LGBTQ people from BME communities are statistically less likely to engage with sexual health services due to barriers such as homophobia, stigma, fear of being judged, social exclusion and social deprivation.
In many BME communities, men who have sex with men may not use the terms ‘gay’ or ‘bisexual’ to describe themselves. Good practice is to use the term ‘Men who have Sex with Men’ (MSM) rather than gay or bisexual men.
We are aware of these barriers and have sensitively developed specialist services to help reach out to the African and Afro Caribbean community.
According to the National AIDS Trust(NAT), the proportion of late diagnoses in 2015 was particularly high among black African (53%), followed by black other (49%), Asian (47%) and black Caribbean (46%) ethnicities.
Late diagnosis greatly impedes on response to treatment & quality of life.
Gonorrhoea is a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) caused by bacteria. It is the second most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the UK.
Hepatitis C is a viral infection affecting the liver. It has usually been associated with injecting drug use but we now know that it can be passed on sexually, particularly with certain sex practices.
Genital herpes is a common infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). It can cause painful blisters on the genitals and the surrounding areas.
NGU is inflammation of the male urethra (water pipe) which can occur due to various causes hence the condition sometimes being called Non-Gonococcal Urethritis (NGU).
TV is a curable sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a protozoon called Trichomonas vaginalis, or ‘TV’. Protozoa are tiny germs similar to bacteria.
