Day 1: Gay Games site visit starts in Hong Kong LGBTI supporting diversity and inclusion

Hong Kong is a magical city and the heart of Asia. The Federation of Gay Games site inspectors started their day at the crack of dawn. I team briefing meeting hosted by Ogilvy and Mathers in the Central was the launch point. Surrounded with branding ideas to turn all of Hong Kong into a celebration of diversity and with guest speaker Peter Reading lead counsel for the Equal Opportunities Council of Hong Kong provided a briefing on LGBT and civil rights strides in Hong Kong.

 

FGG site inspectors kick off meeting at offices of Ogilvy and Mathers

 

On the bus:

 

A very long day driving through the lush subtropical back roads of Hong Kong inspecting a wide range of world class sporting venues, cultural locals and a few bathrooms too.

 

• Kowloon Park Swimming Pool
• Hong Kong Rugby Football Union
• Hong Kong China Rowing Association
• Star Hall of Kowloon Bay International Trade Exhibition Centre
• Tai Po lunch
• Tai Mei Tuk Water Sports Centre
• Tai Lam Country Park
• Fan Ling Golf Club
• Hong Kong Cultural Centre
• Aqua Luna Junk
• Intercontinental Hotel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asia’s bid to host the Gay Games could not have been more excited at sharing this great city with five  enthusiastic inspectors. Their energy was infectious and we all needed it. Tomorrow starts a new day and even more adventures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scaling-up HIV testing is critical to end the AIDS epidemic in Asia-Pacific

 

There are over 10 different organizations that include sexually transmitted infection programs and HIV/AIDS programs as well as civil society and development groups that have come together to make sure that people with HIV are aware of their status and receive proper medical treatment. There was a very recent meeting which was headed by the World Health organization and the Joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS in Manila.

Antiretrovirals reduce the number of HIV related deaths as well as their transmission and there has been research done to prove this. The trick is catching the infection early or else the success rate is much lower. The WHO Regional Director for The Western Pacific said that it is absolutely essential to get treatment early and that it is equally important that there are an increasing number of different ways to catch the infection.

Gay men, transgenders, sex workers, and people who do drugs all have a high chance of getting HIV, these are also the people who usually lack the proper knowledge of the disease and proper treatment. The UN has called this an epidemic as in 2013 only 1/3 of at risk groups actually knew about their HIV positive status so they set a goal to get this all changed by 2013. The goal is to have 90 percent of people aware of their status, have them get treatment, and have viral overloads. This goal needs to be met.

Steve Krauss, the UNAIDS Director said that the very most important thing to stopping the AIDS epidemic is to test people and catch it early because it is spreading due to people not knowing their status. And when this happens it multiplies very quickly because of the diseases infectious nature.

They say that the approaches for testing need to be more diversified in terms of how often and where they are done.. The tests need to be done both at local clinics and at the bigger hospitals, it needs to be available everywhere. Another issue is that there needs to be more voluntary testing as opposed to mandatory because that scares people away. The populations that are most at risk would benefit from the local community based clinic testing because they often feel stigmatized by the larger facilities.

These more local based tests can actually be done by someone who is close to the worker or whomever is at risk and only takes one quick screening. If there is a positive result then a follow up test is done to confirm. Places like Cambodia have started to do this and it seems to be quite successful. The director of the program director for the STD facility says that it’s very important to bring the testing close to home. Everyone involved is working to make sure that these tests are made more readily available.

#Test4HIV is the name that the WHO is coming up with for their upcoming launch of the AIDS awareness campaign to increase testing. The campaign should be promoted on all possible social media to increase awareness.

HIV Advocates which is a global initiative that aims to share news, experiences, strategies and new tools that aim to energize human rights movements and communities fighting HIV/AIDS, is the answer. Supported by Levi Strauss Foundation and powered by B-Change Foundation,  HIV Advocates encourages existing and would-be activists to explore the power of social media and other Internet avenues to help spread the message across – that discrimination and stigma no longer have any place in society and that society should accept the LGBT community members as they are.

Share your thoughts on the official HIV Advocates platform. Your voice counts!

Like HIVAdvocates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/hivadvocates/  

Or Join us on Sina Weibo: http://weibo.com/hivadvocates

 

 

 

HIV Advocates supports the Stories of Being Me from Be-App

 

The world is a very diverse place with people being different everywhere. People are like snowflakes, no two are the same, so much has been proven. People come in different shapes; fat, thin, round, stalky, you name it, and they come in different colors too!

