Loving, lusting, and living with HIV

Loving, lusting, and living with HIV

For anyone, the negotiation of relationships can be tricky. But for people living with HIV, we usually find an extra layer of complexity.

Nearly 60 per cent of people living with HIV in Australia are in a HIV-different (or sero-discordant) relationship.

In 2008 and 2012, Positive Life published Sero Disco and Sero Disco 2 where we asked: why let HIV get in the way of a good relationship?

Through the personal stories of people with HIV-different relationships, where one partner is HIV-positive and the other is HIV-negative, they shared their own real world examples of negotiating love and lust along with HIV-difference.

HIV Difference takes up this evolving story of sex, health, love, and HIV.  

Over eight years after the first Sero Disco, the division between HIV-positive, negative, or unknown has transformed with the gradual erasure of the sero-divide in sexual relationships for all of us as lovers, friends, and fuck buddies.

Today, with the benefits of immediate treatment commencement and long term adherence to treatment and viral load monitoring, Treatment as Prevention (TasP) is an acceptable and powerful HIV prevention strategy.

For the first time, PrEP has delivered another powerful blow to the sero-divide, reducing fear and anxiety and opening up a new freedom between partners of all HIV sero-statuses. HIV-difference need not stand in the way of emotionally and physically rich relationships, no-strings-attached fun, or love.

In HIV Difference you’ll find the voices of our ‘silent warriors’ who boldly tackle the biggest killer of all, HIV stigma.

Their stories shine a light on some of the ways across the boundaries of fear, culture, gender, sero-status, and disclosure to find freedom, excitement, and adventure in ways that were previously unheard of.  

These generous narrators normalise this new playing field of living and loving in an environment which is slowly coming to the realisation of what it means to be ending HIV today.  

Keep an eye out for it and until then and after, go forth, love, lust, and live positively.

To read HIV Difference online visit: www.imags.com.au/hiv_differenceIf you would like a printed copy posted to your address, please contact Positive Life on (02) 9206-2177 or email [email protected].

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