Confidence is Key
For supper tonight I had a butternut curry, and what is a curry without potatoes and rice? Seems like a meal that is quite heavy on carbs, or so I thought as I took the last few bites while clicking…
STIs, STIGMA AND MENTAL HEALTH
Around the world, men who have sex with men (MSM) are 28 times more likely to acquire HIV than other people. There’re a few reasons why this is: One of them is the fact that anal sex is more conducive…
How getting on PrEP changed both my life and views on sex.
November 2017, was the year I decide to visit the Health4Men clinic in Greenpoint, Cape Town to get on PrEP and this was by far the best decision I could make for myself. I got my first month of pills…
What is MSM?
MSM stands for ‘men who have sex with men’, and it doesn’t mean the same thing as ‘gay’. Many people assume that men who have sex with men (MSM) are all gay men, but this isn’t true. It’s a…
Queer Visibility: A Radical Liberating Act
I’ve dated guys who aren’t afraid of holding my hand in malls and even kissing me in public if the mood calls for it. Nothing is more striking in these moments than the stares, whispers and giggles that I have…
The HIV and Depression Connection
Depression is the most common psychiatric illness worldwide, with the average person having a lifetime risk of about 10% of having a depressive episode (1). It is also one of the most underdiagnosed psychiatric conditions, especially in men. However, research…
Let’s not be “sies”- gender
As a teenager, I often presented as a girl, because I had a baby face and the art school I attended allowed me to grow a long blonde bob. I did it for various reasons. I was a very late…
Stigma: A killer we can stop
I would do anything that I can to avoid shame and embarrassment, and I will gladly duck and dive a situation in which I suspect that I may be judged by someone else and put into the “not good enough”…