Mark Henrickson Issues of self-identification will need to be addressed if HIV prevention programmes are to effectively reach New Zealand-resident black African men who have sex with men (MSM). Ministry of Health-funded research reported on Friday indicates that 2% of black African men, many of whom are recent migrants and refugees, identify as homosexual, 78% as heterosexual and 20% as neither. In another research sample group just two of 73 men and women identified as homosexual but a further 9 who didn't consider themselves "homosexual" said they were in a sexual relationship with a person of the same sex. Alongside this, when young black African men aged 16-24, regardless of sexuality, were polled it emerged they they had less knowledge about HIV than than their older peers, harboured more negative attitudes about people with HIV and were more negative about condom use. "We must be cautious with applying western concepts or [classifications] of sexuality," said reporting researcher, Associate Professor Mark Henrickson of Massey University, a past chair of the NZ AIDS Foundation. While "information about the risks of HIV transmission via male to male sexual activities should be directed to NZ's African communities," he said, safe-sex promotion workers and campaigns must avoid reliance on terms such as "gay" and "homosexual." Henrickson observed that Africans in New Zealand are highly religious communities, predominantly Christian but with a significant proportion of Muslims, "who do not easily talk about sex." An estimated 420 of the approximately 12,500 black Africans in New Zealand are living with HIV, mostly contracted in their homelands before they were resettled into New Zealand as refugees, but only 295 have been diagnosed and are being treated. Henrickson says more research needs to be done on this sector of the population and the NZ AIDS Foundation says it has already scheduled a review of its African prevention programme which currently includes working with community leaders to encourage condom use, youth workshops, a community educators programme and sponsorship of key African events by it's Get It On campaign Henrickson was a featured speaker at the annual HIV Treatments Update conference hosted by Body Positive and Positive Women.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 29th September 2013 - 6:52pm