MSM and HIV in the Asia-Pacific

Alcohol use among MSM

2010-08-24T00:00:00.003+08:00

[Posted by Paul Causey on MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-08-22]

The Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire for Men who have Sex with Men (DEQ-MSM): A measure of substance-related beliefs

Article first published online: 16 AUG 2010, copyright 2010 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs

Abstract

Introduction and Aims. Alcohol expectancies are associated with drinking behaviour and post-drinking use thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The expectancies held by specific cultural or sub-cultural groups have rarely been investigated. This research maps expectancies specific to gay and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and their relationship with substance use. This study describes the specific development of a measure of such beliefs for alcohol, the Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire for Men who have Sex with Men (DEQ-MSM).

Design and Methods. Items selected through a focus group and interviews were piloted on 220 self-identified gay or other MSM via an online questionnaire.

Results. Factor analysis revealed three distinct substance reinforcement domains (‘Cognitive impairment’, ‘Sexual activity’ and ‘Social and emotional facilitation’). These factors were associated with consumption patterns of alcohol, and in a crucial test of discriminant validity were not associated with the consumption of cannabis or stimulants. Similarities and differences with existing measures will also be discussed.

Discussion and Conclusions.The DEQ-MSM represents a reliable and valid measure of outcome expectancies, related to alcohol use among MSM, and represents an important advance as no known existing alcohol expectancy measure, to date, has been developed and/or normed for use among this group. Future applications of the DEQ-MSM in health promotion, clinical settings and research may contribute to reducing harm associated with alcohol use among MSM, including the development of alcohol use among young gay men.

[Mullens AB, Young RMcD, Dunne MP, Norton G. The Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire for Men who have Sex with Men (DEQ-MSM): A measure of substance-related beliefs. Drug Alcohol Rev 2010]

Ex-Gay promo in HK

2010-08-23T00:00:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Paul Causey on AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-08-22]

Homophobes Attempt To Block HK Gay Rights

Hong Kong – A homophobic right-wing Christian group in Hong Kong has published a 52-page booklet condemning homosexuals and promoting reparative therapy to change sexual orientation.

The self styled “Society for Truth and Light” has drawn heavily from the anti-gay National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality to produce Acceptance–Caring for Homosexuality.

To support the notion that gays can be turned straight through therapy, the booklet cites the usual stupid and completely flawed studies with their neglible results, including Spitzer (2001), Jones and Yarhouse (2007), and the infamous non-study by James Phelan, Neil Whitehead and Philip Sutton (2009)–a literature review falsely touted by NARTH as a groundbreaking new study.

One of STL’s political goals is to block LGBT equality legislation; the booklet contains two appendixes opposing same-sex marriage and laws to prevent sexual orientation discrimination. This is a reminder that the flawed and often-malicious information disseminated by ex-gay and anti-gay groups such as NARTH not only blocks justice in the West. As we have seen with Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, the myths are now being exported to hinder justice in other parts of the world, too.

ISEAN seeks TGF Round 10 funding

2010-08-21T21:14:00.000+08:00

[Received from Laurindo Garcia, HIV programs manager of Fridae.com, 2010-08-21]

Dear Expert Reviewers, Supporters, Advisors and Partners of the ISEAN-Hivos Multi-Country Proposal Initiative for MSM, TG and HIV in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Timor Leste,

You will be pleased to hear that our Round 10 proposal was submitted on-time to the GFATM Secretariat in Geneva after our Core Proposal Writing Team spent the past week making final preparations together in Jakarta.

While we wait for the decision to come from the GF TRP this December, we firmly believe that the proposal writing process was a significant and valuable experience that galvanised our member community organisations and representatives while solidifying linkages with stakeholders region-wide.

Some of the significant milestones include:

Three Regional Consultations for the Proposal Working Group (2 in Jakarta, 1 in Kuala Lumpur) that began in February 2010
Needs Assessments, national consultations and focus group discussions for MSM, TG and HIV in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Timor Leste
A team of consultants and expert reviewers from around the world contributing their time and energy to develop a multi-country Global Fund proposal in less than 6 months
Solid support from the world's largest NGO supporter of LGBT issues, Hivos (from their International and Southeast Asia Regional Offices), as well Asia's largest LGBT media and ICT social enterprise, Fridae
Committed partnerships with the UNDP's Regional Centre
Technical assistance and support from The Alliance, APCOM, CSAT/Seven Sisters, TSF SEAP and UNAIDS
Confirmed endorsement from CCMs in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Timor Leste on an innovative community-led initiative
Community organisations and groups among the four countries more engaged at a regional level, with a clear understanding of how cooperation and collaboration can support mobilisation at the national level

We have witnessed a remarkable effort, especially in view of the fact that the first ever Regional Consultation for MSM and TG in Insular Southeast Asia took place in August last year prior to ICAAP IX in Bali - thanks to our friends at GAYa NUSANTARA and APCOM with support from UNDP and UNFPA, and coordination by UNESCO. This is a stellar effort for a network that is only 12 months and 2 weeks old!

PDFs of the Final Proposal, Sections 1-5 and the Performance Framework, can be downloaded HERE.

We wish to thank everyone for the goodwill they have shared with our member organisations, this has benefited the network as a whole - without your assistance and friendship, none of this would have been possible.

In particular we wish to thank our lead proposal writers Paul Adams, Nicholas Bates and Agus Sudaryanto, as well as Saba Moussavi, for their professionalism, tireless commitment, good humour and sleepless nights. Special appreciation goes to Kwasi Boahene, Ben Witjes and Shita Laksmi who are exemplary examples of Hivos' commitment to our community in pursuit of human rights for all.

In the short-term, there's a more lot in-store:

We will have a steering committee deliver a report on Governance issues for the network by October.
In addition we will see the first consultation for young MSM, TG and HIV in Asia and the Pacific this September, where representatives from our next generation of leaders from Insular Southeast Asia will share their ideas for the future with their colleagues from the broader region.
ISEAN aims to have another consultation of the full network before the end of the year, with the view of formalisation by ICAAP X in 2011.

Regardless of the Global Fund outcome this coming December, ISEAN and its members have a clear vision of what it can achieve.

We are confident that we will see better health and human rights outcomes for waria, mak nyah, pondans, ah kua, badings, baklas, gay men, bisexuals, other MSM and transgender people in our region in the near future.

Expect more news from us soon.

Cheers!

Laurindo

ISEAN Coordinator

Wedding in Nepal

2010-08-21T11:48:00.000+08:00

[Posted by Paul Causey on AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-08-19]

First Indian Gay Wedding In Nepal

Kathmandu – Love knows no boundaries. Legal restrictions and threats from family members made an Indian gay couple cross over to Nepal to get married. The ceremony held near a Hindu temple in the heart of Kathmandu on Tuesday is the first Indian gay wedding in Nepal where same sex marriages will get legal sanction soon.

A 30 year old Muslim from Ahmedabad exchanged rings with his 42 year old longtime Hindu partner, a UK citizen of Indian origin. The couple was blessed by a Hindu priest.

A function was attended by gays, lesbians, transgendered and transvestites from Kathmandu who contributed to organize a small feast and party for the newlyweds.

“We chose Nepal as there is no legal sanction for same sex marriages in India. I am very excited and happy,” said the 30 year old sales executive who met his partner during a visit to the UK in 2003.

The wedding was organized by the Blue Diamond Society, an organization working for the rights of sexual minorities and Pink Mountain, the country’s first travel agency promoting gay and lesbian tourism.

“The couple arrived in Kathmandu four days back and sought our help in getting married. We took a minimal fee of US$200 to arrange the wedding,” said BDS founder Sunil Babu Pant, Nepal’s first gay lawmaker.

A marriage certificate (not legal) would be given to the couple by BDS and the amount used for welfare of persons belonging to sexual minorities.

The couple plans a short honeymoon in India before settling in the UK.

“I was worried for the safety of my partner and thought Nepal is a safe destination. We now look forward to a happy future,” said Sha.

In December 2007, Nepal’s Supreme Court granted equal status to sexual minorities. Nepal’s Constituent Assembly is in the process of granting equal rights to them including legalizing same sex marriages.

Pant says he receives lot of wedding queries from gays and lesbians in India. Prince of Rajpipla, Manvendra Singh Gohil, who’s popular as India’s Gay Prince is also planning his wedding here.

Nepal is hoping to become Asia’s biggest hub for gay and lesbian tourism and improve the country’s economy by tapping into the multi-billion dollar market.

The country will host its first Gay Pride Parade on August 25 in Kathmandu where thousands of gays, lesbians, transgendered and transvestites from Nepal, India and other countries are expected to take part.

LGBT movements in Hong Kong

2010-08-21T11:43:00.000+08:00

[Posted by Paul Causey on AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-08-20]

Is it OK to be gay in Hong Kong?

By Jennifer Lai

Hong Kong is known for its liberal laws regarding finance and business. But how free are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to express themselves?

Hong Kong's generous tax laws and deregulated business environment make it an easy place to express yourself financially. But what if you're part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender community? There are a smattering of gay bars and clubs dotted around the city. But is it OK to be gay here?

We spoke to some people directly involved in the LGBT scene here to find out what they thought. Taking part were: Betty Grisoni and Abby Lee, the founders of Les Peches, which organizes parties and events for lesbian and bisexual women; Eric Herrera, chief dreamer of Fruits in Suits (FinS), a gay networking group; Connie Chan of Women Coalition of HKSAR (WCHK), an LGBT advocacy group; and Nigel Collett, Hong Kong correspondent for Fridae.com, the gay media company.

The freedom to love: acceptance of Hong Kong’s LGBT past to present

Recognition of the issues faced by gays in Asia is definitely increasing, say Betty Grisoni and Abby Lee. They say that more groups, either socially or politically based, have popped up in recent years. Les Peches started as a social gathering community, but as more people inquired about LGBT issues, Grisoni and Lee started supporting political LGBT events as well.

Nevertheless, Grisoni reveals that for lesbians, any apparent acceptance could be due to the fluidity of women’s sexuality.

“A woman is more reluctant to label herself as lesbian,” she says. With a “don’t ask, don’t tell” unspoken rule, the acceptance of lesbians is easier, as differentiating between a lesbian relationship and two close female friends, for instance, is not always obvious.

Eric Herrera from Fruits in Suits believes that politically, socially and community based groups have increased and together are working to change awareness by the public as well as trying to establish a voice at the level of the legislative council (Legco).

Speaking about the first Pride Parade in 2008, Herrera says that it was a pure message of “social acceptance, awareness and exposure to the public.”

For Connie Chan at the WCHK, the pride parade highlights the development of the LGBT community from about a decade ago. The increase in the number of people attending between the first and second pride parade was very noticeable, she says.

“Seeing more locals come out to participate was important because it indicates that they were taking it on themselves to support the local scene,” says Chan. LGBTs were taking actions for their rights when they wouldn’t have dared in the past.

But for Nigel Collett, at fridae.com, there is a big communication gap between the local and expatriate LGBT groups, and that's slowing the development of the scene in Hong Kong.

“The major achievements in Hong Kong’s LGBT history have been achieved by local people, unaided and usually with very small resources,” he says. He believes that if one can combine the expatriate’s resources to assist local activists, “you will get the best of both worlds.”

Is the government doing enough?

There is a strong consensus among the five speakers that Hong Kong’s government is not doing enough to open avenues for LGBTs to express themselves.

While Grisoni believes that the government is trying to be more lenient, Collett says they are not interested.

“The less the government hears from the LGBTs, the better and happier they are,” says Collett. Herrera thinks the government tends to wait to see what the public thinks before taking a stance.

One of the big contentious issue is the need for an anti-discrimination law in Hong Kong. Chan says despite calls for such a law being made in 1993, as yet no concrete progress has been established. She says that the government possibly is sensitive to anti-LGBT groups, fearing that an anti-discriminatory law would spark even louder voices of dissent.

One might think Hong Kong’s gay-opposition groups come from the older generations. In fact, the most vocal groups belong to conservative Christian groups and fundamentalist legislators such as Democrat Party Legco Member Nelson Wong Shing-chi and independent lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, both of whom opposed the inclusion of same-sex couples in the Domestic Violence Ordinance.

The education sector is also a troublesome area for openly gay people. According to a survey conducted by WCHK, over 30 percent of discrimination felt by lesbians, gays or bisexuals were in schools (regardless if they were students or teachers).

“There are even no proper associations for LGBTs to join in universities in Hong Kong,” says Chan, highlighting how in Hong Kong youth LGBT groups are not recognized by their education institutions, unlike in China or Taiwan where some such groups are registered with their universities.

The need to introduce an anti-discrimination law and develop basic human rights for LGBTs is the most pressing of issues for Hong Kong's legislators, our speakers say.

However, Herrera stresses that in order to affect laws, LGBTs may be better off looking to the corporate sector. He says companies that want to look after their workforce may be more open to LGBT issues, and more willing to support their causes. And once one company does something that grabs the public attention, many often follow, which then gets the attention of the lawmakers. “Corporates have a lot of voice to make society interact and work,” he adds.

What are other Asian countries doing?

LGBT activism in Taiwan is considered more advanced. Taiwan hosted its first pride parade in 2003 and participant numbers have risen from 500 to over 18,000 since then.

Taiwan and Hong Kong both have included same-sex marriages under the Domestic Violence law. This means same-sex couples have recourse to the law and court injunctions just as heterosexual couple do, in cases of domestic violence. Though Hong Kong only added same-sex couples to the law in December 2009.

Collett believes China is also showing signs of change, though he suggests that the government’s main interest lies in preventing HIV.

Chan is more skeptical about progress in Asia. But she hopes that neighboring countries can help each other’s LGBT communities, by acting as watchdogs or creating chain effects when pushing for rights.

The future for Hong Kong’s LGBT community

The future is about making small steps, it appears. FinS is working with the University of Hong Kong’s Queer Straight Alliance to set up a mentor programme between students and FinS members.

Collett has proposed to the Hong Kong Tourism Board that a month-long promotion of LGBT events be held every year. Besides the exposure, it would be financially advantageous for Hong Kong, which already hosts tourism sporting events such as the Rugby 7s.

Unfortunately, this year’s pride parade won't take place because of inadequate funding. But it will be back in 2011. Instead, a smaller beach event “Out in the Open” will take place in October.

As industries realize the importance of the 'pink dollar,' Grisoni feels that more brands are now out on the streets too, trying to profit from high income LGBTs.

Lee explains that many hosting venues that they approach for their events do not know what Les Peches is or what it wants to achieve, but are always interested when they they think a gay couple, probably without kids, is likely to have a lot of disposable income.

“It’s fine to make money, but you should be supporting the LGBT community by giving something back,” says Lee.

It appears then that if Hong Kong's LGBT people are to find freedom here, they will perhaps never be as free as those who are here to get rich.

Homophobia in Aceh

2010-08-20T11:24:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Dede Oetomo on AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-08-19. Cited Jakarta Globe, 2010-08-18 as source]

Acehnese Gays Face a Climate of Fear and Abuse

Dewi Kurniawati

Banda Aceh. It doesn’t take much to notice “Echa,” a transvestite who lives in Banda Aceh. With his masculine figure and flamboyant make-up, he instantly draws attention.

And so does the fact that he is wearing a short dress with a plunging neckline to one of the city’s popular coffee houses instead of a headscarf and other conservative Muslim attire. Of course, Echa is a man so he poses a dilemma for the morality police.

His baritone laugh echoed through the coffee shop when a reporter asked about the absence of a headscarf. “The Shariah Police are confused about what they want to do with me. I am enjoying my freedom,” he said.

That freedom has to be struggled for daily, however. Echa is the executive director of Violet Grey, a nongovernmental organization that provides assistance to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents of Aceh.

In a country where homosexuality is taboo and where many Indonesians still refuse to acknowledge gay people, it’s especially challenging for an organization such as Violet Grey to operate in Aceh, which is allowed to implement partial Shariah law.

Continuously living in the shadows, gays, lesbians, and cross-dressers are seen as a disgrace to the province’s self-proclaimed “religious society.” Not surprisingly they suffer frequent discrimination and often abusive treatment.

“We were born as Muslim, as Acehnese. Is it true that we are not part of Islam?” asked “Toni,” a gay activist and member of Violet Grey.

“In Aceh, the implementation of Shariah touches on symbols such as headscarves or changing street names to Arabic letters without really addressing people’s desires of prosperity and justice. I think we are in the process of Talibanization.”

Toni grew into his homosexual identity when he was studying at an Islamic boarding school at the age of 14. “I thought by studying in a pesantren [Islamic boarding school] , it would cure my homosexuality.”

He was wrong. “In an Islamic boarding school, where life is segregated by gender, I met my first love,” he said, laughing.

Toni added that when Islamic boarding schools separate boys from girls as a way to prevent promiscuity, it actually enables some boys to discover their homosexual identity.

“Because of this segregation, aside from finding our sexual orientation, we were also sexually abused by our classmates, seniors and even teachers,” Toni said.

“That is why the rape of boys is not considered a huge issue compared to [the rape of] girls here in Aceh.”

Shariah, which is obsessed with keeping unmarried men and women apart, at first ignored homosexuality here.

The province’s Qanun, a local Islamic bylaw implemented in 2003, forbids illicit sexual relations between men and women.

Homosexuality was not mentioned, so the gay community actually found a safe haven within the bylaw.

However, homosexuality was specifically addressed in a contentious revised provincial bylaw, or Qanun Jinayat, that was passed by the provincial legislature in October 2009.

The bylaw, which Governor Irwandi Yusuf has refused to sign and officials in Jakarta have asked to be withdrawn, would punish homosexuals with 100 cane lashes.

The bylaw also says adulterers should be stoned to death.

“I hope the Qanun Jinayat will never be implemented, because that means there is no more room for us,” said “Faishal,” another member of Violet Grey.

Whatever the law says, Violet Grey claims that homosexuals and transsexuals have been repeatedly harassed and intimidated by Shariah police officers.

In one infamous case in 2007, a local gay man named Hartoyo was abused by Shariah Police officers after a raid on his house, sparking widespread public anger.

Hartoyo and his partner were told to strip naked and then were beaten by police officers. They were released two days later after being instructed to sign a statement agreeing to stop homosexual behavior.

Hartoyo reported the incident to the National Commission for Human Rights.

“The case was closed and the police officers who tortured him only got minor punishments,” Echa said. In the wake of that case, Aceh’s gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transexuals are finding it harder to gain basic rights.

“Most transsexuals work in beauty salons, but even there, the Shariah police wouldn’t allow them to touch women because we are considered men,” Echa said.

Marzuki Abdullah, head of the provincial Shariah Police force, said that homosexuality is forbidden in Aceh, despite the absence of a local bylaw.

“We don’t want to see transvestites standing on the street,” Marzuki said.

“We consider them men, and they should dress accordingly.”

There are currently 6,300 Shariah Police officers patrolling Aceh’s towns and villages on the lookout for “immorality,” which keeps the gay and lesbian community hiding in the shadows.

However, the members of Violet Grey haven’t lost their resolve.

“We just want to be acknowledged as human beings. We are Acehnese and we are also Muslim, so please respect our basic rights,” Echa pleaded.

Toni added: “We were born Acehnese and we love Aceh. We won’t leave just because of the Shariah Law.”

Tokyo Pride!

2010-08-19T11:04:00.007+08:00

[Posted by Hideki Sunagawa on AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-08-18]

Hi, everyone.

I'm Hideki Sunagawa, Representative Director of TOKYO Pride. We had the 7th TOKYO Pride Parade on 14th August. I'm sorry that I cannot inform in this mailing list in advance.

You can see how the Parade was like on this SITE, though it's not a official page (it's written in Japanese, but has many pics and movies). The site also archives the 6th TOKYO Pride Prade which was held 3 years ago.

And you can read background of the TOKYO Pride Prade in this SITE, which a student of the DePaul University made.

The 8th TOKYO Pride Parade is not scheduled yet (it may be in 2012).

I hope that we can make a network for Asian Pride Parades someday... (though I myself will leave the TOKYO Pride Parade at the end of this year).

What's new with MP Sunil?

2010-08-18T13:16:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Sunil Pant on AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-08-17]

Nepal's First Openly Gay Member of Parliament Doesn't Stop Innovating

BY JENARA NERENBERG

From TV shows to new NGOs, Nepal's Sunil Pant teaches a lesson or two on innovating in restrictive environments.

Sunil Pant is the sort of activist politician you rarely see in the United States these days. He makes regular headlines, is always stirring things up in Parliament, knows the right people to get on his side, and simply never stops pushing the envelope. Unlike U.S. politicians, he has far less concern with pleasing the right people and making his way up. A computer programmer by training, his primary concern is promoting and defending the rights of Nepal's LGBTI community. And in that regard, he has been innovating up a storm lately, with his latest venture the introduction of a weekly TV show on youth and LGBTI issues, the first of its kind in Nepal. Pant is pushing all sorts of cultural, religious, and political boundaries and no one is stopping him.

While we generally talk about innovation in tech and business, what about political entrepreneurs? Innovating in the political sphere takes the same set of skills and qualities--thinking outside the box, identifying unique opportunities, partnering with the right people, and so on. Pant is a political entrepreneur in the truest sense of the word and his innovations are not limited to Nepal; Pant is leading a gay rights revolution across Asia and even played a central role in New York City's Pride Parade earlier this summer.

In addition to the TV show, which was just announced last week, today Pant announced that the first gay wedding of an Indian couple is to be held in Kathmandu. It's a complicated scenario, because while Nepal's Supreme Court has unofficially said "yes" to allowing gay marriage, they have not enacted the decision into law as of yet. The situation is further complicated by the couple's nationalities; one is British and one is Indian, and each have been told to seek the advice of their respective Embassies in Nepal in order to obtain some kind of official marriage license.

But somehow I suspect Pant has something up his sleeve, that the complicated nature of the situation is a way to push the right buttons and ruffle the right feathers to get what he wants: the legalization of gay marriage in Nepal. We'll just have to wait and see what he does next.

Gay men, safer sex, mini-series

2010-08-15T12:33:00.007+08:00

[Posted by Paul Causey on MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-08-14. Embedded Youtube video found HERE.]

Safe sex lesson wrapped in a gay drama

With its raunchy scenes and dialogue, appealing male characters and realistic local settings, the mini-series, Love Audition, is a form of entertainment that the average gay man may find hard to resist.

Enjoying watching such a straightforward depiction of their lives, they may be unaware that the programme is also indirectly educating them about safe sex.

"Our audience hasn't perceived our mini-series as a campaigning tool but a real series they can actually enjoy," said Vitaya Saeng-aroon, a producer of the series shown on the Mango TV satellite channel.

The first season centres on a bet among three friends aged in their early twenties to use condoms whenever they have sex.

Targeting viewers aged 18-24, the series is not shy about portraying the lives of young gay men - nightclubbing, "bitchy" talks, onscreen kisses and some bizarre sexual encounters.

The temptation for characters to skip condom use is high. For example, character Pom's long-term boyfriend cites "mutual trust", while Ae is tempted by an unsafe choice offered by an attractive stranger.

But they have to learn to overcome temptation and find ways to negotiate with their own desire as well as others' libido in a bid to win the bet.

"There has been so little information in the mainstream media about HIV prevention that is specifically tailored at this high-risk group," said Mr Vitaya. "The media has been so reluctant to talk about actual things in a way that both educates and engages audiences."

Feedback he has received so far convinces him that his series works.

"Viewers have enjoyed it, meaning they could have absorbed our key messages at the right moment. We aim for behavioural change," he said.

Funded by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the first season can be viewed on YouTube.

The second season, supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), will focus on drug use in the same age group.

The series is an example of an innovative way to engage young people in sex education and how to deal with sex in a safe and healthy way, its producers say.

But in a highly conservative society like Thailand, this kind of approach has rarely been adopted by parents, educators or the mainstream media.

The Public Health Ministry reports a rapid increase in new HIV cases among men who have sex with men. This group accounts for a quarter of new infections.

About half the young people in other groups also refrain from condom use.

Given these trends, health campaigners say it is time to break the taboo on sex and overhaul sex education in a truthful and non-judgmental way that adolescents will find easier to digest.

A recent survey by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) reveals that most youngsters aged 9-11 seek answers about sex from their friends, and lack understanding about contraception or prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

UNAids in 2008 said about 40% of young people aged 15-24 did not have accurate information about HIV.

Sirikorn, 17, said she and her school friends often talk about sex and sexual desire.

"I'm not shy when talking about it. My friends also share [intimate] details about their boyfriends," she said.

Nattaya Boonpakdee of ThaiHealth said teachers, parents and the media should start "vaccinating" the younger generation against sexual harassment, STDs and unplanned pregnancies by giving them the information they need.

This vaccination must go beyond the traditional promotion of abstinence, she said.

The mainstream media brands sex as a negative thing which shuts the door on communication with young people, who will not be so easily turned away. The entertainment industry can play a role in educating and helping audiences, she said.

Another challenge is to integrate sex education into schools.

Since young people want to know about sex, it is important for teachers to communicate in an accurate and non-judgmental fashion, said Philip Bergstrom, a reproductive and sexual health adviser to Unesco in Bangkok.

The Education Ministry has developed a curriculum and trained teachers in selected schools but needs to go further, he said.

Young people need to be prepared so they can solve problems themselves, without being told about what they should do or should not do, he said.

"Give them the information they need so they can make healthy, smart choices," he said.

Back in Yogyakarta

2010-08-14T02:00:00.000+08:00

[Posted by Dede Oetomo on AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-08-13]

Activists say fundamentalists stoke public fears

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post

International researchers and activists gathered in Yogyakarta to network and develop better strategies to advocate sexual rights.

The International Policy Dialogue was held from Monday to Wednesday and carried the theme “Bridging the Gap Between Sexuality Research and Advocacy for Sexual Rights”.

The dialogue was the first international meeting to discuss issues in gender and sexuality after the International Lesbian and Gay Alliance Conference in Surabaya was abruptly cancelled in March due to intimidation from a radical Islamic group.

Participants discussed the sexual rights of women and lesbians, homosexuals, bisexuals and transgendered (LGBT) people.

Sexual rights activist Soe Tjen Marching — who edits the Surabaya-based Bhinneka, a magazine which focuses on pluralism, and Jurnal Gandrung, a newly launched journal on sexuality — said in her presentation that intimidation and acts of violence by fundamentalist groups, such as the Islam Defenders front (FPI), have created a public fear, which is the dominant factor in determining people’s behaviors and decisions.

“Public fear can indeed work to the favor of fundamentalist groups. It can be their biggest ally,” she said.

“The fundamentalists don’t have to do a single thing sometimes. The public already responds on their behalf,” she added.

For example, two universities in Surabaya refused to accept Bhinneka and Jurnal Gandrung because they did not want to be seen as supporting or facilitating discussions of sexuality due to fear of the religious fundamentalists, Soe Tjen said.

Human rights activist Nursyahbani Katjasungkana said that the cancellation of the Surabaya conference was example of discrimination against LGBT rights. Radical groups base their arguments on morality, culture and religion, she said.

Gadjah Mada University’s policy studies center head Muhadjir Darwin said the public believes that sexual orientations that differ from heterosexuality are immoral.

“They just have a different sexual orientation from the dominant group,” he said.

Nursyahbani, who is also the coordinator of the Kartini Asia Network, said organizers chose Yogyakarta to host the workshop to commemorate the Yogyakarta Principles.

In 2006, international human rights activists in Yogyakarta defined universal principles for international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Yogyakarta principles say: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Human beings of all sexual orientations and gender identities are entitled to the full enjoyment of all human rights”.

