Grit and stigma: Gay men ageing with HIV in regional Queensland

Abstract

The ageing of the first generation of HIV long-term survivors brings into sharp focus the suffering that activism and the clinical management of HIV has not solved, particularly in regional areas. Although HIV is now usually a manageable chronic condition, it also involves navigating unrelenting social stigma. Quality of life beyond viral suppression is not assured. Despite a history of affected communities demanding equal partnership with health-care providers, an increasingly biomedicalized orientation risks neglecting the psycho-social needs of those with a history of trauma, depression and other co-morbidities often more difficult to manage than HIV itself.