In the past there has also been a very clear definition of male and female, as well as the fact that men are supposed to be with women and that’s that. However that is an old school way of thinking for people who are closed of mind and not open to diversity, those are people that just don’t understand.

History has been full of bigots and people who hate anyone that doesn’t qualify as a typical man or woman and doesn’t have  a straight sexual orientation. Anyone who hasn’t fit this classic description has been persecuted by governments, religion, and other people alike; they just haven’t had it easy. People did not want to believe that anything else could exist so they tried to hide it.

Now we for the most part recognize that genders are not that simple anymore and that sexual orientation isn’t so straightforward as we once tried to force people to believe it was. Humans can be born man, woman, a mix of the two, people can change sex, and people can have relations with their own sex or another and all of that is completely acceptable.

There are lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, hermaphrodites, asexual, queers, and pansexuals among other things still; unfortunately all of these differences are still not widely accepted by society. Our society as a whole has fought for black rights, native rights, and black rights and for the most part we have overcome those obstacles of exclusion, however that is not the case for the LGBT community.

This is why Be Being Me has created an online support app for any members of the LGBT community that comes in the form of a web series called Stories Of Being Me and the purpose of it is to share the stories of the LGBT community from people across Asia. This gives people the opportunity to hear the different stories of diverse people and give them a chance to relate and find help for the abuse and persecution they have suffered as well as find a way to overcome adversity

Stories Of Being Me will come out with a new episode every Thursday for at least 4 weeks. Besides this the website offers lots of educational material to help anybody in need. As well it offers a directory for any LGBT member to find a center or organization near them where they can go to for support. You can even directly connect with other to ask for advice and find support from people in your similar situation

If you’re a proud member of the LGBT community but are still finding it hard to overcome adversity and persecution due to simply being who you are then it’s time to go to Be Being Me and check out Stories Of Being Me and let us help you.

 

BE is a peer support web-app  for young people in Asia of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, including young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. BE is a service provided to the community by B-Change Foundation.

 

HIV Advocates which is a global initiative that aims to share news, experiences, strategies and new tools that aim to energize human rights movements and communities fighting HIV/AIDS, is the answer. Supported by Levi Strauss Foundation and powered by B-Change Foundation,  HIV Advocates encourages existing and would-be activists to explore the power of social media and other Internet avenues to help spread the message across – that discrimination and stigma no longer have any place in society and that society should accept the LGBT community members as they are.

 

Share your thoughts on the official HIV Advocates platform. Your voice counts!

Like HIVAdvocates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/hivadvocates/  

Or Join us on Sina Weibo: http://weibo.com/hivadvocates

 

 

 

Have a Bling Attitude with Le Luxury and Challenge yourself at Sideways Driving Club Hong Kong. Fresh Content from PRDA Asia and HIV Advocates supports LGBT

 

Have a Bling Attitude with Le Luxury Swarovski Hello Kitty Glamour Collection

Le Luxury is proud to carry the Hello Kitty Glamour Collection from Swarovski. Founded in 1895, Swarovski has been the world’s premier crystal jewelry producer for over 100 years. Their reputation for quality, fashionable jewelry continues with this set of palladium-plated hoop earrings. The Swarovski Hello Kitty Glamour Hoop Pierced Earrings Cats Crystal  is crafted from Jet Hematite crystal beads which are dark in color for a modern, glamorous look. In the center of the hoop, three quaint charms hang by a palladium thread: Hello Kitty’s face, complete with her signature bow, a luscious red apple with a crystal accent and a white crystal heart. Le Luxury prides itself on the quality of its products, and because these earrings are from Swarovski, we are positive of their durability and beauty.

 

 

 

 

PRDA Asia Updates Social Sites with Fresh Content Daily

Huffington Post, TMZ, and Business Insider represent the top three visited blogs on the internet and each blog has a drastically different niche than the other two. What do the world’s most popular blogs all have in common? For one, they all have fresh and engaging content added every day, which regular readers can count on for the information they need. PRDA Asia wants to give you the chance to execute the same strategy by writing new, original content for your social sites delivered at strategic times.

 

Under your watchful eye, PRDA Asia will increase traffic and your business’ visibility with our social media expertise. Each day, PRDA Asia will use your business goals to create a content strategy that we will then incorporate into that day’s content.