The Policy Dialogue was organized by Kartini and SEPHIS (South-South Exchange Program for Research on the History of Development) with the collaboration of Center for Population and Policy Studies of Gadjah Mada University.

Hartoyo — an activist who was once tortured and humiliated by police in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam due to his sexual orientation — said he was lonely in his struggle for rights and has yet to see many LGBT people fight for their rights due to discrimination.

Nursyahbani said the workshop aimed to bridge the gap between research on sexuality and advocacy at the grassroots level.

Several scholars have said that research on sexuality is a long process, which sometimes do not meet the need of fast action in the part of advocacy groups.

Researchers and activists agreed that research on sexuality is an important for advocacy groups.

Join the survey

2010-08-08T10:17:00.000+08:00

Provide Input on WHO Guidelines for Service Delivery to MSM and Transgender People!

Dear all,

The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing guidelines for delivering an evidence-based, essential package of interventions for the prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people in the health sector.

The Global Forum on MSM and HIV (MSMGF) has been contracted to systematically solicit civil society input from MSM and transgender advocates in the form of individual telephone interviews with MSM and transgender people as part of the guidelines development process.

Interviews will focus on values and preferences MSM and transgender people may have regarding a range of HIV and STI prevention and treatment interventions. The MSMGF will conduct interviews by phone or Skype and compile input into a formal report that will be publicly available. All interviews will be anonymous - we will not be collecting identifying information. Interviews will help to strengthen guidelines the WHO develops for MSM and transgender communities worldwide.

To be a part of this process and other MSMGF research activities, please sign up for the MSMGF Survey Panel. You can join the MSMGF Survey Panel by registering at http://www.msmgf.org/index.cfm/id/1/ (it takes about one minute to register). Once you have registered, an option will appear to sign up for the MSMGF Survey Panel. Please note that we will not be able to interview everyone who signs up due to time limitations. Any questions or comments can be directed to contact -at- msmgf.org.

This is a very important opportunity to influence a guidance document that will be used by organizations providing services to MSM and transgender people around the world. Please circulate among your networks!

Thank you very much!

The MSMGF

[Posted by Jack Beck, Communications Associate of MSMGF, on AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-08-07]

MSM care and support

2010-08-05T07:10:00.000+08:00

Message from Family Health International, Thailand/Regional Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to share with you the final meeting report from the “Asia regional consultation on MSM care and support”. The report summarizes key policy and technical recommendations developed by participants related to each priority health sector intervention; guides the selection and prioritization of interventions for HIV treatment, care and support; and directs readers to key resources containing the best available information on the health sector response to HIV among MSM.

We are thankful to consultation participants for their excellent contributions to the meeting and draft report. We hope this report proves useful in further shaping and rolling out critical care and support services for MSM. Please contact us should you have any questions.

Warm regards.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-08-04. Report available for downloading from the APCOM Resource Library, and also HERE.]

Homosexual sex, one of China's biggest emerging challenge

2010-08-01T00:50:00.000+08:00

AIDS expert tells China's gay men to face up to responsibilities

by Xinhua writers Du Jie, Shang Yang, Xu Yalan

BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A leading international expert on HIV/AIDS Friday challenged China's gay men to front up to their responsibilities in fighting the spread of the disease.

Dr. Ray Yip, director of the China Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said the spread of HIV/AIDS in China through homosexual sex was "one of the biggest emerging challenges" to controling the disease.

Dr. Yip told CNC World, the satellite news television station run by Xinhua News Agency, that HIV transmission through "MSM" (men having sex with men) had boomed since 2003.

This year, the Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced sexual activity between men and men had become the main channel of HIV transmission in the city, exceeding both heterosexual sex and drug use.

Poor awareness of safe sex among gay men contributed to the sharp rise as many gay men had multiple sex partners, and did not always use condoms.

"We need the MSM group to engage their community to take part in the intervention," Dr. Yip told CNC.

"Will they promote safe sex? Will they be promoting early testing? Will they be supporting people already with HIV? So the key is their involvement in the prevention."

Social pressures forced many HIV carriers to remain hidden, and many were reluctant to admit they were HIV carriers, said Dr. Yip.

They need to show their faces and let their voices be heard, said Dr. Yip.

Homosexuals, sex workers, drug abusers and underground blood donors were all most at risk of infection and the biggest danger to others.

"The prevention of the spread of HIV, regardless of which group, drug users, sex workers or men having sex with men, is the same," Dr. Yip said.

"The key thing is that the high risk behavior needs to be reduced.

"It is those people who don't know they are HIV carriers are dangerous. We need to find them," said Dr. Yip.

However, he said, "China represents one of the few countries in Asia that really takes AIDS seriously."

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had committed 50 million U.S. dollars to support HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in China, supporting both governmental and non-governmental programs focused on the "priorities": prevention services for high-risk groups, HIV testing, prevention and support for people living with HIV, and stigma reduction.

"We fund government programs in about 15 cities across China to work with NGOs who fund high-risk communities, such as MSM, to mobilize and develop their capacity to do the prevention," Dr. Yip said.

The foundation, which cooperates closely with China's Ministry of Health (MOH), was supporting groups that promoted "peer education" such as Zhitong, a volunteer organization.

Luo, the head of Zhitong programs who would only give his surname, said, "We give away condoms and brochures in gay bars and parks, set up a free hotline, and conduct salons or lectures regularly."

The organization, which is financially supported by the Gates foundation and local health agencies, has more than 200 volunteers and claims to have contacted at least 60,000 people.

MOH figures showed that by the end of last year, MSM transmission accounted for 32.5 percent of China's total HIV/AIDS infections, up from only 0.4 percent in 2005.

China had 740,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, 105,000 of whom had AIDS by the end of 2009, MOH data showed.

The Chinese government has lifted the 20-year-old ban on entry of foreigners with HIV/AIDS in a move to eliminate unequal treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Since the end of 2003, the government has carried out a policy of free blood tests for those with HIV, free education for orphans of AIDS patients, and free consultation, scanning tests and anti-virus therapies for pregnant women.

(Note: Su Jing and Li Dongxu also contributed to the story. To view the CNC World interview, please log on http://www.xhstv.com/english_video_online.asp)

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-31]

HIV prevention failing MSM youth

2010-07-31T13:48:00.000+08:00

Prevention Is Failing to Target MSM When They're Young Enough

by David Evans

If we are going to prevent HIV transmission in young men who have sex with men (MSM), we must find strategies to reach them when they are in their early teens. So say researchers who presented a study Monday, July 19, at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna.

HIV infection among young MSM is often a conundrum. Studies show that they understand what sexual acts place them at highest risk for HIV infection, but many engage in unprotected anal intercourse with other men of unknown HIV status. What is paradoxical and frustrating is that when prevention researchers ask the young men why they engaged in high-risk behaviors, they typically respond that they didn’t think that what they were doing would lead to becoming infected.

To better understand the context behind this kind of reasoning, D. Dennis Flores III, from Emory Healthcare in Atlanta and his colleagues conducted interviews with 10 young MSM from that city who had recently been diagnosed with HIV. Nine of the men were African American, and one was Latino. Their ages ranged from 18 to 24. The interviews with the young men covered four topic areas: risk behavior, HIV education, the Internet and healthy role models.

As has been found in previous studies, the majority of the young men had viewed themselves as either unlikely or very unlikely to contract HIV in their lifetimes, and half reported experiencing coercion and sexual abuse at the time of sexual initiation.

One 18-year-old participant, Nathaniel, described his own sexual initiation: “I had to be around 13… He worked at my school, he was around 30, a janitor. He was always nice to me for no reason. I mean, I kind of guessed it after a while. He would talk to me. One day I just left school with him. The most we ever did was oral; we didn’t do anything else. But after that, like, he tried talking to me more about leaving school. I really didn’t like him after that.”

Flores and his colleagues found that while all the young men had undergone sex education while in middle school or high school, none reported that these classes included information about gay sex. Moreover, only one of the young men reported having any gay role models while growing up. This meant that relevant sex education occurred on the Internet, which from a sexual risk perspective, can be quite perilous. When these young men went online, most of them saw graphic high-risk sexual encounters, and this behavior quickly became what they perceived as normal and desirable.

“[The Internet] sure has taught me a lot of tricks,” explained 24-year-old Adrien. “Things that I never thought were humanly possible. It gave me a reference. I guess it was kind of revolutionary for me ’cause I’d never seen two men, like, actually get enjoyment out of it. So it was like getting exposed to that was, like, wow, you know…different.”

One of the most important findings, said Flores, was that by the time the young men encountered prevention messages and programs targeted to young gay men, higher-risk sexual activity had already become the norm. For some, they contracted HIV before having ever encountered targeted prevention information.

Flores concluded his presentation by stressing that targeted education, focused on young MSM, should be occurring as early as elementary or middle school and that parents should be taught to be supportive and to teach their sons how to avoid sexual coercion. Moreover, Flores’s team recommends engaging young MSM who are out about their sexual orientation to serve as peer educators and role models for other young men. Lastly, Flores stressed the critical need to use new technologies online to reach young MSM with prevention methods before it is too late.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-30]

LGBT autobiographies

2010-07-31T13:24:00.000+08:00

Restoried Selves: Autobiographies of Queer Asian-Pacific-American Activists

Restoried Selves: Autobiographies of Queer Asian / Pacific American Activists presents the first-person accounts of 20 activists—life stories that work against common stereotypes, shattering misconceptions and dispelling misinformation. These autobiographies challenge familial and cultural expectations and values that have traditionally forced queer Asian / Pacific Americans into silent shame because of their sexual orientation and/or ethnicity. Authors share not only their experiences growing up but also how those experiences led them to become social activists, speaking out against oppression.

Many harmful untruths—or “stories”—about queer Asian-Pacific Americans have been repeated so often, they are accepted as fact. Restoried Selves provides a forum for voices often ignored in academic literature to “re-story” themselves, addressing a range of experiences that includes cultural differences and values, conflicts between different generations in a family or between different groups in a community, and difficulties and rewards of coming out. Those giving voice to their stories through narrative and other writing genres include the transgendered and intersexed, community activists, youths, and parents.

The stories told in Restoried Selves reflect on:

Personal experiences—based on country of origin, educational background, religion, gender, and age
Populations served by activism, including the working poor, immigrants, adoptees, youth, women, and families
Different arenas of activism, including schools, governments, social services, and the Internet
Issues targeted by activism, including affirmative action, HIV/AIDS education, mental health, interracial relationships, and sexual violence
Institutions in need of change, including legal, religious, and educational entities

Restoried Selves is an essential read for academics and researchers working in Asian American studies, ethnic studies, gender studies, and queer studies, and for LGBTQ youth and their parents, teachers, and social service providers.

[Posted by Paul Causey, AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-07-26]

Religiosity not ethnicity

2010-07-31T13:15:00.000+08:00

Do Asian Americans hate gay marriage?
Erwin de Leon
Korean Americans Hate Gay Marriage Most, Poll Reveals.The headline reeled me in, but it was the blogger’s assertion that “it’s been known for some time that Asian Americans are the ethnic group most opposed to gay marriage in California” which got me going.
First of all, Asian American is not an ethnic group. Rather, it is a catch-all for Americans who can trace their roots to East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Secondly, the Field Poll report that the writer cites only discusses three Asian American subgroups: Chinese Americans, Korean Americans and Vietnamese Americans. Finally, the article that he links to his generalization quotes a couple of experts, a political consultant and an executive director of a Chinese American nonprofit, who were sharing their opinions on what happened in November 2008, when Barack Obama and Proposition 8 prevailed in California.
The results of an exit poll conducted Nov. 4 that year revealed that 64 percent of Asian American voters in Los Angeles voted against Proposition 8. Likewise, a survey by professors Patrick Egan and Kenneth Sherrill showed that 52 percent of Asian Americans in California voted against the ballot initiative. Moreover, their report concluded that a voter’s party identification, ideology, religious affiliation and age had a much bigger impact on the decision to vote for or against Proposition 8. The academics explained much of the difference among racial and ethnic groups to varying levels of religiosity. It has little to do with race and more to do with how often a voter worships.
Cuc Vu, a Vietnamese-American who works closely with immigrant communities, disagrees with the contention that all Asian Americans oppose same-sex marriage. She is not surprised, however, by the Field Poll findings about Korean and Vietnamese Americans.
“Koreans are the most conservative among Asians on marriage equality because of the Baptist tradition that large segments of Koreans follow. For Vietnamese, the Catholic Church is very influential.” She points out, however, that “that younger Koreans and Vietnamese have different views than their more traditional and religious immigrant parents or grandparents.”
Although one cannot say that all Asian Americans hate gay marriage, the reality is many do because of their faith traditions, age and political and social ideologies. They form a sizable bloc of voters we need to convince of our fundamental right to fair and equal treatment under the law. So how can we change the minds and hearts of more conservative Asian Americans?
I think the onus is on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Asian American people and organizations who need to reach out to their communities. Vu points out that “one of the reasons why I think you saw a majority of Asian voters in California voting against Prop 8 is because of Asian Pacific Islander LGBT leaders in California making themselves visible in key spaces — like marching in the annual Chinese New Year Parade. That would be the equivalent of black LGBTs having a strong presence at the annual Black Family Reunion.”
“API LGBT leaders also housed API Equality, which has been working on marriage equality for years, in the offices of Chinese for Affirmative Action, a respected local civil rights organization in the Bay Area. Integrating LGBT issues in a community-based civil rights organization recast LGBT issues as part of the Chinese community’s civil rights issues.”
“Both of these strategies are about engaging straight allies,” Vu emphasizes. “And stepping out of our LGBT bubble and into spaces where we might face rejection. But API LGBT leaders in California have put themselves out there consistently, year after year, and that’s why I think you saw API voters behaving differently than black and Latino voters.”
Filipino-American Hyacinth Alvaran, co-chair of Asian Pacific Islander Queer Sisters, agrees.
“I think being visibly present, supporting API community activities is important. This is where API LGBT groups can come in, to help speak on behalf of API LGBT people and build the trust with other API organizations, especially those that serve the immigrant community. Whether it be helping organize, participating in, or humbly but proudly serving at citizenship workshops, cultural events, events where critical community services are being provided, etc., we can interact with members of the community in a way that shows that we are out and that we are proud to be both LGBT and API. We alone as API LGBT people can’t change the attitudes of our larger API communities, but if we build trust with key community leaders and organizations who can help us do that, it’s a start.”
It is a start, not only for queer Asian Americans, but for all of us.

[Posted by Paul Causey, AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-07-26]

PrEP study gives hope - MSMGF

2010-07-30T13:00:00.000+08:00

The Global Forum on MSM & HIV welcomes positive results of PrEP safety trial among MSM

Study gives hope about an expanded prevention tool kit

Vienna, Austria (July 24, 2010) - The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) welcomes the results from the CDC 4323 trial, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during a late breaker session on the closing day of the 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna. This trial, designed to assess the safety of the oral antiretroviral (ARV) drug tenofovir when used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), was conducted among 400 HIV-negative gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. Preliminary findings from the trial suggest that the use of PrEP presents no significant safety concerns for MSM.

It is important to note that CDC 4323 is a safety trial; no conclusions can be drawn about PrEP’s efficacy in preventing HIV among MSM by this study. Other studies are currently underway around the world to determine if PrEP is effective at reducing HIV infection among individuals at high risk for HIV, including MSM.

In addition to clinical safety, CDC 4323 assessed whether those using PrEP might increase their risk behaviors. While analyses of risk behavior data are not yet complete, early results suggest there was no increase in risk behaviors among MSM taking PrEP during the first nine months of their participation in the study.

PrEP entails the administration of oral ARV agents before exposure to HIV in order to reduce risk of infection if exposure occurs. Although no conclusive evidence currently exists regarding PrEP’s ability to prevent HIV infections, CDC 4323 goes a long way towards lending additional assurance that the strategy may be well tolerated among MSM, should it prove effective.

Key thought leaders have universally agreed upon the need for multiple, safe and effective HIV prevention approaches. Safety results released today offer hope for an expanded prevention portfolio, one that includes a broad range of peer-led behavioral and community-level approaches that are anchored with concerns for the broader health and human rights of MSM.

MSM continue to shoulder a disproportionate disease burden when it comes to the HIV epidemic in all regions of the world. Prevalence among MSM is higher than that of the general population in nearly every country that reliably collects and truthfully reports HIV and AIDS surveillance data. On average, MSM are 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population in low- and middle-income countries. And in resource rich countries, MSM are up to 40 percent more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population, as is the case in the United States. Stigma, violence and discrimination facing MSM worldwide work to aggravate the situation; homosexuality is criminalized in nearly 80 countries in stigmatized in countless others.

News about the CDC 4323 safety trial follows the positive results of CAPRISA 004, a proof-of-concept study that found a 39 percent lower HIV infection rate in HIV-negative women living in South Africa who used a 1% tenofovir vaginal gel when compared to women who did not. While more exciting progress on ARV-based prevention interventions is anticipated in the near future, we must continue to stress the importance of a comprehensive and balanced approach to the fight against HIV, one that addresses both the unacceptably high HIV sero-prevalence among MSM and the ongoing human rights abuses they endure.

[Posted by Jack Beck of MSMGF, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-25]

Exploring PrEP to prevent MSM HIV infections

2010-07-30T12:47:00.000+08:00

Gay Men Don't Engage in Riskier Sex When Taking AIDS Pills, CDC Study Says

By Simeon Bennett

Gay and bisexual men didn’t have riskier sex or suffer serious side effects while using Gilead Sciences Inc.’s Viread in a study of whether taking pills to prevent HIV infection would loosen inhibitions or harm health.

Gay and bisexual men who took a daily pill -- either Viread or a placebo -- were no more likely to take greater sexual risks on the assumption they were protected than those who didn’t take one, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna today. The study also compared the rate of side effects between those who received Viread and those who got a placebo, and found no significant difference.

The study supports efforts to test whether drugs approved to treat AIDS patients can also be used to prevent infections in the first place. That theory, called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, was partially validated this week when a vaginal gel containing Viread was shown to reduce infections by 39 percent among women in South Africa.

“It is encouraging to hear there were no serious safety concerns and that the men in the study did not appear to increase risk-taking behaviors while taking a pill,” said Mitchell Warren, executive director of the New York-based AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, in an e-mailed statement. “Much more safety, adherence and risk data will be needed before PrEP can be implemented if it is proven effective.”

400 Men

The study involved 400 HIV-negative gay and bisexual men in San Francisco, Atlanta and Boston. About half received either Viread or placebo immediately, and the other half started nine months later.

There were seven HIV infections overall, and none in the group that took Viread. The trial wasn’t designed to test whether the drug prevented infections and no conclusions about its effectiveness can be drawn from the study, the researchers said. The distribution of infections could be due to chance, said Lisa Grohskopf, a CDC researcher who presented the results.

“PrEP is one of the most-promising new prevention approaches being explored, and if effective, could help address an urgent need for additional solutions to help slow the HIV epidemic in the U.S. and around the world,” the CDC said in a statement.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-24]

Circumcision unlikely for MSM HIV prevention

2010-07-30T12:39:00.001+08:00

Circumcision Unlikely to Have Major HIV Prevention Benefit Among Gay Men

by Tim Horn

Circumcising men who have sex with men (MSM) is likely to have a negligible effect on the rate of new HIV cases in the United States, according to a survey conducted in San Francisco in 2008 and reported Thursday, July 22, at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna.

Clinical trials in South Africa, Uganda and Kenya have indicated that heterosexual men who undergo circumcision are 60 percent less likely to become infected compared with uncircumcised men. Ever since these findings, public health leaders have sought to promote circumcision as a proven, cost-effective method. In Vienna, ambassador Eric Goosby, the U.S. global AIDS coordinator, and David Okello of the World Health Organization, along with Bill Clinton and Bill Gates, lent their voices to support male circumcision in Africa.

Circumcision is thought to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by removing cells in the foreskin that are most susceptible to infection by the virus.

Whether or not circumcision of adult males in the United States, notably men who have sex with men, will influence the incidence of HIV in this country remains a matter of debate. As recently as March, an analysis of data collected in the United States and other Western countries indicated that circumcision will not necessarily prevent transmission among MSM.

To explore this further, Jonathan Fuchs, MD, MPH, of the San Francisco Department of Health and his colleagues conducted a survey of MSM in San Francisco measuring HIV prevalence, circumcision status, condom use with insertive and receptive anal intercourse, and willingness to be circumcised.

Of the 521 MSM surveyed, 115 (21.1 percent) were HIV positive and 327 (62.7 percent) were already circumcised, leaving 69 (13.2 percent) for whom circumcision may have an additional preventive benefit.

Among those for whom circumcision may confer a protective effect—those who predominantly engaged in insertive anal intercourse (21.7 percent reported “topping” at least 80 percent of the time, without condoms, with their five most recent partners)—only three (0.5 percent) were willing to participate in an MSM circumcision trial. What’s more, only four (0.7 percent) were willing to get circumcised, even if it proved to be a safe method that did reduce the risk of HIV transmission.

Extrapolating these findings to the entire MSM population of San Francisco—an estimated 65,700 people, Fuchs indicated—only 500 men would potentially benefit from circumcision.

Fuchs and his team concluded that circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy would apply to few MSM in San Francisco and thus, even if effective, would have limited influence on HIV incidence in this population. However, if shown to be an effective prevention strategy for MSM, the researchers argue, circumcision could potentially benefit MSM populations with low rates of circumcision and condom use among those who engage in predominately insertive anal intercourse.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-24]

MSM ignored at IAC 2010?

2010-07-22T12:11:00.000+08:00

Xtra West Article: Are Men That Have Sex With Men Being Ignored By The International AIDS Conference In Vienna Austria? [blog]

Vienna AIDS pre-conference on men who have sex with men a great idea INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE / But also a missed opportunity

Phillip Banks / Vancouver / Monday, July 19, 2010

Last night marked the opening of the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria. From July 18-22 more than 20,000 people from all over the planet will converge to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of the global HIV crisis.

In the next few days, research findings will be shared, interesting programs and services will be presented, and more models, frameworks, and strategies than you can shake a stick at will be unveiled to the world.

And if Bill Clinton was telling the truth, we can expect some good news to come out of all of this too. Unfortunately, I’m not so sure the good news is going to apply to gay men.

Too many International AIDS Conferences have come and gone in the last decade without enough attention being given to the situation facing gay men and other men who have sex with men.

This isn’t unique to gay men. Over the years many different groups have had to fight to get the world’s attention.

It seems scientists, world leaders, international organizations, donors, and the conference host itself — the International AIDS Society — are all unable or unwilling to practice what they preach: to respond to the HIV epidemic based on the best available evidence.

If they did, they would be hard pressed to continue to ignore the new, growing, and resurgent HIV epidemics among gay men and other men who have sex with men around the globe.

In an effort to give some serious attention to HIV among gay men, the Global Forum on Men who Have Sex with Men (MSMGF) organized BE HEARD, a pre-conference event on July 17 here in Vienna.

At this one-day event 650 men and women from all corners of the globe came together to address the worsening global AIDS crisis among gay men.

The day featured presentations, workshops, and discussions among activists from every continent and more than 100 countries. Topics covered government denial and neglect; inadequate funding; limited access to prevention, treatment, and care; heartbreaking human rights abuses; and the resulting HIV-related deaths among gay men.

This situation was reiterated throughout the day by a number of high-level experts in the HIV field. Plenary speakers included Michael Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS; Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of The Global Fund; and Stephen Lewis, the previous United Nations Special Envoy on HIV in Africa.

One after another they stepped up to the podium and told the crowd how bad the situation is for us, how it is made worse by a serious lack of human rights in jurisdictions around the globe, and how, finally, we could count on their support as we fight on.

BE HEARD gave men a chance to get together and hear about challenges of HIV in our communities. It was an incredible opportunity to connect with men on the frontlines from around the world.

But it was also a missed opportunity.

This gathering of global gay activists did not need to spend the limited time they had together presenting statistics and program models to each other. If we really want to be heard, we should have spent that time strategizing about how we are going to use this international platform to demand action to end HIV in our communities.

Gay men need to dust off their whistles and take a page from the playbook of sex work activists, treatment activists, or the emerging activists from Eastern Europe. They aren’t afraid to make some noise because there’s too much at stake for them.

As the 18th International AIDS Conference starts, there’s too much at stake for gay men too.

Only one in five gay men on the planet has access to HIV prevention, care, and support. Top level officials pay lip service to epidemics among gay men but they offer us no good news.

George Ayala, executive officer of the Global Forum, said only 2 percent of scheduled events at this year’s AIDS conference will address the needs of men who have sex with men.

Gay men have been silenced at this conference and if we don’t make some noise, we’ll remain invisible.

There was a time when gay men refused to sit quietly while people in positions of power and authority apologized for our situation but provided no solutions or commitments.

In those days, gay guys demanded action. We demanded money. We demanded laws to protect our dignity and our human rights.

In those days we refused to be silent.

There is an opportunity for leadership here from the MSM Global Forum. It needs to decide if it wants to play nice with the big boys and girls, or throw down the gloves.

The conference is just getting started. Before it’s over I hope gay men do what needs to be done to Be Heard.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-21]

CAPRISA breakthrough gives hope for MSM

2010-07-22T11:53:00.003+08:00

The Global Forum on MSM & HIV Stands with Global HIV Advocates in Congratulating CAPRISA on Prevention Breakthrough

Study gives hope for new and effective prevention tools for women, men who have sex with men and other vulnerable populations

Vienna, Austria (July, 20, 2010) - The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) stands with HIV advocates around the world in congratulating scientists at the Center for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) on their new groundbreaking CAPRISA 004 trial results. CAPRISA 004 is an efficacy and safety trial that tested a1% tenofovir gel to prevent HIV transmission. Major findings included a 39 percent lower infection rate in those who used the gel compared to those who did not. Conducted in HIV-negative South African women, this was the first-ever trial to evaluate the efficacy of an antiretroviral-based microbicide; it is great cause for optimism regarding biomedical prevention approaches.

ARV-based HIV prevention entails, among other approaches, the use of microbicides as vaginal or rectal gels to reduce the chances of HIV transmission during sexual intercourse. We celebrate CAPRISA 004’s positive results as an important development for women’s advocates, who have highlighted the urgency of developing products that give women increased control over their own sexual health. The study is significant for the health of men who have sex with men (MSM) as well, with a growing global movement advocating microbicides research for rectal use.

It is important to note that CAPRISA 004 is a proof-of-concept study and that no microbicide, ARV-based or not, has yet been proven to effectively halt HIV transmission. The results and implications of the CAPRISA 004 trial must be confirmed through further research. In addition to efficacy trials, studies must be conducted to assess feasibility for potential roll-out and scale-up among different regional contexts and populations, including MSM.

Microbicides have the potential to become a formidable weapon in the fight against HIV among vulnerable populations. The CAPRISA 004 study focused solely on vaginal microbicides. More rectal microbicide research is needed in order to better understand their potential health benefits for MSM. Additionally, the complex and diverse challenges that MSM face around the world in regard to access, stigma, and criminalization have shown us that no one prevention technology can be a silver bullet. Microbicides must therefore be understood as but one evolving part of an integrated prevention spectrum that employs a comprehensive range of already available, evidence-based approaches, from condoms and lubricants through structural interventions.

