Series of Policy Briefs Summarize the Impact Legal Environments Have on Equality

via Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health

On this day, to commemorate the International Day Against Homo and Trans phobia (IDAHO), the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Asia-Pacific Regional Centre launch a series of policy briefs to provide a summary of how legal environments can actually be barriers to equality for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people. A recent joint collaboration by APCOM and UNDP resulted in the ground-breaking study, Legal environments, human rights and HIV responses among men who sex with men and transgender people in Asia and the Pacific: An agenda for action, which looks at the impact of legal environments on HIV responses among MSM and transgender people in 48 countries and territories in Asia and the Pacific.

“APCOM is pleased to release these four papers today covering East Asia, Pacific, South Asia and Southeast Asia,” said Midnight Poonkasetwattana, Executive Director of APCOM, “The policy briefs highlight experiences that result in a range of negative consequences for example getting in the way of prevention work, reducing uptake and access to critical services, and increases in high-risk behaviours as well.”

The briefs detail the legality of male-to-male sex, punitive law enforcement practices, laws relating to discrimination, legality of transgender people and same sex relationships. For example, the legal environment in East Asia is generally more protective of human rights of MSM and transgender people, yet in the Pacific male-to-male sex is illegal in nine of the 24 countries and territories. Four countries in Southeast Asia (Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore) have criminal sanctions for consensual sex between adult men due to a laws keep on the books while each were under British colonial rule; in South Asia, however, in the National Capital Territory of India (Delhi) and Nepal, courts have taken decisions to decriminalise male to male sex between consenting adults.

“UNDP and APCOM recognise that urgent action is required as MSM and transgender people are critical populations in the response to HIV in Asia and the Pacific,” noted Edmund Settle, HIV Policy Specialist, UNDP Asia Pacific Regional Centre. “Legal environments comprise not just written laws, but also the actual practices of law enforcement and legal institutions with anecdotal evidence from the briefs demonstrating incidence of police harassment, blackmail, extortion and violence. Legal environments that are protective and empowering should be promoted.”


Read the Rest.


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MSM Population in Bejing Express Interest in PrEP

via AIDSmap.com, by Micheal Carter

Few gay and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in Beijing have heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), investigators report in PLoS One. Despite this, over two-thirds of men said that they would be willing to take or consider PrEP.

“To our knowledge this is the first study to assess awareness and acceptability of PrEP among MSM in China,” write the authors. “Awareness of PrEP was rather low…however, 68% reported that they were definitely or probably willing to accept PrEP if available.”

The study was carried out in 2009 and 2010 prior to release of results from the IPrEX study, an international trial which showed that pre-exposure prophylaxis with oral Truvada (tenofovir/FTC) reduced the risk of HIV infection in men who have sex with men.

PrEP is considered a promising area of HIV prevention, but the factors associated with willingness to accept PrEP, adherence and the treatment’s impact on sexual risk behaviour are poorly understood.

Most of the research evaluating PrEP acceptability has been conducted in the US and other western countries. There are an estimated 740,000 HIV-positive people in China and, in recent years, prevalence of the infection has increased substantially among gay and other MSM. PrEP could therefore provide a useful prevention intervention for this population.

Investigators from Beijing wanted to establish awareness and acceptability of PrEP among gay and other MSM in the Chinese capital.

They designed a study involving 152 men who were tested for HIV and syphilis in 2009 and 2010. All the men reported sexual activity with another man. An explanation of PrEP was read to the men and they were asked if they had ever heard of this prevention technology. Further details of the therapy – including the need for high levels of adherence and potential side-effects – were then read to the study participants, who were asked if they would be willing to accept the treatment.

Read the Rest.

 
[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Researchers Investigate Acceptability for PrEP in Chinese MSM

via PLoS ONE, by Feng Zhou

Introduction

In pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are given to HIV-negative people to decrease their chance of becoming infected. Several studies conducted among men who have sex with men (MSM) have shown that PrEP awareness was very low, and few participants reported having the experience of PrEP use, even in some countries where it is available. Although strategies including abstinence, being faithful, and condom use (ABC) have been proved to be effective for prevention of HIV transmission, the virus still prevails among MSM. It was estimated that 2.6 million individuals were newly infected in 2009 worldwide, which 19% fewer than the 3.1 million in 1999. China had about 740,000 people living with HIV and 105,000 with AIDS by the end of 2009. Homosexual intercourse has become a major mode of HIV transmission since 2009, and the prevalence of HIV in MSM has increased significantly from 2.5% in 2006 to 8.6% in 2009. A sociological study has estimated that there are 1.8–2.4 million homosexual or bisexual men in mainland China. In China, high-risk behavior, such as multiple partners and unprotected sex, have been reported to be common in this group. Also, recent studies have reported rapid transmission of HIV in this specific population from various geographic areas in China, despite the efforts made by the national and local governments and non-governmental organizations in the past few years. New effective approaches are urgently needed for this population.

