There is no stigma in being mentally ill. However does the gay ill health sector attract those that already have serious mental health conditions? And if you aren’t suffering from a mental health condition does working in the gay ill health sector create them? Is this because of their extreme ideological politically correct beliefs?
The extreme ideology that has developed within the sector is that no sexual practice, however extreme, can be judged, stigmatised or shamed. All gays are helpless, hopeless potential victims. Houston we have a problem.
Their campaigning is based on “sex positivity” and “sex without shame.” You can have the sex “you want” without anyone “judging” you, even if it is extremely risky and puts you in danger of HIV and STIs. Even HIV prevention is questioned.
It’s all about the individual feeling “ok” in their behaviour and HIV/STIs shouldn’t figure in the equation. They believe that it’s no big deal being HIV+ and HIV negative men need to understand that and not worry about it, or be encouraged to think about whether their sexual practices are a good idea. The idea of “risk” as a term is questioned.
There’s lots of talk of “serophobia” on all sides – positive and negative. We must all be “equal”. The idea that condoms should be promoted is regarded as offensive language or a hate crime against this extreme ideology and hinders gay “liberation”. Reference is made deviously to HIV stigma. This is utter madness.
Could this extreme ideology, pushed by HIV+ gay men who hate condoms, flawed individuals who put themselves at risk of HIV (probably many times), be influencing others in the sector into risky behaviour? Resulting in mental health issues and burnout? It seems so.
Picture it, a gay ill health organisation near you. Dominated by HIV+ men who hate condoms, who are into sex with drug use (normalised as “chemsex”) seeking to create a no questions asked bareback gay community. They seek to destigmatise and normalise unprotected sex to ease the pain of their HIV infection and see condoms as stigmatising them if a partner asks for one to be worn.
The client base who visit this gay ill health organisation time and time again are hopeless, risk taking, sex addicted, disease spreading barebackers but are repackaged as “liberated”, “fabulous sluts” who are living the gay dream of multiple sex partners, drugs and thumping house music.
You can see why some might get the idea that this is the “new norm” rather than just representing a very small percentage of the gay community. Barebackers are devious, manipulative, selfish individuals who want to suck you into their world.
A gay health worker who didn’t start out with this mindset would be on the front line of this bareback agenda and be vulnerable to be brainwashed by this ideology on a daily basis. He or she wouldn’t be able to challenge or discuss the ideology or would be accused of “stigmatising” and would lose their job due to discrimination and “phobia”.
It seems well meaning gay HIV negative ill health workers are being convinced that if they are to advocate PrEP for the condom haters they too have to be a PrEP taking barebacker. That way they can show empathy, be guinea pigs and show that “PrEP works”. However this causes mental health issues and burnout. Being a fabulous barebacking slut isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!
Can you imagine talking about sex all day long, while at the same time not stigmatising reckless risk taking barebackers or being able to promote condoms for good sexual health! It must play on the conscience and create extreme moral conflict. Resulting in burnout. The ideology has, of course, the answer to this, its called “self-stigma”. However that doesn’t seem to help within the sector as workers wrestle with their conscience and suffer burnout. The ideology is creating massive mental illness within the sector. Literally turning them mad.
Don’t believe us? Watch this video about the mental illness the gay ill health creates within itself.