We value my partner; We care to not ever infect my partner.
“ that we use all kinds of precautions to prevent so that I don’t transmit the virus over to the girls” Glenda, 37 yrs old, Windhoek so I will be very careful of making sure
Disclosure to family members was articulated as method of accessing help, specially therapy adherence for everyone on treatment, or even for individuals to know very well what to accomplish when a one becomes ill. Those individuals with members of the family coping with HIV stated that having an HIV family that is positive made disclosure more feasible.
Numerous individuals described managing HIV within the context of help in relationships. They were relationships by having a family or partner users. Individuals recommended that disclosing an individual’s status to a lady partner or a lady member of the family ended up being much simpler rather than a male partner. By way of example, some lesbians managing HIV claimed that received notions of feminine attributes (such as being caring, understanding and compassionate) of the individual being disclosed to managed to make it “easier” in order for them to divulge their status to feminine lovers:
“Females are extremely accommodative and extremely caring in comparison to men. It becomes easier to tell another female (about your status) than as a female to have to tell a male person, males are very cruel” Phindi, 43 yrs old, Durban if you are in a relationship with another female
“Generally women can be more knowledge of these exact things than guys. So, it will be easier for me personally to share with a feminine partner about my status than a lady to share with a guy. ” Lungile, 26 yrs old, Pretoria
Yet, for the next participant it had been do not to reveal a person’s status to individuals, since this might trigger concerns that a participant is not able to respond to. For many ladies who reported that they had never ever held it’s place in sexual relations with males, that they had to cope with stigma and misconceptions about lesbians and HIV. Individuals’ disclosure may expose them to prejudice, stigma and endless questions regarding the chance of transmission. In specific, the concerns constantly linked to the methods by which lesbians could perhaps send HIV to one another, as previously mentioned previously:
“I do not would like them to understand. I don’t understand the way they will feel about me (be)cause We stated i am a lesbian and today i am good and they’re going to have their minds twisted…” Puleng, 30 yrs old, Cape Town
HIV continues to be mainly considered a heterosexually sent condition in Africa (Johnson 2007). This excludes the greater amount of current attention provided to males who possess intercourse with males in components of photography equipment (Reddy, Sandfort and Rispel 2009). Within our research, individuals were not able to know on their own just just how HIV could come to sexcamly cams be sent between females. Firstly, it had been hard they got infected as lesbians when they are known not to be in sexual relations with men for them to explain to other people how. Next, the overall presumption and myth that lesbians are safe and which they cannot get HIV helps it be problematic for lesbians coping with HIV to reconcile their realities with commonly sensed notions of no danger.
Accessing health solutions
Many participants reported good experiences health that is accessing solutions. Participants have been accessing treatment especially reported that service distribution with regards to HIV care ended up being satisfactory. Nonetheless, there have been some individuals whom suggested that negative attitudes of healthcare providers and absence of knowledge hindered participants from accessing general public wellness solutions. Medical care providers had been known as having hardly any, if any, information on lesbian health that is sexual. These attitudes and concerns did, nevertheless, maybe perhaps not deter folks from searching for care, regardless if it suggested planning to another service provider after a negative experience:
“The other time I experienced a problem and went there to the hospital with my partner, then the nursing assistant stated i need to return utilizing the “man associated with house”. Then, she was showed by me my partner beside me personally. Yho! (a favorite South African exclamation denoting anger, surprise or surprise) She, the nursing assistant, went outside and told a different one plus it ended up being like that they had seen a ghost. The direction they behaved, like we have been disgusting somehow. And that perplexed me personally so we decided in those days to attend a doctor that is private we knew without a doubt that people wouldn’t be judged. ” Gugu, 30 yrs old, Durban