In recent decades, researchers have made great efforts to explore alternative biomedical interventions, such as male circumcision (MC), HIV PrEP and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), HIV vaccines, and microbicides. Among these potential strategies, PrEP is considered to be one of the most promising strategies in MSM. Several animal and human studies have suggested that ARV drugs might reduce the risk of HIV infection either by PrEP or by non-occupational PEP. A 12-month PrEP clinical trial of daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) for HIV prevention was performed among 400 HIV-negative Ghanaian women, and achieved good acceptability and >82% adherence. In November 2010, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the results of the iPrEx trial of PrEP conducted among 2499 HIV-seronegative MSM in six countries, which showed that daily oral Truvada, a combination of emtricitabine (FTC) and TDF, reduced risk of HIV incidence by 44%, with a median 1.2 years follow-up, compared with the placebo group, and >75% adherence was reached. These findings represent a major advance in HIV prevention research, providing the first evidence that PrEP, when combined with other prevention strategies, can reduce HIV risk among MSM. A further study is ongoing in HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 067 to evaluate the feasibility of intermittent dosing of PrEP. Recent results from Partners PrEP and CDC TDF2 have shown that PrEP with daily oral TDF/FTC or TDF was effective at reducing HIV risk in heterosexual men and women. However, the Fem-Prep program on Truvada, a closed clinical trial implemented by Family Health International (FHI) in partnership with research centers in Africa, does not support the theory of PrEP having an effect on HIV prevention. Therefore, some factors that might influence the efficacy of PrEP, including adherence, sexual behavior, or other factors still need to be determined.

The awareness and acceptability of new strategies are very important when they are recommended for use. Therefore, the objective of our study was to investigate the awareness and acceptability of PrEP among MSM and potential impact factors, which will provide suggestions and guidelines for future clinical trials in China.

Read the Rest.


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Safe Sex Advocates in the Red-Light Districts of Bangkok

viaAlert Net, by Thin Lei Win

It was an early Monday evening and the red light district in Thailand’s capital was already heaving -- full of locals and foreigners drinking sundowner cocktails and enjoying the flesh parading before their eyes. Street vendors were selling food, clothes, souvenirs and Valentine’s Day gifts.

They probably weren’t expecting a group of (mainly) fuchsia-clad men in towering heels, bouffant hairdos and sashes advocating safe sex, but that’s exactly what they got.

 
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen,” purred Thii into the loud speaker while standing in front of the punters, with one arm akimbo on the sparkling metallic mini dress he was wearing.
“Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and we would just like to remind you that it’s important to have safe sex. Please remember to use condoms,” he added with a slight lilt.

The punters and the female and transgender workers sitting next to them giggled and held out their hands for the free condoms that were being distributed by Thii’s colleagues.

For the next six hours, nine staff and volunteers from Thai non-governmental organisation (NGO) Service Workers in Group foundation (SWING) made their rounds at three Bangkok red light districts, weaving in and out of pubs, clubs, go-go bars, cabarets and other shows located in a maze of buildings and streets.

They spoke to club and bar owners, dancers, staff, and even food sellers out of doors with a mix of bawdy jokes and gentle cajoling about the importance of safe sex, while giving away condoms.

Read the Rest.


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Reasons behind high risk behaviors in Chinese MSM

via BMC Public Health, by Guanzhi Chen, Yang Li, Beichuan Zhang, Zengzhao Yu, Xiufang Li, Lixin Wang, Ziming Yu

Background

Men who have sex with men (MSM) have become a high-risk group of HIV infection in China. To date, little is known regarding the behavioral, social and psychological characteristics in Chinese MSM, which makes the implementation of preventive and therapeutic strategies for this high-risk subpopulation of people extremely difficult.

