Josh McCormack has received Amnesty International backing for the Sex Outside the City campaign.
Josh McCormack has done a lot of work to promote the health of rainbow communities since he left Whanganui Collegiate to embark on his medical studies in 2017.
Despite being based in Auckland for five years, the 22-year-old remains concerned about the health of young people growing up in rural New Zealand, and he has launched a new campaign that aims to reach the rural heartland.
Sex Outside the City is a campaign that encourages queer men in rural areas to get sexual health check-ups, and it has now received backing from Amnesty International.
The New Zealand branch of the human rights organisation has recognised McCormack with a youth programme Gary Ware award, which includes $4000 in funding to help develop the project.
Sabrina Manū, youth campaigner for Amnesty International, was a member of the selection panel for the award, and said McCormack presented an excellent case.
“He really impressed us with his knowledge and understanding of the reason for the kaupapa,” she said.
“His plan was so well-thought-out, and we could see that he had come up with something that would be practical and doable while being accessible to improve health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ and takatāpui people in rural-regional Aotearoa.”
The Sex Outside the City campaign features two ground-breaking billboard designs that tackle highly stigmatised health conversations.
One, designed by artist Matthias Bucher, depicts two young men in a rural Taranaki setting holding hands, and carries the slogan: “Finish the Job with a Rectal Swab”.
“We need to be able to have honest and open conversations about the health of queer people, without succumbing to the pressures of public taboo,” McCormack said.
“It is time to put an end to the misconception that sexual health inequities occur due to the personal irresponsibility of queer men. Instead, we need to recognise the breakdown in sexual health education in this country. We need to talk about the assumptions among health providers that men presenting to the clinical environment must be straight men engaging only in heterosexual practices.”
McCormack said rural GPs should not assume that straight-looking young men were not having sex with other men.
“Conversations about queerness can be highly stigmatised in rural areas, particularly around queer health needs. Sex Outside the City is a project that will change that.”
McCormack said according to evidence, one in two gay and bisexual men in Aotearoa were not ‘out’ to their GPs. International evidence suggested that more than 60 per cent of gonorrhoea and chlamydia infections might be missed among queer men if urinary and genital testing was all that was performed.
The other billboard design, Takatāpui Are Whānau by Pounamu Wharekawa, depicts wahine in a same-sex relationship and encourages testing for HPV (human papillomavirus).
McCormack said HPV was a common virus that could cause several types of cancer in people of all genders, commonly including cervical cancer, throat cancer, anal cancer or head and neck cancer.
“HPV-related cancers are vaccine-preventable and have been for years. HPV vaccination is free for all people in Aotearoa from the day they turn nine until the day they turn 27. HPV is mainly transmitted through sexual skin-to-skin contact.”
Takatāpui Are Whānau means that people who express queerness in the context of te ao Māori are whānau, and should be included as whānau in whānau-based approaches to health.
Pride Whanganui trustee Christina Emery said McCormack’s work had been “absolutely bloody brilliant”.
“I love his kaupapa and his dedication to making sure smaller cities and towns stay on the radar when it comes to recognition and funding,” she said.
“Rainbow people in the regions experience the same sexual health and mental health concerns as those living in the main centres. Just because there are fewer people doesn’t mean there are not the same needs.”
Emery said McCormack’s efforts were inspirational to young people growing up in the regions who had aspirations to make a difference in the world.
Ardon England left Whanganui in 2016 to pursue a dance career, and also trained as a mental health advocate and tried his hand at boxing.
This year, he returned to Whanganui to open his cosmetic artistry business.
“I have seen Josh’s Facebook posts about the Sex Outside the City campaign and it sounds really good,” he said.
“I did experience homophobia growing up in Whanganui, and attitudes have improved, but there is still a way to go. I would always wear what I like and be who I am, but living in Auckland gave me more confidence because no-one reacts negatively there.”
England said he had encountered some negative reactions since moving back to Whanganui.
“I really don’t care - it doesn’t affect my confidence at all, but it is tiresome when I encounter those reactions because I had got used to living without them.”
Asked if he thought there were adequate services for sexual health in Whanganui, England said there were, but they could be improved for people who lacked confidence.
“There’s a sexual health clinic on Thursdays and I get a check-up every three months, which is something I’ve done for years,” he said.
“It’s a great service, but you sit in a waiting room with other people and a nurse calls your name, so that could pose a problem for some people. I know there are queer men and women who are sexually active but haven’t come out to their families, so they are not likely to want to go for a check-up, and they need to.
“That’s why Josh’s work is so important - it’s about changing everyone’s attitudes.”
While completing his studies McCormack has also been involved in the SPOTS: Sex and Prevention Of Transmission Study team, and established new support structures for LGBTQIA+/Takatāpui students at the University of Auckland medical school.