In order to ensure that such emerging HIV prevention technologies meet their full potential for reducing new infections, new science must be paired with strong advocacy. Each global region is different and requires a culturally competent and nuanced approach, but the need for action remains universal. We applaud these scientists for their efforts to enhance the tools at our disposal; it is now everyone’s responsibility to ensure that these tools are developed and released into a world that can use them. While more exciting progress on ARV-based interventions is anticipated in the future, we must continue to stress the importance of a comprehensive and balanced approach in the fight against HIV – one that emphasizes targeted rights-based primary prevention strategies for communities that are especially vulnerable to HIV infection combined with treatment and support services for all people living with HIV.

[MSMGF eblast forwarded by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-21]

UNDP reports legal environment on MSM and HIV

2010-07-22T11:42:00.002+08:00

Report Launch: Legal environments, human rights and HIV responses among MSM and TG in Asia and the Pacific: An agenda for action

On Tuesday, July 20th, UNDP/APCOM presented a ground breaking study on Legal environments, human rights and HIV responses among men who have sex with men and transgender people in Asia and the Pacific: An agenda for action. This report and its key findings were delivered during the session on Criminalizing Homosexual Behaviour: Human Rights Violation and Obstacles to Effective HIV/AIDS Prevention at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna. A press conference was held on Wednesday, July 21st with Jeff O’Malley, Global Director of UNDP’s HIV Group and Shiv to launch the report.

The report clearly documents how both punitive and protective laws, policies and practices impact comprehensive HIV response. To support the findings and recommendations, the report maps out recent judicial, legislative and policy developments and community responses at the global, regional and national levels. Together, these findings demonstrate why it is necessary for stakeholders across the spectrum to adopt a rights-based approach to universal access and proactively address policy and legal barriers to effective HIV responses. Finally, the report recommends that each government, development partner and UN agency take bold and effective policy measures to reach out to communities and individuals at risk, particularly those living with HIV.

The study method involved a yearlong review of legislation, cases, published research and grey literature, consultations with community representatives, technical experts and UN agencies, and analysis. A list of participants in the series of community and high-level consultations convened by UNDP to inform the report is provided at Annex II. Inputs were also collected from community representatives; with UNDP and UNAIDS country offices; UNAIDS and WHO regional offices, with USAID and AusAID, and with some government partners. It’s important to acknowledge that the study has produced more than a report – it has also generated a process, a series of regional consultations within themselves help to raise awareness and build capacity of stakeholders in understanding the issues, and regional and national meetings were held to look at the legal environment and discuss implications. The study also benefited from technical expertise with inputs from lawyers, parliamentarians and judges from the region. The recent Punitive Laws, Human Rights and HIV prevention among men who have sex with men in Asia Pacific - High Level Dialogue held in Hong Kong on May 17, 2010 was the last of a series of regional consultations. The work in this area has been highly covered by both the international media and local news agencies, and has produced an editorial and full length article in Lancet.

A big thanks to all of you who participated by providing inputs and comments to the report.

Please download the full report HERE.

The following supporting publications can be downloaded HERE.

- Punitive Laws, Human Rights and HIV prevention among men who have sex with men in Asia Pacific - High Level Dialogue Report (2010)

- WHO: Priority HIV and sexual health interventions in the health sector for men who have sex with men and transgender people in the Asia-Pacific region (2010)

- ICAAP IX Symposium: Overcoming legal barriers to comprehensive prevention among men who have sex with men and transgender people in Asia and the Pacific (2009)

- Developing a Comprehensive Package of Services to Reduce HIV among MSM and TG Populations in Asia and the Pacific: Regional consensus meeting (2009)

[Posted by Edmund Settle, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-21. The full report can also be downloaded HERE.]

Microbicides, researchers and advocates

2010-07-22T11:25:00.001+08:00

Below are series of exchanges on MSM-Asia mailing list about microbicides, trigger post was a note forwarded 2010-07-19 by Clifton Cortez that announced successful trials of a vaginal microbicide CAPRISA 004.

REPLY-NOTE FROM JIM PICKETT

Thanks Clifton.

For people who would like to stay update on rectal microbicide research and development - I'd humbly suggest you join IRMA - International Rectal Microbicide Advocates - of which I am chair.

We are the only advocacy group in the world with this focus, and we have nearly 1000 members on 6 continents - a wide array of advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders. Joining means signing up for our listserv - so if interested, send me an email and we will sign you up.

Meanwhile, you may be interested in our new report - From Promise to Product - Advancing Rectal Microbicide Research and Advocacy. It provides an overview of current scientific activities, advocacy activities, etc. You can find it on our website - www.rectalmicrobicides.org.

Thanks!

Jim

REPLY-NOTE FROM CLIFTON CORTEZ

Folks may have heard about the USAID-funded research that has led to a potential breakthrough in vaginal microbicides as an HIV prevention tool. This link sent by Billy Pick in USAID/Washington has all the latest and greatest to keep us updated on the state of anal microbicide research.

Best,

Clif Cortez

http://irma-rectalmicrobicides.blogspot.com/2010/05/whirlwind-of-anal-lubricants-lets-get.html

ORIGINAL FORWARDED MESSAGE FROM USAID

Microbicide Gel Shows Reduced Risk of HIV Infection in Women

Today, I am proud to announce that USAID has supported the first successful trial to prove that a microbicide can effectively and safely reduce the risk of transmission of HIV from men to women.

The CAPRISA 004 trial provides solid evidence that the use of an antiretroviral-based microbicide gel, 1% Tenofovir, can significantly reduce the risk of HIV infection. Finding a woman-controlled method of prevention is critical in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Worldwide in 2008, some 6,200 adults were newly infected with HIV every day, and 48 percent of those infections occurred in women.

This finding would not have been possible without the collaboration of governments, scientists, communities, and 889 courageous women in Durban, South Africa, who volunteered for this trial. This group effort was a model of how USAID works with host nations and partner organizations.

These results are the first step toward establishing the effectiveness of antiretroviral drugs for HIV prevention. Ongoing and similar studies supported by the National Institutes for Health, and other organizations, will confirm these results. USAID will continue to work with PEPFAR, multilateral agencies, and partner countries to ensure the full impact of this advance can be offered to women and girls worldwide and especially in low-resource settings.

The CAPRISA 004 collaborative approach, led by in-country investigators, is a model for future research studies. It builds research capacity, contributes to sustainable health systems, and exemplifies how President Obama’s Global Health Initiative intends to leverage technology and innovation to improve health around the world.

I am proud that USAID is at the forefront of innovation in science, and I congratulate the staff from the Bureau for Global Health for their work on this important effort. With the support of President Obama and Secretary Clinton, we will continue to put science, technology, and innovation at the forefront of our development work.

Please see USAID’s Global Health Bureau’s factsheet on microbicides, to learn more about our work in microbicide research and the CAPRISA 004 trial.

Rajiv Shah

Point of Contact: Any questions concerning this Notice may be directed to GH/PRH Jeff Spieler, (202) 712-1402.

IGLHRC granted consultative status in UN ECOSOC

2010-07-21T13:38:00.015+08:00

United Nations Grants Official Status to US-Based International LGBT Rights Group

A victory against homophobic silencing of civil society

On July 19, 2010, the full United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) voted in favor of a US-led resolution to grant the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) consultative status. IGLHRC is only the tenth organization working primarily for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) human rights to gain such status at the United Nations.

"Today's decision is an affirmation that the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have a place at the United Nations as part of a vital civil society community," said Cary Alan Johnson, IGLHRC Executive Director. "The clear message here is that these voices should not be silenced and that human rights cannot be denied on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity."

The resolution passed with 23 in favor, 13 against, 13 abstentions and 5 absences.

This victory is particularly significant, coming as it does after a prolonged 3-year application process in the sub-committee that makes initial recommendations on status. Despite full compliance with all procedures IGLHRC faced deferrals, homophobic questioning, and procedural roadblocks in the ECOSOC NGO Committee.

Today's decision overturned a "no-action" vote in the NGO-committee that threatened to establish a dangerous precedent and the possibility of organizations deemed controversial being continuously denied the opportunity to have their application put to a vote even after undergoing the required review.

The vote also signals a recognition of the important role of a diverse and active civil society at the UN. In support of progress on IGLHRC's application, a group of over 200 NGOs from 59 countries endorsed a letter to all UN Member States, demanding fair and non-discriminatory treatment and supporting IGLHRC's goal of amplifying LGBT voices in the international arena.

"As human rights defenders and LGBT people living in countries where homophobic discrimination is a daily reality, we celebrate the accreditation of IGLHRC at the UN," said Frank Mugisha, Chairperson of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), one of 13 NGOs from Uganda to publicly call for IGLHRC to be accredited. "IGLHRC's access to the UN means that we too will have greater access to international human-rights mechanisms that can prove invaluable to LGBT people's lives."

The government of the United States stood strongly behind IGLHRC's application, calling for a vote in both the NGO Committee and ECOSOC. Ambassador Susan Rice, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, publicly supported IGLHRC's application. Additionally, 14 members of the US House of Representatives and 4 Senators sent letters of support for IGLHRC's application to all UN Member States. Among them were Senator John Kerry, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Congressman Howard Berman, Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The victory continues the upward trajectory for LGBT rights at the UN. It allows IGLHRC to participate in a more formal way through attending meetings, submitting statements and collaborating with the UN and governments in the international human-rights arena.

"We celebrate this decision," stated Toni Reis, president of the Brazilian LGBT group, Associação Brasileira de Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis e Transexuais (ABGLT) - that in 2009 was the last LGBT organization to receive status. "It is crucial that LGBT NGOs have the opportunity to participate in the UN human rights debate - though in future, organizations should receive full and fair reviews before the NGO Committee itself."

Despite the limited opportunities offered to non-accredited NGOs, IGLHRC has a long history of advocating at the UN for the rights of all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. The organization advocated for sexual rights to be included in the official discussions at the 1995 UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing; spoke at the first UN General Assembly meeting on HIV and AIDS in 2001; and in recent years has been part of a collaboration between NGOs and supportive States that resulted in the groundbreaking 2008 UNGA Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, signed by 67 UN Member States.

The votes on this resolution granting IGLHRC special consultative status were as follows:

Vote For - 23

Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Guatemala
Italy
Japan
Liechtenstein
Malta
Norway
Peru
Poland
Rep. of Korea
Slovenia
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay

Votes Against - 13

Bangladesh
China
Comoros
Egypt
Malaysia
Morocco
Namibia
Niger
Pakistan
Russian Fed.
Saudi Arabia
Venezuela
Zambia

Abstaining - 13

Bahamas
Cote D'Ivoire
Ghana
India
Mauritius
Mongolia
Mozambique
Philippines
Rep. of Moldova
Rwanda
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Turkey
Ukraine

Absent - 5

Cameroon
Congo
Guinea-Bissau
Iraq
Saint Lucia

[Posted by Ging Cristobal of IGLHRC, AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-07-20]

Call for EOI: APN+ MSM working group

2010-07-21T10:47:00.001+08:00

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR
CORE GROUP OF APN+ MSM WORKING GROUP

The APN+ MSM Working Group is an integral part of APN+ and works in the interests of HIV+ MSM in the Asia Pacific region with the following vision:

“Positive MSM will be accepted equally in their communities free from stigma and discrimination and their human rights will be respected, including their right to a fulfilling sex life. All positive MSM will have access to the means to maximise their health, including equitable access to MSM friendly prevention, care, treatment and support services.”

The APN+ MSM Working Group was formed in early 2007 and now wishes to move to a more formalised structure in order to ensure good governance and effective implementation of its mission and work plans. Central to this new structure is the establishment of a Core Group. This is a call for Expressions of Interest (EoI) to serve on this Core Group. Core Group members must be HIV+ MSM. Preference will be given to those who work with positive MSM communities in their own countries. The business of the Core Group is conducted in English and so an ability to communicate in English is essential.

Terms of Reference of the MSM Working Group is available on the APN+ website. In particular please note:

“The Core Group of the APN+ MSM Working Group will come from the four sub-regions of the Asia Pacific. Ideally members should be nominated by their national PLHIV networks, but in cases where that is not possible a nomination may be made by the Coordinator and endorsed by a member of the APN+ Steering Committee. Core Group members will serve a term of two years, with an ability to be re-nominated for a second two year term if appropriate. The APN+ MSM Coordinator will handle the nomination process, which will be overseen by the APN+ Executive Director, and any membership of the Core Group would require endorsement by the APN+ Steering Committee. Members of the Core Group are expected to communicate regularly with APN+ and positive MSM in their locations, contribute actively to discussions and promote the Working Group and its activities.”

Please send Expressions of Interest (EoI) indicating experience, skills and current work to the APN+ MSM Working Group Coordinator by JULY 31st 2010. It is preferred that nominations are made (endorsed) by the National PLHIV network of your country where possible.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-20]

MSM "combination prevention" reduces HIV epidemics

2010-07-21T10:43:00.000+08:00

Providing prevention for men who have sex with men could significantly reduce HIV infections in many countries

BY Gus Cairns (NAM)

A mathematical model developed by the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University shows that developing effective ‘combination prevention’ programmes for men who have sex with men (MSM), including both biomedical and behavioural interventions, would significantly reduce the scale of the HIV epidemic in many countries.

In areas like Latin America, where the epidemic is mainly driven by sex between men, providing comprehensive prevention to MSM could cut overall HIV prevalence by almost 50%, a pre-conference organised by the Global forum for MSM and HIV heard.

The findings, by researcher Chris Beyrer, were presented at the Be Heard! pre-conference for MSM attended by around 700 delegates.

Stephen Lewis, the former UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, who also addressed the meeting, hailed the model as the first evidence hard enough to persuade reluctant politicians that they had to address the prevention needs of MSM in their countries.

Beyrer’s model was made possible by the increasing number of prevalence surveys of HIV in MSM from a number of countries. A literature search, combined with proactive networking with key opinion leaders, unearthed data from 138 prevalence studies of HIV in MSM from 50 different countries, covering most areas of the world with the notable exceptions of most of the Middle East and central Asia.

They reveal that, with two exceptions – Namibia and South Africa – HIV prevalence is higher in MSM than in the general population. In lower- and middle-income countries taken as a whole, MSM are 19 times more likely to have HIV than the general population, and 44 times more in developed countries.

Beyrer identified four different kinds of epidemic based on the proportions of MSM and injecting drug users (IDUs) in the population.

‘Scenario 1’ countries have epidemics mainly restricted to MSM; these are mainly in Latin America with a few outliers like Ghana.

‘Scenario 2’ comprises countries where HIV in IDUs predominated: Russia and eastern Europe. Here, recent data show that HIV prevalence in MSM is three to seven times that of the general population, though only a quarter of that in IDUs.

‘Scenario 3’ were the countries with generalised epidemics in Africa, though, even here, MSM in countries like Malawi and Kenya have two to three times the HIV prevalence of the general population.

In ‘scenario 4’ countries, most of them in Asia but including outliers like Senegal and Egypt, the one middle-eastern country with data, there is a complex mix of transmission between heterosexuals, IDUs and MSM.

Based on these data, Beyrer devised a model of the MSM epidemic in each scenario that included what could be fed in about STI prevalence, number of sex partners, condom use and – importantly – antiretroviral provision to people with HIV.

He fed in what would happen if a programme of ‘combination prevention’ including both HIV treatment and outreach and community-based behavioural programmes were made available to MSM. He then computed what would happen to the annual number of new HIV infections, not just in MSM but in the whole population, in four selected countries: Peru, Ukraine, Kenya and Thailand.

He also computed what would happen if the status quo persisted and what would happen if all current prevention support – including ARV treatment – was removed. The model lasted from 2007, on which year figures were based, to 2014.

In Peru, providing comprehensive prevention programmes for MSM would make a dramatic difference, with new cases falling from 15,000 in 2007 to 8000 in 2014, compared with an increase to 26,000 if the status quo was maintained. In Thailand the annual number of new cases, currently 33,000, would fall to 20,000.

Comprehensive prevention would make less difference in Kenya, where it would only take 3000 or so infections away from an expected 85,000 new cases in 2014, and in Ukraine, where it would only make a difference of about 1500 from an expected total of 35,500 new cases in 2014.

In Ukraine, however, there is a significant overlap between the MSM and IDU populations, and adding in comprehensive harm-reduction programmes would lead to a 40% drop in new cases to 22,000.

Beyrer ended his presentation on a very personal note, making a plea for comprehensive prevention for MSM by showing a slide of a lover who had died in 1990. “Enough with young men needlessly dying,” was his closing remark.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-20]

Reaching MSM through the Internet

2010-07-20T10:29:00.001+08:00

Internet proving a key way to reach men who have sex with men in Africa, Asia and beyond

Roger Pebody

In the last few years, the scale of the HIV epidemic amongst men who have sex with men in Africa, Asia and Latin America has become clearer. There is now a body of data on HIV prevalence and on risk behaviours, but attention is now shifting to the inadequate amount of prevention work that is carried out with men who have sex with men in many countries.

In advance of the main AIDS 2010 conference in Vienna, activists and researchers gathered for Be Heard!, which turned out to be the largest pre-conference meeting organised by the Global Forum on MSM & HIV yet. The sessions covered a wide range of issues, especially human rights, but several workshop speakers highlighted how the internet has become central to their work with men who have sex with men.

For example, Yves Yomb from Alternatives-Cameroun explained how – in a context where homosexuality is penalised, blackmail and police harassment are common, the media are homophobic and funding for work with men who have sex with men is limited (MSM do not figure in Cameroon’s national strategic plan for HIV) – his organisation needed to be creative in finding ways to support men who have sex with men.

The internet is commonly used by men who have sex with men in Cameroon to find sexual partners. Moreover, the net is a relatively safe space where sexuality can be addressed in a frank and honest way. Peer educators surf the most popular websites used for sexual networking, where they befriend and inform men about HIV and other issues which men ask about. As access to condoms and lubricant can be difficult, men met online may be invited to come to the organisation’s centre to get supplies. They may then also find out about the other healthcare services and support groups that Alternatives-Cameroun provides.

Tudor Kovacs of PSI Romania similarly explained how he used a sexual networking site to build a support network of HIV-positive men who have sex with men (an extremely marginalised and, until then, invisible group in Romania). He searched GayRomeo for Romanian profile names which included key words such as +ve or HIV. There were only six, and these men were sent a short private message inviting them to form a group (“a safe corner” to chat and be themselves). Those who joined could invite others in too, and the group slowly grew in this way. The agenda for online discussion and the rules for interaction were developed by the group members themselves, with Kovacs primarily acting to mediate and defuse conflicts.

Although the group began as being online only and with all members’ anonymity protected by pseudonyms, many group members later took up an invitation to participate in weekend meetings. These were described as an “overwhelming experience”, with excellent peer support given. Moreover, group members decided themselves to switch to a system where email addresses were visible. Kovacs suggested that one aspect of the group’s success was that the group was presented as a way of getting to know more people, rather than providing support.

In another example where face-to-face activities intersect with online work, Nada Chaiyajit and Christopher Walsh explained their work with Mplus in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The organisation works with various groups including men selling sex, transgender people and younger men who have sex with men. It lets their existing contacts know that staff will be present on various social networking sites and MSN Messenger at specific times, where they are available to interact and answer questions. This multiplies the opportunities for the group to support their clients and extends the relationship with them.

Mplus has also developed short animated videos covering health issues and legal rights. They can be used as an information referral during online work, but are also loaded onto mobile phones or MP3 players, to be used during outreach at parks, public toilets, go-go bars and brothels. The videos often act as a catalyst for further discussion and questions from the client. Another advantage of the format is that the animated videos have been relatively simple to translate into other languages used by clients (a majority of the men selling sex are migrants).

Moreover, the videos were developed with a lot of user involvement and close attention to local understandings of health and sexuality. As with the projects in Cameroun and Romania, this online outreach work relies on having peer educators with a good understanding of local subcultures and the social environment.

Working on a different scale, Stuart Koe explained how he is incorporating health work into www.fridae.com (a large gay dating and lifestyle site in southeast Asia and China).

He suggested that it was essential for HIV prevention to happen online as, for many men, this is their primary means of meeting sexual partners. In the context of negative social attitudes, the web allows anonymity and confidentiality. Stuart believes that health promoters should not try to create new web platforms, but should work with the commercial websites which are already popular and widely used. Moreover, within social networking sites, micro-communities formed around specific subcultures or sexual interests naturally form, and can be reached with targeted prevention work.

He believes that too many online health activities at present are modified versions of traditional health interventions, and do not take advantage of the potential of the web. He gave as examples static “brochure websites” and outreach work in chatrooms, which he considers too labour-intensive to scale up.

Some of the health work that Fridae has done includes an interactive quiz testing knowledge of sexual risks, an online community for men with HIV, the world’s second-largest sex survey of men who have sex with men and a low-cost service providing condom and lubricant deliveries.

They have also adapted the dating and sexual networking functions of the site so that if someone wishes to declare themselves HIV-negative in their profile, they have to supply the date of their last test. If the test was more than a year ago, their status will appear as 'not tested recently'. If it was within the last year, their status will appear as 'negative at last test'. Then a year on from the test date, Fridae will email the man to remind him to test again and give details of local clinics.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-19]

Mapping at-risk groups in Pakistan

2010-07-20T10:18:00.001+08:00

The HIV/AIDS Surveillance Project mapping approach: an innovative approach for mapping and size estimation for groups at a higher risk of HIV in Pakistan.

AIDS. 2010 Jul;24 Suppl 2:S77-84

Authors: Emmanuel F, Blanchard J, Zaheer HA, Reza T, Holte-McKenzie M,

OBJECTIVE: We developed a mapping approach to gather data on distribution, number of settings, operational typologies and estimated size of female sex workers (FSWs), male sex workers, hijra sex workers and injection drug users in Pakistan.

METHODS: Data were collected across 12 major cities in Pakistan. Broader methodological steps involved dividing each target city into smaller geographical units and collecting data within each zone from secondary and tertiary key informants, also known as level 1. Level 2 ensured involvement of the communities themselves in validating these estimates, followed by triangulation of the finalized results. Rates for each subgroup per 1000 adult men or women were computed and rolled up into provincial estimates to be summed up into national estimates.

RESULTS: FSWs formed the largest group reported, with estimates of 79 127 and five different subtypologies. Injection drug users were the second largest group, followed by male sex workers and hijra sex workers with estimates of 31 555, 19 320 and 14 702, respectively. We estimated approximately 167 501 FSWs in Pakistan, with an overall national rate of 4. 4 FSWs per 1000 adult women. A total of 71 911 male sex workers in addition to 39 262 hijra sex workers were calculated with rates of 1.7 and 0.9 per 1000 men, whereas injection drug users had an overall estimate of 102 042.

CONCLUSION: This relatively simple methodology provides a scientific and systematic approach, which can be used in the region to estimate population sizes, understand geographical distribution of these groups and recognize the various operational typologies and dynamics of these populations for developing effective prevention strategies.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-19]

Lessons from the front lines

2010-07-19T10:14:00.000+08:00

MSM Groups Confront Hostility and HIV with Resolve and Creativity

New report from amfAR and MSMGF showcases lifesaving efforts of community-based groups to reach men who have sex with men (MSM) and demonstrates the impact that small programs are having on the global HIV epidemic among MSM.

With recent data showing rapidly escalating HIV epidemics among men who have sex with men (MSM) in many countries around the world, community-based organizations are filling the gap in HIV prevention, education, and treatment services that governments and other large donors have been unable or unwilling to address, according to a new report from amfAR and the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF).

The report, “Lessons from the Front Lines: Effective Community-Led Responses to HIV and AIDS Among MSM and Transgender Populations,” will be released at the pre-conference event, Be Heard!, organized by the MSMGF in Vienna on Saturday, July 17, in advance of the 18th International AIDS Conference.

“The ways to address HIV among MSM are not a mystery,” said amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost. “We have hundreds of examples of small organizations that effectively and efficiently deliver prevention and treatment services.”

Read the complete article HERE.

Download the PDF of the report HERE.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-18]

MSM, TG and Digi-Tech

2010-07-16T01:55:00.001+08:00

Call for Papers for Special Themed Issue

Building the HIVe: Increasing social and political science representation in the HIV field by MSM and TG communities deploying digital technologies

This special themed issue of Digital Culture & Education (DCE) will showcase the diverse ways that men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender (TG) communities deploy networked and mobile technologies to intervene in HIV public health and education practices in ways to confront stigma, realise health, sexual and human rights, and improve HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support. This call for papers targets participants from the Global Forum on MSM and HIV’s (MSMGF) pre-conference entitled, “Be Heard” and the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, but also invites contributions from activists, artists, researchers, and service-providers not attending. The ambition is to share and learn from effective practices in using digital technologies to scale up Universal Access to HIV-related prevention, care, treatment, and support for sexual minority communities worldwide.

Editors: Gurmit Singh, University of Leeds; Christopher S. Walsh, The Open University; George Ayala, The Global Forum on MSM and HIV

Despite the change in behaviours and sexual practices due to networked and mobile technologies, there remains a lack of willingness to rethink current paradigms for HIV interventions aimed at changing individual behaviours. Effective prevention programmes must now respond to digitally-based and -driven sexual-social behaviours in a global network society geared towards maximising sexual pleasure. The ubiquity of networked, mobile technologies, and the proliferation of social networking tools, combined with the realisation that HIV is a profoundly social disease, challenges current disciplinary biomedical approaches to HIV. Yet, there is a lack of necessary investment in social and political science research on the public health added value of deploying the Internet and mobile technologies by MSM and TG communities for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support.

This special themed issue presents dynamic interventions that draw on the capabilities of networked and mobile technologies, to build the ‘HIVe.’ The HIVe is an open, non-hierarchical, fluid ecology of HIV activists, practitioners, researchers, and scholars, that actively advocate, disseminate, and promote localised and successful intervention-based practices and challenges. The HIVe exploits the Internet and mobile technologies to advance the impact of the social and political sciences for Universal Access in MSM and TG communities. This special themed issue of Digital Culture & Education (DCE) begins a journey to build the HIVe by developing, exploring, and substantiating the creative and effective merging of HIV and ‘e’ around sexual-social practices and networks, which can shape and influence the future of interdisciplinary and interconnected public health, human rights and education programmes and policies.

Submissions from gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community-based organizations that deploy networked and/or mobile technologies in their programmes and interventions are particularly relevant. These manuscripts could be case studies, impact evaluations, or community-based applied research narratives, that illuminate potential openings for advocacy and for policy change in approaches to community-based HIV interventions. Submissions can include “traditional” print texts on empirical research, as well as non-traditional approaches and formats (e.g. descriptions of artefacts, digital storytelling, audio-visual art, etc.).

Potential research and practice questions are:

* What are the characteristics of community-driven social and political science approaches in concentrated epidemics that add value to the effectiveness of public health interventions using networked and mobile technologies for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support?

* What strategic and theoretical insights from these emerging community-based social and political science approaches can be woven together to conceptualize and build the HIVe – a systems-based model for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, that draws together community development, public health, digital culture and education, and technology?

DCE is committed to building research literacy in social and political science approaches and encourages submissions from developing country authors, from non-scientific and non-native English speaking backgrounds. The journal will offer targeted online mentoring to authors who submit papers of high potential for consideration.

