Stigma and Discrimination among gay men living with HIV is a rife in public health facilities

Kevin (not his real name) is gay and he is living with HIV. He says: “Stigma is rife in public health facilities, and I only go to a private hospital for a refill of my antiretroviral medication because I lost three of my friends living with HIV as a result of stigma and discrimination after they disclosed their sexuality to the health care providers in a public hospital.” He believes that many LGBT people shy away from public hospitals for fear of ridicule and prejudice, and unless this discrimination and stigma is addressed new HIV infections among gay men are likely to increase.

In Kenya, Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender people are increasingly subjected to stigma and discrimination every minute that passes by. For those living with HIV, the stigma and discrimination is tripled especially in public health facilities. Consequently, some LGBT people prefer to manage their healthcare through nutrition instead of visiting public health facilities because most health care providers in public hospitals are known for breaching their privacy and confidentiality by exposing the sexual orientation of their patients to other colleagues at the facilities. The health care providers are usually not friendly and hardly understand them.