Queer youth, low self-esteem and HIV

Does the bullying and homophobia society affect young gay men's chance of contracting HIV? Tuesday night that question will be discussed at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto as part of CIHR's Cafe Scientifique.

According to statistics, gay men are still the highest population to be infected with HIV. Researchers are now looking at the connection of mental health, homophobia and the risk for HIV. Worldwide HIV is a risk for everyone but in North America, Western Europe and other developed nation, the highest risk group is homosexual men. Instead of decreasing, the infection rate has remained stable. Some believe that this infection rate is due to low self-esteem and depression that many gay men deal with. In North America homophobic society has made it so that many young gay men feel that they are "bad." This can lead to some not protecting themselves with safe sex practices. The GAY MEN’S HIV PREVENTION STRATEGY found that 69 percent of all HIV diagnoses in Ontario, 73% in London-Middlesex and 92% in Oxford County in 2004 were within gay men. The report shows that support for the younger queer population is lacking, mainly in Ontario's rural locations. It also found that stress is a factor for this population when there are a lack of services to help them.

There are many theories that exist as to why we have been seeing a recent increase in the

amount of infections in the gay community given its 20 plus year anniversary. From “condom

fatigue” to low self-esteem, we need to effectively address each issue as a potential contributor to

HIV infection. In addition, we need to ensure this is being discussed in all our communities

whether urban or rural. It has always been hard to get a clear picture of where the epidemic is

headed. The long asymptomatic period after infection and spotty surveillance efforts have usually

meant that data reflect the epidemic of five to ten years ago. However, a variety of "secondary"

markers suggest a resurgence of high-risk behaviour (Cox, Winter 2005/ 2006).

John P Egan of the University of British Columbia's study The Social Construction of Safe: Young Queer Men and HIV Knowledge found that his young subjects were in jeopardy of being infected with HIV because of homophobia-inflicted ignorance. In Toronto there are 26 HIV/AIDS specific organizations catering to different target groups. There is also an ongoing study by the HIV Social, Behavioural and Epidemiological Studies Unit at the University of Toronto. The objectives of the study is to understand the behavioural, psychological, economic and social impact of HIV. The research isn't new. The theories have been around since the 1990's. Why then hasn't the public education focused on this population group in an effort to reduce the number of infections? One key problem is the way that society view homosexuality as a whole. Queer youth have few outlets to turn to compared to other young populations. That lack of support services can result in some youth feeling 'less than.' It's known that those with lower self-esteem may act out with risky sex. The issues are complex with no easy fixes. More education, both on safe sex and on changing the views of society towards homosexual youth, have to take place in order to lower the infection rate among this population. Having 'safe houses' where queer youth can discuss their issues and receive guidance while still being confidential is one step that could help curb the infection rates.