Interested authors should send their manuscripts to the editor of Digital Culture & Education by October 1, 2010.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-15]

Hep-C an STI among MSM PLHIV

2010-07-09T01:44:00.001+08:00

Acute hepatitis C in HIV-infected men who have sex with men: an emerging sexually transmitted infection

Since 2000 outbreaks of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) who denied injecting drug use have been reported from Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia. Given the burden of liver disease, in particular HCV, on the morbidity and mortality in HIV patients in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy, the rapid and significant rise in the incidence of HCV in the HIV-infected MSM population in high-income countries is alarming. This relates to a significant change in the epidemiology of HCV that has occurred, with HCV emerging as a sexually transmitted infection within this population. Work to date suggests that this permucosal HCV transmission results from high-risk sexual and noninjecting drug use behaviours, reopening the discussion on the importance of sexual transmission. Given this occurs almost exclusively in HIV-infected MSM, HIV probably has a critical role mediated either through behavioural and/or biological factors. Finally, the management of acute HCV in HIV infection is complicated by concomitant HIV infection and combination antiretroviral therapy. This review will synthesize the most recent epidemiological, immunological and management issues that have emerged as a result of the epidemic of acute HCV among HIV-infected MSM.

[Followed through from a post by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-08]

Australia MSM prefer oral test

2010-07-09T01:33:00.001+08:00

Australian men who have sex with men prefer rapid oral HIV testing over conventional blood testing for HIV

This study examined the views of 172 community-based Australian men who have sex with men (MSM) on the acceptability and potential uptake of rapid oral testing for HIV in clinic and home-based settings. Men were asked to complete a questionnaire that sought their views on rapid testing for HIV. When asked about which HIV test they would prefer in a clinic setting, 64% indicated a preference for rapid oral HIV testing and 74% indicated that if rapid oral HIV testing was available at a clinic they would test for HIV more frequently. If rapid oral HIV testing was available for home testing, 63% of men indicated it would be likely they would test themselves for HIV and 61% indicated they would test more frequently. Overall, MSM expressed a preference for rapid oral HIV testing and would test more frequently if testing was available for clinic or home use in Australia.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-07-08]

APCOM's new board, director and funding

2010-07-01T01:14:00.001+08:00

APCOM First Governing Board sets long-term agenda to tackle HIV among MSM and transgender people in Asia Pacific

Landmark coalition also chooses Executive Director; gets major funding boost

Pattaya, Thailand – The Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) has moved from an interim governance structure to one incorporating a Governing Board and an Executive Director, considerably strengthening its capacity to address a sharp rise in HIV infection in men who have sex with men and transgender populations across the region. At the same time, APCOM's key donor, HIVOS, has announced a renewal of its commitment to APCOM for another three years and at an increase of 50% for core costs.

Like the interim body that preceded it, APCOM's new, wide-ranging Governing Board continues to include a range of MSM and transgender community representatives from across the region as well as coalition sector advisors from government, United Nations agencies, donors, and technical experts. "The new roster of representatives marks our transition from a fledgling to an established coalition," said Shivananda Khan, Chief Executive of Naz Foundation International, from its regional office in Lucknow, India. Khan is also the newly elected Chairperson of the APCOM Governing Board. "In a little more than three years, our unusual coalition has already helped push the HIV and MSM/TG agenda significantly higher on national and regional agendas. This has made crucial issues far more visible, pushing governments and other influential stakeholders to craft and implement long overdue policies aimed at HIV prevention among communities that remain perhaps the most vulnerable to infection both in our region and globally."

The election of the first Governing Board was accompanied by the naming of Steven Gu as APCOM's first Executive Director, and with that the imminent shift of the APCOM Secretariat from Lucknow to Bangkok. Gu, who hails from China, is well-known in HIV advocacy and policy on the mainland, and will be based in Thailand to assist APCOM's outreach to key regional supporters and stakeholders, including the regional offices of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and others as well as the Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) of the World Health Organization (WHO), which officially joined APCOM at its meeting in Pattaya, Thailand.

APCOM's work to date received a ringing endorsement at the Governing Board meeting when the coalition's chief donor, Hivos of the Netherlands (Humanist Institute for Co-operation with Developing Countries), announced it was renewing support for another three years while increasing its funding for the coalition by no less than 50% over its commitment of the past three years. "We are so very impressed by the groundbreaking efforts of APCOM so far, that our board readily agreed to continue funding these efforts at a considerably higher level," noted Paul Jansen, Hivos Program Officer for LGBT Rights. "Joining forces with others to bring about important social policy change is crucial to the work of Hivos. APCOM exemplifies that ethic, forging ties across the political and civil society spectrum, bringing diverse parties to the table at the same time to engage in dialogue and advocacy that eventually gets transformed into concrete policy, a verifiable return on investment."

Representatives at the APCOM Governing Board meeting passed a budget and work plan to build on the accomplishments of the first three years by strengthening and expanding the coalition's current agenda to encompass areas that include a greater regional push for universal access to HIV prevention, care and treatment services for MSM and TG; increased investment in urgently needed research to better inform service and program design; the strengthening of MSM and TG community networks that engage in policy development; and continued efforts to push for the repeal of laws that criminalize MSM and transgender populations.

"Transgender people are so very different from MSM, yet the world tends to clump us together," explained Joleen Mataele, Executive Director of the Tonga Leiti Association, Chairperson of the Pacific Sexual Diversity Network and Community Representative from the Pacific on the APCOM Governing Board. "Through the work of APCOM, TG populations from the Pacific and Asia are educating governments and policy makers as to what our specific identities are, what our specific health needs are, not just when it comes to HIV but beyond. APCOM seeks to advocate for and support different communities across different environments, and that is one of its strengths."

Several APCOM Governing Board representatives will be attending the upcoming International AIDS Conference in Vienna, hosting or otherwise participating in various sessions on MSM and TG issues including the day-long MSM pre-conference of the Global Forum on MSM & HIV. The leadership is also firming up APCOM's activities to be presented at next year’s 10th International Congress on AIDS in the Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) in Busan, South Korea, following APCOM’s highly successful series of satellites, meetings and workshops at ICAAP9 in 2009 in Bali, Indonesia.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-06-30]

Expanding HIV epidemics among MSM

2010-07-01T01:00:00.003+08:00

Beyrer C, Baral SD, Walker D, Wirtz AL, Johns B, Sifakis F. The Expanding Epidemics of HIV Type 1 Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Diversity and Consistency. Epidemiol Rev. 2010 Jun 23. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 20573756.

Abstract

Men who have sex with men (MSM) have borne a disproportionate burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and remain a markedly underresourced population globally. To better describe HIV epidemics among MSM in low- and middle-income countries, the authors conducted a systematic review of published and unpublished literature available after January 1, 2000 (2000-2009). A total of 133 HIV prevalence studies from 50 countries met the search criteria. Data were used to develop an algorithmic approach to categorize these epidemics.

The authors found that the HIV epidemic in low- and middle-income countries may be described using the following 4 scenarios:

1) settings where MSM are the predominant contributor to HIV cases;

2) settings where HIV transmission among MSM occurs in the context of epidemics driven by injection drug users;

3) settings where HIV transmission among MSM occurs in the context of well-established HIV transmission among heterosexuals; and

4) settings where both sexual and parenteral modes contribute significantly to HIV transmission.

The authors focused on Peru, Ukraine, Kenya, and Thailand to describe the diversity across and similarities between proposed epidemic scenarios. This scenario-based categorization of HIV epidemics among MSM may assist public health agencies and civil societies to develop and implement better-targeted HIV prevention programs and interventions.

[Posted by Paul Causey, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-06-30. With file attachment, download HERE.]

Sri Lanka ready for dialogue

2010-06-29T00:40:00.010+08:00

Government says it is open for dialogue with gay community

The Sri Lankan government says it is open for dialogue with Sri Lanka’s gay community, who had this week urged equal rights, but will not take any decision which could hurt the culture of the country.

Prime Minister D.M Jayaratna, when contacted by Daily Mirror online, over the demands made by the Sri Lankan gay community at a public function this week, said the government must first identify what sort of "equal rights" the gay community in Sri Lanka want.

He noted that while matters concerning gay people including gay marriage is acceptable in some western countries the gay community in Sri Lanka will have to define the rights they seek in order for it to be even given consideration.

"It is not wrong for them to seek rights. But we must know what exactly they want. They should communicate that to us and then we will see if it hurts our culture and take a decision accordingly," the Premier told Daily Mirror online.

Sri Lanka’s gay community on Sunday demanded equal rights and urged the authorities to emulate India which had last year lifted restrictions on the gay community in New Delhi.

Executive Director of Equal Grounds, Rozanne Flemar Caldera, speaking at a fashion show in Colombo on Sunday evening organized by Sri Lanka’s gay community said that people must be treated equally be they gay or straight.

Equal Grounds represents the gay community in Sri Lanka and the fashion show held at the Galadari hotel saw both gay and straight people taking to the stage to portray equality. Several prominent personalities, diplomats and others attended the event. (Daily Mirror online)

[Posted by Roshan De Silva, MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-06-28]

Utopia guides to gay SG, MY, IN

2010-06-27T13:25:00.000+08:00

World's First Guide to Gay and Lesbian Life in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia

Which country is home to Asia's fastest growing openly homosexual sub-culture? Would you believe tiny Singapore? With more than 30 openly gay businesses in the tourist-friendly Chinatown neighborhood alone, Singaporean entrepreneurs are feeling free enough to fuel a huge boom in the city-state's pink economy.

But which country do gay Singaporean's think has the hottest scene going? They point to their neighbor, Malaysia. Indeed, though still largely underground, Malaysia's gays and lesbians have a steadily growing number of restaurants, clubs, spas and gyms that openly welcome them and world-class venues are popping up in even small cities like Penang and Kota Kinabalu.

Singapore's other neighbor, Indonesia, while commonly known as having the world's largest Muslim population, also has some of Asia's longest-running homosexual activist groups and a wide variety of traditional alternative sexualities that are an integral part of Indonesia's cultural mosaic.

The Utopia Guide to Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia reveals for the first time in print the fascinating and variegated queer lifestyle of these countries in one hefty volume filled with a surprising wealth of information. Listed within are contact details for organizations and businesses that are popular with both local and visiting homosexuals, including accommodation, bars, discos, spas, and restaurants. A special section of the book highlights groups, clubs, and spaces that are especially welcoming for women. Hundreds of tips and warnings from locals and visitors provide first hand insights for both frequent visitors and armchair explorers.

Commenting on the surprising abundance of gay life in a very conservative region, Singaporean gay activist, Alex Au, writes in the book's preface, "The reason for this contradiction may be because, despite the political or religious rhetoric, at the social level, the people of these countries are tolerant and hospitable."

Indonesia's first gay pride celebration took place in Surabaya, on June 25, 1999. Singapore's first public festival, Indignation, took place during the month of Aug in 2005 and is set to repeat this year with expanded activities and a higher profile.

But despite growing advances in personal freedoms, activists in all three countries continue to encounter official obstacles. In 2006 Singapore government officials awarded a large grant of public money to a homophobic Christian group that attempts to straighten out gays. In March this year Kuala Lumpur police tried to crack down on businesses that cater to gay customers by fining owners for petty license violations, bringing criticism from local AIDS/HIV educators.

The Utopia Guide to Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia provides a remarkable insider's glimpse at the vibrant, everyday life enjoyed by gays and lesbians in Southeast Asia.

The book is available for sale now in printed and electronic form at www.utopia-asia.com/utopiaguide/ and will also be available in bookstores internationally and from popular online book resellers in May.

A pioneer on the Internet, Utopia has been Asia's most popular resource for gays and lesbians since 1994. Utopia's website is located at www.utopia-asia.com and more information about Utopia may be found at www.utopia-asia.com/utopiais.htm

"These fun pages dish out the spice on even the most buttoned-up spots in Asia." -- TIME Magazine TIME Traveler

"A really good place to start looking for information... excellent coverage of gay and lesbian events and activities across Asia." -- Lonely Planet

[Posted by Paul Causey on AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-06-26]

UNDP and UNAIDS launch HIV and Law Commission

2010-06-26T00:00:00.005+08:00

“Addressing punitive laws and human rights violations blocking effective AIDS responses”

Geneva, Switzerland – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the support of the UNAIDS Secretariat, launched the Global Commission on HIV and the Law today. The Commission’s aim is to increase understanding of the impact of the legal environment on national HIV responses. Its aim is to focus on how laws and law enforcement can support, rather than block, effective HIV responses.

The Global Commission on HIV and the Law brings together world-renowned public leaders from many walks of life and regions. Experts on law, public health, human rights, and HIV will support the Commissions’ work. Commissioners will gather and share evidence about the extent of the impact of law and law enforcement on the lives of people living with HIV and those most vulnerable to HIV. They will make recommendations on how the law can better support universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Regional hearings, a key innovation, will provide a space in which those most directly affected by HIV-related laws can share their experiences with policy makers. This direct interaction is critical. It has long been recognized that the law is a critical part of any HIV response, whether it be formal or traditional law, law enforcement or access to justice. All of these can help determine whether people living with or affected by HIV can access services, protect themselves from HIV, and live fulfilling lives grounded in human dignity.

Nearly 30 years into the epidemic, however, there are many countries in which negative legal environments undermine HIV responses and punish, rather than protect, people in need. Where the law does not advance justice, it stalls progress. Laws that inappropriately criminalize HIV transmission or exposure can discourage people from getting tested for HIV or revealing their HIV positive status. Laws which criminalize men who have sex with men, transgender people, drug-users, and/or sex workers can make it difficult to provide essential HIV prevention or treatment services to people at high risk of HIV infection. In some countries, laws and law enforcement fail to protect women from rape inside and outside marriage – thus increasing women’s vulnerability to HIV.

At the same time, there are also many examples where the law has had a positive impact on the lives of people living with or vulnerable to HIV. The law has protected the right to treatment, the right to be free from HIV-related discrimination in the workplace, in schools and in military services; and has protected the rights of prisoners to have access to HIV prevention services. Where the law has guaranteed women equal inheritance and property rights, it has reduced the impact of HIV on women, children, families and communities.

With more than four million people on life-saving treatment and a seventeen per cent decrease in new infections between 2001 and 2008, there is hope that the HIV epidemic is at a turning point. To reach country’s own universal access targets and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), persistent barriers like punitive laws and human rights violations will need to be overcome.

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark believes that the next generation of HIV responses must focus on improving legal, regulatory, and social environments to advance human rights and gender equality goals. “Some 106 countries still report having laws and policies present significant obstacles to effective HIV responses. We need environments which protect and promote the human rights of those who are most vulnerable to HIV infection and to the impact of HIV, and of those living with HIV/AIDS,” Helen Clark said.

Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director has made removing punitive laws a priority area for UNAIDS. “The time has come for the HIV response to respond to the voice of the voiceless,” he said. “We must stand shoulder to shoulder with people who are living with HIV and who are most at risk. By transforming negative legal environments, we can help tomorrow’s leaders achieve an AIDS-free generation.”

The Global Commission on HIV and the Law is being supported by a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including donors such as the Ford Foundation and AusAID. Murray Proctor, Australia’s Ambassador on HIV, expressed strong support for the Commission and the work it is tasked to do. “We commend UNDP and the UNAIDS programme for courageously taking this work forward, and we welcome the opportunity to contribute and support.”

The Commission’s work will take place over an 18 month period – mobilizing communities across the globe and promoting public dialogue on how to make the law work for an effective response to HIV. The findings and recommendations of the Commission will be announced in December 2011.

For more information about the Commission, please visit: http://www.undp.org/hiv/comissiononhivandthelaw/

[Posted by Edmund Settle on MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-06-25]

Survey for MSMGF's Vienna pre-conference

2010-06-26T00:00:00.000+08:00

Participate in Important New Survey on HIV Prevention Strategies Targeting MSM!

June 24, 2010

Dear Colleague,

You are invited to be part of the Global Forum on MSM and HIV (MSMGF) Survey on HIV Prevention Strategies Targeting Gay Men and Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)!

We are looking for gay men, MSM and providers from all over the world to take part so that we are able to better understand the HIV prevention knowledge and needs of MSM globally. We are also interested in hearing about the social realities for MSM in your area.

We know that you are very busy, but ask that you please consider taking the time to complete this important survey (it should take about 10 minutes). You can do so by clicking one of the following links: English, Spanish, French, Russian.

We also encourage you to distribute this e-mail invitation as widely as possible throughout your networks and affiliations.

Thank you in advance for supporting this work. We will be sharing preliminary survey findings at the MSMGF's "Be Heard" Pre-Conference on July 17th in Vienna, Austria. We will also be publishing and disseminating a more extensive report on the findings later this year. Your participation will ensure that we communicate the broadest and most in-depth information possible regarding MSM HIV prevention knowledge and needs.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to Pato Hebert at phebert@ msmgf.org.

Best regards,

The Global Forum on MSM & HIV

[Posted by Jack Beck on MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-06-25]

ICASO demands on MDG document

2010-06-24T00:00:00.000+08:00

Urgent Action! Endorse Demands for the MDG Outcome Document

June 23, 2010

Dear all,

The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) participated in the recent meeting of global AIDS advocates described below. Please take a moment to read the series of demands produced at this meeting concerning the Millennium Development Goals (linked below); we urge you to sign on your organization by July 25th!

Any questions can be directed to MSMGF Policy Associate Mohan Sundararaj at msundararaj@ msmgf.org.

***

A group of AIDS activists met in New York June 10-11, 2010, and agreed on a series of demands to be incorporated into the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Outcome Document (to be approved at the MDG Summit in September 2010). You are urged to add your organization to this set of demands, by sending an email to universalaccess2010 @icaso.org. Endorsements will be collected by email and also at the International AIDS Conference (ICASO booth # 901 in the Global Village). The demands will immediately be used for negotiations, and the full list of endorsements will be sent to all UN Missions in New York, and other key stakeholders by July 25.

Download the English and Spanish pdf versions of the document: English, Spanish

Thank you!

[Posted by Jack Beck on MSM-Asia mailing list, 2010-06-23]

Indonesia: Islamist groups attacking LGBT meetings

2010-06-15T13:50:00.000+08:00

Homophobia on the rise

Recent attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender meetings reveal the growing influence of Islamist groups and highlight unequal protection of citizenship rights

Jamison Liang

In recent months, Indonesia has witnessed demonstrations against two conferences aiming to discuss the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The first occurred in response to the fourth regional meeting of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), scheduled to take place in Surabaya, East Java on 26-28 March 2010 and supported by Indonesia's leading LGBT organisation, GAYa NUSANTARA. A month later in Depok, West Java, a workshop on transgender issues sponsored by the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) found itself in the same predicament.

Full Story HERE.

Inside Indonesia 100: Apr-Jun 2010

[Posted by Dede Oetomo on AP-Rainbow mailing list]

Petitioning to lift blood donation ban on MSM

2010-06-15T12:46:00.000+08:00

amfAR Urges U.S. Government to Lift Blood Donation Ban for Men Who Have Sex with Men

Calls for vigilance in protecting nation’s blood supply and an end to unnecessary policies that stigmatize vulnerable groups

NEW YORK, June 11, 2010—amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, on Friday urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to end its longstanding policy that prohibits blood donations from all men who have sex with men (MSM).

amfAR’s statement comes as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability meets to discuss the FDA’s policy, which was implemented in 1985 and prohibits blood donations from any man who has ever had sex with another man—even a single encounter—at any time since 1977. Despite major advances in HIV screening technology, the ban has remained in place.

Earlier this week, amfAR, along with organizations including Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the National Hemophilia Foundation, the AIDS Action Council, and the Human Rights Campaign, signed a joint statement asking the committee “to recommend any scientific research that is necessary to allow for the thoughtful consideration of alternative policies regarding donor deferral.” Other groups, including the American Red Cross and the American Association of Blood Banks, have also urged the FDA to lift the ban.

“Today’s policy is a double standard that not only stigmatizes men who have sex with men, but also directly affects the nation’s critical blood supply,” said Chris Collins, amfAR’s vice president and director of public policy, who addressed the panel on Friday. “amfAR strongly supports policies that minimize risk to the nation’s blood supply, but we also know there are real risks in a policy that unnecessarily discriminates against a group of people who are already subject to stigma in our nation. Fighting AIDS in America means many things, including being vigilant in protecting the blood supply and doing away with unnecessary policies that stigmatize vulnerable groups.”

[Posted by Paul Causey on MSM-Asia mailing list]

MSMGF's policy brief on MSM and HIV

2010-06-15T12:38:00.000+08:00

Global Forum on MSM & HIV Launches New Policy Brief, HIV Prevention with MSM: Balancing Evidence with Rights-based Principles of Practice

June 14, 2010

Dear Friends of the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF),

The MSMGF is pleased to announce the launch of our newest policy brief, HIV Prevention with MSM: Balancing Evidence with Rights-based Principles of Practice. This document details the current context for the development and implementation of HIV prevention efforts targeting MSM, provides an overview of available MSM-specific HIV prevention strategies, and offers a look at recent guidelines from global health institutions. Recommendations emphasize the importance of respecting the role of MSM in efforts to determine research, policy, and program priorities, as well as other core principles of practice that are often overlooked in policy discussions.

The document is available for download HERE.

We encourage you to share this important policy brief with your networks! Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish translations are forthcoming.

Sincerely,

The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF)

[Posted by Jack Beck on AP-Rainbow mailing list]

MSM and TG mapping in India

2008-11-26T22:38:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Aditya Bondyopadhyay, ap-rainbow, 22 November 2008.]

Dear colleagues,

With support from Hivos and UNAIDS respectively APCOM has developed two mapping reports for MSM and Transgender organizations is South Asia.

These mapping reports were produced as part of a larger strategy for mapping MSM and TG organisations in the Asia and Pacific region, and provision of networking support for such organizations in areas where there has been limited development. This process is being supported by Hivos.

You can access these two reports in the APCOM website via the following URLs:

Best regards,

Aditya Bondyopadhyay
Secretariat Coordinator
APCOM

[Reports can be also be downloaded HERE and HERE.]

Announcement: APCOM membership

2008-11-26T21:45:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Aditya Bondyopadhyay, ap-rainbow, 22 November 2008.]

Membership Drive of APCOM

The Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) is a multi sectoral international coalition representing the government sector, the donors, the UN, technical experts, and community organizations and networks working for and on the issues of MSM/Transgender and HIV. The coalition was officially launched in July 2007 at the 8th ICAAP in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

APCOM advocates and promotes:

Increased investments on MSM/Transgender HIV programming in the Asia Pacific region.
Scaled up HIV and sexual health services for MSM/Transgender in the Asia Pacific region.
Improved knowledge to better inform programming and service delivery on MSM/Transgender issues in the region
Address stigma, discrimination, and social justice concerns of MSM and transgender is the Asia Pacific region.
Promote good practices in MSM/Transgender HIV programming as defined in the "Risks and Responsibilities Consultation 2006" held in New Delhi, India.

The coalition has divided the Asia Pacific region into seven sub-regions (China, Developed Asia, India, Greater Mekong sub-region, Pacific, South Asia excluding Inida, South East Asia excluding GMS).

Representatives of these sub regions are elected to be on the board of APCOM by member organizations in the particular sub-region.

For more information about APCOM, its structure, activities and achievements please visit the APCOM website at www.msmasia.org.

We urge all organizations and networks working on MSM/Transgender HIV issues in the countries of Asia and the Pacific to become members of APCOM, so that they can participate in the upcoming elections of APCOM board, so that their voice can be heard through their sub regional representatives.

Registration can be done online and this is the preferred method. Please visit the following URL to do this:

http://www.msmasia.org/onlineapply.html

In case you are unable to access the registration online please write me for sending you a hard copy of the manual form, which you can then fill up and return to me for processing your registration.

We encourage all appropriate organizations to come together to fight for the health and human rights of MSM and transgender persons, and help us do the same by becoming our member and strengthening our hands.

HIV and the RH bill debate in the Philippines

2008-11-26T21:31:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Frits van Griensven, msm-asia, 22 November 2008.]

Rise in New HIV Cases in Philippines Stirs Debate on Reproductive Health Bill
[Nov 21, 2008]

In the face of increasing HIV cases in the Philippines, lawmakers are debating a reproductive health bill that could have a significant impact on reversing the upward trend in new cases through HIV prevention, care and support services, IRIN/PlusNews reports (IRIN/PlusNews, 11/19). The bill would increase HIV services in the country, as well as require government hospitals to include contraceptives in the supplies they purchase and make reproductive health education mandatory in schools (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/14).

According to a recent report from the Department of Health's National Epidemiology Center, 57 new HIV cases were recorded in September -- a 128% increase in the number of reported cases compared with the same period last year. Gerard Belimac, program manager of the National AIDS and STI Prevention and Control Program, said, "While the Philippines is still considered a low-incidence country, the epidemic level could come in three years," adding, "More and more people are resorting to risky behavior." Belimac said that although HIV has not reached epidemic levels in the country, UNAIDS has estimated that about 8,300 people are HIV-positive. He added that new HIV cases are primarily found in high-risk groups such as commercial sex workers and men who have sex with men. Ferchito Avelino, national coordinator of the Philippine National AIDS Council, said that although Filipinos may be aware of the risk of HIV/AIDS, such knowledge is not translating into behavior change. In addition, he said that misconceptions about the virus have created a false sense of security, adding that although the country has a relatively low number of HIV cases compared with other nations, "there is no room for complacency." Avelino also called for an aggressive HIV prevention campaign, noting that the median age bracket in which Filipinos first engage in sexual activity is becoming younger.

According to Belimac, it is crucial that the government approves the bill because HIV programs are achieving 30% coverage overall and only sex workers are fully covered by the programs. Belimac said, "In order to reverse the trend, we must have 80% coverage," adding that a "lack of political will" is the main obstacle to preventing HIV transmission. For example, he said most local governments do not have budgets for HIV intervention programs, which indicates lack of commitment. "HIV prevention takes a back seat and, with their limited funds for health services, the local government units are not entirely to blame; HIV prevention competes with other health services," Belimac said (IRIN/PlusNews, 11/19).

Catholic Bishops Introduce Version of Bill

In related news, Catholic bishops in the country are drafting their own version of the reproductive health bill because of the fact that it promotes the use of contraceptives and condoms, Reuters reports. The Rev. Melvin Castro of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life said that the bishops have been working with lawmakers to draft an alternative to the measure, given that they consider it unconstitutional and an infringement on the religious beliefs of Filipinos. About 85% of the nearly 90 million people in the Philippines are Catholic. Castro said, "We would not allow a legislation that would allocate money from a majority of the taxpayers who are Catholics to be allocated to a program which is against their beliefs." According to Reuters, some bishops have threatened to refuse Holy Communion and other sacraments to politicians who support the bill (Reuters, 11/20).

APCOM writes UN Secretary General

2008-11-26T21:24:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Aditya Bondyopadhyay, ap-rainbow, 20 November 2008.]

To the Honourable Ban Ki-Moon
Secretary-General
United Nations,
New York, New York
United States of America

8th November 2008

Dear Excellency,

The imminent departure of Dr. Peter Piot from UNAIDS marks the end of an era, and the beginning of a new chapter for a key global organization in the arena of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, awareness and advocacy. It also raises many questions as to the future direction of UNAIDS under Dr. Piot's successor who is about to be chosen from a field of three candidates.

In recent years, under Dr. Piot's leadership, UNAIDS has taken an ever stronger stand on the issues, needs and concerns regarding men who have sex with men (MSM), underlining the urgent need to address the substantive risks and vulnerabilities experienced by them. This, against the backdrop of abysmally and unacceptable low coverage of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services that would address those needs, along with the poor investment record in such services.

In a March 2008 report issued by the Independent Commission on AIDS in Asia (Redefining AIDS in Asia: Crafting an Effective Response), and which was presented to you at the time, the authors pointed out the danger of the coming decade of not investing effectively and appropriately, where, as a consequence, some 50% of new HIV infections would be among MSM in the region. The Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) regards this as a truly frightening scenario, one that must be tackled on a war footing via a joint effort by governments, United Nations agencies and organizations, non-governmental organizations, MSM community organizations and activists. This is the wide-ranging and vibrant coalition that APCOM represents across the Asia Pacific.

