About Us

Why is an HIV prevention organisation interested in prejudice?

There are many reports about how the gay community have been discriminated against. Some of this may come from friends, family and peers Sometimes it is less overt, like the absence of sex education that mentions gay, lesbian or bisexual people. It is understandable that many young gay people feel that they have no one to talk to and no where to get advice information and support.

The word 'gay' has become the most often used term of abuse in places where young people are. By consistently hearing that ‘gay’ is something that is described as ‘bad’, ‘naff’, ‘rubbish’ or undesirable young people can also gain a sense that their sexuality is also dirty, bad, undesirable or disgusting. Through the work that E4D does we have assisted professionals working with young people to challenge homophobia and young people to develop skills of combating hate crime.

Many gay young people leave school with a lot of confusion about their sexuality and a very low self esteem about who they are. Secondary school education rarely if ever mentions sexuality and there are few positive images of gay men and women in the media. Young people may also find it difficult to access suitable services, information support and advice that is why E4D training empowers all workers to make their service more equitable and gives information about where gay young people can access suitable advice and support.

For some gay and lesbian people they can internalise this hatred and discrimination, and this in turn can lead to internalised homophobia and increased lower self esteem. We know that people with low self esteem may find it more difficult to negotiate safer sex and often find it difficult to say no to sex that they don’t want. They might also feel that they do not have rights as gay and lesbian people and are not entitled to ask to access the services they require. To ensure this is not the case we aim to work with others to identify the needs of the local gay community, and explore ways in which working practices can meet those needs, as well as the agency's needs.

The E4D site is split into several easy to use sections. If you are a young person click here (button to young peoples pages). If you are some one who works with young people click here or if you are just looking for some more information click here.