 

 

 

Challenge Yourself and Beat Your Best Lap Time or Beat Someone Else’s at Sideways Driving Club Hong Kong!

Thanks to Sideways Driving Club Hong Kong, you can make a game while living out your racing dreams. Sideways Driving Club Hong Kong has been the top venue for a reason. With offerings that make you feel like you are out on the track, racing competitors to that checkered flag. The software available at Sideways Driving Club Hong Kong allows users to track their scores to compete with other users on that specific track.

You can continually challenge yourself in order to get better at the tracks, or make a friendly bet with friends or family of who can get the best score. Sideways Driving Club Hong Kong can offer a thrilling and fun night out for those who love racing or just love to compete at any level possible. There are 15 simulators for you to really get out and race on an endless variety of tracks including the track of the month.

 

HIV Advocates on Feeling Alone And Breaking The Silence

 

Everyone’s coming out story is unique, and that’s because the process happens in different ways, at different ages, for different people. Coming out to yourself and feeling good about who you are will result in the release of your true self-expression, a much more positive sense of self and more healthy and honest relationships with your loved ones

 

BE is a peer support web-app  for young people in Asia of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, including young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. BE is a service provided to the community by B-Change Foundation.

 

 

 

HIV Advocates on Feeling Alone And Breaking The Silence

For lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, coming out is one of the most important life experiences they can have. Coming out is a lifelong process of understanding and accepting one’s sexual orientation or identity.

 

Even though being gay doesn’t fully define who a person is as a human being, coming to terms with the fact that you are “different” can bring up many confusing and isolating feelings. Many LGBT people go through a phase where they feel alone and struggle with the desire of wanting to come out and break the silence. Coming out to yourself can be the most challenging aspect of the process, especially if you feel any anger, resentment or guilt about your sexuality. A huge part of overcoming those negative feelings is realizing that your own fear and homophobia is coming from learned societal prejudices and the hurtful, anti-gay rhetoric that you’ve been exposed to for most of your life.  LGBT people are, often from a very young age, forced to come to terms with what it means to be different in a world that assumes everyone is straight and often judges people’s differences in a negative way.

Everyone’s coming out story is unique, and that’s because the process happens in different ways, at different ages, for different people. Coming out to yourself and feeling good about who you are will result in the release of your true self-expression, a much more positive sense of self and more healthy and honest relationships with your loved ones

 

BE is a peer support web-app  for young people in Asia of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, including young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. BE is a service provided to the community by B-Change Foundation.

 

HIV Advocates which is a global initiative that aims to share news, experiences, strategies and new tools that aim to energize human rights movements and communities fighting HIV/AIDS, is the answer. Supported by Levi Strauss Foundation and powered by B-Change Foundation,  HIV Advocates encourages existing and would-be activists to explore the power of social media and other Internet avenues to help spread the message across – that discrimination and stigma no longer have any place in society and that society should accept the LGBT community members as they are.

 

Share your thoughts on the official HIV Advocates platform. Your voice counts!

Like HIVAdvocates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/hivadvocates/  

Or Join us on Sina Weibo: http://weibo.com/hivadvocates

 

 

HIV Advocates on Feeling Alone And Breaking The Silence

For lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, coming out is one of the most important life experiences they can have. Coming out is a lifelong process of understanding and accepting one’s sexual orientation or identity.

 

Even though being gay doesn’t fully define who a person is as a human being, coming to terms with the fact that you are “different” can bring up many confusing and isolating feelings. Many LGBT people go through a phase where they feel alone and struggle with the desire of wanting to come out and break the silence. Coming out to yourself can be the most challenging aspect of the process, especially if you feel any anger, resentment or guilt about your sexuality. A huge part of overcoming those negative feelings is realizing that your own fear and homophobia is coming from learned societal prejudices and the hurtful, anti-gay rhetoric that you’ve been exposed to for most of your life.  LGBT people are, often from a very young age, forced to come to terms with what it means to be different in a world that assumes everyone is straight and often judges people’s differences in a negative way.

Everyone’s coming out story is unique, and that’s because the process happens in different ways, at different ages, for different people. Coming out to yourself and feeling good about who you are will result in the release of your true self-expression, a much more positive sense of self and more healthy and honest relationships with your loved ones

 

BE is a peer support web-app  for young people in Asia of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, including young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. BE is a service provided to the community by B-Change Foundation.

