Engagement with communities of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men is crucial in both the fight against HIV, and ensuring the general wellbeing of these communities in society. This is the chief message of a report, released today, on a series of Community Forums for gay and bisexual men convened by NZAF in June and July this year. Attendees at six forums held around the country expressed their view that NZAF has been losing its grass-roots community connection since the late 1990s, become “corporatised”, and failed to maintain its visibility in the gay community. Vigorous discussion was held on a variety of topics at the forums, which follow a similar round run by NZAF in 2004. The purpose was to engage with gay and bisexual men on the burgeoning HIV epidemic. 90 men who have sex with men were diagnosed with the deadly virus in 2005, the highest annual number in the history of the epidemic in New Zealand. “We're very grateful to those all over New Zealand who gave up their time on some very cold nights in the middle of winter to talk with us,” says NZAF Executive Director Rachael Le Mesurier. “We agree that maintaining gay community connections is essential, and we've been working to rebuild our presence. I've been humbled by the willingness of those who attended the forums to engage with us on the issues, to be frank about what is needed and their commitment to finding a way forward together.” NZAF received extensive feedback on its health promotion campaigns at the forums, in addition to discussion about fragmentation of gay communities, complacency and lack of knowledge regarding HIV risk, support for gay youth, homophobia, and HIV-positive role models. “The feedback we've had is extensive, valuable and covers all areas of our work – from health promotion and advocacy, to testing and counselling,” Le Mesurier continues. “This will feed into our plans for 2007, and we will be reporting back to the community again in the new year with an action plan.” The full Community Forums report can be downloaded from the NZAF website at the link below, or contact your local NZAF centre to be sent a printed copy. Ref: NZAF (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Saturday, 30th September 2006 - 12:00pm