THT warn gay men living with HIV to check their US travel plans.

The HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) have warned that gay men living with HIV remain banned from travelling to the USA unless they have specifically applied for a visa to do so.

Despite the recent introduction of an online visa waiver system (ESTA), people with HIV still need to attend an interview at the American Embassy in London before they can travel legally.

The charity has recently received calls from people living with HIV who have tried to enter the country by using the online ESTA system, which is an electronic version of the visa waiver process. In some cases, these people have reached the US border only to be refused entry by immigration control and turned back to the UK.

Currently, people with HIV are permanently excluded from the United States except in exceptional circumstances. Following new legislation last year, the HIV entry ban is no longer law, but remains an administrative decision to be ruled on by the Department for Health and Human Services.

Lisa Power, Head of Policy at THT, said: 'While we are pleased that the US Government intend to revisit their entry regulations, it has not happened yet. People with HIV shouldn't jump the gun by assuming it's already okay to travel to the US without a special visa. Everyone entering the US is still required to state that they have no transmissible conditions, alongside not being a terrorist, a Nazi or a criminal. People who don't get the special visa but then disclose their status on entry run the risk of being forcibly deported and banned from entering the US again, so please be aware of the rules before you fly.'

Travel Headache

For many lesbian, gay and bisexual people, travelling can be more of a headache, than a pleasure, with people having to think about LGBT rights in their prospective destinations, rather than taking pot luck on a last minute deal.

The following destinations are just a handful of those who have been condemned for their dreadful attitudes toward gay rights:

Saudi Arabia

Those who are openly homosexual can face the death penalty. In 2007, two men in Saudi Arabia were sentenced to 7,000 public lashes each and then sentenced to jail after being convicted of "homosexual acts."

Iran

In 2007 President Ahmadinejad declared that homosexuality did not exist in his country. However, there is still a law against it, carrying a punishment of anything from jail to public lashing to death.

Jamaica

Might be famous fot its laid back vibe, but male homosexuality is against the law and the punishment is 10 years hard labour. Lesbianism is legal.

Nigeria

Homosexuality is illegal and punishment can be anything from 4 - 14 years in prison to the death penalty. Even writing or talking about support for gay people can land you in prison. In northern parts of Nigeria, "perpetrators" are stoned to death.

Iraq

Officially homosexuality is legal, but reports suggest a campaign against gay men in Iraq which activists say has claimed the lives of more than 60 since December '08. The situation in Iraq is increasingly worrying; posters have appeared on walls in eastern Baghdad, listing alleged homosexuals by name and threatening to kill them, there have been honour killings and a number of clerics have given sermons seen as homophobic incitement.

You don't necessarily have to go abroad for a brush with homophobia. There's evidence of UK hotels refusing double rooms to same sex couples. For a quick glance at LGBT rights around the world, click here.

Have your say! If you are living with HIV, gay, lesbian or bisexual and have experienced discrimination or homophobia while travelling, feel free to let us know about it by leaving a comment below.