CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Amid an escalating HIV/AIDS crisis, the Chinese government has opened a health clinic for gays--the first of its kind in the communist country.
The move follows the Beijing government's decision last week to provide financial support for Hong Kong's gay and lesbian film festival.
China, which has a reputation of ignoring the needs of its gay and lesbian citizens, will allow the clinic to have a one-year testing period, at which point the effectiveness of the clinic will be evaluated.
The clinic will provide free HIV tests and treatments for other STIs, according to the Xinhua news agency. It will be managed and run by the Disease Prevention and Control center and an HIV/AIDS volunteer group in Chaoyang district.
"It's good news that China is now beginning to take the needs of gay men seriously in the fight against HIV," said Will Nutland, head of health promotion at the United Kingdom's Terrence Higgins Trust.
"We know that targeting clinics and other services for communities most at risk is the best way to tackle the disease and hope China will continue to improve their sexual health services in this way," Nutland said.
Although China has spent more than $37 million on AIDS treatment in the past three years, international HIV/AIDS organizations have put pressure on China to do more in HIVAIDS education.
The joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS, warned that up to 10 million people in China could be infected by 2010 without more aggressive prevention measures.
In June, China tried to shut down a Web site that provided news and information to China's gay and lesbian community, claiming its contents were too explicit.
However, just last week Hong Kong's gay film festival received backing from the Beijing government for the first time as part of a push to raise awareness of AIDS in the territory.
The Health Department's Red Ribbon Center has provided $8,000 in sponsorship to the Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Festival, which is to be held over two weeks beginning November 2. (Hassan Mirza, Gay.com U.K.)
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
The North Face faces conservative boycott for sponsoring a queer summer camp (exclusive)
April 10 2024 8:26 AM
John Cena opens up about defending his gay brother when they were kids
April 09 2024 10:21 PM
Trans Latina Meraxes Medina killed in Los Angeles
April 09 2024 10:11 PM
Morgxn is proudly queering Southern music - here's how
April 09 2024 7:03 PM
Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report
April 09 2024 5:44 PM