HIV and SOGIE-Stigma

ARGUEMENTS FOR ACTION

Around the world, LGBT people are disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic. Specifically, infection rates in men who have sex with men (MSM) and trans people are up to 20 times higher than in the general population. One of the main causes of this is, noticeably, the restriction of accurate and objective information on the specific drivers of HIV for these groups, as homophobic laws, regulations and practices leave them out of necessary HIV prevention, care, treatment and support.
In places where homosexuality is legally criminalized and/or culturally discriminated, health services are often forced to silence all aspects of prevention for MSM and trans people who, in addition, do not dare to seek medical care and treatment, as this may lead to persecution, denial of services, detention, blackmail or violence.
Homophobic laws furthermore have strong indirect effects on the spread of HIV: they increase stigma and discrimination, and they damage the self esteem of sexual and gender minorities, resulting in more exposure to risk, including unprotected sex.
The fight against homophobia and transphobia, accordingly, plays a significant role to combat the epidemic. Even with an advance of biomedical factors relating to HIV medicine, homophobia and transphobia, if not addressed, will always act the major drivers behind HIV within MSM and trans people.

IDEAS FOR ACTION

• Documentary and Movie Screening. Many argue that HIV activism serves as entry point for LGBT movement, especially in the era/place when/where LGBT rights is still too foreign for the public. Documentary movie showcasing LGBT activists  taking the streets to demand equal health care and rights for HIV-impacted populations, which many of them are gay, bisexual and transgender people – and/or – personal stories of early epidemic years’ LGBT witnesses – may do justice to shed light on the intersection between HIV and Homophobia.  Our top documentary movie choices are How to Survive a Plague and We Were Here.
• Join the IDAHOT Creative Protest working group on Facebook, where over 350 human rights activists from around the world are already discussing their protest plans for May 17 2014. It’s an informal space for networking, ideas sharing, planning and IDAHOT events posting in the lead up to the Day, and beyond.
• Get inspired by our “Ideas for Action 2014” to conduct a creative protest around the Day.

FURTHER RESOURCES

• MSMGF‘s (The Global Forum on MSM & HIV) Publications
• THE LANCET’s publications on MSM & HIV
• World Bank‘s “The Global HIV Epidemics among Men who Have Sex with Men”