ENDING HIV STIGMA [2023-5]
MORE THAN A SOUNDBITE OR A SLOGAN

The Gay Men’s Health Collective (GMHC) evolved from a small group of gay men living with HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) in 2009-10 who were using the three drugs that would later define chemsex. GMHC’s three original projects* have morphed into eight – growing to include wider LGBTQ+ audiences, with a continued focus on relatable information, explainers, outreach, and expanding much needed conversations through conferences, and study days (2026). 

Rebuilt in 2025, MENRUS.CO.UK remains our flagship, a conversational, richly linked health manual, divided into six sections (YOU, MEN, BODY, SEX, STI, DRUGS). Lovingly managed by volunteers, the website includes thousands of curated links to support, film clips and further reading.

Spanning generations, GMHC volunteers possess invaluable lived experience; others are subject matter experts with direct knowledge and experience of recreational drug use, chems, and chemsex, problematic drug use, withdrawal, and recovery. GMHC regularly collaborates with allies and partners from across a wide range of disciplines.

None of GMHC’s projects happened because we waited. Shaped by our lived experiences, GMHC has always sought to identify gaps in provision, provide an alternative to traditional health promotion, and produce innovate creative solutions. Most recently, this includes, a GMHC and LAS** harm reduction partnership, scene and services outreach, ‘bite-sized’ chems education for ED (A&E) staff and clinicians, and Cool Beans Vol. 1-3 booklets (August)***

We remain fiercely independent, and play to our strengths while remaining open to change. Our activism, hands-on approach, and a sense of whimsy are hallmarks of who we are and what we do. Funding is secured annually and several self funding activities.

What We Do | GMHC | Sep 2025 [PDF]

* MENRUS.CO.UK, PIP PAC safer chemsex packs and THREE FLYING PIGLETS film making.
**London Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
***Appendices to Safer 2. Vol. 4-9 (Nov-Dec).

Keeping running costs down, our projects are managed virtually, with volunteers working remotely from homes, trains, and cafés (wherever we can get a half-decent Wi-Fi hotspot). Though we take our work seriously, this cannot be said of ourselves. We’ll collaborate with just about anyone, sleep with just about anything, and insist that our meetings are usually conducted over a home-cooked meal or afternoon tea.

GMHC was founded in 2010 and registered as a community interest company (CIC) and a company limited by guarantee in September 2016. Company number: 10404160. Registered office: 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX.

Funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, 2025-6

Thank you
GMHC would like to thank Beauty and Pampering, Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SE which donates pedicures to our volunteers who visit London venues, distributing health promotion resources. Their feet, thank you!

 

 

 

Donations
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