Methods

A total of 714 questionnaires were retrieved from the database of a Chinese government-sponsored National Key Research Project titled "Risk Analysis and Strategic Prevention of HIV Transmission from MSM to the General Population in China". The respondents were categorized into a high-risk group and a control group. Their behavioral, social and psychological characteristics were comparatively analyzed.

Results

Of the 714 MSM analyzed, 59 (8.26%) had high-risk homosexual behaviors. This sub-group of MSM had a higher in-marriage rate, a higher monthly income, heavier alcohol consumption and more serious problems with sexual abuse in childhood, intentional suicide attempts and mistaken assumption on condom's role in protecting HIV infection, as compared with the control group (P < 0.05). In contrast, the two groups did not differ significantly the sexual orientation, level of education, types of profession, drug use, condom use and experience of social stigma and discrimination (P > 0.05). A vast majority of the individuals in both behavior categories expressed support of legally protected gay clubs as well as gay marriage legislation in China. There was a strong correlation between high-risk behaviors and sexual abuse in childhood, alcohol drinking, income level and a mistaken belief in perfect HIV protection through the use of condoms.

Conclusions

MSM with and without high-risk homosexual behaviors have different social and psychological characteristics, which should be taken into account when implementing behavioral and therapeutic interventions aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS transmission among MSM as well as from MSM to the general population in China.

Read the full study here.


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

IRMA in Thailand to Prep for MTN 017

IRMA, the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), AVAC, and local partners participated in two community consultations in Thailand last week on the upcoming Phase II rectal microbicide trial called MTN 17.   

Community stakeholders in Chiang Mai and Bangkok were provided updates on the field and were asked to provide feedback to the MTN about the draft MTN 017 protocol. In October, a similar consultation was held in Cape Town. Pittsburgh  held another one of these sessions recently, and more community input sessions are planned for Boston and Lima as well.

Check out some pictures of the consults...

More pictures of Chiang Mai consult on MTN 017 here.

More pictures of Bangkok consult on MTN 017 here.

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Phylodynamics of HIV-1 Subtype B among the MSM Population in Hong Kong

via pubmed.gov, by Jonathan Hon-Kwan Chen, Ka-Hing Wong, Kenny Chi-Wai Chan, Sabrina Wai-Chi To, Zhiwei Chen, and Wing-Cheong Yam

Abstract

The men-having-sex-with-men (MSM) population has become one of the major risk groups for HIV-1 infection in the Asia Pacific countries. Hong Kong is located in the centre of Asia and the transmission history of HIV-1 subtype B transmission among MSM remained unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the transmission dynamics of HIV-1 subtype B virus in the Hong Kong MSM population. Samples of 125 HIV-1 subtype B infected MSM patients were recruited in this study. Through this study, the subtype B epidemic in the Hong Kong MSM population was identified spreading mainly among local Chinese who caught infection locally. On the other hand, HIV-1 subtype B infected Caucasian MSM caught infection mainly outside Hong Kong. The Bayesian phylogenetic analysis also indicated that 3 separate subtype B epidemics with divergence dates in the 1990s had occurred. The first and latest epidemics were comparatively small-scaled; spreading among the local Chinese MSM while sauna-visiting was found to be the major sex partner sourcing reservoir for the first subtype B epidemic. However, the second epidemic was spread in a large-scale among local Chinese MSM with a number of them having sourced their sex partners through the internet. The epidemic virus was estimated to have a divergence date in 1987 and the infected population in Hong Kong had a logistic growth throughout the past 20 years. Our study elucidated the evolutionary and demographic history of HIV-1 subtype B virus in Hong Kong MSM population. The understanding of transmission and growth model of the subtype B epidemic provides more information on the HIV-1 transmission among MSM population in other Asia Pacific high-income countries.

Read the rest of the study here.



[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Targeting the Invisible World Of Men Who Have Sex With Men

via Outwords, by Peter Carlyle-Gordge

Ask any outreach worker in the fight against HIV transmission and you’ll find one of the hardest at-risk groups to reach is MSM, or men who have sex with men.

Men in this group don’t necessarily identify as gay. Some may be married to women and have families. Some may simply avoid defining their sexual orientation and it is often hard to pinpoint where they gather or connect.

Now, if reaching the MSM group is challenging here, consider its near impossibility in such homophobic places as Africa, a place still plagued by superstition, repression and an outright burning hostility to any sexual practices beyond the vanilla heterosexual variety. In many Islamic countries such as Iran and Iraq, being attracted to the same sex may bring instant death by a mob, or less instant death after a shameful “trial” in an Islamic court, which may sentence you to be hanged, often in public.

