Glossary

Acquired Immune Deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). A person may not notice any symptoms or may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness. Typically, this is followed by a prolonged period with no symptoms. AIDS is characterized by increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections, such as pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and candidiasis, to certain cancers, as Kaposi's sarcoma, and to neurological disorders. AIDS is not the same thing as HIV, which is the virus which causes AIDS. The words are not interchangeable.

A label that you’re given at birth based on medical factors, including your hormones, chromosomes, and genitals. Most people are assigned male or female, and this is what’s put on their birth certificates Instead of saying “biological sex,” some people use the phrase “assigned male at birth” or “assigned female at birth.” This acknowledges that someone (often a doctor) is making a decision for someone else. The assignment of a biological sex may or may not align with what’s going on with a person’s body, how they feel, or how they identify.

Bacteria are living things that have only one cell. Under a microscope, they look like balls, rods, or spirals. They are so small that a line of 1,000 could fit across a pencil eraser. Most bacteria won't hurt you - less than 1 percent of the different types make people sick. Many are helpful. Some bacteria help to digest food, destroy disease-causing cells, and give the body needed vitamins. Bacteria are also used in making healthy foods like yogurt and cheese. But infectious bacteria can make you ill. They reproduce quickly in your body. Many give off chemicals called toxins, which can damage tissue and make you sick. Examples of bacteria that cause infections include Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, E. coli., gonorrhea and chlamydia. Antibiotics are the usual treatment. When you take antibiotics, follow the directions carefully. Each time you take antibiotics, you increase the chances that bacteria in your body will learn to resist them causing antibiotic resistance. Later, you could get or spread an infection that those antibiotics cannot cure.

The receptive partner for anal, oral and/or fetish, BDSM sexual intercourse or contact. Sometimes, erroneously, generalized to mean submissive or passive. This individual can and many times does, perform as the "Top" or more active partner for any and all other activities. This is also in reference to sexual positions ONLY and has no bearing on his overall expressions outside of the bedroom.

Natural sex, where neither participants use a condom for oral and or anal intercourse.

Individual values, beliefs, and behaviors about health and well-being shaped by various factors such as race, ethnicity, nationality, language, gender, socioeconomic status, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, and occupation. Cultural competence in health care is broadly defined as the ability of providers and organizations to understand and integrate these factors into the delivery and structure of the health care system. The goal of culturally competent health care services is to provide the highest quality of care to every patient, regardless of race, ethnicity, cultural background, sexual orientation, English proficiency or literacy.

The reduction in effectiveness of a medication. It does not mean the infection cannot be cured. It does mean that it may take more of those medications or different ones, and/or for longer periods of time before you are fully cured of the infection.

The range of characteristics pertaining to, and differentiating between, masculinity and femininity. Depending on the context, these characteristics may include biological sex (i.e. the state of being male, female or an intersex variation which may complicate sex assignment), sex-based social structures (including gender roles and other social roles), or gender identity. Some cultures have specific gender roles that can be considered distinct from male and female, such as the hijra (chhaka) of India and Pakistan.

The ways in which we each manifest masculinity or femininity. It is usually an extension of our “gender identity,” our innate sense of being male or female. Each of us expresses a particular gender every day – by the way we style our hair, select our clothing, or even the way we stand. Our appearance, speech, behavior, movement, and other factors signal that we feel – and wish to be understood – as masculine or feminine, or as a man or a woman. For some of us, our gender expression may not match our biological sex. That is, while other people see us as being male or female, we may or may not fit their expectations of masculinity or femininity because of the way we look, act, or dress. People whose gender expression is not what we might expect represent many different backgrounds – their age, sex, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation has no bearing on their gender expression.

One's personal experience of one's own gender.[Gender identity can correlate with assigned sex at birth, or can differ from it completely. All societies have a set of gender categories that can serve as the basis of the formation of a person's social identity in relation to other members of society. In most societies, there is a basic division between gender attributes assigned to males and females, a gender binary to which most people adhere and which includes expectations of masculinity and femininity in all aspects of sex and gender: biological sex, gender identity, and gender expression. In all societies, some individuals do not identify with some (or all) of the aspects of gender that are assigned to their biological sex;some of those individuals are transgender or genderqueer. Some societies have third gender categories. Core gender identity is usually formed by age three. After age three, it is extremely difficult to change, and attempts to reassign it can result in gender dysphoria. Both biological and social factors have been suggested to influence its formation.

