Following a successful weekend for gay and bisexual men living with HIV in Pitlochry in 2007 there will be a consultation event in Edinburgh on the 4th of October from 12 - 4pm. A free buffet lunch will be provided and travel costs will be reimbursed to those on low income. 

The men who took part in the last residential said they really appreciated the company of other men living with HIV and were able to talk about their experiences without having to explain their situation or edit conversation for fear of being rejected. The weekend also allowed men to talk about their own experiences and how they dealt with the challenges that living with HIV can bring.  This information becomes vitally important in shaping policy and future direction of support and ensures that the voices of men living with HIV are heard.

We are now in the process of planning future events and would like to hear what you would want from these. Here are some of the things that men from the Pitlochry residential weekend said they would like to see included in future events.

•Workshops on building relationships and confidence.

•Employment, getting back to work and the issues of keeping hospital appointments while working. How to deal with employers’ lack of knowledge on HIV.

•How to deal with men who insist on bare backing.

•Dealing with family and helping them understand the whole issue of HIV.

•More activities with social interactions, that allows time for participants to bond.

•Exploring different ways of having fun sex, handling different relationships.

•Designing a profile for online chat and being upfront about being HIV positive.

•A life skills weekend looking at healthy eating, stress management, living well with HIV.

•Coping with symptoms, meds and their side effects.

For venue details or to book a place please click here to email him. You can also call him on 0131 312 9952.