 

HIV Advocates which is a global initiative that aims to share news, experiences, strategies and new tools that aim to energize human rights movements and communities fighting HIV/AIDS, is the answer. Supported by Levi Strauss Foundation and powered by B-Change Foundation,  HIV Advocates encourages existing and would-be activists to explore the power of social media and other Internet avenues to help spread the message across – that discrimination and stigma no longer have any place in society and that society should accept the LGBT community members as they are.

 

Share your thoughts on the official HIV Advocates platform. Your voice counts!

Like HIVAdvocates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/hivadvocates/  

Or Join us on Sina Weibo: http://weibo.com/hivadvocates

 

 

 

HIV Advocates Reiterates The Need To Get Tested

 

If there is one thing that people should never ever think of is that it is next to impossible for them to get infected with HIV. Truth is, even people in their 60’s still get infected.

Take the case of Jo Josh, a 66 year old woman who lives in Reigate and who has a 25 year old daughter. She is a woman living with HIV. The news first came as a shock to her and it took her years to learn how to deal with the reality of it all. Another case is that of Wales resident 58 year old Steve Craftman. He was diagnosed in 1987. In his own words, “I have done a lot of grieving.” He and his partner had to move to a tiny town just to escape the threats and abuse. A third example is 33 year old Lizzie Jordan. The mother of a 10 year old lost her partner, who also happened to be the father of her child, on the fourth day since he came home feeling unwell.

 

HIV truly does not choose its victims. Practically everyone is vulnerable to it, to its risks and even to the effects of living with it. People living with HIV oftentimes do not know that they carry the disease. They are also subjected to societal violence, stigma and abuse.

 

These are the issues and concerns that HIV Advocates want to bring people’s attention to. It is high time for everyone to get tested. Before you think that there is virtually no way for you to get infected, get tested!

 

Join HIV Advocates today and be an ally in the fight against the disease.

 

HIV Advocates, an initiative supported by Levi Strauss Foundation and powered by B-Change Foundation, encourages members of the LGBT community to speak up by exploring the power of social media. Through the HIV Advocates’ online channels, the LGBT community and other stakeholders can start conversations, spark the interest of the public, come up with various plans of action and continue with information dissemination to fight HIV and the stigma that comes with it.

 

Like HIV Advocates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HIVadvocates  

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/HIVadvocates

Follow us on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/hivadvocates/  

Or Join us on Sina Weibo: http://weibo.com/hivadvocates

 

HIV Advocates Asks: What Do You Think Of This App That Could Test HIV In 15 Minutes?

 

Researchers at Columbia University in New York has developed an iPhone app and dongle that could very well change a lot of things in the fight against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. This prototype app can actually test people for HIV and STDs such as syphilis and even get results in just 15 minutes. The device plugs into an iPhone or other smartphone and can analyze blood samples which can then be screened for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

According to available reports, the device just costs US $34.00. With a fairly affordable price and with such a groundbreaking purpose, the app and dongle could very well revolutionize HIV diagnosis especially in remote areas or in areas where homosexuality is considered illegal or banned altogether.

 

What do you think of this development? Do you think the app can help the advocacy especially led by HIV Advocates?

 

HIV Advocates is a global initiative that aims to share news, experiences, strategies and new tools that will energize human rights movements and communities fighting HIV/AIDS, wants to address. Do you think that the HIV app can play an important role in the fight for more awareness and fight against social stigma and discrimination?

 

Share your thoughts on the official HIV Advocates platform. Your voice counts!

 

 

Like HIVAdvocates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/hivadvocates/  

Or Join us on Sina Weibo: http://weibo.com/hivadvocates

HIV Advocates Reiterates: Straight People Should Understand The LGBT Struggle

 

One of the long-standing challenges being experienced not only by the LGBT community but by society as a whole is acceptance. Gay acceptance. While it’s true that society now has become more accepting in a way, the struggle for equality and non-discrimination remains. In fact, there’s one more aspect of this very struggle that society has to pay attention to – the chance for straight people to not view gay people and their activities as “exclusionary.”

 

Take the case of gay country singer Kevin Thornton of Indiana Queen. Straight people, he says, still sees his music as a way for him to “isolate” himself from the rest of the world. He adds that straight people have the tendency to think that his type of music (and the fact that he openly calls himself a gay country singer) may already be setting aside a possible hetero audience. Thornton says that this was and should never be part of the plan. In any case, he just wants to be accepted as he is and allow him to sing his songs without being viewed as exclusionary, he explains.

