Championing safer sex in the LGBT community

South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world and it is up to all of us to change this.

Three years ago, the WETHEBRAVE.co.za campaign kicked off asking gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) to be #BraveEnough to make healthy sexual choices like wearing a condom, getting tested regularly and knowing their status.

Today, the large-scale, national sexual health campaign has, in partnership with Health4Men, been responsible for enabling over 490 000 men to be tested at MSM-friendly clinics and giving over 12 000 men access to HIV treatment. 

“We are incredibly proud of all we have achieved in such a short space of time. MSM are South Africa’s most at-risk population for HIV acquisition and transmission. We are so pleased with the strides we have made in changing behaviour to encourage responsible sex, reduce HIV transmission and promote health-seeking behaviour,” says Head of Marketing at the Anova Health Institute Nina Morris Lee, which is spearheading the campaign.

 Anova Health Institute received funding from the Elton John Aids Foundation.

Monde Ngwane, a student who chairs a forum at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) College of Health Sciences, shares that WETHEBRAVE.co.za has played a large part in enabling their advocacy work in the MSM community.

“A lot of people have now been enlightened about health tips, sexual safety and the resources available to them through WETHEBRAVE.co.za, particularly because of the way that the information is packaged and distributed. This is changing the way that we, as a community, relate to and access information.”

Fellow UKZN student, Sthembiso Mkhize, first heard about the WETHEBRAVE.co.za campaign at an event held on campus.

“They taught us about having safe sex, how to use condoms and how we could access medical services for our sexual health. Because of the way that they shared the information, I was able to listen properly and now I practice safe sex.”

Over the past three years, WETHEBRAVE.co.za has addressed HIV prevention and treatment issues in an affirming, non-judgemental and sex-positive way that is also entertaining and engaging.

WETHEBRAVE.co.za has also sought to stamp out the stigma that still surrounds lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people - one of the major deterrents to testing.