Montreal non-profit offering free walk-in HIV and STI screenings for men and transgender individuals

Amid Pride week in Montreal, a non-profit organization is promoting sexual health by offering free walk-in HIV and STI screenings to men and transgender individuals.

“We really saw again the importance of being in the street in front of other people starting the discussion,” explained Alexandre Dumont Blais, general manager of RÉZO.

“This big installation behind me called La Zone Rose in French.”

Open five days a week from Wednesday to Sunday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. until October 1, 2023, the container also serves as centre for intervention and discussion regarding sexual health.

“This year we wanted to go with something more permanent, more attractive. So this is why there’s a giant cone here. It’s a symbol of Montreal. [We] want to start conversations discussing HIV prevention, testing, mental health,” explained Blais.

According to RÉZO men remain the most affected by HIV in Canada, accounting for 60 per cent of new cases in 2021.

“What we’ve seen for HIV is we’ve seen a stabilization of the number of cases. But of course, we still have around 200 new cases each year,” explained Mylène Drouin, regional director of Public Health for Montreal.

A Quebec Institute of Public Health report says the majority of those cases were in Montreal.

“Making sure that we reduce all barriers, physical barriers, financial barriers and cultural barriers and making sure that we do not stigmatize the population,” said Drouin.

RÉZO says the 2SLGBTQ+ community also bears the burden of other STIs such as LGV and, more recently, mpox, representing over 98 per cent of cases. This also includes gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis.