Gay Community Periodic Survey: Queensland 2005

Gay Community Periodic Surveys surveys are regularly conducted in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth to monitor changes in sexual and other risk practices over time among Australian gay men who are gay community attached, recruited from gay sex-on-premises venues, social sites and clinics

Audit of Antenatal Testing of Sexually Transmissible Infections and Blood Borne Viruses at Western Australian Hospitals

In August 2007, the Western Australian Department of Health (DOH) released updated recommendations for testing of sexually transmissible infections (STI) and blood-borne viruses (BBV) in antenates. Prior to this, the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) antenatal testing recommendations had been accepted practice in most antenatal settings. The RANZCOG recommends that testing for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C be offered at the first antenatal visit. The DOH recommends that in addition, chlamydia testing be offered. We conducted a baseline audit of antenatal STI/BBV testing in women who delivered at selected public hospitals before the DOH recommendations. We examined the medical records of 200 women who had delivered before 1st July 2007 from each of the sevenWAhospitals included in the audit. STI and BBV testing information and demographic data were collected. Of the 1,409 women included, 1,205 (86%) were non-Aboriginal and 200 (14%) were Aboriginal. High proportions of women had been tested for HIV (76%), syphilis (86%), hepatitis C (87%) and hepatitis B (88%). Overall, 72% of women had undergone STI/BBV testing in accordance with RANZCOG recommendations. However, chlamydia testing was evident in only 18% of records. STI/BBV prevalence ranged from 3.9% (CI 1.5– 6.3%) for chlamydia, to 1.7% (CI 1–2.4%) for hepatitis C, 0.7% (CI 0.3–1.2) for hepatitis B and 0.6% (CI 0.2–1) for syphilis. Prior to the DOH recommendations, nearly three-quarters of antenates had undergone STI/BBV testing in accordance with RANZCOG recommendations, but less than one fifth had been tested for chlamydia. The DOH recommendations will be further promoted with the assistance of hospitals and other stakeholders. A future audit will be conducted to determine the proportion of women tested according to the DOH recommendations. The hand book from this conference is available for download Published in 2008 by the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine Inc © Australasian Society for HIV Medicine Inc 2008 ISBN: 978-1-920773-59-

A bit on the side: unlocking the love stories of gay men

A variety of stereotypes of gay men persist, among them, that fulfilling, intimate partner relationships are at best, uncommon, or at worst not feasible because of the highly-sexualised nature of relations between gay men. Research concerning intimacy among gay men has largely focused on broader public health concerns or notions of attachment to, or withdrawal from, a homogenous gay community. Love has rarely featured as an important part of this whole story. In fact, love stories themselves, as a way of exploring broader sociological concerns, have been largely ignored. This thesis attends to the love stories of gay men as a way of examining how intimate partner relationships in many ways inform us in theoretical debates about sexuality, identity and belonging. Data collected over ten years from repeat interviews with ten gay men reveal various elements of their love stories - the changing forms of these stories (Plummer, 1995), both for the participants and society more broadly, a key feature. Participants spoke of how dangerous emotionally the ‘scene’ can be and of the importance of a plurality of understanding of intimacy and of their feelings of what their relationships must be in order for them to feel that they match their needs. The theoretical backdrop includes an examination of Susan Sontag’s (1989) look at love in a time of AIDS, the concept of the ‘pure relationship’ (Giddens, 1991; 1992), critiques of this concept (Jamieson, 1999), narratives around individualisation and love (Beck & Beck-Gernsheim, 1995) and the use of fictional texts to illuminate the highly-desired, yet often foregone, feeling of love (Evans, 2003). The connection between these sociological debates and the narratives of the participants was aided by the use of a stimulus text, Holding the Man (Conigrave, 1995), an Australian autobiography to which many gay men, not only Australian, may relate. The stimulus text opened up connections between the broader sociological narratives, narratives around individualisation, love, trust, faithfulness and commitment and the narratives of the participants. The love stories of the participants featured prominently, not in the stereotypically-depicted way, in how they made sense of society, impelled by feelings of trust and commitment

HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C & Related Diseases in Australia Annual Report of Behaviour 2003

This report brings together information for the period 1998 to the end of 2002 regarding the monitoring of practices which may risk transmission of HIV and practices related to the social and behavioural aspects of the treatment and care of people living with HIV/AIDS

Facts & Figures: 2000 Male Out Survey

A large sample of homosexually active men was recruited through the mail-out, self complete questionnaire procedure. The participants represent a broad cross-section of the homosexually active population of Australia, both gay community attached and non gay community attached men. The resultant data based on this diverse sample of homosexually active men drawn from every corner of Australia complement those findings from periodic surveys conducted in principal gay communities. The overall method is both efficient and cost effective. Hence, serious consideration should be given to repeating the survey in 2004 as part of the four-year cycle and as a way of obtaining reliable data on homosexually active men, particularly non gay community attached men who are rarely recruited into other studies

HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmissible Infections in Australia Annual Report of Trends in Behaviour 2005

This report reviews behavioural data relevant to the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections (STIs) in Australia. It also examines behavioural data relevant to the social aspects of treatment and care of those who have been infected, including those who are living with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)