Gay men uk

What led to the decline in HIV cases in UK gay men?

HIV incidence in gay and bisexual men in the UK has fallen to such an extent that new diagnoses among heterosexuals exceeded those in homosexual and bisexual men for the first time in a decade in 2020.

A poster presented at this week’s Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2022) by Dr Valentina Cambiano and colleagues from University College London (with input from the UK Health Security Agency and community organisations, including aidsmap.com), estimates that there were 669 new HIV infections in gay and bisexual person men in 2021.

In 2011 there had been about 3000 infections. Cambiano and colleagues estimate that this 75% drop in a decade will continue if current prevention measures are maintained, leading to novel cases of HIV in gay and bisexual men becoming rare by 2040.

This is new infections, not diagnoses. During 2020, 976 gay or bisexual men tested HIV positive and 1067 heterosexuals. But this includes people diagnosed with a low CD4 calculate who may have had HIV for years and people who caught it outside the UK. In fact, while substantial falls in diagnoses in homosexual men were first reported in 2016, epidemiolog

Our next show

Two choruses. One voice. A celebration of solidarity and song.

Join the London Gay Men’s Chorus and the Amsterdam Same-sex attracted Men’s Chorus (AMSGMC) for a powerful evening of music, friendship and fabulous harmony as we reunite to celebrate a decade of connection, joy and shared purpose.

In 2017, AMSGMC welcomed us to Amsterdam for a sold-out concert titled Together. The society has changed since then – but the bond we built has only grown stronger. And now, we’re thrilled to welcome them to London and share the stage once again.

London and Amsterdam possess fierce, fabulous LGBT+ histories – and our choruses are proud to hold that legacy alive. Acting for gay, bi and gender non-conforming men from a broad range of backgrounds and nationalities, we are one community from two vibrant cities – united by song, by pride, and by the belief that visibility, love and bliss matter more than ever.

This is more than a concert — it’s a celebration of friendship, group, and joy.

Join the Celebration

Performances

We perform two main shows each year (one in the summer and one at the conclude of the year) but also perform at smaller concerts throughout the season.

Find out

The Edward Carpenter Community

The Edward Carpenter Collective is a network of men who love men, assigned to community-building, creativity, personal growth, friendship and fun. We organise one-week residential retreats – sometimes known as same-sex attracted men’s weeks – as well as weekend events and one-day workshops at locations around the UK. We also offer additional help and friendship through local groups, heart circles and informal friendship networks.

We commemorate diversity and are open to all men who passion men, whether they identify as queer , bisexual, trans or queer. We are open to men of all ages, ethnic and social backgrounds and abilities, and aim to be as inclusive as possible. To ensure our events are affordable to everyone, our charges are on a sliding scale according to income. We are a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers.

Edward Carpenter events and membership of our community can be life-changing and transformative. Every person’s experience is unusual and personal, and the best way to find out what the people can do for you is to join one of our events, or come along to a local team meeting near you. These pages propose a taste of what our events

Sexual health for gay and multi-attracted men

Having unprotected penetrative sex is the most likely way to transfer on a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

Using a condom helps protect against HIV and lowers the uncertainty of getting many other STIs.

If you’re a man having sex with men (MSM), without condoms and with someone new, you should have an STI and HIV evaluate every 3 months, otherwise, it should be at least once a year. This can be done at a sexual health clinic (SHC) or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic. This is essential , as some STIs do not result in any symptoms.

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a liver infection that's spread by a virus in poo.

Hepatitis A is uncommon in the UK but you can obtain it through sex, including oral-anal sex ("rimming") and giving oral sex after anal sex. MSM with multiple partners are particularly at risk. You can also get it through contaminated sustenance and drink.

Symptoms of hepatitis A can emerge up to 8 weeks after sex and include tiredness and feeling sick (nausea).

Hepatitis A is not usually life-threatening and most people make a complete recovery within a couple of months.

MSM can avoid getting hepatitis A by:

washing hands after sex (bottom, groin a
Safer 2 | June 2025 | 51s
The Gay Men’s Health Collective (GMHC) is the umbrella for three beautifully proportioned volunteer-led health and well-being projects for gay and bisexual men and men who possess sex with men. They aim to promote health, sexual health and well-being; reduce harms caused by HIV, HCV, and other STIs; and harms from drug use with a focus on chemsex (chems).
- MENRUS.CO.UK is our gay men’s health and well-being website with a holistic view of health. Hundreds of topics make up six key sections: YOU, MEN, BODY, SEX, STI and DRUGS, with over 16,000 links to support, production clips and further knowledge hand-picked from the Internet. And while our principal audience is gay men, information increasingly reflects the wider LGBTQ+ community.
- THREE FLYING PIGLETS makes brief films on health issues and films for the wider LGBT+ community and our allies, many gratis. We often tackle information gaps not addressed elsewhere to better connect us to our health and well-being needs. Three Flying Piglets marked its 10th birthday in 2020, having made over 200 compact films.
- PIP PAC are safer chemsex packs innovated by gay men for homosexual men with direct truth and experienc