The virus which causes AIDS, is a sexually transmitted infection. It can also be spread by contact with infected blood. Without medication, it may take years before HIV weakens your immune system to the point that you have AIDS. There's no cure for HIV, but there are medications that can dramatically slow the progression of the disease. These drugs have reduced AIDS deaths in many developed nations.

A man who has sexual desires towards one of his own gender, if he acts on them or not.

Biological term for those who have a Y chromosome, which codes for the production of larger amounts of testosterone to develop male reproductive organs. In most animals, including humans, sex is determined genetically, but in some species it can be determined due to social, environmental, or other factors. Also, a term of self-identification as referenced to gender/roles and or expression.

Also called boyhood, manliness, or manhood is a set of attributes, behaviors and roles generally associated with boys and men. Masculinity is both socially-defined and biologically-created. It is distinct from the definition of the male biological sex. Both males and females can exhibit masculine traits and behavior. Those exhibiting both masculine and feminine characteristics are considered androgynous, and feminist philosophers have argued that gender ambiguity may blur gender classification. Traits traditionally cited as masculine include courage, independence and assertiveness. These traits vary by location and context, and are influenced by social and cultural factors. An overemphasis on masculinity and power, often associated with a disregard for consequences and responsibility, is known as machismo.

Literally, men who have sex with men. Term created in the 1990's to cover those men who have intercourse with others of their gender but do not, for whatever reason(s), identify with the terms "homosexual or gay". This marketing campaign is/was a strategy to mainly attract those males of colour towards HIV prevention and treatment programs.

An older term used to describe methods to keep guys safe from contracting, mainly HIV, but also other sexually transmitted diseases. In reality, there is no such thing as truly safe sex. All sex comes with some form of risk, no matter the level of cautions taken.

More modern term to describe methods guys can take to keep from contracting sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and others. These "tool kits" include STD eduction, condoms, PrEP and PEP as well testing and sero-sorting.

1. a label — male or female — that you’re assigned by a doctor at birth based on the genitals you’re born with and the chromosomes you have. It goes on your birth certificate. 2. the physical act of intercourse/contact between an individual or group of individuals.

Any sort of contact, which is considered sexual in nature and arousal but doesn't include penile penetration. Examples include: kissing, frotage and masturbation. These activities are considered to be part of "safer sex", but some risks are involved for bacteria infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, which are transferred via skin-to-skin contract.

When a penis enters another(s) body via the mouth or anus. Penetration is necessary.

The active or penetrative partner. Too often, erroneously, described as the aggressive or dominate. Just like with "bottoms" many will change or alter his sexual activity with the same or multiple partners, depending on the activity, the person and the relationship.

Evidence-based confirmation that the risk of HIV transmission from a person living with HIV (PLHIV), who is on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and has achieved an undetectable viral load in their blood for at least 6 months is negligible to non-existent. While HIV is not always transmitted even with a detectable viral load, when the partner with HIV has an undetectable viral load this both protects their own health and prevents new HIV infections.

The traces of the HIV virus are so low that modern medical “tests can not find” HIV. It does not mean cured. It means not detectable. A viral load test is a lab test that measures the number of HIV virus particles in a milliliter of your blood. These particles are called “copies.” So, when someone says that he is undetectable, it literally means that they have reached a point of which their virus is not detectable by modern lab tests and they are not going to transmit HIV to sexual partner.

In reference to sexual activities and participation, one who is both top and bottom, penetrated and penetrator. The range, or percent may vary from guy to guy, with some being 50% active and 50% passive, to either end of the spectrum. On some level, almost all gay male are versatile.

According to HIV.gov, “The term “viral load” refers to the amount of HIV in a sample of your blood. When your viral load is high, you have more HIV in your body, and that means your immune system is not fighting HIV as well.”

A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of other organisms. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viral infections in animals (including humans) provoke an immune response that usually eliminates the infecting virus. Immune responses can also be produced by vaccines, which confer an artificially acquired immunity to the specific viral infection. However, some viruses including those that cause AIDS and viral hepatitis evade these immune responses and result in chronic infections. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses, but several antiviral drugs have been developed.