Dr Peter Piot has been a staunch ally of the work being done by the affected communities, not only in our region, but globally, and has worked hard to raise these issues of concern, addressing the social exclusion of MSM from social justice, equity and health services. He has done this not only within the UNAIDS Secretariat itself, but also among the co-sponsors, with governments, donors, and civil society.

With Dr Piot leaving UNAIDS, and the subsequent challenges that will be posed by the transition period for the new Executive Director, APCOM would like to be assured that the issues, needs and concerns, of what can be considered one of the most vulnerable populations to HIV and AIDS will not be forgotten, but will continue to be central not only of UNAIDS, but of the new Executive Director. In fact, we believe that this should be one of the key criteria for the final selection of the Executive Director.

Each of the final candidates for this very important UN position must be asked what has been his or her standpoint on men who have sex with men and hiv; what each has done to highlight this issue of great concern, and how each of the prospective Executive Directors intends to carry this forward within UNAIDS.

Yours sincerely

Shivananda Khan, OBE
Interim Chairperson
APCOM

Transgender Day of Remembrance

2008-11-26T21:15:00.002+08:00

[Sent to personal inbox, Mabel Bianco, 21 November 2008.]

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November 20 worlwide to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the "Remembering Our Dead". Rita Hester's murder - like most anti-transgender murder cases - has yet to be solved.

Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgendered - that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant - each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgendered people.

We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence. Yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgendered people, an action that current media doesn't perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgendered people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who have died by anti-transgender violence.

Tomorrow we will have an event at our Transgender shelter home "PROTHOMA" in Kolkata, where we observe the evning with candel light vigil and issuing our new poster for this year on VAW.

Agniva Lahiri
Executive Director
People Like Us (PLUS) Kolkata

[Note: Apologies for posting this late. I felt I still needed to post this very significant announcement.]

Social cleansing in Bangalore

2008-11-26T20:58:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Scott Long, ap-rainbow, 19 November 2008.]

India: Stop ‘Social Cleansing’ in Bangalore
Illegal Mass Evictions Against a Transgender Community

(New York, November 18, 2008) – Police in Bangalore forced about 100 hijras (working-class transgender people) from their homes on November 10, 2008, suggesting a spreading pattern of prejudice-driven violence and abuse in the city, Human Rights Watch said today in letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India and local authorities. Following the arrests on October 20 and 21 of more than three dozen hijras and human rights defenders, the incident points to an organized police campaign of social cleansing in Bangalore.

The latest incident came immediately after several national newspapers reported that Bangalore police had captured a “gang” of hijras who kidnapped children, castrated them, and forced them into sex work. Police used these stories to justify the mass evictions of hijras from their homes.

“Of course, all reports of child abuse should be thoroughly investigated,” said Dipika Nath, researcher in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights program at Human Rights Watch. “But authorities are also responsible for sorting out fact from prejudice – and there is no excuse for targeting an entire community for retaliation.”

Accounts of hijras kidnapping children and changing their sex are a common folk myth in many parts of India. These reports came amid an apparent campaign by Bangalore authorities against hijras in the city. The Mumbai-based Daily News and Analysis quoted Bangalore’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) on October 20 as calling for a “drive against the city’s eunuch menace.” “Eunuch” is a widely used derogatory term for hijras.

On the same day, police arrested five hijras in Bangalore and charged them with “extortion,” beating and sexually abusing them in the process. They also arrested 41 human rights defenders – including hijras, Dalits, women’s rights and sex worker activists, and trade union activists – who came to their defense. When challenged on their unconstitutional actions, the police told some of the activists that they had orders from higher up to round up hijras in Bangalore.

Next, on November 8 and 9, five major newspapers in India, including two national dailies, carried news items about Bangalore police breaking up a “gang” of hijras. The gang allegedly kidnapped children, performed “sex change” operations on them, and forced them to become sex workers. The reports also claimed that the accused hijras were associated with Sangama, a Bangalore-based organization that works to defend the rights of sexual minorities. Sangama members were among the protesters against police actions on October 20-21. Sangama has denied that the two accused hijras are associated with the organization.

Immediately after these reports appeared, on November 9, the police inspector of Amrutahalli police station in Bangalore issued a notice to about 40 homeowners in the Dasarahalli neighborhood – known for having a substantial hijra population – requiring them to evict all hijras who rented apartments or rooms from them. More than 100 hijras rented rooms there, and most found themselves on the streets. Several lost their security deposits, and some lost all their belongings. One hijra told newspapers and local activists that she could not even find an autorickshaw driver to give her a ride because hijras had been labeled kidnappers.

Police claimed the hijras conducted “immoral activities” in their houses, and the eviction notice was, according to newspaper reports, also accompanied by verbal threats to the homeowners. Some of the homeowners told newspapers that they had never had trouble with their hijra tenants, but they were afraid to disobey the arbitrary command.

Evicted hijras told newspapers and local sexual rights activists that the police accusations that they engaged in “immoral activities” were unfounded, and that the kidnapping case brought against two hijras was being used as a pretext for the mass evictions. Police deny responsibility for the evictions, claiming the homeowners evicted their hijra tenants because of the charges of kidnapping in the press. However, The Hindu, a leading national daily, reported that it had a copy of the notice the police personally served to the homeowners.

Campaign for Sexworkers and Sexual Minorities Rights (CSMR), a coalition of activists and human rights organizations, has protested the police’s arbitrary violation of hijras’ fundamental right to reside in the city. It has also demanded that the eviction notice be withdrawn.

“The near-absolute legal and political disenfranchisement of hijras in most parts of India relies in part on myths about criminal and antisocial behavior as communal characteristics,” said Nath. “Because of prevailing myths that hijras habitually kidnap young boys, reports of the arrest of two hijras on criminal charges are a convenient excuse to target the entire community without arousing public outcry.”

Click HERE to read the letter from Human Rights Watch to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Click HERE for more of Human Rights Watch’s work on India.

For more information, please contact:

In New York, Dipika Nath (English, Hindi): +1-212-216-1867; or +1-206-605-4865 (mobile)
In New York, Scott Long (English): +1-212-216-1297; or +1-646-641-5655 (mobile)
In Mumbai, Meenakshi Ganguly (Bengali, English, Hindi): +91-98-200-36032 (mobile)

Get tested, live longer: fashion statement

2008-11-26T20:47:00.003+08:00

[Excerpt of posting by Nicholas Snow, msm-asia, 19 November 2008.]

Global Ambassador for HIV/AIDS Awareness Nicholas Snow to Make Major Fashion Statement at Bangkok International Fashion Week

Launching the "Get Tested, Live Longer" HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign

New public awareness campaign proclaims, "The absolute latest fashion is to know your HIV status." In his role as a credentialed journalist covering Bangkok International Fashion Week as he does twice yearly, NotesFromThailand.com publisher Nicholas Snow is making a major fashion statement from the grandstands and between catwalk shows, mingling with people who have known him or of him for years, with the debut of his new t-shirt design marking the launch of the "Get Tested, Live Longer" HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign. Beginning with the first day of BIFW (Nov. 20, 2008) Snow is wearing his design on a black T-shirt.

Snow believes it is particularly poignant to launch the "Get Tested, Live Longer" campaign at one of Asia's leading fashion events presented by an industry chocked full of gay and bisexual men, as well as the men and women who love them. Collectively, the industry has a powerful influence on culture as a whole, so the ripple effect of such a statement could be enormous. In addition, Snow's project has been inspired by the Thai fashion industry, in particular by a recent t-shirt the local fashion guild designed to promote safer sex. Snow is coming out as an HIV positive person in the midst of this crowd to be of service to all of them.

The graphic message begins with "You now know you know someone who is HIV Positive." Snow is making such a dramatic statement because of the invisibility of openly-HIV positive people in Asia and the need for people to know that they know people who are, in fact, HIV positive. This serves the two-fold purpose of getting people to take HIV seriously enough to learn their HIV status, and to challenge the social and cultural stigmas facing people living with HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, the majority of people in Asia who are HIV positive first learn of their status when they become ill. A person who learns their HIV positive status early after infection has the ability to then monitor with their health care providers CD-4 (T-cells) and viral load counts so they may begin a regime of medications when indicated, thereby dramatically increasing their chances of living a much longer, much healthier life.

Snow also believes that anyone concerned enough about their HIV status to seek out a test who subsequently learns they are in fact HIV negative can be educated and counseled as part of the process of empowering them to remain HIV negative. After decades of adhering to safer sex practices, Snow became HIV positive in August of 2007 because he failed to use a condom, not for good reasons, but for "human reasons" he says, including the fact that he was depressed and seeking comfort in sex; was with a partner who stated and believed he was HIV negative; had a false sense of security about remaining negative since he had been negative for so long as a sexually active adult; and finally, was unaware that the rate of HIV infection among men who have sex with men in Bangkok exceeds 30%.

Nepal court affirms LGBT rights

2008-11-26T20:16:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Sunil Pant, msm-asia, 17 November 2008.]

Nepal's highest court confirms full rights for LGBT people
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk, November 17, 2008 - 14:43

A Nepali MP has said his "eyes were filled with tears" when he read the full written decision of the country's Supreme Court on a writ petition from four organisations representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people.

A summary decision was issued in December 2007, when the court issued directive orders to the Nepal government to ensure the right to life according to their own identities and introduce laws providing equal rights to LGBTIs and amend all the discriminatory laws.

The final judgement was issued today.

It reiterates that all LGBTIs are defined as a "natural person" and their physical growth as well as sexual orientation, gender identity, expression are all part of natural growing process. Thus equal rights, identity and expression must be ensured regardless of their sex at birth.
The writ petition was filed by Blue Diamond Society and other 3 LGBTI organisations in Nepal demanding the protection and defence of the equal rights of sexual and gender minorities.

"Reading this decision my eyes were filled with tears and I felt we are the most proud LGBTI citizens of Nepal in the world," said Sunit Pant, Nepal's only gay MP.

"A legal note of point has been raised for the new constitution of Nepal while ensuring the equal rights to individuals, like the bill of tights from South Africa, and non-discrimination provisions on the grounds of sexual orientations and gender identities must be introduced."

The Court has also issued a directive order to form a seven-member committee, with a doctor appointed by Health Ministry, one representative from National Human rights commission, the Law Ministry, one socialist appointed by government of Nepal, a representative from the Nepal police, a representative from Ministry of Population and Environment and one advocate as a representative from the LGBTI community, to conduct a study into the other countries' practice on same-sex marriage.

Based on its recommendation the government will introduce a same-sex marriage bill.

Mr Pant, founder of Blue Diamond Society, was named in May as one of five representatives of the Communist Party of Nepal-United in the 601 member new constituent assembly.
The Maoists are the largest party with 220 seats.

Maoist insurgents, who fought a ten-year guerrilla war against monarchist forces at a cost of over 12,000 lives, finally signed a peace agreement with the new democratic government in November 2006.

LGBT people joined the Maoist rebels and others to protest in a democracy movement against the king, demanding a freely elected, secular government.

King Gyanendra eventually relinquished sovereign power to the civilian government and elections were finally held for a new assembly on 10th April.

Gays and lesbians in the Himalayan kingdom previously suffered persistent persecution from security forces during the absolutist rule of King Gyanendra. The harassment of lesbian, gay and trans people continued at the hands of Maoist rebels.

The assembly will draft a new constitution, decide the fate of the monarchy and govern Nepal for the next two years.

Mr Pant is a hero to many gay activists across the world. On a visit to India last week he said:

“We have moved from being a marginalised and persecuted lot who were thrown out of homes, schools and jobs to people who have human rights and are now protected by the police, the same people who once harassed us.
"In Nepal, the LGBTI communities were part of the campaign for garnering votes for the Communist Party of Nepal.
"They approached me to campaign and I managed to secure 15,500 votes. It makes a statement that LGBTI people are interested in matters of politics and governance and not just sex.
"The campaign not only gave LGBTI issues visibility but a platform to negotiate for rights.
"It is one thing to clean up the city and stop transgenders from begging but one must provide them with alternative means of living.
"India is a very big country and a single strategy may not work. However, I’m sure it won’t be long before a political party will tap the LGBTI vote bank¯there are millions of untapped votes.”

In May 2007 the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission gave its Celebration of Courage award to Mr Pant.

Abstracts from AIDS 2008

2008-11-26T20:08:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Jan Wijngaarden, msm-asia, 18 November 2008.]

Dear all,

The MSMGF team has gone through all abstracts presented at AIDS 2008 in Mexico City and pulled out all those that concern sexual minorities. For your convenience, we have catalogued them on our website both by topic and by region/country. See the links below:

By topic

We hope you find this resource to be useful. Because we went through the abstracts by hand, there is a possibility we may have missed a few. If you notice that something should be there and isn't, please contact us at and let us know!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Jack

Announcement: World AIDS Day statement

2008-11-26T19:53:00.001+08:00

[Posted on SEA-AIDS eForum, 16 November 2008.]

Action: Leadership statements – Asia-Pacific
World AIDS Campaign

Dear SEA-AIDS members,

This year, we would once again like to collect leadership statements for World AIDS Day. We are looking for a brief (apx. 100 word) statement that reflects either: why leadership is needed, particularly with your field or constituency; or examples of how you, or others within your field are leading in the response to AIDS.

Here are some examples of statements from 2007.

With the statement, please do include a photo of yourself (jpeg or similar format) as well as your full name and title.

Please email statements HERE.

Gays in India suffer blackmail

2008-11-26T19:47:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Scott Long, ap-rainbow, 15 November 2008.]

For Gays in India, Fear Rules
Blackmailers Thrive Using Law That Makes Homosexuality a Crime

By Emily Wax
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, November 15, 2008; Page A13

BANGALORE, India -- Even with the white horse rented, his gold-speckled turban fitted and the wedding hall lined up, Mahesh did not feel ready to get married, at least not to a woman.

The shy computer engineer is gay.

But Mahesh went ahead with the elaborate ceremony in May because someone he had befriended online blackmailed him -- threatening to tell his parents unless he paid $5,500.

Severely depressed and suffering from insomnia, Mahesh recently swallowed a dozen painkillers. He survived. But his blackmailer heard he was in the hospital and demanded more cash to keep his secret.

Three months later, Mahesh says he is broke and taking several antidepressants. He is still married.

"I really don't want to die. But I also don't want to keep lying," said the 24-year-old, who spoke from a counseling center and asked to be called by his first name. "I feel so trapped. According to the law, my blackmailer can report me and have me arrested."

That's because homosexuality is illegal in the world's biggest democracy. The Indian penal code describes the act as "against the order of nature" and declares it punishable by 10 years to life in prison, longer than most rape or murder sentences.

But several human rights groups are now mounting a historic challenge to the law, imposed by the British in 1860, in the New Delhi High Court. The effort to repeal the law is seen as a test case of India's commitment to secular democracy, with some legal experts saying that moral or religious arguments cannot trump constitutional rights in a democratic society. A verdict is expected before the end of the year.

The challenge comes during a time of sweeping social changes for India's younger generation. Three-quarters of the country's 1.1 billion people are younger than 35, and more and more of them are living away from home and working for multinational companies, which often have policies that protect employees from discrimination based on their sexual preferences. Many young gay men and lesbians say they find slightly more acceptance working in the international call-center and information technology industries. They also take heart from the broader trend among young Indians of favoring so-called love marriages over arranged partnerships.

"There's real hope that the growing freedom in love and in career mobility for new India's young generation can start to dissolve boundaries for gay and lesbian Indians, too," said Arvind Narrain, 33, an attorney with the Alternative Law Forum in Bangalore, which is pressing for the repeal of the law. "But there are still a lot of problems, especially with blackmail and harassment, which is made possible by the law. We have a long fight ahead."

Being gay is increasingly accepted in India's artistic and literary communities. Nobel economics laureate Amartya Sen and writer Vikram Seth have backed the push to decriminalize homosexual acts, launching an effort among filmmakers and fashion designers to speak out in behalf of gay rights.

A new Bollywood movie called "Dostana," or "Friendship," has its worldwide release this weekend and breaks new ground with two gay characters. Still, the Hindi heroes pretend to be gay to save money on rent and seduce their alluring roommate -- more "Three's Company" than "Brokeback Mountain."

In reality, gay and lesbian Indians say, they have few places to meet openly, and studies show that they often lead dangerous, closeted lives, with high rates of suicide and mental illness. Lesbians have reported being fired from their jobs and raped for not being feminine enough. Most gay Indians are married, often with children, and have covert relationships with lovers, activists said.

That's part of the reason blackmail has become a thriving mini-industry here, illustrating just how powerful the law is in daily life.

"In India, blackmail is the perfect crime," said Vikram Doctor, a gay activist and writer. "It's possible because there are so many closeted victims in India, where being gay is a crime. They can't fight back or follow through on a complaint. There's little refuge in the law unless it is amended."

Even in cosmopolitan cities such as Bangalore, the gay community is seen as a secret club where a special pass is needed to attend gay nights at an underground bar.

Throughout India's history, homosexuality has been largely taboo. Nonetheless, the transgender community enjoyed some social acceptance in the cultural traditions of Hinduism and Islam in India, and some tribal groups see lesbians as having mystical powers. But European missionaries and British rule further demonized homosexuality, and the country's pulpits are to this day bastions of anti-gay rhetoric.

India remains a largely conservative nation. Not only is marriage a societal duty, it also drives economic activity, activists said. As India's middle and upper classes expand, so do the enormous dowries given to grooms and their parents by brides' families. The dowries, though technically illegal, almost always include a car for the new couple, along with an apartment and often large amounts of wedding gold.

"Being gay is hard all over the world. But try it in India, where being blackmailed is every boy's fear," said Khaleel Syed, 21, a somber-looking computer technician in Bangalore who is open about his sexuality with his friends but not with his family. "I'm taking a risk. Because in India there is just unbelievable pressure to get married. Those working in blackmail know this. So we can never really be ourselves, be free."

Blackmail rackets have taken hold recently in India's cities, largely because of the Internet, Doctor said. Blackmailers cruise chat rooms, flirt and set up dates. They then extort money from their victims.

Bhavna Paliwal, a "wedding detective" who is hired to ferret out the truth about prospective mates, said she often discovers grooms who are gay and being blackmailed.

"Their lives are so stressful," she said, adding that many cry when they are caught and beg not to be exposed. "Being gay is one of the most well-guarded and shockingly common secrets in marriages. The blackmailers can rob them blind."

Gay Bombay, a support group in Mumbai, recently posted a warning on its Web site about a gang of criminals targeting young gay men.

This summer, Mumbai police even apprehended one of their own, Sub-inspector Ashok Temkar, who was arrested along with four associates for repeatedly extorting money from gay men.

The gay men would meet Temkar on a social networking Web site and arrange a face-to-face date. Then several men dressed in police uniforms would demand money and take the men's cellphones and wallets, saying that being gay was illegal. The extortionists were caught because they were doing this so frequently, amassing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, phones and jewelry.

"It was Thursday night, June 4. I found a gay room in yahoo messenger. I started looking. I was invited by a guy of 21 years old," a young man wrote in an online warning on Gay Bombay's Web site. "When we reached, there were three guys not one. They demanded we go to a police station. They wanted 10,000 rupees. I had 3,000. He said he would call my wife. I said I would have to get a loan from my work. In fact, I had to seek that. Please everyone beware that this blackmail is spreading through our community."

Many young gay activists say the time is right to challenge the prejudices that feed blackmail and start a wider discussion here on what being gay really means.

"Gay rights is growing by leaps and bounds in India," said Ponni Arasu, 24, a lesbian who is working to change the law. "But if this is the new India, we should leave the old law behind. It's too dangerous a law to live with."

Announcement: Faisal's blogs

2008-11-24T01:20:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Faisal Alam, ap-rainbow, 15 November 2008.]

Salaam folks,

Be sure to check out my blogs on the latest news and articles on issues of interest to our communities:

Thanks!

Faisal

Prejudice, the real menace

2008-11-24T01:12:00.000+08:00

[Referred from a post by Aditya Bondyopadhyay, ap-rainbow, 12 November 2008.]

Which is the real menace?

People whose bodies and sexualities put them beyond the pale of social norms are without rights in the eyes of Indian police

Dipika Nath

Dipika Nath has a doctoral degree in feminist studies and works as a researcher in the LGBT rights programme at Human Rights Watch.

Under rightwing and leftwing governments alike, India has prided itself on its status as the world's largest democracy. Civic freedoms, an independent judiciary, and basic political rights for citizens are part of that promise. But in India and far too many other democracies, rights that are arguably even more basic – to be who you are, to live freely in your body, even to call yourself a citizen if society despises you – are a different matter.

Early on October 20, Bangalore police arrested five hijras – a traditional cultural identity for working-class transgender people who, born as men, identify as women. Such arrests are sadly routine. Throughout India, many hijras cannot get identity papers: the state will not let them change their legal sex and denies them IDs if their appearance does not match their birth gender. As a result, they often cannot work, go to school, find jobs, vote, or even move around freely. Social prejudice against "men" or "women" who are not "masculine" or "feminine" enough makes them ready victims of violence.

Denied viable opportunities for work, hijras are forced to resort to begging or demanding goodwill funds during marriage or birth celebrations. That way of life has been part of several regional Indian cultures, where blessings of a hijra were considered a good omen. But as these traditions erode, many hijras have had to survive as street beggars or sex workers. In both cases, police slap them with fines, jail them, sometimes physically or sexually abuse them.

But on October 20, the five hijras, who were apparently begging but not soliciting sex, were charged with "extortion" – a crime which, unlike begging, allowed the police to hold them without bail.

In India's vibrant civil society, a growing number of NGOs support the sexually – as well as politically and economically – disenfranchised. A crisis intervention team from the Bangalore-based organisation Sangama, which works to protect and advance the rights of sexual minorities, arrived at the police station to help. The group is trained to assist hijras in fending off barrages of minor charges. But this time, the police jailed the five members of the crisis intervention team as well, beating and sexually abusing some of them.

The situation escalated after about 150 activists from a wide range of social movements – lesbian and gay, hijras, feminists, trade union leaders, Dalit activists – gathered outside the station for a peaceful protest. The police invited six of them into the station, ostensibly for a dialogue, then arrested them. Two women among them were sexually assaulted, one of them kicked and beaten by a police inspector when she demanded he not touch her breasts. However, none of the six were charged.

In conversations with Human Rights Watch, one of the activists said that this points towards the distinct class prejudice at work in such instances of abuse. "The police obviously thought that we were the 'leaders' of the organisation, so they didn't charge us whereas they thought the others were just workers and they could treat them worse."

Meanwhile, police attacked the protesters outside the station, charging them with batons. They rounded up 31 of them, beat them, threw them into a police van, and drove them away. They were held without food or water for almost 18 hours. At the height of the police violence, 60 police personnel stood guard over the 31 activists.

Eventually, the hijras and the human rights defenders were freed, though many still face charges that include "unlawful assembly" and "rioting." The press reported – and police confirmed to the activists they arrested – that this was the start of a drive by local authorities to contain what they called the "eunuch menace", citing public complaints against hijras as justification. A police official told one jailed activist who demanded an end to the violence and the human rights abuses: "Yes, this is human rights violations, so what? Stop us if you can."

The poor and disempowered are no "menace". But prejudice is. Indian democracy is still riven, and endangered, by deep divisions. These shocking arrests show how people whose bodies and sexualities put them beyond the pale of social norms are effectively without rights in the eyes of the police.

The violence also shows, though, how anyone who defends sexual rights can also become a target of abuse, arrest, and, in some cases, sexual violence.

The High Court in Delhi is in the last stages of deciding a challenge to Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This law, a British colonial invention, criminalises "carnal intercourse against the order of nature". Human rights activists want it reinterpreted to end the criminalisation of adult, consensual homosexual conduct.

Casting off that regressive colonial burden is crucial. But the events in Bangalore – the splashy city that is the showcase of India's capitalist modernisation – reveal other burdens, some modified from the colonial era, that still weigh on the country.

One is the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act of 1956, passed following independent India's ratification of a 1950 international convention, which can be traced back to the colonial-era Contagious Diseases Act. The 1956 law gives police wide leeway to arrest and abuse sex workers, and it has been used against HIV outreach workers and others who behave in ways authorities simply do not like. Contemporary anti-begging laws are a throwback on colonial "vagrancy" laws, which gave colonial officials power to control the "natives". Now they serve to keep an underclass in subjection and fear.

More crucially, though, the divisions of poverty still weigh on the country. And poverty and the effects of prejudice reinforce and intensify each other. People who already face discrimination and hatred, including many sexual minorities, remain shut out from the promise of prosperity from the establishment of call centres and high-tech firms in Bangalore. What prosperity has resulted has not trickled down to the lower classes among the despised and disenfranchised.

The Bangalore violence is a ringing challenge to Indian authorities, a reminder that democratic institutions are no cause for self-congratulation if their doors are closed to many who need them. "Stop us if you can," the police told the human rights defenders they arrested and abused. India's democracy must address all the intersecting forms of economic, political, and prejudicial exclusion that lead to such a slap in its face–otherwise the violence will not stop.

The Pink Toilet

2008-11-24T01:05:00.001+08:00

[Referred from a post by Grace Poore, ap-rainbow, 11 November 2008.]

Asia: The Tale of the Pink Toilet: Transgender Rights in Thailand
Date: November 3, 2008

In 2007, sexual rights activists in Thailand came together as a coalition to demand that their rights be included in the new constitution being drafted by the Constitution Drafting Assembly. Their demands included the rights to non-discrimination, same-sex marriage, and inheritance rights for same-sex couples, as well as the right of gay men and transgender individuals to seek and receive legal redress for rape. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission wrote to the Thai National Assembly (parliament) in support of our Thai colleagues and urged Assembly members to recognize sexual diversity and sexual rights in Thailand. Unfortunately, despite the strong backing of Thailand’s Human Rights Commission, the vote on the proposal to include these rights in the new constitution was narrowly defeated in the National Assembly. Eventually, the political upheavals in Thailand altogether delayed the adoption of the new constitution. For Thai activists the fact that the parliamentary debate on the new constitution was nationally televised is worth celebrating since, for the first time, issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity received a level of serious scrutiny.

Within this context, IGLHRC was interested in examining the implications of designating separate toilets for katoey college and high school students in Thailand. The term, katoey is used broadly for transgender identified people, transsexuals, cross-dressers, or effeminate men in Thai society. In 2004, a private vocational college in Chiang Mai, Thailand offered its katoey population of 15 students the option of using separate toilet facilities. In 2008, a public high school set up a separate toilet for katoey students. What do these gestures signal for Thailand’s katoeys who are considered inferior even as they are acknowledged in Thai society?

Thai gay activist and newspaper columnist, Paisarn Likhitpreechakul provides this report and analysis for IGLHRC.

[Read the rest of the article HERE.]

Announcement: Project Equality

2008-11-20T15:48:00.002+08:00

Dear friends,

Warm greetings!

For the last ten years, several initiatives have been launched to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights (LGBTs), among them a bill in Congress that seeks to penalize discrimination against Filipino LGBTs. Several campaigns have also been launched to mainstream issues surrounding the LGBT community and to mobilize popular support for LGBT rights.

Certain gains have been achieved through these initiatives, especially in the areas of media advocacy, public awareness, and short-term campaigns. However, the institutionalization of LGBT rights in public policy remains elusive: the Anti-Discrimination Bill is still languishing in Congress, and governmental institutions mandated to protect the human rights of all Filipinos continue to ignore cases of abuse and discrimination against Filipino LGBTs. While different LGBT and human rights organizations have made efforts to mainstream LGBT issues, the climate of stigma and hatred against LGBTs still persists.