Attitudes to same-sex attraction in Africa aren’t much better, with a nasty, often violent reaction to same-sex couplings – an official kind of homophobia that is encouraged by the Neanderthal and ignorant Catholic and Anglican churches. Indeed, the current worldwide Anglican communion is deeply split on same-sex rights, thanks largely to the Archbishop of Canterbury kowtowing in fear to the outspoken black African bishops who despise homosexuality and claim God does, too.

You don’t need to go far to stack up evidence of this official homophobia. The president of Iran famously came to the U.S. and told a university audience that same-sex dalliances did not exist in Iran. The evidence in the form of beatings and hangings of gay men tends to undermine his insane statement.

Read the rest.


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

HIV and MSM: Asia Takes Action

via 7th Space Interactive


About 140 overseas and local experts working in the AIDS sector are meeting in Hong Kong over three days (December 7 to 9) to discuss the prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections among men who have sex with men (MSM), and also how to enhance efforts towards the treatment, care and support in the participating cities.

The event, entitled "Action Planning Meeting of Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Populations Multi-City HIV Initiative", is jointly organised by the Department of Health (DH), the United States Agency for International Development, organisations under the United Nations system, the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health, the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS and regional partners.

The three-day meeting is being attended by about 140 participants from 12 countries and 30 regional organisations, with major participants from six Asian cities, namely Bangkok, Chengdu, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Manila and Yangon. They are joined by local experts and observers.

It is the first time an action meeting of this kind has gathered in the Asian region to review the current HIV epidemic trends, examine municipal response and identify innovative initiatives to step up efforts in HIV prevention, treatment, care and support amongst MSM and transgender populations in the six cities.


Read the rest


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

Rise in Husband-to-Wife HIV Infections Expected

From Myanmar Times, by Khin Myat

Experts from non-government organisations working in the HIV prevention field say the proportion of new HIV infections attributed to husband-to-wife transmission is likely to increase over the next five years. Dr Khin Zar Li Aye, a monitoring and evaluation officer at the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said that by 2015, nearly half of all new HIV infections would occur among women infected by their husbands.

UNAIDS estimates about two-fifths of all new infections in 2010 are the result of husband-to-wife transmission. However, while the number of new infections among sex worker clients and injecting drug users is expected to fall over the next five years, husband-to-wife transmission is expected to rise slightly, UNAIDS says.

Dr Sid Naing, country director of Marie Stopes International, said because Myanmar received relatively little funding to prevent new HIV infections from international donors, NGOs had to target only high-risk groups, such as sex workers and drug users. "Married women are a neglected group when it comes to HIV prevention activities," he said. He said it is also difficult to raise awareness among married women because most trusted their husbands and believed they would be always be faithful. "We see some cases of women who are about 40 years old contracting HIV -- women who have no history of drug use or having sex outside marriage," he said.

Read the rest

Laws Driving HIV Prevention Underground

from iRIN News


In a region where carrying a condom has been construed as evidence of illicit activity, 10 million women sell sex to 75 million men, who then have sex with another 50 million people, according to the multinational Independent Commission on AIDS in Asia. 

"The technology is there to prevent infections, but punitive laws get in the way," said Steve Kraus, regional director of UNAIDS Asia Pacific. 

Asia's AIDS epidemic is linked primarily to unprotected paid sex, according to the commission, but policies outlawing sex work are undermining HIV/AIDS prevention efforts by fragmenting and stigmatizing the sex workers and turning condom possession into an act that could lead to jail time, NGO officials say. 

Until recently, Cambodia was praised by the international community for its implementation of the 100 percent Condom Use Programme, which allowed for selective enforcement of anti-sex work laws and required condom availability and use for sex workers. But a national anti-trafficking law introduced in 2008 broadly criminalized sex work, and sent sex workers into hiding.


Read the rest

Read a report from Human Rights Watch on the subject

The Latest Edition of Pukaar Now Available

The latest edition of Pukaar (July 2010, Issue No 70) the NFI’s quarterly journal focusing on Asian male sexualities and wellbeing is now available!

