LAUSR

A new special interest group (SIG) within the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) has been formed to focus on the sexual health needs of racially minoritised populations. As two professionals involved in the forming of this SIG, we received messages of praise and congratulations from colleagues for persisting and managing to officially establish the SIG. Some comments received include: “it should have been done a long time ago” and “I’m really glad to finally see this group created.” However, while there is a sense of achievement and joy in establishing this SIG, there is also a feeling of regret that it has taken this long to do so. In a 1996 documentary ‘Blue Eyed’ by historian Jane Elliot, an audience of majority White attendees was asked to stand if they would be happy being treated how society treats Black people. This was met with no response, leaving Elliot to conclude that attendees were clearly aware of the mistreatment of the Black community, did not want the same treatment for themselves, but were happy to allow it to happen to others. This is a common feeling among racially minoritised communities who experience countless inequities, including poorer health outcomes without any specific interventions to address these disparities. This is particularly the case within sexual health and HIV care. For a long time, Black ethnic groups have been identified as a subgroup with greater sexual health needs due to the longexisting disproportionate burden of STI observed among this population. Among men who have sex with men (MSM), the slowest decline in new HIV diagnoses has been observed among MSM of South Asian (SA) ethnicity. Research also reveals that people of SA ethnicity, particularly women, are less likely to selfrefer to sexual health services despite having similar STI needs to the service users of other ethnicities, highlighting a need for the development of culturally specific campaigns in collaboration with SA communities to improve engagement with sexual health services. 4 We have known about these disparities for a long time. However, despite the epidemiological evidence available, there was a notable absentee on the SIG section of the BASHH website. This led to a call for action. Several meetings were held at late hours on Sunday evenings to develop a strategy, direction and aims for the new SIG. At the #vBASHH21 conference, the rationale underpinning the creation of the SIG was presented to a wide audience and was well received. Ultimately, the SIG aims to gather passionate professionals and advocates from the sexual health discipline and community organisations to create fruitful engagement and drive meaningful change through research, quality improvement and policy change. Some specific aims of the SIG include but are not limited to the following: ► Promote the sexual health of racially minoritised people within BASHH and at a wider strategic/policy level. ► Respond to national consultations on the health and sexual wellbeing of racially minoritised communities. ► Identify gaps and define research priorities for the sexual health of racially minoritised populations. ► Develop and contribute to guideline development pertaining to the sexual health of racially minoritised populations. ► Prioritise STI/HIV prevention and recommend approaches for successfully executing this work among racially minoritised communities. ► Engage and collaborate with community organisations to promote the sexual health of racially minoritised populations. In November 2021 we hosted the inaugural SIG meeting with members, alongside the initial SIG steering committee meeting. Within these meetings, alongside agreeing a formal name for the SIG, we refined our aims and agreed ambitious outcomes we anticipate to achieve in the forthcoming year. As the late Nelson Mandela stated, “it is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success.” Establishing the SIG is only the start. This longneeded SIG has been established; however, we must not allow ourselves to become overoccupied with feelings of achievement. We currently have momentum with us and must use this to initiate actions that aim to improve the sexual health and care of racially minoritised populations. Negative treatment of marginalised communities is a learnt habit. Be prepared to change your practice and improve care for racially minoritised populations. As health professionals, we have a duty of care to patients and are at a perfect time to act on these deeprooted health inequalities. Bound by a similar set of values by our respective regulatory bodies, our adopted values should match what we do and this should match what we say we want to do to protect our patients.