Question
Are there websites to meet other HIV positive people?
27 March 2012. Related: All topics, Living with HIV long-term, Support.
I am an HIV positive heterosexual British woman. I had chosen the single life since my diagnosis five years ago. But now I feel ready to start dating again and would love to find a partner that I can maybe share a future with. I refuse to sit on the shelf anymore and give in to a solitary future because of my HIV!
Unfortunately, I have not had very good reactions when I have disclosed my HIV status and have been the victim of ignorant gossip as a result. So I was wondering, are there any free dating sites for people living with HIV in the UK?
Answer
It is good that you want to start dating again. The shock from an HIV diagnosis often makes people want to wait before dating again. Sometimes it takes time to build up the strength and confidence to want to do this.
Deciding to meet other positive people has a lot of advantages and one of the easiest ways to make contact with people is to use the internet.
The community forums at poz.com include a personals section that has free registration and many thousands of international users (including from the UK). This might be a good place to start.
You do not have to live alone just because of your HIV status. There are many people in a similar situation just like you, but they have managed to find someone that they can share and enjoy their lives with. This is a very encouraging and a positive step that you have made towards your future.
Community-based sites are likely to be better that commercial sites that require fees. Most community sites though include options to access more feature by subscribing.
If the forums here are not helpful, you could start a discussion to see whether other members have found other sites helpful.
There are lots of online resources about internet dating that talk about how to do this safely. This includes taking care when giving out personal information and if you get to the point of wanting to meet, to do this in a public place, with a friend knowing your plans.
The check list at this link is a good overview if you are new to meeting people by internet.
Hi Candy, I am sorry that i-Base doesn’t run a contact service, but the links in the original post are international.
http://i-base.info/qa/6473
I am 50 and I would really like to meet someone. I live in the UK but on a contract in the Channel Islands. Please help.
Hi Simon, I am sorry to hear you have have such a difficult time finding a partner. Recent research has reported that having an undetectable viral load make the chance of being infectious incredible low – perhaps close to zero. See:
http://i-base.info/qa-on-the-partner-study/
This means that future partners might feel differently if they had more up to dat information. It lso mean that you can more easily date without having to disclose, so long as you use condoms when you have sex.
I hope things get a bit easier as lots of HIV positive people find relationships – with partners that are either positive or negative.
I been on poz.com for 25 years and i still have not met any one from the dating site . Now i am 50 years and what ever i do no one want to meet not even for a chat . I was 34 Year old when my live ended And i live in Bristol HIV can be the end of loving. It been hard being so alone and lonely just becouse of HIV .
Tired living single, I need a serious relationship
Hi, You can see on this previous question here that there are international sites you can use for dating.
The community forums at poz.com include a personals section that has free registration and many thousands of international users (including from the UK). This might be a good place to start.
Hi, I am new here, and positive and single.
Hi Denise
One place to start is to ask your clinic if there are any HIV positive support groups that are close to where you live. Sometimes these groups meet at the clinic.
If you would like to have only discussions for support, there are very good forums at http://www.poz.com.
You can chose a username to log on and although it is based in the USA, it links people from many different countries.
Speaking with other people who have gone through the same things can be one of the strongest ways to get (and give) support.
I am having postive and want to be in contact with other people going through the same thing who I can talk to.
Yes, there is this website called positive single. good on you for getting back in the game. good luck!