HIV Rising Among Gay, Bi Men in Asia

By Julie Bolcer

Mr Gay Chinax180 (Photos.com) | Advocate.com

A new report backed by the UN says that the prevalence of HIV among gay and bisexual men in Asia is increasing, fueled by laws that criminalize behavior and discourage access to services.

According to Reuters, “over 90 percent of gay and bisexual men in Asia do not have access to HIV prevention and care services, the report said. It cited examples of repressive laws or lack of anti-discrimination laws preventing these men from getting the help they needed.”

The report delivered some alarming statistics about HIV among gay and bisexual men in Asia compared to the rest of the population.

“For example, HIV prevalence among gay and bisexual men in Bangkok was now 30.8 percent compared to 1.4 percent in the adult population in Thailand,” reported Reuters. “In Yangon, the figure was 29.3 percent versus 0.7 percent in Myanmar; while in Mumbai, it was 17 percent versus 0.36 percent in all of India.”

The report calls for the repeal of laws that criminalize gay sex, and it urges the enactment of antidiscrimination laws.

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Reader Comments

Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Tod
Date posted: 5/19/2010 3:49:45 AM
Hometown: West Hollywood

Comment:
In addition to repealing laws that criminalize gay sex and enacting antidiscrimination laws, education and consistently available information is key. With the first wave in the 70s/80s we educated everyone and it worked. So, invest in condoms. Then the message faded and younger generations don't have the knowledge or the tools. Many think they can be safe by not sleeping with the older generations. They are finding out how wrong that is. The message has to stay consistent like other STD information and the taboo of HIV must be removed. It's just a really mean virus. That's it. Gay or straight it doesn't discriminate or cares about who it infects. It just does what it does automatically. The taboo must go and people must have the knowledge and the tools to protect themselves. Stop being so afraid to talk about it. If not, more generations will be lost and once is too much.
Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Deke
Date posted: 5/18/2010 11:29:36 AM
Hometown: hino JP

Comment:
Asia is an incredibly huge and diverse place, in a way incomprehensible to Europeans or North Americans. Such an article shows the glaring provincialism of the American media... In Japan, for example, HIV testing is much easier and highly prevalent. And while Japan may not have anti-discrimination laws per se, it is usually highly unlikely that people might lose their jobs from sexual discrimination (mainly an issue in so-called "Christian" countries). The unfortunate reality for gay men in Asia is the self-loathing which is brought upon by narrow social views in many countries. Translated: gay men often don't care enough for their own life to take care of themselves, which is true in most other countries as well.

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