A new momentum for LGBT rights is therefore needed, and fresh strategies must be employed to attain deeper gains for the LGBT community. This is the motivation behind Project Equality, an initiative of different LGBT activists and organizations to re-launch the campaign for LGBT rights and to broaden support for LGBT rights.

Project Equality hopes to re-energize the effort to pass the Anti-Discrimination Bill, and at the same time open up opportunities at the local level to introduce ordinances that protect equal rights for all Filipinos. It believes that achieving equality requires more than just one legislation, and shall therefore support other bills and policy proposals that seek to eliminate stigma, remove gender biases, and affirm human rights for all.

Project Equality recognizes that LGBT rights is also a question of political participation, and thus it seeks to mainstream LGBT rights and issues among political parties and voters, in the process helping transform elections and other political processes as platforms for the voiceless. It likewise aims to use legal instruments to achieve short-term remedies to cases of human rights violations against LGBTs and to obtain jurisprudence on major LGBT-related issues.

We hope you and your organization could take part in this new initiative. We wish to invite you to an interest meeting for Project Equality on Saturday, November 22, 2008, at 1 PM at the Conference Room of the Phaltra Building, 139 Matahimik St., U.P. Village, Diliman, Quezon City. We recognize that the struggle for equality would require the support of organizations inside and outside the LGBT community, therefore Project Equality is open to LGBT and non-LGBT individuals and organizations alike. Your participation would be tremendously important and welcome.

For inquiries on Project Equality and for confirmation, please don't hesitate to contact the undersigned (mobile: +639209059727, telefax: +6329316575, and email: jonasbagas@gmail.com) or Benjie Zabala (mobile: +639178960104, tel: +6324336933, or email: benjie.zabala@gmail.com).

Thank you very much!

On behalf of the secretariat

Jonas Bagas

Risks not enough to justify a test

2008-11-11T21:32:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Roger Tatoud, msm-asia, 11 November 2008.]

Australian gay and bisexual men who have not recently tested for HIV often believe that they have not taken enough risks to justify a test or that the psychological impact of a positive diagnosis would be too great, report researchers in the November 2008 issue of the International Journal of STD and AIDS. The researchers recommend health promotion interventions which would help men reassess their own thinking about HIV tests.

Psychologists Ron Gold and Gery Karantzas recruited 97 men at gay bars in Melbourne. To take part, men had to have sex with men, not have been tested for HIV in the last four years, and never received a positive diagnosis.

Very few of the participants had a strong intention to get tested in the next few months. They tended to be well connected to the gay community, and two fifths had had unprotected anal intercourse with more than one partner in the last year.

Participants completed a questionnaire. For one set of questions, they were asked to imagine that someone had suggested they take an HIV test within the next ten days, and to identify what thoughts the suggestion would prompt in them. A list of possible thoughts was provided, although participants were able to add in other thoughts. It's notable that only negative thoughts were suggested - ideas relating to the benefits of testing were not included.

Participants reported an average of eight thoughts each. The two most common thoughts, suggested by at least two thirds of the group, were:

"I don't really need a test, because I haven't taken any/many risks, so I'm pretty sure I haven't got HIV".
"I don't really need a test, because I haven't had any symptoms that might suggest I've got HIV".

The researchers then used a statistical technique (Principal Factor Analysis) which analysed the correlations between the different thoughts in order to put them into groups ('factors'). Five factors emerged.

The first, and most important factor, grouped together a number of perceived long-term problems associated with having HIV. The most important was: "If I find out I've got HIV, that might wreck my relationship with my boyfriend/partner. It's better not to find out". Another thought in this factor noted that the boyfriend may realise that his partner had not been monogamous. Several other thoughts included the phrase "it's better not to find out" and mentioned changes to one's sex life, being set apart from friends, depression and stress.

The second factor grouped together concerns about the confidentiality of the HIV test. The most important statement in this group was: "I don't want to be listed on some file as having HIV. I'm not sure the test result would remain private." A similarly worded statement about being listed as having gone for testing also scored highly.

The third factor appears to link together thoughts about short-term problems associated with the test, including dislike of needles and not having enough time.

The fourth factor brought together thoughts which suggest that HIV testing is unnecessary. One thought suggested that the respondent had not taken many risks, another that HIV was uncommon in the respondent's social circle, and another that the respondent had no symptoms of HIV infection.

The last factor that was significant enough to remain in the analysis included one statement only. It was: "There's no great urgency about having the test. I'll have it eventually I guess, but there's no rush."

Those men who had had unprotected anal intercourse with more than one man in the last year tended to report a higher number of thoughts (average 11) than men who had taken fewer sexual risks. This group also had higher rates of testing than the rest of the sample, which the researchers believe means that they had some awareness of their level of risk.

Nonetheless, like all others in the survey, these men had not tested in the last four years, and their behaviour could mean that they had more reason to fear a positive result. The researchers suggest that many of the thoughts of these men are in fact rationalisations, and that the greater risk "produced a need to seize on any plausible means" of explaining the decision not to test.

In analysing these findings, Gold and Karantzas suggest that while more factual information about testing and changes to testing procedures could encourage a few men to test more often, it would not change many people's behaviour.

They note the 'Prospect Theory' which is used by psychologists. It states that prospective gains and losses are not weighed equally. Instead, the losses loom larger than the gains, which leads us to prefer to postpone a decision or to leave a situation unchanged.

Gold and Karantzas suggest that it may be possible to design interventions which would help men to understand that their thoughts are in fact rationalisations. In psychology, a rationalisation is a defence mechanism by which your true motivation is concealed by explaining your actions and feelings in a way that is not threatening.

A possible intervention would involve presenting men with a list of justifications for not being tested, asking them to say which ones figure in their own thinking, and then asking them to carefully evaluate the adequacy of each one.

The authors also suggest that rather than trying in vain to get men to see the benefits of testing, health promoters can also focus on 'losses'. However they should try to change the type of losses that men focus on - not the disadvantages of testing, but the disadvantages of not having tested early enough.

Health promoters could, for example, get gay men to imagine a time in the future when, not having been tested, they discover that they were infected quite some time previously, and are now unable to reap the full benefits of early treatment. The authors state that focusing on 'anticipated regret' in this way has been found to be a powerful motivator of other types of health-protective behaviour.

All arguments in, wait for ruling begins

2008-11-11T21:21:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Faisal Alam, ap-rainbow, 08 November 2008.]

Delhi High Court All Set to Rule on Same-sex Activity Petition
November 7, 2008

Its verdict will be the first delivered by an Indian court on a 19th century law that treats homosexual activity as a criminal offence.

By Malathi Nayak

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Friday moved a step closer to passing verdict on a seven-year-old petition that seeks to keep homosexuality out of the ambit of a law that makes "unnatural" sex a criminal offence.

The health and home ministries were divided on the petition, with the former for it and the latter against it.

A bench headed by the chief justice of the Delhi high court, A.P. Shah, completed hearing arguments in the case and reserved its judgment, on Friday. It asked the petitioners and the respondents to file transcripts of their oral arguments by 17 November.

Its verdict will be the first delivered by an Indian court on a 19th century law that treats homosexual activity as a criminal offence. Since the 1980s, courts in countries such as the UK, Australia, South Africa and the US have struck down similar laws that made same-sex activity a crime.

The petition was filed by New Delhi-based non-profit group Naz Foundation in 2001, seeking a reading down of section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) of 1860 that criminalizes "private consensual sex between adults" of the same sex.

Section 377 of the IPC, 1860, says an individual who "voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal" shall be imprisoned for life or for a term exceeding 10 years and be liable to pay a fine.

Since section 377 is also applicable to cases of child sexual abuse and sexual activity without mutual consent, the petitioners have asked the court to redraw the law to the extent that it decriminalizes same-sex activity.

Naz Foundation has been working on issues related to HIV, AIDS and sexual health since 1994. Its main argument was that efforts to curb the spread of HIV and AIDS are impeded by the law, as it pushes homosexual activity, one of the main causes of the spread of HIV and AIDS, underground.

Voices Against 377, another non-profit group fighting for gay rights, was also made a respondent after it sought the court's permission to intervene in this case in support of Naz Foundation.

During the course of the proceedings, the Union health ministry and the ministry of home affairs, which are respondents to the petition, were divided, with the health ministry's affidavit supporting the petitioners and the home ministry opposing decriminalization of same-sex activity.

The National AIDS Control Organisation that functions under the health ministry, told the court through an affidavit filed in July 2006 that section 377 of the IPC "can adversely contribute to pushing the infection (HIV/AIDS) underground", besides making "risky sexual practices go unnoticed and unaddressed".

On its part, the Union government, represented by additional solicitor general P.P. Malhotra, had rebutted Naz Foundation's argument that section 377 is violative of homosexuals' right to privacy by contending that the right could be curtailed in the interest of public morality and decency. Malhotra argued that while section 377 has rarely been used to prosecute people for same-sex activity, it acts as a deterrent to homosexual conduct, which he said was a cause for the spread of HIV and AIDS in the country. In October he had told the court, "Allowing MSM (men having sex with men) is nothing but spreading AIDS."

"It was right for those in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) rights movement to have reposed faith in the judiciary instead of asking the political class for change," said New Delhi-based gay rights activist and lawyer Aditya Bondyopadhyay.

"The reaction of the court so far has been positive, non-prejudiced and scientific while the government has taken an unscientific, moralistic and homophobic view," added Bondyopadhyay.

UN says "decriminalisation" helps HIV interventions

2008-11-11T21:14:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Faisal Alam, ap-rainbow, 08 November 2008.]

From AFP - November 6, 2008
UN urges India to decriminalise homosexuality

NEW DELHI (AFP) — The United Nations has urged India to decriminalise homosexuality, saying it would help the fight against HIV/AIDS by allowing intervention programmes like the successful ones in China and Brazil.

Jeffrey O'Malley, director of the United Nations Development Programme on HIV/AIDS, told AFP Friday that countries protecting homosexuals from discrimination had far better records of protecting them from infection.

India, which has an estimated 2.5 million people living with HIV, has seen a drop in new infections contracted through unprotected commercial sex.

But "unfortunately in India, the rates of new infections among men who have sex with men continue to go up," O'Malley said.

"Until we acknowledge these behaviours and work with people involved with these behaviours, we are not going to halt and reverse the HIV epidemic," he said.

"Countries which protect men who have sex with men... have double the rate of coverage of HIV prevention services -- as much as 60 percent."

O'Malley's remarks come amid a stormy debate in India over homosexuality -- which is punishable by a fine and a 10-year prison term.

The Delhi High Court is currently considering a suit brought by gay rights activists to decriminalise homosexuality in a case that has generated intense media interest.

The statute in question is a British colonial-era law prohibiting "carnal intercourse against the order of nature."

Those seeking a change, including Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, argue that allowing homosexual sex between consenting adults would bring India's largely closeted gay community into the open.

O'Malley said countries where homosexuality was not legally proscribed had more success in preventing new infections among sexual minorities.

"In China, male homosexuality has never been illegal. So there aren't any of these legal barriers to HIV prevention work," he said: "It's easier to do this (prevention) work in China."

Brazil, he added, had taken another step forward by combining legal status for gays and lesbians with anti-homophobia campaigns.

Announcement: Diversity celebration in Bangkok

2008-11-11T21:05:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Hua Boonyapisomparn, msm-asia, 11 November 2008.]

Dear Friends,

Thailand Queer Network would like to invite you to join the celebration of Thailand's first National Human Rights Day for Sexual Diversity. The event will be held between 9am-5pm on Saturday November 29, 2008 at Lido cinema, Siam Square, Bangkok.

Our theme for this year is "Towards a Clear Sky". The program will include colorful performances to celebrate sexual diversity; lively discussions on the titles law for transgenders, same-sex marriage and LGBTI youth; talk show by the infamous Day Freeman; seminar on LGBTI rights in Thailand; and screening of award-winning Thai Queer Short Films. The full-day event will culminate in the first Rainbow Umbrella March, from Lido to the Bangkok Art and Cultural Center between 4pm-5pm. (Rainbow umbrellas will be provided.)

All proceeding will be in Thai. However, non-Thai speakers are more than welcome to join the Rainbow Umbrella March. We hope to see hundreds of you there!

For more information, contact Paisarn at 66-81-634 3450 or email asiantrekker@yahoo.com and Sitthiphan (Hua) huab2007@gmail.com.

[MSWord document of program can be downloaded HERE.]

MSM sex work in Bangladesh

2008-11-11T20:44:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Aditya Bondyopadhyay, msm-asia, 08 November 2008.]

Bangladesh's gay prostitutes take a step out of the closet

October 3, 2003

NABINAGAR, Bangladesh — Shunned since youth by their families, Bangladesh's male prostitutes are finding a furtive sense of community as they fight together against rampant discrimination.

Khokhon, 22, has sold his body for the past two years in the parks and transport terminals of this small town near the capital Dhaka.

He left his impoverished village in the eastern Narsinghdi district before his relatives could throw him out for being gay.

But he remains a dutiful son, sending back to his family some of his earnings from the flesh trade.

"I knew I wanted to love another man and my family will never accept it. They will say I am bad," said Khokhon, who like other male prostitutes interviewed would only give his first name.

Khokhon, who lives with a partner, also works at a garment factory.

"I am prostituting myself as I need the extra money to send home," he said.

Faced with common problems, the male sex workers, with some help from social workers, organise private meetings together to discuss their plight and compare techniques in countering violence at the hands of police and hooligans.

"They are slowly working to be united so that they can defend themselves and their rights from castigation and constant harassment," said Mohammad Nasiruddin of the Organisation of Development Programme for the Underprivileged, a non-governmental group here.

M. Salehin of another non-governmental organisation, CARE Bangladesh, said the number of sex workers was not necessarily increasing but demand for them was, in part due to more exposure to homosexuality through the internet and Western films in the Muslim country.

"There are two sides to consider when we say the gay population is growing because it could be that many led a secret life and are now coming out discreetly to meet like-minded people," Salehin said.

"Or thanks to the internet, younger people were being drawn into it thinking men having sex with men is normal because it is practised in the West," he said.

Tomiz, a smartly dressed 18-year-old, said his clients often felt compelled to pretend to be straight.

"I service married men who are women inside," he said. "They get married for social reasons or to get family property." Bangladeshi laws dating back to the British colonial area describe homosexual intercourse as "unnatural." Prostitutes, men or women, face light jail sentences if arrested.

But male sex workers are worried less about court action than about physical attacks. Many of the prostitutes are quickly singled out for being effeminate.

Milan, 20, said he left home when his family learned of his orientation. After renting his first house on his own he was forced to move out when the owners also discovered his lifestyle.

"My family did not accept my way of life as they noticed I was feminine and so I started prostitution to feed myself. What else could I do?" he asked.

Milan said he has been beaten publicly -- and that the assailants would secretly come to him later for sex.

"They don't want to know us during the daytime," he said. "I want my right to move freely and earn my bread." –Sapa-AFP

Ladyboys of Pursat

2008-11-11T20:35:00.002+08:00

[Quoted by Roger Tatoud, a post within a thread, msm-asia, 08 November 2008. Attributed to Phnom Penh Post.]

Wednesday, 29 October 2008

Gay male prostitutes have solicited on Pursat Bridge for a decade, but a police crackdown has forced them into more dangerous parts of town

Pursat Province

THE ladyboys of Pursat - gay male prostitutes dressed as women - have been banned from soliciting on the notorious Pursat Bridge, their haunt for at least a decade, but provincial police enforcing the ban say they have the best interests of the prostitutes in mind.

"Selling sex is illegal in Cambodia. We are not allowing these prostitutes to conduct business on the bridge anymore because it has a negative impact on residents who live close by," said Lok Sary, chief of the Pursat provincial police force.

"We also want to take care of the ladyboys' health and protect them from HIV/Aids."

Since the police crackdown, the ladyboys have moved their business to the shady gardens surrounding Pursat Lake, particularly a stretch between Pursat Bridge and Speanthmor Garden.

Fresh dangers

But the move has been a difficult one for the more than 50 ladyboys who work in Pursat, according to Srey Lin, 25, who has been a prostitute in the town for two years.

"If we are standing on the Pursat Bridge, it is much safer for us. The police are always nearby, but here we face a lot of problems," she told the Post.

We have to do this job secretly because we are looked down on.

"Sometimes young gangsters come by and mistreat us. They try to steal drugs and money, and sometimes they force us to have sex with them for free."

Srey Lin works as a hairdresser in the daytime but said she turned to prostitution because she did not earn enough to support herself. She added that most of her clients are older Cambodian men, and that ladyboys usually earn about US$20 a night.

"We work from 8pm until midnight, and when we see the police we all split up and pretend to be visitors," she said.

"We have to do this job secretly because we are looked down on by the wider community, especially the women, but we conduct our business properly: We only go over to a man if he stops his moto near us. We do not sit or stand on the edge of the road and call out to clients."
Rotana, an employee at the Phnom Pich Hotel, which faces the bridge, says she is pleased the ladyboys have moved on, viewing them as a threat to decent society.

"I think the police made the right decision moving the ladyboys from Pursat Bridge," she said.

"This province is unsafe today because of the anarchy of these gay groups. They always used to fight with gangsters on the bridge. Even though police banned them from the bridge, I can still hear them calling out from the gardens and I think police should ban them from there too."

Klem Sokoun, chief of the Pursat provincial health department, said his office is growing increasingly worried about the spread of HIV/Aids through gay brothels.

He said it is conducting research into the brothels and that a crackdown is likely to begin soon.

Rising HIV among MSM in Thai's "tourist centers"

2008-11-11T20:24:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Frits van Griensven, msm-asia, 06 November 2008.]

THAILAND: "Alarm over Rising HIV Infection Among Gay Men"
The Nation (Thailand) (10.31.08)

HIV infections among gay men in Thailand have been rising in recent years, especially in tourist centers like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, health officials said recently. The news was delivered at an Oct. 30th conference about prevention lessons learned from a project targeting men who have sex with men (MSM).

In Bangkok, a survey found HIV prevalence among MSM increased from 17 percent in 2003 to 30 percent in 2007. In Chiang Mai, prevalence increased from 15.3 percent in 2005 to 16.9 percent last year. In Phuket, prevalence leapt from 5.5 percent in 2005 to 20 percent in 2007.

Male sex workers are a high-risk group due to unsafe sex behaviors and lack of HIV prevention awareness, said Dr. Somchai Chakrabhand, director-general of Thailand's department for disease control. "Most of them have anal sex with their partners without using a condom and lubricant," he said. "This could cause deep damage to the anal tissue and easy transmission of HIV."

In recent years, official campaigns targeting condom use among MSM have been discontinued, Somchai acknowledged.

In Chiang Mai, MSM often delay presenting to a general clinic or hospital for STD treatment, fearing others will learn about their symptoms, said Manoon Jaikueankaew, a health official. There is little government or financial support at the local level for MSM. "A one-stop service is really needed to provide information and health care to them," Manoon said. "This is the only way for them to protect themselves from HIV."

The best means of preventing HIV among MSM is providing free condoms and lubricant and raising awareness about health checks to diagnose HIV early, said Chatwut Wangwon, a member of a joint Thai Public Health Ministry and US CDC program. Infected MSM tend to be students, working age, single, and at least 27 percent are bisexual, Chatwut said.

Announcement: Action alert for Bangalore

2008-11-11T20:14:00.000+08:00

[Consolidated from several posts by Manohar Elavarthi, Paula Ettelbrick and Grace Poore, ap-rainbow, first posted on 08 November 2008.]

Action Alert: Demand action against Bengaluru (India) Police, who brutally assaulted sexual minorities and human rights defenders

The incident: On 20th October, Bengaluru police brutally attacked five sexual minority activists and arrested them on false charges when they tried enquiring about the illegal detention of five hijras (working class male-to-female transgenders). Police illegally detained and assaulted a large number of human rights defenders when they held a peaceful protest against the illegal police actions. Police also arrested 31 human rights defenders on false charges.

Action: Coalition for Sexworkers and Sexual Minorities (a coming together of social movements and human rights groups in Bengaluru to resist police violence and to defend sexual minority human rights) requests you send emails or faxes to Indian authorities demanding action against guilty police for the crimes committed against human rights defenders. More information about the incident and the pretest actions is available HERE.

Please send a copy of your letter to advocacysangama@gmail.com.

VIEW ACTION ALERT HERE. [PDF file of Action Alert can also be downloaded HERE.]

Announcement: amfAR MSM Initiative

2008-11-11T19:47:00.001+08:00

[Sent to personal inbox, amfAR MSM Awards, 04 November 2008.]

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: amfAR MSM INITIATIVE

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking to support front-line organizations and networks in the Caribbean working to address HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM).

Individual organizations are eligible for awards of up to US$15,000. Collaborations are eligible for awards of up to $40,000. The deadline for submitting proposals is December 3.

The RFP, application form, application instructions, and additional information about the MSM Initiative can be found HERE. Contact msm.awards@amfar.org if you have problems accessing this information.

The MSM Initiative, founded and administered by amfAR, and benefiting from collaboration with the Global Forum on MSM and HIV, UNAIDS, and many other partners, is a global effort to fight the spread of HIV among men who have sex with men in the developing world. The objectives of the MSM Initiative include supporting front-line organizations and collaborations working to address HIV among MSM; supporting research to build understanding of HIV epidemics and interventions among MSM; and supporting effective policies, and increased public funding for HIV prevention and treatment efforts among MSM.

Krathoey and Lanna

2008-11-11T19:35:00.001+08:00

[Referred from posting by Paul, msm-asia, 02 November 2008.]

Ladyboys and Good Sons: Contemporary Mediums and Gender Identity in Northern Thai Trance Dance

Lanna (Northern Thai) culture is largely Animist in origin. Belief systems and rituals that go back many centuries and refer to humans’ relationship with and dependence on spirits of the dead are found in various forms throughout the region. Chief among these is the Chiang Mai region, including the cities and surrounding areas of Chiang Mai, Lamphun, and Lampang. Each year in the late Spring and early Summer months leading up to the Buddhist Lent, dozens of trance dance ceremonies take place that pay homage to royal, working class, and hero spirits within family, clan, and social lineages.

Like the majority of Thai culture, Lanna mediumship was traditionally a matriarchal practice, dominated by familial and clan females. However, with social strictures loosening in the middle to late 20th-century Thailand, fewer females have chosen to fulfill their traditional roles or, consequently, become mediums as well, opting instead for more modern vocational roles. Additionally, homosexuality, especially among men, has become generally accepted in mainstream Thai society, opening up their involvement in mediumship. Krathoey, or "ladyboys" as they are generally referred to in English, are gay males of all ages who typically engage in cross-dressing and transvestism.

The Lanna medium population that participates in annual trance dance ceremonies now contains a high percentage of elderly females and young males, the latter of which are primarily gay. While being gay is never a simple and easy social issue, despite greater social acceptance, mediums also have a tenuous relationship within their roles with the mainstream Thai population, many of whom consider mediumship as at best, mysterious and odd, and at worst, a deviant and false religion. Being a male and/or gay medium thus represents a nexus of competing social tensions that are simultaneously resolving themselves via the very nature of their masculine and feminine status.

This paper and audio-visual presentation begins an examination of this nexus and many of the socio-cultural-historical factors that contribute to it through the social-interactive lens of Lanna trance dance rituals, which are generally loud, day-long spectacles that take place in homes and small gathering areas. The presentation content is largely based on fieldwork and interviews conducted by the author in Summer 2008 in Northern Thailand with generous funding from a University of California Pacific Rim Research Program mini-grant.

Michael Sakamoto is currently an MFA student in dance/choreography in the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures. He has been performing worldwide since 1992, and has lectured or done guest performances at the California Institute of the Arts, Chiang Mai University (Thailand), the Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs Department, Arizona State University, UC Irvine, and UC Riverside, among others.

Personal stake and advocacy for MSM & HIV

2008-11-11T19:27:00.001+08:00

[Excerpt from post by Roger Tatoud, msm-asia, 01 November 2008. Author, Michael P. De Guzman is a personal friend; the rest of the article is found in his BLOG.]

While there are no laws that discriminate against Khmer gays and (the more invisible) lesbians, there are also no laws that protect them. Like other countries in the region, same-sex behaviour is not frowned upon per se in Cambodia, as long as the man marries and creates a family. Buddhism views homosexuality as a result of a bad deed in one's past life, hence a more tolerant stance towards it. Families, meanwhile, are a different matter. One of the participants mentioned the effects of discrimination in the family on the health of MSM. Once a man is found out to be gay, he will almost always be driven out of his home and be disowned by his parents. Many of them choose to marry, while continuing to have illicit sex with other men.

Previous studies on MSM have hinted at the significance of this group in the response to HIV/Aids. Largely unreached by programs, they seem to be very active sexually with both females and males and do not access the existing information and services for MSM. Because recent developments have brought MSM under the spotlight of government, the donors, and civil society, at least in terms of HIV/Aids programming, reaching these 'hidden' MSM suddenly became an imperative.

A personal stake

I realised that for all the talk of programs, projects and interventions for MSM, a critical element was lacking in the MSM response to HIV/AIDS. A personal stake. I mean, we were talking about doing outreach, establishing MSM-friendly clinics and advocating for MSM. But on a personal level, what does advocacy mean to a 13-year-old boy who lives in a remote province who's just starting to realise he's different from the other boys because he is growing to be sexually attracted to them?

I remember that one of the reasons I got into Aids work (in 1994) was my own concern for my health and well-being. I wanted to know more to be able to protect myself from HIV, and help others like me. Along the way, I also learned that one of the elements that could determine the success of behaviour change is the personal recognition of one's risk. This helped cement my commitment to the issue until now.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in Cambodia, where most people got into NGO work because it is seen as a lucrative career. In the TWG, for example, how many people can honestly say that s/he has not said or done anything discriminatory against an MSM?

Discrimination against MSM in Khmer families is, by this time, a known reality. This has always been cited as one of the important reasons why Khmer MSM choose to hide their sexuality. But what is always left out in discussions on coming out is that "taking risks in coming out has tangible rewards" to use Lisle's phrase. The most obvious reward being, because one has been "unburdened"of the need to hide, he can now freely express himself, increasing his access to information and services that will benefit not just his health but his general well-being too. This is part of what I'm referring to as a personal stake.

Announcement: ICAAP on 2011

2008-11-06T15:34:00.002+08:00

Expression of Interest (EOI) to Prospective Hosts for the 10th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP, 2011)

The AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific (ASAP) is the custodian of International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP). It is also a primary co-sponsor of the ICAAP. The ICAAP is the biennial Congress on HIV and AIDS for the Asia Pacific region which brings together civil society with government, researchers, other societies and the private sector. The last ICAAP was held in Colombo in August 2007. The 9th ICAAP will be held in August 2009, in Bali, Indonesia.

ASAP is now calling for expressions of interest from organisations or groups that wish to host the 10th ICAAP in the second half of 2011. Organisations or groups should be representative of civil society, such as an NGO or a group of NGOs, having the support of the national government and be prepared to raise sponsorship for the Congress.

It is particularly important that a partnership be established between civil society and government in order to ensure that there are no restrictions imposed by the government on the entry of People Living with HIV or those who are members of vulnerable groups such as drug users and sex workers, when attending the Congress. The Congress will include full involvement of the community sector and a strong scientific programme. The Local Organising Committee (LOC) will have ultimate responsibility for the Congress' staging and content but will be guided by a Joint ASAP-UNAIDS Working Group to assure satisfactory progress in its organisation, a conference organiser to guide logistics and an independent International Advisory Committee (IAC) to advise and support the content and its quality.

