Gay, bisexual men and other men who have sex with men are part of our diverse community, with both shared and unique experiences that affect their physical and mental health needs.
Meridian’s services for gay, bi and same-sex attracted men
Mental health
Gay, bisexual and same-sex attracted men, on the whole, maintain good mental health, but there are times when life circumstances become more difficult to manage on your own. Our Wellbeing Services Counselling Service offers gay, bisexual and same-sex attracted men access to low-cost or free counselling provided by practitioners who are from the same community. Support is provided for relationship issues and sexual health, discrimination and stigma at work or elsewhere, depression and anxiety, body image and self-esteem, among many others.
Sexual health education
Meridian’s peer-led education groups allow gay, bisexual and same-sex attracted men to explore effective ways to take care of themselves and their sexual partners while enjoying a satisfying sex life. We provide education for our community, by our community members.
Find out more about:
- sexual health
- PEP
- PrEP
- U=U (Undetectable=Untransmissible)
- Online safety
- Consent
- Safer sex product sales.
Sexual health clinics
Working in partnership with Canberra Sexual Health Centre, the STRIP program allows LGBTQ+ people to take control of their sexual health. STRIP is a community-based STI testing clinic where LGBTQ+ people can speak directly with health professionals who understand our community about their sexual health, including PrEP.
If you know you know (IYKYK)
IYKYK is knowledge hub for men who have sex with men. If provides sex-positive sexual health information exploring identity, sex and health. Because when you know, you're safer and satisfied. Explore, learn and embrace the power of informed sex.
HIV services
Meridian is committed to providing appropriate, high-quality support services for people living with HIV and those impacted by HIV and AIDS across the ACT region.
If you have HIV, we can provide tailored services to help you find support and get information on and access to treatment options. Our HIV services are also open to people who are not personally living with HIV but are impacted by HIV in some way. This includes partners and family members of people living with HIV.
Our peer activities for people living with HIV offer a platform for shared experiences, client support, advocacy services and counselling. Together, we strive to improve health and wellbeing outcomes through individualised support and advocacy.
Community groups
Meridian hosts a number of groups and events especially for gay and bisexual men.
MAGNET is the mature age gay network, a social group for older gay and bisexual men that meets for coffee or to see a film throughout the year. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Meridian is an integrated service for the LGBTQ+ community, so gay, bisexual and same-sex attracted men may access many programs and events on offer. We encourage you to check out our events page to see what’s on offer.