frascino, M.D.

Finding Support

It's cliché to say it, we know, but it's so true: You are not alone. More than a million people in the U.S. (and tens of millions more worldwide) are living with HIV, and many of them -- let's be honest, too many of them -- are gay men. Living with HIV is no walk in the park for plenty of reasons, but whether you've just been diagnosed, you're choosing your first HIV doctor or you're dealing with the long-term effects of HIV and its treatment, there are people out there who can relate to what you're going through and who can help you through it.

For more:

• Visit our "Gay Men and HIV/AIDS" online bulletin board, where you can post and reply to messages from people across the world.
• Seek out an HIV/AIDS hotline or organization near you -- many offer support groups and counseling geared toward gay men living with HIV.
• Browse our listing of additional resources on the Web related to HIV/AIDS and gay men.
• Read articles on issues, such as homophobia, that affect the LGBT community.

Statistics and Facts

In the U.S., men who have sex with men are being diagnosed with HIV at a rate more than 44 times higher than other men, according to a March 2010 report. Among gay African Americans, the numbers are even more stark. Even as HIV diagnoses are dropping among many groups in the U.S., they're on the rise among gay men, especially gay men under 25.

For more:

• Browse our articles on HIV/AIDS statistics regarding gay men in the U.S.
• Visit our newsroom of stories related to HIV/AIDS among gay men.
• Read our in-depth examinations of major HIV-related issues affecting gay men, such as the question of why HIV rates are going up (especially among black and Latino men).
• Stay up-to-date on HIV-related issues impacting gay men throughout the world.
• Learn about the impact of substance abuse on the HIV/AIDS epidemic among gay men.

First-Person Stories

Tree Alexander. Robert Breining. Brandon Lacy Campos. Philip D. Thomas DeLorenzo. fogcityjohn. Enrique Franco. Bob Frascino. Mark S. King. Jimmy Mack. ScotCharles. Scott Simpson. Justin B. Terry-Smith. Each of them is a gay man living with HIV (some recently diagnosed, some grizzled HIVeterans) -- and each of them is a blogger on TheBody.com. They all have amazing, unique stories to tell, and in many cases they're telling those stories for the first time on our site. These impressive men are a testament to the strength -- a strength that lies within each of us -- to stand against stigma and overcome whatever obstacles life tosses in our way.

For more:

• Get up close and personal: Read a plethora of columns by, interviews with and articles about gay men living with HIV.
• Read perspectives from members of the gay HIV/AIDS community on issues such as coping with an HIV diagnosis, disclosing to others and deciding whether to have unprotected sex.
• Browse all of our blogs at HIV/AIDS Blog Central.

HIV Medications

HIV medications behave no differently in your body whether you're gay, straight or anything in between. However, some issues related to HIV treatment may impact gay men differently from other communities.

For more:

• Read the latest news and research regarding HIV treatment issues that specifically affect gay men.
• Learn more about "treatment as prevention," which includes two concepts: first, the idea that HIV-positive people can reduce their risk of transmitting HIV by properly taking their meds; and second, "pre-exposure prophylaxis" -- the term for taking HIV medications when you're negative in order to reduce your risk of becoming infected.