The host organisation is required to raise the necessary funds to manage the Congress, including support for a substantial scholarship programme. Previous Congresses have received substantial support from international donors as well as local and international business.

Prerequisites

Hosting an ICAAP stipulates a number of prerequisites on the host organisation. These are related to a number of important aspects in developing the Congress as well as addressing longer term ICAAP sustainability issues. A list of prerequisites/conditions can be found on ASAP's website.

Organisations or groups, wishing to be considered may lodge an EOI/Bid document with ASAP at any time before 30 January 2009. All EOIs/Bids will be considered on their merits by an ASAP Selection Team. When deemed appropriate, ASAP may decide to conduct a scoping mission before a recommendation is made to the ASAP Executive Committee for selection.

[Full text of announcement found HERE, and can also be downloaded HERE.]

Announcement: Documenting experiences workshop

2008-11-04T23:41:00.002+08:00

[Sent to personal inbox, Madeleen Wegelin, 04 November 2008]

The Alliance Technical Support Hub (Manila) is pleased to invite someone of your organization to a workshop on writing skills for documentation of NGO experiences in HIV and AIDS in The Philippines.

Where and when

The workshop will be conducted in SEAMO INNOTECH convention centre located at Commonwealth Ave., Diliman Quezon City, Philippines. This centre is well equipped for workshops, it has guest rooms that are simple and comfortable. All participants will be staying overnight during the workshop in order to reduce travel time and to increase mutual learning and networking.

Dates are December 9-12.

Why do we have this workshop

In The Philippines, the HIV epidemic may be labeled as low prevalence, but is now categorized as hidden and growing. There are epidemics growing among the "most-at-risk-populations". The recent report of the Commission on AIDS in Asia recommends a focus of prevention programs on interventions that have been shown to work and that can reduce the maximum numbers of new infections. The Philippines as many countries in Asia face difficult public policy and legislative problems with regard to sex work, sexuality (including MSM, transgender, youth), and drug use. In addition, widespread poverty, and a general lack of access to effective health and welfare services by the poor and disadvantaged in both rural and urban areas, means that the challenges of developing targeted intervention programs, and ensuring coverage of vulnerable groups, are particularly acute. This also applies to HIV positive people, who need support not only to access care and treatment, but also for impact mitigation. There are community based organizations and NGOs in the country that have been able to carry out effective interventions, but these are rarely documented. If such interventions need to scale up, this documentation is necessary.

During the profiling visits to NGOs conducted by Alliance Technical Support Hub (Manila) staff in The Philippines and Indonesia, was indicated that lack of writing skills is a major obstacle for NGOs. They are not able to document the experiences in order to share and scale-up and it also reduces their ability to write proposals. Therefore for these NGOs writing skills is one of the Technical Support requirements that are their priority.

In holding this workshop, we will be able to start building up an inventory of good practices in The Philippines (and the University of the Philippines may be interested in doing a small publication on this).

For who is the workshop

The workshop is primarily aimed at staff of NGOs and CBOs, although staff of governmental or private organizations that serve the most at risk populations may also be participating if they have a successful program. Pre-condition is that the NGO/CBO has a project/program that is firmly established and has a positive outcome.

From such organization we select a staff on the basis of the following criteria:

The participant has to be fully aware of all ins and outs of the project/program
Ability to document the experiences in English (even if basic)
Participant is likely to be involved in project and proposal writing in future

What are the objectives of the workshop:

To enable the participants to write down and analyze their experience in a structured manner
To have a draft document at the end of the workshop
To exchange and learn from each others experience
To use the documents for their own advocacy and proposal writing
To use the documents to present an abstract in the ICAAP 2009

How are we going to conduct the workshop

The workshop will be facilitated by Leny Felix and Madeleen Wegelin of the Alliance Technical Support Hub (Manila). Both have a long term experience in conducting workshops and writeshops and have been working with NGOs on writing down their experiences and interventions before.

Each section (aim of the project, justification, context, planning process, implementation, resource requirements, monitoring, impact, challenges, lessons learnt) will be introduced by a facilitator and during a brainstorm we will make sure that every participant has a full understanding of why a section is necessary to be included and what items should be covered in the section. This is followed by breaking up in 5 groups of 4 participants in which each participant first has to tell the others what has happened in the project for the topic of this section. The others can ask for clarifications – this enables the writer to understand what has to be put on paper so outsiders understand. Then, each participant writes down the particular section in the workshop session, supported by the facilitators. For those that do not have a computer, these will be provided.

Participation fee

For all organizations belonging to or primarily working with the HIV positive community, a 100% grant is given by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance – this means the workshop is free for them. A number of other scholarships from the same source will be (partly) available for other organizations, depending on the financial capacity of their organization – this means that the workshop is free or partly free. We would advise interested NGOs to seek sponsorship for their attendance, especially those who need to travel from outside NCR. We will also endeavor to seek sponsorship for other sources.

The official fee for participation in the workshop is Php 15,710 per person and this covers training fee, accommodation, food, training kit, logistics etc. In addition, for participants coming from outside Manila, travel costs have to be added (this is not covered in this fee) and possibly two nights accommodation.

What to do next

If there is anyone in your organization that responds to the criteria and is interested to participate, please let me know and indicate if you have access to a sponsor. It would be good if you tell us what practice the person will be bringing to write down.

Announcement: Info-activism camp

2008-11-04T23:32:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Ryan Schlief, ap-rainbow, 04 November 2008]

From Tactical Tech Collective:

We are proud to announce our next big event - The Info-Activism Camp in India, February 2009. Below you will find more details of the camp as well as the application form. We would really appreciate it if you could pass this onto others who might be interested in participating. Please also refer to the website www.informationactivism.org for more information about the camp. Please note that this website will be developed further in the coming months. Thanks once again for your interest in the camp and good luck with the application form.

THE INFO-ACTIVISM CAMP: This is the first-ever international camp on Info-Activism and is a week-long affair. The event will bring together 120 rights advocates, technologists, designers and activists working in the global South to share skills and ideas on digital advocacy.

DATES: This is a seven day long workshop, to be held in Bangalore, India from the 19th to the 25th of February 2009. If you would like to participate, you will need to attend the entire event, which means arriving in Bangalore on or before the 18th and leaving on or after the 26th of February 2009.

FEES AND SUBSIDIES: Participants will arrange for and fund their own travel to Bangalore. Once there, transport to the venue from the airport in Bangalore will be provided. We ask for a participation fee of 100 Euros to cover meals and accommodation during the meeting. In case you are unable to cover your travel or participation costs, please indicate in the application form below.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: This is an event for experienced professionals actively working with marginalised communities and the on-profit sector in the global South, with experience in advocacy and campaigning, and regional or international networks. Camp participants will be advocates, technologists, designers and strategists who have used OR PLAN TO USE technology tools and tactics in their campaigns. They need not be experts but need to have a proven aptitude for the use of technology tools and basic computing skills along with a track-record of active involvement in rights advocacy initiatives.

We are interested in a range of skills and expertise, be it in campaigning, design or technology. We are particularly interested in applications from advocates who deal with issues such as Sex Workers Rights, HIV and AIDS, LGBT rights and environmental justice.

Participants whose work centres on the gathering, dissemination and design of information would benefit immensely.

ELIGIBILITY:

To be eligible to attend, you will need to send a completed application form by the 8th of November 2008 by noon GMT.
All participants at the Info-Activism Camp are required to be proficient desktop users of computers.
All participants must be available from 18th till the 26th of February 2009.

Applications from women are highly encouraged.

LGBT rights on Speaker's Corner... soon

2008-11-04T23:21:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Nigel Warner, ap-rainbow, 04 November 2008]

Gay protest postponed

Speakers' Corner event on Nov 15 postponed to cater to strong response

By Kor Kian Beng

SINGAPORE's first outdoor gay protest at Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park on Nov 15 has been postponed to early next year.

Organiser Roy Tan, 50, a Singaporean who initiated the event, yesterday cited the overwhelming response from the gay community as a key reason for the date change.

The event was being postponed 'to ensure that all interested parties - straight, gay and queer - have the opportunity to participate in this landmark occasion', he said in a statement e-mailed to the media.

Many members of the gay community have expressed interest in taking part, he told The Straits Times when contacted.

A number of those who are backing the event also want to help him organise it, said Mr Tan, who works in the health-care industry.

An organising committee has now been set up.

Said Mr Tan: 'We're postponing it so we can have more time to organise a better event.'

He declined to comment on a new date, the number of interested participants and organisers, and whether there would be changes to the programme.

More details will be released later, he said.

Mr Tan registered with the National Parks Board (NParks) in September to stage the Nov 15 event.

He will now let the Nov 15 date lapse and make a fresh application closer to the new date.

When he first registered to stage the event, which he described as a GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual) pride parade, he said it would feature speeches on gay rights.

Participants would march around the park with placards to protest against Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises homosexual sex. There was also to be a public forum on the difficulties that gay Singaporeans here face.

Mr Tan said he was keeping the event as a Singaporeans-only activity. This was to avoid having to apply for a police permit, which is required if foreigners were to speak or participate in or organise activities at the park.

With the Government moving to relax the rules at Speakers' Corner as of Sept 1, applicants need only register online with NParks before they speak or stage a demonstration.

But they have to state the topic of their speech or demonstration, as issues such as race and religion remain out of bounds.

"Hindu" vote vs Proposition 8

2008-11-03T16:27:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Queer Paki Boy, ap-rainbow, 03 November 2008]

11/01/08-11/03/08
Hindus Urged to Vote Against Prop. 8

Navya Shastra, the international Hindu reform organization based in Troy, Mich., sent out a press release Friday urging California voters to reject Proposition 8, which would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry under California law.

The organization notes that Hinduism has never classified homosexuality as a sin. While some ancient law codes have been critical of homosexual acts, the denomination has never called for the persecution of gays. In fact, there is ample evidence that alternative lifestyles have been accepted throughout Hindu history. Several modern Hindu leaders have also spoken positively of gay rights; however, many American Hindus remain uncomfortable with homosexuality.

"According to the Hindu contemplative tradition, we are all manifestations of the one universal spirit, straight or gay, and worthy of the same respect and rights" said Jaishree Gopal, chairman of Navya Shastra, in the release. "We urge American Hindus in California to remember this central insight of their faith when they vote on November 4." (The Advocate)

Research: ART should start earlier than current reco

2008-11-03T09:13:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Igor Mocorro, Pinoy-UNGASS, 02 November 2008]

Should ARV Treatment Be Started When CD4s Fall Below 500?
by Tim Horn aidsmeds.com

New research from a team of U.S. and Canadian researchers suggests that HIV-positive people have less risk of dying if they start antiretroviral (ARV) therapy sooner than is currently recommended, according to a presentation on Sunday, October 26, at the 2008 joint meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA).

HIV treatment guidelines maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recommend that people living with HIV begin ARV therapy once their CD4 cell count falls below 350. But according to Mari Kitahata, MD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, who presented the new data at ICAAC/IDSA, the best time to begin treatment has been unclear because of the lack of clinical trial data.

In an effort to answer the lingering when-to-start question, Dr. Kitahata and her colleagues turned to the International Epidemiological Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA), comprised of a global network of clinics that serve people living with HIV and collect data important to key HIV/AIDS research questions.

Kitahata's group examined the records of patients enrolled in participating Canadian and U.S. cohorts from 1996 to 2006, all of whom entered the study with a CD4 count between 351 and 500 cells. Reviewing the patients' data, the researchers asked whether initiating ARV treatment during this early stage of HIV disease progression was associated with better survival than deferring therapy until a lower CD4 count — below 350 cells, in accordance with current guidelines — is reached.

About 8,300 patients were included in the analysis. Thirty percent of the study participants began taking ARV therapy immediately, while the remaining 70 percent of the participants waited to start treatment until their CD4s fell below 350.

The researchers reported a 71 percent higher risk of death for patients who deferred treatment rather than starting ARV therapy immediately, which led Kitahata to conclude that HIV treatment should begin earlier than is currently recommended.

The study has not yet, however, looked at important health issues beyond survival, such as the risk of side effects, adherence and drug resistance, among those starting earlier compared with those starting later.

A unique aspect of this study, Kitahata explained, is that it represents the diverse characteristics of HIV-positive people receiving care in North America, unlike more selected populations that may be enrolled in a clinical trial. She also remarked that this study is one of the largest examining the question of when to begin treatment, comparing patients head-to-head from the time they start treatment until death.

Kitahata also said that a randomized clinical trial is necessary to confirm these findings—and those of two smaller cohort studies, conducted in Europe and North America, that suggest starting therapy when the CD4 cell count falls below 500—and to support changes to established treatment guidelines. She also noted that additional analyses from the study, including the question of an even greater survival advantage among those starting therapy with CD4s higher than 500, are being conducted.

ILGA turns 30

2008-11-03T09:03:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Ivan Prizefighter, TLF SHARE Collective, 30 October 2008]

ILGA, the International Lesbian and Gay Association to celebrate its 30th anniversary at its 24th world conference in Vienna.

The International Lesbian and Gay Association will hold its 24th world conference Nov 3 – 6 in Vienna, Austria. 200 lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex activists from over 80 countries will attend the event, an occasion to celebrate ILGA's 30-year-long history. 120 of those are scholars from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, their participation possible thanks to a generous grant from the Austrian government and a number of partners of ILGA.

"Activists are using ILGA as a platform to exchange and strengthen their campaigns to fight discrimination and achieve equality. This was particularly important before internet eased communication for groups which were isolated. The conference is still the place where the association interacts with its network which can discuss the movement's agenda and elects its representatives. We are proud to count on 600 member groups coming from over 100 countries" says Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, Co-Secretary General of ILGA and Executive Director of the organisation EQUAL GROUND in Sri Lanka. Flamer-Caldera is one of the few out lesbians in Sri Lanka and has been a vociferous campaigner for equal rights for the LGBT community both in her own country as well as internationally since joining the ILGA board 7 years ago.

Philipp Braun, Co-Secretary General of ILGA has been campaigning with the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD) on issues such as recognition of same sex partners, a comprehensive antidiscrimination law and transgender rights and has been involved in international solidarity such as the protest against homophobic singers in Europe. Both Philipp and Rosanna were elected as Co-Secretary Generals of this world association at its last world conference in Geneva in March 2006. "Members who gathered in Manila in 2002 gave ILGA a strong mandate to work on having sexual orientation and gender identity come out at the UN. We have seen some successes at the UN in the last two years such as seven LGBTI groups receiving ECOSOC status. Our last conference in Geneva reflected the emergence of a very strong trans movement by creating a World Trans Secretariat" says Philipp Braun.

"ILGA occupies quite a unique place. It is the members of the organization which still give it, to this day, the legitimacy to speak on its behalf on the international stage" says Philipp. "ILGA is the body and voice of the LGBTI movement at large" adds Rosanna. Along its history, ILGA has campaigned to have Human Rights NGOs such as Amnesty include sexual orientation in their work or to have the World Health Organization delete homosexuality off of its list of mental illnesses. ILGA was also the first NGO to speak openly at the United Nations of the many human rights violations faced by lesbians, gays, Trans and intersex people. 86 countries still criminalize same sex relationships between consenting adults in the world. "Decriminalization is of utmost importance in countries such as mine so that our brothers and sisters can live freely and with dignity as wholesome citizens," says Rosanna Flamer-Caldera. "Our work at the UN aims at highlighting the many atrocities carried out against LGBTI communities worldwide in the name of the law and to put and end to judicial persecution of LGBTI persons all over the world". ILGA is collaborating closely with a coalition of international NGOs such as Amnesty International, Arc International, Global Rights, Human Rights Watch and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission to make sure sexual orientation and gender identity stay on the UN agenda.

Another challenge facing the association is helping activists in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean self-organise on a regional level. "We look forward to the day when a lesbian or gay African activist can stand up in an international institution and say she or he represents a network of groups in over half the countries of Africa" says Philipp Braun. "There are a lot of brave activists campaigning individually in the world" adds Rosanna Flamer-Caldera: "ILGA is working hard to accompany them in building their own regional federations". In the past 18 months, ILGA has organized three regional conferences in Africa, Asia and Latin America/Caribbean. "Seeing some 40 African activist give birth to Pan Africa ILGA has been a highlight this last year" says Philipp Braun. Pan Africa ILGA now joins its sister-federations ILGA-Asia, ILGA-Europe and ILGA-LAC under the umbrella of the Brussels based International Lesbian and Gay Association.

More information:
Stephen Barris 00 32 473 682 635
ILGA Brussels 00 32 2 502 24 71

ILGA would like to acknowledge the following partners and funders for their support to this 24th ILGA World Conference:

the Austrian government
the City of Vienna
HIVOS
HOSI-Wien, local LGBT group in Vienna, co-organizer of the conference
IBM
IGLHRC (the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission)
ILGA Europe, the European region of ILGA
SIDA (the Swedish International Aid Agency) and RFSL-Sweden
NOVIB

MSM in Pacific calls for increased support

2008-11-03T08:56:00.003+08:00

[Foward post from Jan Wijngaarden, msm-asia, 30 October 2008]

30 October 2008

Pacific men who have sex with men need
increased government & regional institutional support -
PACIFIC SEXUAL DIVERSITY NETWORK

The Pacific Sexual Diversity Network (PSDN) today called on Pacific governments and regional institutions to address issues affecting men who have sex with men (MSM) and other vulnerable populations in the response to HIV/AIDS in the Pacific.

In order to effectively achieve this, the PSDN (which currently includes organisations from Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands, PNG and Vanuatu) believes that organisations such as itself and other groups that represent vulnerable populations should be included as active participants in all national and regional HIV/AIDS meetings.

The PSDN, a network of sexual minority organisations in the Pacific, is currently undertaking advocacy and organisational capacity training in Sydney through the Australian Leadership Awards Fellowship program, which is funded by AusAID.

Through the program, which started this week and runs until November 7, the PSDN is working with the AIDS Council of NSW (ACON) to develop strong leadership and organisational skills, to be used to advocate for greater resources and recognition of the issue of HIV among MSM and other vulnerable populations across the Pacific.

"Across the world, MSM and sexual minorities are significantly more vulnerable to HIV. In the Pacific these groups include fa'afafine, leitis, akavaine, vakasalewalewa, mahu, raerae, palopa and takatapui. It is vital that Pacific governments and regional donors include these groups in their response to HIV in our region", said Ken Moala, Secretary of the PSDN.

He added that "legal barriers, stigma and discrimination, and gender inequality all make MSM and sexual minorities more vulnerable to HIV. For the Pacific to effectively respond to the HIV epidemic these factors must be addressed".

Despite these needs, MSM projects and organisations have little to no funding from governments or donors in the region to respond to HIV prevention and sexual health issues in their communities.

"There must be resources made available urgently to fund this work. And this requires leadership from national governments as well as donors and other institutions in the Pacific," Moala said.

As part of the ALAF program, the PSDN in partnership with ACON will be developing an advocacy strategy that will outline the range of issues facing MSM and sexual minorities in the Pacific and make recommendations to key stakeholders such as governments, regional institutions, churches, community leaders, health care workers and civil society.

For more information contact Mr Ken Moala on +0404 756 651.

Istanbul court says consensual gay sex is not criminal

2008-10-29T19:14:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Jan Wijngaarden, msm-asia, 29 October 2008]

Gay sex "ok": Turkish Court

An unfortunate man caught selling group- and gay porn was judged by an Istanbul court not guilty of selling "unnatural sex" in his pornographic repertoire. He was only convicted for selling porn in an illegal location.

The Turkish Penal Code establishes higher penalties for the sale of movies that portray "unnatural" intercourse. Yet the court decided this was not the case for Mr. Unfortunate, whose name was not made public.

The verdict made reference to the principles of privacy and equality from the national constitution and the European Convention of Human Rights, to which Turkey has also submitted itself. Preceding verdicts by it were also mentioned by the court.

The referenced verdict of European court said, "Even if it shocks or brings discomfort to some members of society, gay intercourse between consenting adults is not criminal."

Precendents

In its verdict, the Istanbul court said: "Most European countries have given gay relationships the equivalence of marriage, and in Holland gay marriages were made legal a few years back. In a world of modern societies, it is not possible to say intercourse among members of the same sex is unnatural."

The verdict also read: "Since the action happens in private places and does not include children it is not criminal. The term 'unnatural sexual behavior' should be seen from a narrow perspective; otherwise there is the risk of judging every sexual relationship outside of certain limitations unnatural."

Announcement: Manila Pride 2008

2008-10-27T21:08:00.002+08:00

[Posted by Bruce, lgbtactivist, 27 October 2008]

Dear Friends,

Rainbow Greetings!

Task Force Pride (TFP) would like to invite you and/or your group to participate in the 2008 Manila Pride March, which will happen in Malate on 6 December 2008, Saturday, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. On-site registration and assembly is from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM at the Remedios Circle or you can pre-register your participation online.

Theme. This year's Pride March pays tribute to: our rights, our lives, our loves, our selves. Thus, we envision the 2008 Manila Pride March to be the most visually spectacular to date. We encourage you to put on your best fairytale and fantasy costume, design your float accordingly and help transform the streets of Malate into a bursting display of rainbow colors and pride. The March is open to all human rights- and equal rights-believing individuals regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Route. The route of this year's march is: Remedios Circle-Remedios Street-MH Del Pilar-Pedro Gil-Maria Orosa Street.

The march will be followed by the coronation of Miss Queen Philippines, the official Pride Queen of the 2008 Manila Pride March with a brief cultural program showcasing both LGBT and non-LGBT talents and culminate in a street party along Maria Orosa Street by the Orosa-Nakpil Courtyard.

Significance. The Pride March is known for its overwhelming attendance. It attracts thousands of participants and generates extensive local and international media attention.

This year's Pride March is particularly significant as it marks TFP's 10th year, coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR60) and the launch in Manila of the Yogyakarta Principles, an international declaration which affirms sexual orientation and gender identity and expression as fundamental human rights.

Please confirm your participation by contacting Bruce Amoroto, head of our Participation Committee at +63.916.282.6781 or via email. Sections in the March will be designated for unorganized LGBT in the Philippines, parents-families-friends of LGBTs, and international delegates. For interested international participants to the March, you may sign on HERE and at International Delegates 2008 Manila Pride March Facebook Group.

We hope that you will choose to make this year's Pride celebration a more festive, colorful and meaningful event with your participation.

Thank you.

Warmly,

Bruce

Lady-boys in school

2008-10-27T21:00:00.001+08:00

[Referred on a posting by Jan Wijngaarden, msm-asia, 27 October 2008]

Thailand's lady-boys are in a class of their own, at last

By David McNeill in Bangkok
Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Lithe, peach-skinned and demure, Arttasit is the kind of woman who would turn heads on any college campus, except that he is not a woman; not yet.

The 21-year-old catering student attends class in Thailand's Suan Dusit University wearing makeup and a body-hugging female uniform. After four years of hormone treatment, he is preparing for a full sex change. "My goal in life is to become accepted as a woman," he explains.

There are about 100 transgender undergraduates at this college in central Bangkok, which offers the so-called "lady-boys" a unique educational refuge from homophobia and discrimination. Students are allowed to flaunt the campus dress code, which demands men wear trousers. Every year, dozens of the students enter a university beauty contest that has become famous for supplying entrants to Thailand's Miss Tiffany Universe, an annual pageant for transsexuals broadcast live across the country. Lady-boys work as teachers in some university departments and are even sent out on school recruitment drives.

"I'm happy here," says Wittaya Jannoi, a 21-year-old marketing student who hopes to change his gender after he leaves. "We can be ourselves because we don't have to hide. My mother said, 'Graduate first, then you can do what you want'." Like many transgender students, he learnt about the university through the beauty pageant. "I couldn't wait to come here."

Bureaucrats in Thailand's Ministry of Culture say the Suan Dusit experiment encourages confused youngsters to recklessly experiment. But Pacharee Suankaew, vice-president for student affairs, says: "Our view is that everybody is equal: boy, girl or lady-boy. We try to accept them and not look down on them."

Also known as "the third sex", Thailand's lady-boys have campaigned for years for equal rights and seek, among other things, separate bathrooms and passports that record their unique gender. Despite the discrimination, the country is famed for its acceptance of transsexuals, with a booming sex-change industry that attracts people from across the world.

Transgender students started coming to Suan Dusit about a decade ago, attracted to courses in catering and marketing. The numbers climbed after the start of the beauty contest. Ms Suankaew says they can study everything on offer, except education. "We can't have them teaching kindergarten children and they accept that." In return, she says, the students must be ladylike. "We tell them, 'If you want to be a woman, act like one'." Some staff are resisting. "Some professors tell us we are not human beings and we should grow up," says Arttasit. "They're usually older women with thick glasses."

Sexual minority rights campaigned in Bangalore

2008-10-27T18:14:00.004+08:00

[Posted by Manohar Elavarthi, msm-asia, 27 October 2008]

PRESS RELEASE

Bangalore
24th October, 2008

Sangama and Karnataka Sexworkers Union along with other human rights organizations held a press conference today, 24th October, 2008 (Friday) from 1:30pm to 2pm the Press Club of Bangalore. People who addressed the the press conference include:

A. Revathi - hijra activist and Director (Collectivisation), Sangama
Sowmya – hijra activist and a leader of Samara (state wide community organization of sexual minorities and sexworkers)
B.T. Venkatesh – human rights activist and senior advocate
Siddharth Narrain – human rights activist and legal researcher from Alternative Law Forum
B.N. Usha – women's rights activist from Hengasara Hakkina Sangha and official representative of Campaign for Sexual Minorities Rights

B.N. Usha announced the actions by the Campaign for Sexual Minorities Rights:

One week of continuous programs in Bangalore starting soon.
Massive Rally and Public Meeting in Bangalore on the National Day of Action, simultaneous programs will be organized by various groups in different parts of India on that day
Public hearing in Bangalore

PRESS NOTE

(24th October, 2008)

Police purging hijras out of Bengaluru

Police subject hijras and human rights defenders to
illegal detention and arrests, custodial torture and sexual assault

As India progresses, reaching out to the moon, Bengaluru has become a dangerous city for its citizens. especially the most vulnerable, and any one who dares to support them. In the last few weeks, there seems to be a drive against hijras in particular and any person without a secure place of work or livelihood security. These vulnerable people are being arrested, beaten and harassed by the police. In an age where street dogs and cattle are being enumerated, government employees are getting massive pay hikes, the transgenders are seen as totally unworthy of any attention. There is neither any data of how many people we are talking about and a total blank on how they can meet their basic needs to survive with dignity. Housing, health support and ration cards are a distant dream for them. The only recognition that these sections of society get is when they are targeted by the police in drives like these. In our beautiful city that needs to be sold to investors and welcome tourists there is no place for many of us. It is only a matter of time when we are targeted.

Arrest and Abuse of 5 Hijras: At 11am on 20th October, police catch 5 hijras near a traffic signal in the Girinagar police station limits and take them to the police station. In the station, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), H. T. Ramesh beats one of them with a lathi, breaks her bangles and makes her bleed. Police force another hijra to clean the floor of the police station. Police later charge them with false charges under section 341 (wrongful restraint) and 384 (extortion) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code). They were produced before the magistrate at 7:30 pm and were sent into judicial custody. All through this the hijras were handled by policemen and no medical treatment is given to the injured hijra in police or judicial custody. These 5 people were released on bail on 22nd October, 2008.

