Women in contact with the gay and lesbian community: Sydney Women and Sexual Health survey 1996 and 1998

Abstract

At the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, considerable attention was paid to the risk of women becoming infected and the spread of HIV from gay men to the 'general community'. Early fears about the infectivity of HIV and spread via bisexual men have now largely been calmed in Australia, as the infection rates among women have remained low compared to those among men. Nonetheless, sex with a man remains the main risk for HIV transmission to women. During 1997, 66 women were newly diagnosed with HIV infection in Australia, 58 of them through heterosexual contact and 7 through injecting drug use (Australian HIV Surveillance Report April 1998).' However, it is important to remember that for a case of heterosexual' transmission of HIV to occur, neither party need be heterosexual.