Coming out as a young gay man is hard enough, but dealing with a sexual health problem at the same time can be enormously damaging for your mental wellness and emotional wellbeing. This is exactly what happened to Ben (not his real name), who at the age of just 22 found himself diagnosed with a case of anal warts, which had been caused by HPV (which is the same virus that can cause genital warts).
Ben had just ‘come out of the closet’ about his sexuality, and was feeling relieved and happy for the first time in a long time. He was then devastated to realise that his first ever boyfriend had kindly given him a case of anal warts, and that he had a sexually transmitted disease (STD) to deal with, on top of his newly revealed sexuality.
Ben remembers seeing ‘bumps’ as his first symptom – they were not painful but he realised that they must be an STD, and felt enormously betrayed by his ex-boyfriend. He also felt ashamed to have contracted and STD, and knew that the virus was not one that it was possible to ever fully be rid of. He later discovered that his ex-boyfriend was completely unaware of having the virus, too.
Ben visited the GP, who burned off the warts with liquid nitrogen. Ben felt positive about this, but the warts then started to reappear, and some of them were internal and therefore causing him a bit of pain. He was referred to a dermatologist, and then to a genital wart specialist. Ben then had painful surgery on the warts, and had to wear bandages for six months afterwards.
Treatment was also especially hard for him as some of his doctors knew his family, and he was aware that the treatment was a clear indication of his sexuality. He was pleased, however, that everyone treated him with professionalism, dignity and respect at all times.
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