Matthew Hodson

More gay organisations and individuals have registered their support for GMFA’s "Count Me In" campaign. The Albert Kennedy Trust, who provide support for homeless LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) youth, the Eddie Surman Trust, who run PositiveLine, and Families Together London, who provide support for the families of LGBT people, have all pledged support for the campaign. The campaign, which receives no statutory funding, has also received support from Manhunt Cares, Fitlads and Gay to Z.
 
GMFA’s "Count Me In" campaign calls on gay men to help stop the spread of HIV in our community by agreeing to a 5-point pledge:
I will know my HIV status
I will not assume I know someone else’s HIV status
I will take personal responsibility for using condoms
I will value myself and my health
I will stay informed about HIV and how it is spread
 
Matthew Hodson, Head of Programmes at GMFA, said:
“I think what is getting people excited about the ‘Count Me In’ campaign is that it is clear and direct. If we are going to stop the spread of HIV in the gay community it’s down to all of us, whatever our HIV status, to think about our own knowledge and our own behaviour. The message of ‘Count Me In’ is that together we can make a difference, together we can stop the spread of HIV.”
 
Denis, a hairdresser from London, explained why he supports the "Count Me In" campaign:
“I discovered I had HIV three years ago, and since then have learned so much about how it affects not just me but the community. If I had known before what I know now I would have been a lot more careful.”
 
Denis’s video testimony, alongside videos from other "Count Me In" supporters, can be seen on GMFA’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gmfa.uk. Supporters of the campaign can get involved by joining the "Count Me In" cause on Facebook and are also invited to tell their own stories by uploading their own videos.
 
Other supporters who have already signed up to the campaign include Attitude, Bent, Gay Times, GScene, Pink Paper, Out In The City, QX, Gayromeo.com and 56 Dean Street, the Soho-based sexual health clinic.

To view GMFA’s "Count Me In" manifesto and to join the debate visit:
www.outspokenonhealth.com/countmein