Contents include:
o APCOM governing board meeting
o Launch of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law
o Homophobia in Indonesia on the rise
o Hostility flies in the face of true Koranic teaching
o International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
o Punitive and discriminatory laws
o Bihar's shotgun weddings
o MSM and mental health
o MSM and transgenders right to health
o Homophobia in the age of AIDS
o The case of the third gender
o ESCAP regional call for action to achieve Universal Access
o India's gays happy to remain in the closet
o Sexuality, citizenship and sexual rights - Part One

Please click here to get the online version.

Asian gay men’s sex survey reports high levels of sex without condoms

via Aidsmap, by Gus Cairns

The world’s second-largest gay men’s sex survey, focusing mainly on men in East and Southeast Asia, has found that 46% of men who have sex with men who answered the online survey reported inconsistent condom use during anal intercourse with casual partners, and higher levels of unprotected sex with regular partners.

The survey has produced findings across a wide range of indicators that are remarkably similar to the world’s largest survey of gay men's sexual behaviour, the UK's annual Gay Men’s Sex Survey (GMSS) conducted by Sigma Research.

The success of the English-language survey, hosted by the gay Asian website www.fridae.com, has led to a larger 2010 survey in nine languages ranging from Hindi to Japanese – see below.

The 2009 survey was answered by nearly 8000 gay men. Twenty per cent of respondents were from the three non-Asian countries of the USA, Australia and the UK, and this may have influenced some results such as the HIV testing figures.

Read the rest.

MSM at ICAAP 2009 - special report and content review

Click here for A Special Report on MSM at ICAAP 9 from AIDS Projects Management Group. This content review provides detailed transcripts of speeches at main symposiums and oral presentations a well as reports on posters presented . The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP), was held in Bali, Indonesia from 9-13 August 2009. The theme for this ICAAP was 'Empowering People, Strengthening Networks".

MSM in most countries in this region are highly vulnerable. 20 of the countries here criminalize sex between men and that is a situation I grew up in, in Australia. I grew up in that situation and it makes you feel like you have second class status and it means marginalized groups can exist outside the messages of society and those messages that aim to protect them. So many will not put it [being MSM] out on the table and they will keep it to themselves. And yet by not bringing it out and by not being open about sexuality the reality is that MSM conspire in the attitudes of society toward them. If only every person who was gay identifying or MSM stood up in society – if they all stood up the whole shabby and dishonorable strategy to denigrate and put them outside the family would be over.

Read the entire post, and access related presentations.

Most gay men in Asia have no access to HIV prevention, care

More than 90 per cent of men having sex with men (MSM) in Asia and the Pacific do not have access to HIV prevention and care services. And if the situation is not urgently.

Laws across the region need a dramatic and urgent overhaul to allow public health workers to reach out to gay men, or the consequences could be dire and stretch well beyond MSM to affect the general population.

This warning came at a symposium - "Overcoming Legal Barriers to Comprehensive Prevention Among Men who have Sex with Men and Transgender People in Asia and the Pacific" - held at the 9th International Congress on Aids in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP). The event was hosted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (Apcom).

Read the rest.

Anal squamous intraepithelial lesions among HIV-positive and HIV-negative men who have sex with men in Thailand

Li AH, Phanuphak N, Sahasrabuddhe VV, Chaithongwongwatthana S, Vermund SH, Jenkins CA, Shepherd BE, Teeratakulpisarn N, van der Lugt J, Avihingsanon A, Ruxrungtham K, Shikuma C, Phanuphak P, Ananworanich J.

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, TN, United States.

Abstract.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of anal squamous intraepithelial lesions (ASIL), the putative anal cancer precursor, in Asian HIV-positive and HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM).

METHODS: Men who underwent anal Pap smear reported clinical, sociodemographic, and behavioral information collected through questionnaire and interview between January 2007 and April 2008. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to evaluate ASIL prevalence and risk factors among HIV-positive and HIV-negative MSM.

RESULTS: Of the 174 MSM (mean age 32.1 years), 118 (67.8%) were HIV-positive MSM. Overall, 27% had abnormal anal cytology: 13.2% had atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US), 11.5% had low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), and 2.3% had high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL). Prevalence of ASIL was higher among HIV-positive than HIV-negative MSM (33.9% vs 12.5%, p=0.003). Among HIV-positive MSM, 16.1% had ASC-US, 14.4% had LSIL, and 3.4% had HSIL. These were 7.1%, 5.4%, and 0% in HIV-negative MSM, respectively. Anal condyloma was detected in 22% of HIV-positive and 16.1% (9/56) of HIV-negative MSM (p=0.5). In HIV-positive MSM, anal condyloma (OR 3.42, 95% CI 1.29 to 9.04, P=0.01) was a significant risk factor for ASIL. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) use and CD4+ T-cell count were not associated with ASIL.

