GT Blog - GMFAs gay mens health blog

GMFA receives £5,000

GMFAs gay mens health blog — 2008-11-25

in ‘HIV: Positive about the Future’ photography competition.

Know Your Status

GMFAs gay mens health blog — 2008-10-20

GMFA have launched a new campaign outlining the benefits of knowing your HIV status

HIV DETECTORS HIGHLIGHT PROBLEM

GMFAs gay mens health blog — 2008-2-6

We've just launched a new advertising campaign asking guys "How Do You Know His HIV Status?”

Gay Sports Day Raises Charity Cash

GMFAs gay mens health blog — 2007-10-16

Over £1,200 was raised at our fun-filled Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) and GMFA Sports Day. Three charities benefited from the event which took place on August Bank Holiday Monday. Cheques were presented this week by Timberlina, the Sports Day’s fabulous host, along with the RVT’s special guest for the evening, Bette Bourne. The cash was split between GMFA, who received 70%, Vauxhall City Farm, who received 20% and the Friends of Spring Gardens, who received 10%.

The RVT Sports Day revival attracted hundreds of spectators to watch teams compete in events such as the drag relay, the handbag toss and the 50 meter mince, as well as more conventional school sports day events such as a tug of war and egg and spoon race.

A four minute video of the day entitled ‘The Royal Vauxhall Tavern Gay Sports Day with GMFA’ has been posted on www.youtube.com and there are pics from the day on Photobucket which you can view at: http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc306/sportsday_2007/.

Our Head of Programmes, Matthew Hodson had this to say:

“The Sports Day was a huge success. Every one was pleased to see the popular day revived so now we can look forward to next year’s event which promises to be bigger and better, raising even more funds for our vital work for gay men’s health. GMFA would like to thank everyone involved for helping to make the day such a success.”

As well as all the frivolity, there was a serious side to the event too. On top of the fundraising, the Sports Day helped to promote our new online guide to sports clubs and social groups. Studies have shown that gay men are less likely to achieve recommended amounts of exercise compared with their straight counterparts.

But it’s not just sports; with details of over 100 gay groups, the online guide has something for everyone. Whether it’s wrestling, salsa, singing or swimming you’ll find it all at www.gmfa.org.uk/theguide.

Gay Sports Day Raises Charity Cash

GMFAs gay mens health blog — 2007-10-16

Get What You Want With A GMFA Course…and now you can book online!

GMFAs gay mens health blog — 2007-7-23

Sometimes we all need a little help although asking for it can often be difficult. GMFA offer a range of courses that can support, empower and equip you with new skills, knowledge and abilities to help enhance your life, keep you safe and even make you a dynamo in the bedroom. But phoning from the office to book a place on the Sex Course has deterred some guys from taking part in the past. Now, thanks to a discreet online booking form, everyone can have a go. Simply go to www.gmfa.org.uk/gwk and select the course you want to book! We hope it will encourage more men to come on courses so they can make informed choices and decisions in their lives and get the kind of sex they want.

The Assertiveness Course is one of the many courses that offer essential life skills and advice on staying safe. Lack of assertiveness can affect your relationships and quality of life, when failed communication means you don’t get what you want. In a sexual situation, that can spell danger.

Assertiveness is an important tool in the bedroom, or wherever else you choose to fuck. If you aren’t clear about what you want, or you’re not confident enough to say no, then you can put yourself in risky situations.

Participants will learn and practice negotiation skills, gain clarity about what they want and need, and explore how this can be achieved. They’ll be able to communicate calmly, saying "yes" when they want to, saying "no" when they mean "no", and have increased confidence. These skills can be applied to many situations in life, including sex and sexual safety.

There are assertiveness courses starting Saturday 11th August and Saturday 8th September. Other courses starting in August include the Arse Class and Confident Cruising.

All GMFA’s courses are free to gay men in London and bookable through the new online form. GMFA are currently working with other agencies to roll out courses nationally.

Rob Dawson
Project Manager – Mass Media

GMFA - the gay men's health charity
Improving gay men's health by increasing the control they have over their own lives.

Unit 43 The Eurolink Centre
49 Effra Road
LONDON SW2 1BZ
(020) 7738 6872

GMFA: Find out more about GMFA, volunteer or donate at www.gmfa.org.uk/aboutgmfa
Sex and Sexual Health: Information and advice on HIV and STIs at www.gmfa.org.uk/sex
Services for gay men in London: Resources & sexual health services for London’s gay men at: www.gmfa.org.uk/theguide

FS – 100 issues young

GMFAs gay mens health blog — 2007-6-7

FS HITS 100

It’s hard to believe that this week marks the 100th issue of our gay men’s health magazine FS. It seems like only yesterday we were discussing its launch and what information it should contain. To celebrating we’ve given the magazine a striking redesign and launched a new FS MySpace site. We hope you like the new look!

FS magazine brings gay men information and advice on safer sex as well as general, sexual and mental health advice. It highlights the lives of real gay men in London and the challenges they face everyday.

As well as a popular magazine, FS is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and successful health promotion projects of the past half decade. Independent evaluation has found that 93% of readers said they would like to read FS again, 87% found it easy to understand and 77% said they learned something new. These are outstanding results for a health promotion intervention and we’re very proud of the magazines accessibility and stimulating style. It really engages gay men and offers HIV prevention information that they want to read.

FS started out as a black and white community newsletter called F***Sheet in October 1993, a year after the ground breaking charity GMFA was founded. Throughout the Nineties, it provided a voice and a platform for debate for those involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS and documented the struggle to get government funding for adequate HIV treatment and prevention programmes for gay men.

In 2002, former Fluid magazine and Pink Paper editor Cary James joined GMFA and transformed the publication into a full colour gay men’s health magazine. Popular demand led to 17,000 copies being distributed free on the scene in London (an increased from an initial print run of 3,000).

Here’s what Cary had to say:

“Health information can be boring and written in complicated language; we wanted to do things differently. FS gives gay men the health information they need in an entertaining and accessible way. We have a lot of fun creating each issue and it shows. We want guys to be healthy, happy and clued-up.”

To mark this milestone, the 100th issue of FS has a redesign by acclaimed graphic designer Christian Tate. Check out the FS MySpace site at www.myspace.com/fsmag .

You can find information about FS and GMFA’s campaigns at www.gmfa.org.uk