We need your experience and knowledge! The WA AIDS Council (WAAC) wants to gain a better understanding and insight into gay men who enjoy group sex activities. So, WAAC is introducing a new, free forum that will run monthly, starting from March 23. This forum is specifically for the guys who are interested in ‘things less vanilla’, and who wish to discuss issues, challenges and possibilities in an open, frank and social environment.
A new phase of ‘The Drama Downunder’, a nation-wide campaign encouraging gay men to become more savvy about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and to get regular sexual health checks, will be launched this month.
Produced by the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO), the campaign has been designed to address rising rates of STIs among Australian gay men..
The WA AIDS Council is offering a new course in 2009 to same sex attracted Asian guys. The workshop will address specific issues experienced by Asian guys living in Australia such as culture, family issues, the gay community, sexuality and self-esteem. The course aims to provide participants with support and understanding in a confidential and non-judgemental environment. For more information please Contact Us.
Talk To Me - Starts April 20, 2010
Ever wanted to learn how to communicate your feelings more effectively to partners, family, friends, colleagues or casual hook-ups? WAAC’s new Communications Workshop Talk to Me, offers listening techniques, clarification of personal needs, skills in being assertive as opposed to aggressive and discussion about getting your point across in constructive ways. We have decided to offer this Workshop because many of our past workshop participants have expressed a desire to go more deeply into the intricacies of communication and interpersonal relationships. For more information or to register please Contact Us
Wear It With Pride!
WAAC and ACON, on behalf of the National LGBT Health Alliance, have commenced work on a new education campaign to help people understand the Federal Government’s recent reforms affecting same-sex couples.
by Bonnie Goldman (reproduced from The Body Website – www.thebody.com)
The ban on travel or immigration to the U.S. by people living with HIV/AIDS is officially over today. It was an ugly law that had been in place since 1987 and caused countless humiliations. Most students applying for visas to study in the U.S. could not get a visa if they were HIV positive. People from overseas who had the opportunity to work in the U.S. were denied work visas if they were HIV positive. Tourists and businessmen and women were denied visas because of their HIV status.
Going in for a HIV/STI screen should be as normal and as easy as walking into the local deli for a carton of milk.
So, why do so many guys feel that it is more like walking into a sex shop for the first time – filled with anxiety, shame and embarrassment? The answer lay in the myth that “good gays” shouldn’t need a sexual health screen.
It’s 3:30pm on a Friday afternoon. You’ve been chatting to a hot guy online who has invited you to a fisting party, with six other “PnP” pigs, at his hotel room in the city this evening. You’re horny. You’re excited. You’re revved. You’re there, hook or by crook! You log off, go to the play cupboard and realise, in a fit of horror and tears, that you have no Crisco™, no gloves and no injecting equipment. There goes that idea of a hot long session of sex...
The WA AIDS Council has been offering HIV/STI testing through Perth saunas for over a decade. Currently there is a clinic every Monday night from 7-9pm at Perth Steamworks (cnr of Forbes and William Sts, Northbridge). The AIDS Council is pleased to announce that from Monday the 7th September, there will be a return to two clinics every Monday from 3-5pm and 7-9pm. The 3-5pm shift has not been operating for the past 6 months due to difficulty in finding a nurse, but we now have the clinical services we require to reopen. The AIDS Council would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused over the past 6 months, and also thank patrons of the sauna clinic for their patience.
A number of local and national research projects gather data on same sex attracted men’s needs, health, and trends in sexual behaviour in order to make sure services which are provided by organisations like AIDS Councils are relevant and acceptable. Without this information it would be impossible to get a sense of what the broader men who have sex with men population wants or needs.
The WA AIDS Council (WAAC) is dedicated to increasing the accessibility and acceptability of sexual health services to same sex attracted men. For many years WAAC has been running a weekly Monday night testing clinic at Perth Steamworks. A couple of years ago the AIDS Council also opened a Monday to Friday testing clinic at the Murray St office.
How many times have you heard people say that there are not enough gay venues in Perth, and that some of our gay venues are becoming too straight? Perth’s gay community, like all communities, always changes and evolves; people come and go, every now and then a new club comes along then closes, new community groups pop up and the Pride Parade shrinks and expands.
The syphilis outbreak began in Western Australia just over two years ago. Before this time syphilis had virtually disappeared and was thought of as a thing of the past, but a world-wide outbreak amongst men who have sex with men finally crept its way over the West Australian borders around Christmas time in 2006.
The following article is reprinted from the February issue of the American gay publication “The Advocate”. The notion of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is one that is getting more attention here in Australia and is included here so that some thought and discussion can commence around this issue.
Want to find out what it is like for other guys? Want to get support and information from guys who understand where you are coming from? The Project X Team from the Gay/MSM Program at the WA AIDS Council adopts a peer education model in our health promotion, outreach and education. All our programs are run by Gay/MSM guys and one to one peer support is also available.
Wanting to find out where you can get an anonymous confidential sexual health check? The Sauna Sexual Health Service and the WAAC HIV/STI STI service provide sexual health information testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and blood borne viruses (BBVs).
We offer a variety of workshops run by gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. The Workshops are about exploring our sexuality and making the most of our choices.
The WA AIDS Council is offering a new course in 2009 to same sex attracted Asian guys. The workshop will address specific issues experienced by Asian guys living in Australia such as culture, family issues, the gay community, sexuality and self-esteem. The course aims to provide participants with support and understanding in a confidential and non-judgemental environment. For more information please 
Ever wanted to learn how to communicate your feelings more effectively to partners, family, friends, colleagues or casual hook-ups? WAAC’s new Communications Workshop Talk to Me, offers listening techniques, clarification of personal needs, skills in being assertive as opposed to aggressive and discussion about getting your point across in constructive ways. We have decided to offer this Workshop because many of our past workshop participants have expressed a desire to go more deeply into the intricacies of communication and interpersonal relationships. For more information or to register please 
WAAC and ACON, on behalf of the National LGBT Health Alliance, have commenced work on a new education campaign to help people understand the Federal Government’s recent reforms affecting same-sex couples.