 

 

Thornton’s struggle is real. As so the rest of the LGBT community’s. This is exactly why it is important to provide the members of the LGBT community the platform to share their views and sentiments so as to further educate others.

 

HIV Advocates which is a global initiative that aims to share news, experiences, strategies and new tools that aim to energize human rights movements and communities fighting HIV/AIDS, is the answer. Supported by Levi Strauss Foundation and powered by B-Change Foundation,  HIV Advocates encourages existing and would-be activists to explore the power of social media and other Internet avenues to help spread the message across – that discrimination and stigma no longer have any place in society and that society should accept the LGBT community members as they are.

 

Share your thoughts on the official HIV Advocates platform. Your voice counts!

Like HIVAdvocates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/HIVadvocates

Follow HIVAdvocates on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/hivadvocates/  

Or Join us on Sina Weibo: http://weibo.com/hivadvocates

HIV Advocates ask: Is Sexuality a Crime?

 

The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC)’s efforts to ensure all people living with HIV access the treatment they need include focusing on key populations. ITPC is an advocacy partner in Bridging the Gaps – Health and Rights of Key Populations (hivgaps.org)– a program to achieve universal access to HIV/STI prevention, treatment care and support for sex workers, LGBT people and people who use drugs.

Key populations often face criminalization, discrimination, stigma and other human rights violations that affect their health. Through Bridging the Gaps, ITPC has supported community-based organizations in 14 countries to advance treatment access for key populations. One of these countries is Pakistan, where HIV primarily affects key populations. Pakistan had an estimated 98,000 people living with HIV by the end of 2009, but only 5,256 PLHIV had registered in the country’s 17 ART centers by the end of 2011.

Akber is a health and human rights activist in Karachi who works with ITPC through Bridging the Gaps, and he recently shared his thoughts on LBGT issues in his country (as originally published in HIV Gaps – http://www.hivgaps.org/blog/sexuality-crime/

When I heard about the signing of the anti-gay law in Uganda, I felt like they were hanging my brothers without reason. This is governance without leadership; this is dictatorship. As if they were saying “leave it or die”. Is sexuality a crime? And what happens when homosexuals have a sexually transmitted infection and want to get medicine to lead a healthy life? We are all the same, made of flesh and blood; we live on earth, eat food, drink water, and breathe air.

In the anti-gay law of Uganda, homosexual behaviour is compared to animal sex. How can a government decide to have such a law against homosexuality? For me, sexual rights are human rights. So, in short, we should ask the government of Uganda to have physical check-ups of animals, to identify homosexuality (haha). This is insane!

In my country, Pakistan, LGBT people also face disapproval and criminalisation. Article 377 of the Pakistan Penal Code states: “Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment […] and shall also be liable to fine”. This article affects the health and human rights of LGBT directly and indirectly.

Just imagine how an unmarried gay man living with HIV, or another sexually transmitted infection, feels when he wants to visit a health clinic. He might face shame, denial, self-labelling, stigma, and discrimination. This can result in lower self-esteem – leading to mental health issues, feelings of revenge, and even suicide. Who will take responsibility for his death: the government, society, you, me?

In my country, Pakistan, LGBT people also face disapproval and criminalisation

My organisation PMHS is playing a vital role in changing the law. We network in communities, and implement advocacy activities within society and among government officials. PMHS also has a project that gives the LGBT community easy access to health service delivery points, without discrimination. Our doctor and psychologist are trained to treat sexual transmitted infections and to offer voluntary counselling and testing, keeping in mind confidentiality in accordance with organisational and international criteria. These services are free.

However, although Pakistan is an Islamic state, the government accepts sexual minorities. The government is not providing services themselves, but they at least give a chance to non-profit organisations to do so. Men who have sex with men can get HIV treatment and voluntary counselling and testing through non-governmental and community-led organisations. And recently the government gave jobs to transgenders, which is important because transgender people often face discrimination in the workplace. A restaurant in Lahore, ‘Andaz’, has also given jobs to transgenders, which was an eye-opening experience for me because it shows everyone has a role to play. This is what we call empowering the community

 

Join HIV Advocates online for advocacy resources, news, and advice.

 

Like our facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/HIVadvocates

 

Follow us on Twitter:

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

 

Follow us on Pinterest:

http://www.pinterest.com/hivadvocates/

 

Or Join us on Sina Weibo:

http://weibo.com/hivadvocates