Arrest and Torture of Sangama Crisis Team Members: On receiving a phone call from the 5 hijras in the police detention, 5 activists of the Crisis Team (Madesh, Dilfaraz, Savitha, Sahana and Kokila) of Sangama, a sexual minority human rights and health organization visit Girinagar police station and enquire about the detention of 5 hijras. On request from the police the crisis team members go to the Banashankari police station and meet the ACP and the Police Inspector (PI) Shivashankara Murthi to resolve the problem. The ACP and PI were abusive and behave in a derogatory manner without any provocation. Their verbal abuses include "Are you a man or woman?" "Take out all your clothes, let me check what you have there?" "Check if he is wearing an underwear?" "Strip them" "How dare you come to my area to support hijras" "Do you make blue films?" "Are you beggars?" "Ganchalli thorisidhare nimmannoo olagade haakthivi". The ACP slaps Dilfaraz four times and asks police to arrest the activists and book them under ganja-apheem case. The PI slaps Madesh two times. PI keeps a big wooden block on Madesh's head, the ACP said 'Oh you have taken centre crop, I will beat you here and your head will break in the centre'

On receiving a phone call from the crisis team members Chandini and Rosy (activists from Sangama) reach the Banashankari Police Station at around 3pm. At this point the Banashankari police brutally attack Madesh and Dilfaraz with hands and lathis, kick them and drag them into a police van and move them to Girinagar police station by force. When police men come near Savitha, Sahana and Kokila to hit them, the activists warn the police of the serious consequences of policemen touching women. The police back off. In Girinagar police station, policemen sexually abuse Madesh and Dilfaraz in the name of finding if they were male or female. Later Girinagar police detain Savitha, Sahana and Kokila along with Madesh and Dilfaraz. All of them were booked under Section 143 (unlawful assembly), 145 (joining unlawful assembly ordered to be dispersed) and 353 (obstructing government officials in performing their duty) of the IPC. They were produced before the magistrate at 8.45 PM and were sent into judicial custody. These 5 crisis team members were released on bail on 22nd October, 2008.

Human Rights Activists gather at the Banashankari Police Station: On hearing this around 150 human rights activists and lawyers from various organizations working on issues of women, dalits, workers, communalism, environment, health, sexual minorities, sexworkers and so on gathered outside the Banashankari police station. Activists tried to negotiate with the ACP and PI unsuccessfully twice to get Madesh and Dilfaraz back. At around 7pm activists started a peaceful protest in front of the police station and start shouting slogans against police atrocities.

Illegal detention and Custodial Torture of 6 activists: At 7:30pm, on the ACP's request a delegation of 6 six activists start a dialogue with the police officials inside the station. The delegation includes Manohar (Karnataka Sexworkers Union, founder of Sangama), Yashoda (Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike), Sumathi (Sufi singer, member of LesBiT), Jayaram (Garment and Textile Workers Union), Chandini (Sangama), Sowmya (Samara). The ACP and PI said 'It was wrong to hit people in our custody. We know that. We are asked by the senior officials to beat them up. Leave your people and go home. We will not release them even if you go to the Chief Minister. We have orders from the senior officials to round up all hijras on the streets of Bengaluru and book them under extortion cases. We are only following the instructions of our seniors. You go out and do a protest in front of Police Commissioner's Office'. When questioned about the unlawful actions of the police the ACP shouted 'arrest these people and beat them up'. The ACP, PI and a few other policemen brutally hit the delegation members with hands and lathis on their neck, legs and back and pushed them into the lockup. At around 8:30pm ACP, PI and 2 other policemen get the six delegates out of the lockup and hit them brutally and sexually assault 4 women and hijras. These activists have to fight a lot even to access drinking water and toilet facilities. At around 11pm police leave these delegates without any charges.

Lathi charge on peaceful protesters and arrest of 31 activists: At around 7:45 pm, after illegally detaining 6 delegates, police came out and started beating up people holding cameras and chased them away to prevent recording of any proof of police excesses. Police declared that they were arresting the activists and asked them to get into the police vehicles. When activists demanded the release of the 6 delegates in the lockup, policemen brutally and mercilessly attacked activists (women, men and transgenders). Policemen pushed 31 activists (including 1 hijra, 3 female-to-male transsexuals, 9 women and 18 men) into a small van. They were made to suffer for 7 hours inside a small van and were not even given food to eat. They were under extreme stress, almost dehydrated and suffocated by this ordeal, finally they were provided a can of water by midnight. All of them were booked under Section 143 (unlawful assembly), 145 (joining an unlawful assembly ordered to dispersed) and 353 (obstructing government officials in performing their duty) and were taken to the residence of the magistrate. Senior advocate BT Venkatesh and a number of human rights lawyers were waiting near the residence when the activists were brought. The police went into the residence of the magistrate and came back and without producing the activities they tried to take back the accused in the van. BT Venkatesh and other advocates immediately stopped the police van and protested this and demanded that accused be immediately produced before the magistrate. Police's ploy was to avoid magistrate recording the assault and violence committed by police on the activists. At 1:30am after all the protests the police were forced to produce the accused before the magistrate. The magistrate informed BT Venkatesh and other lawyers that the police informed him that they were no advocates present and that there were large contingent of protesters. After recording the details of the assaults suffered by the accused the magistrate directed the police to take them to Bowring hospital for medical examinations as most of them sustained major injuries due to police violence. These 31 activists were released on bail on 22nd evening. Police starved these people and denied them medicines when they were in 20-hour long police custody .

Campaign for Sexual Minorities Rights launched: The Girinagar and Banashankari police actions show their complete disregard to the laws of the land. Brutal police attacks on human rights defenders and peaceful protestors is a clear violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by our constitution. These actions threaten our democracy itself. In this context we came together to launch the 'campaign for sexual minorities rights' to defend fundamental rights of sexual minorities. The campaign will dialogue with social movements and expand public discourse for equal rights and non-discrimination. We appeal to all democratic forces to join us in this struggle to reform the colonial police attitudes towards hijra community and to sensitize society on hijra issues.

Our Demands:

Dismiss the guilty police including H. T. Ramesh (ACP) and M. Shivashankara Murthi (PI); and prosecute them for the crimes (assault, abuse, sexual assault and illegal detention) committed against human rights defenders
Take immediate steps to stop the brutal police violence (physical and sexual) against hijras and sexworkers in Bengaluru and punish the perpetrators of violence
Protect the rights of hijra community for their traditional livelihood options including sexwork and blessings, or provide them with a reasonable option.
Initiate immediate measures to fulfil the obligations of the government so that hijras and other transsexuals have access to education, employment, health, housing, sex-change procedures, savings and credit facilities etc.

Quote in police custody: ACP HT Ramesh keeps a big wooden block on Madesh's head and says: 'Oh you have taken centre crop, I will beat you here and your head will break in the centre'

Campaign for Sexual Minorities Rights
No. 9 ABABIL, Patel Cheluvappa Street, J C Nagar (MR Palya),
Bengaluru - 6, India
Phone: 23438840/43, Mobile: 9845165143
Email: advocacysangama@gmail.com

(Constituents: Alternative Law Forum, Aneka, Environment Support Group, Garment and Textile Workers Union, Hengasara Hakkina Sangha, Jyothi Mahila Sangha, Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike, Karnataka Komusouhardha Vedike, Karnataka Sexual Minorities Forum, Karnataka Sexworkers Union, LesBiT, Lawyers Collective, Openspace, Pedestrian Pictures, People's Democratic Forum, People's Union for Civil Liberties, Sadhane, Samanatha Mahila Vedike, Sadhana Mahila Gumpu, Samara, Samvada, Sanchaya Nele, Sangama, Suraksha, Vijaya Mahila Sangha, Vimochana and many other individuals and organizations)

Living Conditions of Hijras: Hijras are one of the most stigmatized and marginalized sections of our society. Most of them discontinue their education due to physical and sexual harassment in schools. Most of them migrate to big cities and join hijra communities after their families and neighbors reject them. They are denied inheritance. As they cannot afford expensive sex-change procedures they go for nirvan (surgical removal of penis and testicles) and live as women. Lack of education coupled with severe sexual harassment in workplaces denies them most employment opportunities that are available to others. Most of them survive by the traditional occupations of sexwork and blessings. As they need to be on the streets for these occupations they become easy prey for the police and goondas.

They are ridiculed in public spaces – bus/train, public toilets, cinema halls, public parks, markets, places of worship and hospitals. They are forced to live in the slums in the city outskirts. Most of them are denied voting rights, ration cards, bank accounts, insurance, driving license and old age pension. They have to pay more than others for house rent and auto rickshaw travel. They are not treated like citizens, and not even like human beings. No wonder that most of them carry low self-esteem and depend heavily on alcohol. Who is responsible for this? Their transgender desire or our social intolerance?

Fatwa council rules against lesbians

2008-10-27T16:36:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Gaysphere, b-side, 25 October 2008.]

An Islamic body in Malaysia has issued a ruling that bans lesbian sex or other "masculine" activities for female Muslims.

The National National Fatwa Council's ruling could have legal ramifications in the country, which is 60% Muslim.

"It is unacceptable to see women who love the male lifestyle including dressing in the clothes men wear," council chair Abdul Shukor said yesterday.

"(Masculine behaviour) becomes clearer when they start to have sex with someone of the same gender, that is woman and woman.

"In view of this, the National Fatwa Council which met today have decided and taken the stand that such acts are forbidden and banned."

Homosexuality is not specified as a crime in Malaysia, but Section 377 of the penal code prohibits sodomy, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The same law is still in force in other former British colonies, such as India and Singapore.

There is also a prohibition on "gross indecency with another male person," with up to two years in prison for those found guilty.

Cross-dressing is illegal under public decency laws.

Malaysia is governed by two different kinds of court - Sharia courts to govern Muslim civil matters and the state's secular courts, which apply to the 40% Malaysians who are not Muslim.

It has been reported that yesterday's ruling may lead to the criminalisation of lesbian sexual acts.

Last year a Sharia court in Malaysia annulled a marriage between a two women, one of whom is transgender.

The court, in southern Malacca, said Mohamad Sofian Mohamad and Zaiton Aziz would have to separate because Mohamad Sofian had female genitals, despite her male attire and close cropped hair.

Originally named Mazinah Mohamad, she was allowed to change her name due to an administrative oversight and the couple married in a Malacca mosque in 2002.

But the bride's family soon filed a lawsuit against the couple on the basis that the groom was actually a woman.

Announcement: Survey for Gates Foundation donors meet

2008-10-24T10:36:00.001+08:00

[Posted by L Ramakrishnan, ap-rainbow, 24 October 2008]

On October 30th, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is hosting a meeting of donors who focus their grant making on HIV, LGBT, sexual and reproductive health, and human rights. The purpose is to identify opportunities for collaboration to support the needs of MSM living in developing countries.

Prior to this meeting, we are conducting a quick, informal survey of advocates and implementers working around the world on issues pertaining to MSM. We would greatly appreciate your feedback and will provide any responses you wish to give to the funders attending this meeting. Your responses are anonymous, even if you provide your email address for further information.

You can fill out the survey by clicking on this link

The survey closes at 1pm Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5) on Wednesday Oct 29th.

Thank you for your responses.

Announcement: GALANG screenings

2008-10-24T10:13:00.001+08:00

[Posted by GALANG, tfpmanila, 23 October 2008]

GALANG Screenings at Mag:net's Cinekatipunan

As part of GALANG's (Gay and Lesbian Activist Network for Gender Equality Inc.) fundraising efforts for our community organizing and capacity-building activities, we are proud to be a part of Mag:net's Cinekatipunan on all Saturdays of November (except November 1). On November 8, 15, 22, and 29, GALANG will hold FREE SCREENINGS of foreign LGBT films, the specifics of which are to be determined by this online poll. While admission to the screenings is ABSOLUTELY FREE, we encourage our friends and supporters to give a minimum donation of P50 to support GALANG's work among grassroots LGBTs.

The list of movie choices is outlined below. Voting ends on October 30, 2008. The winning films will be announced on the site as well. The scheduling of the winning films will be at the organizers' discretion, but comments and requests will be taken into account.

Which movie would you like to watch on a GALANG @ Cinekatipunan screening?

Click here to take our Online Survey

CHOICE OF FILMS

D.E.B.S. (2004 film)

"Recruited by the U.S. government for their unique ability to lie, cheat and fight, Amy, Max, Janet and Dominique join an underground academy of secret agents known only as D.E.B.S. These crime fighting hotties set out to save the world and keep their lipstick perfectly applied while doing so. Now the girls must combine their skills for their most important mission- to capture vexing vixen Lucy Diamond, the deadliest criminal the world has ever known. When D.E.B.S. star player, Amy, falls for Lucy, chaos erupts and the D.E.B.S. loyalty is put to the test."

Winner of Berlin International Film Festival Reader Jury of the "Siegessäule" and Nominated for Black Movie Award in the Black Movie Awards.

Director: Angela Robinson
Writer (WGA): Angela Robinson
Release Date: 25 March 2005 (USA) more
Genre: Action | Comedy | Romance
Runtime: 91 min

Saving Face

"Saving Face starts like you might expect a Chinese-American lesbian romantic comedy to start: Young surgeon Wilhelmina (Michelle Krusiec, in her first starring role) has kept her sexual orientation secret from the conservative Chinese community of Flushing, NY--but when her mother (Joan Chen, The Last Emperor) becomes pregnant and is kicked out by her own parents, Wil suddenly has to juggle her mother's secrets with her own...which include her sparky new romance with Vivian (Lynn Chen), a ballet dancer and the daughter of Wil's boss. This bundle of intrigue and lust could motivate a wacky farce, but writer/director Alice Wu takes things a step further, delving into the characters' psyches and the complex social rules of their world while still crafting a strong plot and plenty of sly humor. Wu captures excellent performances from her entire cast, particularly Joan Chen, who gives perhaps her most multifaceted performance. A rich, rewarding, and delightful movie."

Director: Alice Wu
Writer (WGA): Alice Wu
Release Date: 9 September 2005 (Turkey)
Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Runtime: 91 min

Kissing Jessica Stein

Blessed by casual charm and sophisticated wit, Kissing Jessica Stein does for same-sex romance what Annie Hall did for straight neurotics. The influence of Woody Allen is keenly felt on this resourceful New York comedy (expanded from an off-Broadway play), especially when cowriter and costar Jennifer Westfeldt channels Diane Keaton's "la-di-da" nervousness as Jessica Stein, a romantically frustrated heterosexual copyeditor who impulsively answers a personal ad from a bisexual woman. Helen (cowriter Heather Juergensen) is as relaxed about lesbian love as Jessica is anxious, but they click as lovers, and so does the movie's delightful exploration of their budding relationship, which is further complicated by Jessica's yenta-like mother (Tovah Feldshuh) and a former boyfriend (Scott Cohen) who's now Jessica's boss. While acknowledging the serious repercussions of Jessica's bisexual flirtation, Kissing Jessica Stein takes its characters on a smart, compassionate journey of self-discovery that's as truthfully observant as it is gently entertaining. --Jeff Shannon

Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Writer (WGA): Heather Juergensen & Jennifer Westfeldt (written by)
Release Date: 21 June 2002 (UK)
Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Runtime: 97 min

The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love

This warm romantic comedy by newcomer Maria Maggenti is a gay coming-of-age story framed by Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Randy (Laurel Hillman) is a stoner, lesbian teenager who happens to be failing math and dating a married woman. One day, fellow student Evie (Nicole Parker) drives up to Randy's gas station in a Range Rover and flips her world upside down. Evie is privileged and popular. Randy is poor, impulsive, and according to the other students, a freak. Opposites attract when the two girls kick off their friendship in detention. The flirtation blossoms after Evie introduces tomboyish Randy to the joys of Whitman and opera. Randy returns the favor by acquainting the sheltered Evie with the problems and delights of mature, taboo love. There is a beautiful scene where the two consummate their courtship on Evie's birthday while Mom is out of town. The true test of their relationship occurs during the hilarious climax when angry families and friends chase the troubled girls into hiding. --Margaret Griffis

Director: Maria Maggenti
Writer (WGA): Maria Maggenti
Release Date: 16 June 1995 (USA)
Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Runtime: 94 min

Tipping the Velvet

"It's Pride and Prejudice with dirty bits." That's how screenwriter Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones' Diary), in an interview contained on this disc, describes his adaptation of Sarah Waters's acclaimed novel of lesbian love, betrayal, and redemption in Victorian England. This three-part BBC production chronicles with relish the story of Nan Astley (Rachael Stirling, the ravishing image of her mother, Diana Rigg), barely 18, and certain that life holds more for her than her oyster girl's existence. "You'll meet someone who'll have your head spinning and your legs turning to jelly," her sister promises. That someone surprisingly turns out to be "gay and bold" Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes), a music-hall entertainer, with whom Nan falls instantly, and swooningly, in love. Nan follows her to London, where, as a double act, they become the toast of London, until Kitty's "marriage of convenience" breaks up the act and Nan's heart. The outcast Nan, decked out in Victor/Victoria duds, becomes a streetwalker, and then "tart" to the aptly named Diana Leatherby (Anna Chancellor). This affair, too, comes to "a bad end" as a destitute Nan is deposited back on the streets, where she insinuates herself into the lives of Florence (Jodhi May), a social worker, and her socialist brother. Is Nan "too spoiled and stained for love?" Will she risk her blossoming relationship with Florence when Kitty inevitably returns to rekindle their affair? There is enough "backbiting and bitching" to fuel several seasons of The O.C. Nan's couplings, while tastefully done, do carry what Waters, in the co-interview with Davies, calls "a queer erotic charge." They are graphic by Cinemax standards, let alone the BBC. But the sterling writing and performances will captivate even the most sensitive viewers, making this groundbreaking miniseries, to quote one character, "a delightful evening... a rare treat." --Donald Liebenson

Director: Geoffrey Sax
Writer (WGA): Andrew Davies (screenplay), Sarah Waters (novel)
Release Date: 9 October 2002 (UK)
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 177 min

AMNESIA - THE JAMES BRIGHTON ENIGMA

An American is found naked and amnesiac in a vacant parking lot in Montreal in 1998. He says his name is James Brighton, but the only thing he's sure of is that he's gay. What happened to this young American in search of freedom ? That's what Sylvie, a criminology student, tries to find out.

Director: Denis Langlois
Writer (WGA): Bertrand Lachance (writer) & Denis Langlois (writer)
Release Date: 2005
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 90 min

SECOND SKIN

Diego (Javier Bardem) is a doctor who has fallen in love with a married man with a son. Against the advice of his boss and best friend (Cecilia Roth), he continues his affair with Alberto (Jordi Molla). The consequences of this affair profoundly alter not only the two men's lives, but also that of Alberto's wife

Director: Darrell Roodt
Writer (WGA): John Lau (written by)
Release Date: 2000
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 95 min

A YEAR WITHOUT LOVE

Un Año Sin Amor is a densely layered, eloquent portrayal of Pablo, a lonely young writer and poet in Bueno Aires. He passes his time teaching French and is struggling to come to terms with his HIV-positive status. Desperate for affection, Pablo sets off on a quest for human interaction as he cruises the gay bars of Buenos Aires, places personal ads —"Take me as slave or master"—and haunts porn cinemas looking for that one last chance for "true love". And after each encounter, he religiously documents his search (for one year...). Pablo is perhaps looking in all the wrong places. Or is he? …. Pablo's life is transformed when he falls in with a group of men into leather and bondage. He falls in with a tough S&M crowd (the bondage scenes may be fairly graphic for the uninitiated). While tenderness may be lacking, he at least finds pleasure, proof that he's still alive. Relief from this highly unconventional and unexpected corner helps Pablo embrace a yet new way to deal with his disease. An extremely thoughtful, poignant yet challenging look at one gay man's approach to loneliness and HIV.

Director: Anahí Berneri
Writer (WGA): Anahí Berneri (writer) & Pablo Pérez (writer)
Release Date: 24 March 2005 (Argentina)
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 95 min

Come Undone

Come Undone is a beautifully observed portrait of the experiences of a young French homosexual. Eschewing both stereotypes and preaching, it's a wonderfully naturalistic film, superbly acted, shot with a feel for the seaside town where the action takes place, never melodramatic but often painfully real. If anything it's almost too realistic, as there's little in the way of conventional plot, just scenes from a life. But the absence of conventional dramatic tension counts for less than it might in a world so subtly drawn. 'Presque Rien' might not be the most exciting film ever made; but its simple humanism serves it well compared with the pre-conceived celebratory or bigoted viewpoints that often mar treatments of this theme. Worth a watch.

Director: Sébastien Lifshitz
Writer (WGA): Stéphane Bouquet (writer) & Sébastien Lifshitz (writer)
Release Date: 7 June 2000 (France)
Genre: Drama | Romance
Runtime: 100 min

Click here to vote for your Favorite Film!

Announcement: Exchange Magazine

2008-10-24T10:07:00.001+08:00

[Posted on sea-aids, 24 October 2008]

Call for articles for the next issue!

Exchange is a magazine on HIV/AIDS, sexuality and gender in developing countries. It is published quarterly by the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in collaboration with Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination (SAfAIDS) in Zimbabwe.

Exchange is continuously welcoming contributions for its forthcoming issues. The articles should preferably focus on HIV in relation to gender, culture, sexual health, sexuality and/or rights issues. We are especially interested in receiving reflective papers from programme managers and other staff of local and national level NGOs working in the Global South about their successful and promising programmes, strategies or approaches. Please note that we prefer articles that go beyond describing a phenomenon by sharing good and promising practice in programming or advocacy work.

The next issue of Exchange on HIV/AIDS, Sexuality and Gender will focus on innovative initiatives addressing HIV and AIDS information needs of people with disabilities. Please contact the editor for detailed guidelines and suggestions on a given thematic focus before you start writing.

DEADLINE: 20 November 2008

More information can be found on our website

Email: e.wangulu@kit.nl

Police harassment in Bangalore

2008-10-24T09:21:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Aditya Bondyopadhyay, msm-asia, 23 October 2008.]

Karnataka - Bangalore
Towards decriminalisation of a sexual choice
S. Bageshree and M. Raghava

The LGBT community sees Section 377 of the IPC as a major obstacle to their possible integration into mainstream society

Section 377 of IPC was enforced by the Colonial Government in India in 1860

There is more awareness about the rights of the sexuality minority community

Bangalore: Harassment of the sexuality minority community, particularly by the police, is not uncommon in Bangalore.

In fact, the submission of the petitioners in the ongoing case in the Delhi High Court (Naz Foundation Vs. Government of Delhi and others) seeking decriminalised status for sexuality minorities, cites two cases from Bangalore of arbitrary arrest, illegal detention and custodial torture of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) persons in 2004 and 2006. A fact-finding report published by the People's Union of Civil Liberties (in 2003 and 2005) on the human rights violations against the transgender community in Bangalore carries testimonials that narrate unspeakable brutality and abuse suffered by them, particularly at the hands of the police.

The most recent example of this intolerance happened as recently as Monday. The Banashankari police on Monday arrested five transsexuals for alleged "extortion" of money from vehicle riders on the road. Two of five volunteers of the support group Sangama, who went to inquire about the arrest, were allegedly stripped and beaten by the police. When more Sangama activists led by Manohar protested the action, the police allegedly beat them with lathis and later booked cases against 32 activists for allegedly obstructing them from doing their duty.

The activists alleged that the policemen, including an inspector and an Assistant Commissioner of Police, molested and hit Sangama activists Manohar, Yashoda, Sumati and two others. "We could see them being pushed and beaten before us," said Usha Jee of Alternative Law Forum.

The 32 Sangama activists were produced before the 2nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate late on Monday night, who ordered for medical examination at the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital.

On Tuesday, they were produced before the Magistrate, who ordered for their release on bail.

The LGBT community in India, now slowly developing an organised presence in the city, sees the archaic Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises same-sex relationships, as a major but not the only obstacle to their possible integration into mainstream society.

The High Court of Delhi is hearing arguments for the "reading-down" of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. The "reading-down" seeks to decriminalise LGBT communities and allow them a life of dignity, while retaining the provisions of the Section for real offences such as child sexual abuse.

Siddharth Narrain of Alternative Law Forum says that crisis-intervention efforts of organisations like Sangama and Samara have created some degree of awareness of their rights within the sexuality minority community. Though cases of harassment continue, it is being resisted stoutly, as the incident that took place on Monday illustrates.

Even as many countries in the world have done away with laws that discriminate against sexuality minorities, the submissions made by the respondents in the Delhi High Court argue that "reading-down" of Section 377 will lead to the "degradation of moral values" and prove a "health hazard."

However, the claim that it will lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS has been countered by the National AIDS Control Organisation. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is in favour of "reading-down" the law, while the Ministry of Home Affairs wants the law to stand in its present form. In response to the claims of the respondents, one of judges pointed out that the "consensus around the world is that criminalisation will drive HIV underground."

Section 377 of IPC was enforced by the Colonial Government in India in 1860. Notion of sexual morality have changed enormously since everywhere in the world.

The U.S. Supreme Court in the famous Lawrence Vs. Texas case in which anti sodomy law was struck down said: "… Times blind us to certain truths and later generations can see that laws once thought necessary and proper in fact serve only to oppress. As the Constitution endures, persons in every generation can invoke its principles in their own search for greater freedom."

This applies as much to our own laws.

Research agenda on HIV and AIDS

2008-10-22T13:13:00.001+08:00

[Posted by Noemi Bayoneta-Leis, pinoyrh, 17 October 2008.]

Research Agenda 2005-2010
Priorities for Research on the AIDS Situation and Response in the Philippines

The development of the 4th AIDS Medium Term Plan 2005-2010 (AMTP IV), as well as other significant gains in the area of monitoring and evaluation vis-à-vis the global and national response to AIDS, calls for an updated Research Agenda which is responsive to the changing information needs of the country. Hence, the Research Agenda 2005-2010: Priorities for Research on the AIDS Situation and Response in the Philippines was developed. It is intended to serve as a guide for policy makers, researchers, program planners and implementers, and other stakeholders in the National Response to AIDS.

The Research Agenda can also help to inform decision-makers with regard to the allocation of resources for research. Program planning and implementation which is informed by relevant research will ultimately benefit persons infected and affected by HIV, most-at-risk populations and vulnerable populations, as well as the general public. The Research Agenda is thus envisioned as a contribution toward the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, specifically Goal 6 which sets the following target: “To halt and reverse the spread of HIV by 2015.”

The Research Agenda 2005-2010 features a list of priority topics which intends to serve as a guide in the selection of research studies to be conducted. The research topics are grouped into four clusters, namely:

The burden of illness
The determinants of the spread of HIV
The responses to HIV and AIDS
Enhancing management systems

In addition to the list of priority topics, the Research Agenda 2005-2010 also includes a comprehensive compilation of research studies on HIV and AIDS undertaken from 2000 - 2007.

The topics included in the Research Agenda correspond to vital information needs of the country. Accurate and timely information on various aspects of the HIV situation and the response to AIDS need to be generated so that the country can move toward its goal of preventing the further spread of HIV infection and reducing the impact of the disease by 2010. Furthermore, there is a need to generate information so that the Philippines can prepare the necessary reports which are part of its commitments as a signatory to international agreements, such as the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS. These reports, which are to be submitted at designated intervals, measure the country’s progress in implementing an effective and appropriate response to AIDS.

E-copy of the Research Agenda may be requested from HAIN or may be downloaded HERE.

[PDF version of document can also be downloaded HERE.]