CONCLUSIONS: One-third of HIV-positive and 12.5% of HIV-negative MSM had ASIL. Thus as greater numbers of HIV-positive MSM live longer due to increasing access to HAART worldwide, effective strategies to screen and manage anal precancerous lesions are needed.

Lack of services for Asia gays is fuelling epidemic

via The Earth Times

Manila - The World Health Organization (WHO) warnedTuesday that unprotected male-to-male sex was fuelling the spread of HIV and AIDS in Asia, where the epidemic could worsen amid a lack of services to gays. "Men who have sex with men have been identified as one of the most at-risk populations for HIV/AIDS," the Manila-based WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific said in a statement ahead of a meeting in Hong Kong.

"Asia is believed to have the world's largest number of men having sex with men, estimated at 10 million," the office added.

WHO noted that a review in December 2007 of the HIV/AIDS situation in Asia showed that in Cambodia and Vietnam, men who have sex with men were more likely to contract the deadly virus compared with the general population.

The risk of infection was also 45 times higher for men who have sex with men in China.

Read the rest.

IRMA's Next Global Teleconference

You are invited to join IRMA for:

What’s in a name?
Working with male-male sexualities, masculinities
and genders in South Asia

Wednesday, October 29, 2008


with Shivananda Khan
Chief Executive, Naz Foundation International

Location/Time:
Kuala Lumpur - 10:00 PM
New Delhi, Lucknow - 7:30 PM
Kampala - 4:00 PM
Brussels - 3:00 PM
UTC (GMT) - 2:00 PM
Chicago, Lima - 9:00 AM
Los Angeles, Seattle - 7:00 AM

You must RSVP for this call. Please RSVP by e-mailing Liudmyla Dmytriieva.
We will send out dial-in instructions to all RSVPs in advance of the call. Many thanks to IRMA Secretariat AIDS Foundation of Chicago for providing resources for this call.

Click here for the presentation. Click here for the same presentation with explanatory notes. Both are in PDF format.

Description:
Naz Foundation International provides technical support and assistance to low income “MSM” groups, networks and collectivities in the South Asia region to enable them to develop their own self-help organising around HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.

The socio-cultural frameworks of male-male sexualities in this region and amongst low income populations are primarily based on gender and penetrative performance rather than sexual orientation and a “gay” identity. That is, the penetrating partner perceives himself as a ‘normative’ man, while the person he is penetrating is perceived as a “not-man”. This gendered system is also often internalised by the penetrated partner. In this we have a trinary system of gender: man, ‘not-man’ and woman. Those that fall into the category of ‘not-man’ are so called “beardless youth” primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and feminised males who identify with their feminisation.Further in this region, religion (particularly Islam) and socially compulsory marriage are major factors in the dynamics, risks and vulnerabilities of self-identified MSM and their partners.

Another point to recognise is that for many males/men in the region, male-to-male sex is not defined as sex, but as “mischief”. Sex is only vaginal sex.Stigma, discrimination and violence then is directed as those feminised males, not so much because of their sexual practices, but because of their femininity. At the same time sexual debut of feminised males tends towards an earlier than masculine males.

There are emerging networks of gay-identified men (in the Western sense), but these are primarily in major urban areas among English speaking, middle class populations, and are a minority amongst the diversity of male-to-male sexualities in the region. Developing appropriate HIV services then is dependent on a better understanding of male-male sexualities based on gender performance and age structure, and a recognition that their partners tend to be men from the general male population.

Read "Everybody knows, but nobody knows - A review of current literature on HIV and male-male sexualities, behaviours and sexual exploitation in Afghanistan," by Shivananda Khan, released September 2008.

For more info on Naz Foundation International, please visit their website.

HIV Advocacy from the Ground Up: A Toolkit for Strengthening Local Responses.

As the culmination of phase one of APCASO’s Community Advocacy Initiative, APCASO is pleased to launch its latest publication:

HIV Advocacy from the Ground Up: A Toolkit for Strengthening Local Responses.

A must-click for all advocates!

Epidemiology of ano-rectal STIs

Click the above slide and go to IRMA's website where you can download the entire presentation. You will also find a plethora of Other Published Materials there.