A new report by the National Aids Trust and Sigma Research has revealed the extent to which stigma and discrimination affect Gay men and African people living with HIV in the UK.

The Outsider Status research found that gay men and African people living in the UK experience discrimination both in employment and within their families and communities.

25 percent of HIV-positive people in the UK complained about discrimination when getting HIV services, regardless of whether it was in the a private or public setting.

Experiences of discrimination are frequently combined with ingrained racism, homophobia and anti-asylum feeling in UK culture.

The report found that the stigma attached to both HIV and homosexuality often prevented gay men from disclosing their HIV status to family members, which in turn affected their capacity to seek family support.

People were also scared that disclosing their HIV status to employers would result in them being fired.

Keeping an HIV positive status secret can lead to severe personal stress and could create barriers to accessing support from social and health services.

"This research highlights the continuing stigma associated with HIV and the discrimination faced by people living with the virus. Action is urgently needed by the Government, communities and HIV organisations to break down this stigma which has consequences for both individuals and for public health," said Deborah Jack, chief executive of the National AIDS Trust.

"HIV-related stigma is deeply embedded in the wider social inequalities such as racism and homophobia that implicate us all. Recognising the way that stigma operates to reinforce power is the first step in addressing and managing it," said Catherine Dodds and Peter Keogh, researchers at Sigma Research.