“Pray the Gay Away” Encourages Stigma and Defeats HIV Advocacy

 

Being gay is not a choice, and those who are gay face significant stigma and discrimination around the globe. Organizations that offer false promises of “praying the gay away” and “curing” people of homosexuality are making appearances in many of these communities. One HIV Advocate, Maurice Tomlinson, hopes to educate others on the negative effects of these types of approaches.

Tomlinson struggled with his sexuality for many years. During his struggle, he joined a group that claimed it could “cure” him of his sexual attraction to men. After several months, Tomlinson came to accept that being gay is not a disease meant to be cured, and that these meeting were holding people back.

Instead of teaching men who have sex with men (MSM) to live safe, healthy lifestyles, groups like the one Tomlinson joined teach adult men to deny and hide their feelings. This in turn encourages uneducated, unsafe behavior. MSM who want to hide their behavior from friends and family are less likely to use condoms so that they have less evidence to hide.

Stigma surrounding people living with HIV also keeps MSM that are trying to hide their sexual orientation from getting tested. Many of these men fear that if they are seen at a clinic, they will then face discrimination in their communities and their orientation will be discovered.

What can we do? It’s important to educate others on the facts about HIV and homosexuality. It’s not a choice, and it’s not something to be cured. Instead, our communities should focus on teaching safe sex, healthy lifestyles, and should encourage others to get tested regularly. Policies that help keep discrimination and stigma at bay can help significantly with this process.

Do you want to get more involved? Join HIV Advocates online for advocacy resources, news, and advice.

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https://www.facebook.com/HIVadvocates

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https://twitter.com/#!/HIVadvocates

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HKLGFF 2009 Premiere Artemisia 香港同志影展 2009 – 艾草首映

HKLGFF 2009 Opening Artemisia. Festival runs from November 20 – December 1. Information at http://hklgff.hk

香港同志影展2009開幕及電影艾草的首映.影展由十一月二十日至十二月一日.詳情可到http://hklgff.hk

Bedazzle Kitchen Ep6: Gonorrhoea 妖女廚房 第六集

In the last episode of Bedazzle Kitchen, AIDS concern and Queen Collection will bring more understanding to Gonorrhoea, our two hostess show off their hot red costumes. Making the hottest cooking show even hotter, watch out for the hot plate!

Coco and Karolina 與「關懷愛滋」在最後一集的妖女厨房會帶大家認識淋病 Gonorrhoea — Coco與兩個妖女穿上火紅戰衣，使出渾身解數，把節目原本一直處於高潮的狀況一再往 上推，小心熱爆螢光幕！

妖女廚房:肝炎 Bedazzle Kitchen: Hepatitis

Coco 、Karolina與「關懷愛滋」再度聯手。第五集的內容是肝炎 Hepatitis – 無人不識的肝炎也是性病？！但 Coco 把它化成糕餅而面不改容，厲害之處無不令人聞風喪膽，女傭造型引發街頭少女爭相仿傚！http://www.so-u.tv/

Coco 、Karolina與「關懷愛滋」再度聯手。第五集的內容是肝炎 Hepatitis – 無人不識的肝炎也是性病？！但 Coco 把它化成糕餅而面不改容，厲害之處無不令人聞風喪膽，女傭造型引發街頭少女爭相仿傚！http://www.so-u.tv

Bedazzle Kitchen:Syphilis 妖女廚房:梅毒

Watch out for Bedazzle Kitchen this weekend on www.SO-U.TV . A series of videos presented by local favorite drag queens Coco Pop & Karolina Lista. They paired up with AIDs Concern to bring you food for thought and for tummy. This episode we will talk about Syphilis- Our Japanese-style Coco is having her best posture and cooking this time. Watch how she turns cooking into art and work her magic dymistifying STDs. She is sure setting a trend for Kimonos.

由「關懷愛滋」與「Queen Collection」合作製作的教育短片《妖女廚房》，將會在我們www.SO-U.TV內推出，主持人 Coco 及 Karolina 以輕鬆幽默的方法講解性病，及如何正確防範性病傳播，影片對象以男同志為主，但當中的內容男女皆宜。今集的內容是梅毒 Syphilis – 日本式 Coco 最有姿勢和實際的一次，把煮飯變成一種藝術，把性病戲謔於掌心間，神情令人敬仰，掀起和服熱潮。

IDAHO Rally in Hong Kong

Homophobia is a crime and over 300 peoples rallied in a busy street of Causeway bay in Hong Kong on May 18 to mark the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). The rally was full of songs, story telling and even a “die-in” action to protest against homophobia and fight for equal rights for sexual minorities. The SO-U.TV team filmed the joyful protest. Go to http://www.so-u.tv to watch the highlights.

The new coming

Hey guys!

For the past few weeks So-U-TV has been running about town to bring you the best of the coolest events:

Sport:

• King of the Hills, where over 300 runners braved the heat and the humidity to participate at the first race of Hong Kong’s most challenging mountain marathon.

Art:
• Urban Dance Festival, the first ever site-specific contemporary dance festival in Hong Kong.
• Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, the first and the largest of its kind in Asia that broke attendance records with over 6,000 movie tickets sold.

Don’t worry if you’ve missed any of them, SO-U.TV has put together the highlights, interviews and exclusive backstage scoops for you. Go back to http://www.so-u.tv for all the amazing video clips.

Keep checking SO-U.TV for more great staff including an exclusive interview with Allen Lam, the award winning choreographer of Rhapsody in Dance. A beautiful dance performance exploration of the magic of relationships.