Only one in five gay, lesbian and bisexual people would feel comfortable having ‘unprotected’ sex with someone living with HIV.
This is despite knowing they’re on effective treatment, where the HIV+ person can’t even pass it on.
New YouGov research from Terrence Higgins Trust today (6 July) reveals HIV stigma is still rife within the LGBTI community.
They took two sample sizes of 2,060 adults and 2,184 adults – of which 191 and 170 were gay, lesbian and bisexual.
Can’t Pass It On campaign. | Photo: supplied
The research reveals ‘most people’ are unaware of what it means to be on effective treatment and not pass on HIV.
People living with HIV who are on effective treatment and are undetectable cannot pass the virus onto sexual partners, regardless of whether they use a condom or not.
The PARTNER study examined 58,000 instances of sex between an HIV positive person on effective treatment and a partner without HIV, and there were zero cases of HIV transmission.
The research also reveals almost a third of LGB people would ‘swipe left’ and reject someone on a dating app who is living with HIV.
24% of respondents said they weren’t sure which way they’d swipe, with less than half (44%) saying they would swipe right.
‘[It] is always met with surprise’
Sadiq, a circus performer from London who is living with HIV and on effective treatment, said: ‘I find the information that I can’t pass HIV on is always met with surprise.
‘Knowing I can’t pass it on opens up a world where I’m OK to be HIV positive and still have relationships, without the virus being a barrier,’ he said.
The research aims to highlight stigma against people living with HIV. It also promotes Terrence Higgins Trust’s ‘Can’t Pass It On’ campaign, aiming to break the myths surrounding HIV transmission.
Sadiq said: ‘The Can’t Pass It On campaign gives people living with HIV a very easy way to inform and educate without having to get into specifics.’
Ian Green, Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: ‘It’s so important to get this message out to as many people as possible.
‘Amazing medical progress has been made, but knowledge of HIV quite clearly hasn’t kept up with that progress,’ he said.
