This article explores Canadian resources and tools on harm reduction for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) and for service providers who support them. The resources address safer drug use and safer sex while using drugs.
Resources for gbMSM
These resources for gbMSM provide information on party and play and other topics to support safer drug use and promote self-care.
Drug use
Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance (GMSH)
This website includes information on different substances, safer drug use and safer sex, as well as videos featuring gbMSM who share their experience with party and play.
Mybuzz.ca
RÉZO
This online questionnaire can be used to help assess the impact substance use may be having on one’s life and sexual health. The assessment results provide information that gbMSM can use to reflect on their substance use and identify strategies for using substances more safely.
Resources for service providers
These resources can help service providers develop their understanding of drug use among gbMSM and develop programs and services to better support this population. The resources focus on party and play, or sexualized drug use, and crystal meth use.
Party n’ play: Sex, substance use, and safety
SafeLink Alberta
This toolkit provides information to help service providers learn about party and play and increase their capacity to support gbMSM who party and play. The development of the toolkit included a literature review and interviews with gbMSM with lived experience of party and play.
Wired sex community report
Sexual Health and Gender Research Lab, Dalhousie University
This report shares findings from a research project that looked at gbMSM’s experiences using online technologies within the context of sexualized drug use. The project collected perspectives from gbMSM and service providers and offers recommendations to better promote the health and safety of gbMSM.
Health outcomes of and interventions to reduce methamphetamine use among men who have sex with men
Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN)
This rapid review examines the impact of methamphetamine use on the sexual behaviour and health of gbMSM and identifies interventions that address use from the published and grey literature.
Communicating the harms of methamphetamine use to men who have sex with men
OHTN
This rapid review identifies strategies to inform gbMSM about the harms of methamphetamine use, including examples of past education campaigns.
The crystal methamphetamine project
Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC)
This report presents the results of interviews and a survey with gbMSM who have used crystal meth. It examines factors impacting gbMSM’s crystal meth use and their access to supports to address use, and provides recommendations for service providers looking to support gbMSM who use crystal meth.
About the author(s)
Erica Lee is CATIE’s manager of website content and evaluation. Since earning her master of information studies, Erica has worked in the health library field, supporting the information needs of frontline service providers and service users. Before joining CATIE, Erica worked as the Librarian at the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT).