Peers supporting disclosure

Getting an STI diagnosis can be tough. It’s easy to see why so many people avoid sharing the news whether with partners, lovers, or fuck buddies.

While notifying your partners of an STI is one of the most responsible things you can do along with getting the right treatment for you, it can be an awkward conversation even at the best of times.

When it’s an STI that can easily be passed on like gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, or untreated Hep C or HIV, letting your partners know they might need to get tested empowers them to take care of their own health. It also helps to stop transmission of the STI.

Positive Life NSW is offering a new way to support people with all the information they might want to notify their partners and even ‘contact trace’ previous hook-ups and encounters. It’s called Peer-Led Notification.

Rather than using an anonymous website, or a clinical approach like a doctor or nurse calling on your behalf, Positive Life is connecting people to peers who have been there before, done it themselves, and are trained and able to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

The goal is to help you handle anything safely and confidentially that can come up before, during or after when letting your partners know.

As a peer-led organisation, Positive Life is focused on informing and empowering you to be in the driver’s seat and support you to say the things you want to say in the ways you need to say them.

By empowering you to be in control of your health, and to tell who you want to tell in the way you want to tell them, it means you’ll feel better about yourself, and your partners and fuck-buddies are more likely to respect, trust and support you in the future.

Give Positive Life a call on (02) 9206-2177 if you have any questions about disclosure or concerns about living with HIV.

We’ve all been there, and it’s not something you have to go through alone.