Behaviour change “The absence of a safe space for members to interact has contributed to some reckless and shocking behaviour as some individuals begin to feel that nobody cares and they are unwanted, hence they go on to do whatever they want without looking at the consequences of risky behaviours” – GALZ Staff Member. Without access to information on behaviour change, some members of the LGBTI community are predisposed to risky behaviours that expose them to infections. Some may not fully appreciate the risk factors out there. The staff noted that some of the new cases that are being reported now could have been avoided had the clients had access to critical health information. Historically, the organisation recorded new cases of infection predominantly among the new members in the community who might not have accessed the information that was given to others. “Some do not even understand the risks out there. We are recording new cases almost every day, but previously, we had reached a stage where we would get 2 to 3 new cases of STIs over a long period and usually these were new members joining the community who had not previously accessed information. Those who were positive would live positively and the negative would maintain their status. But with the raids have changed everything, because we now have more cases, and some are repeat cases because people are no longer accessing information”. – GALZ Staff Member. 31 An Assessment of the impact of state sanctioned and unsanctioned raids on GALZ premises and gatherings

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