From: ww%nyxfer%igc.apc.org@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu (Workers World Service)
Subject: Asian LesBiGay AIDS Conference
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: The NY Transfer News Service
Resent-From: "Rich Winkel" <MATHRICH@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu>
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 00:06:27 GMT


Via The NY Transfer News Service * All the News that Doesn't Fit

Asian lesbians, gays meet on AIDS crisis

By Shishir Thadami
New Delhi, India

The Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi, India, was the site of an
international AIDS conference in November. But lesbian and gay
activists along with AIDS community activists from all over India
conducted their own alternative conference at Nehru Park, across
the street from the hotel.

AIDS researchers and lesbian and gay activists from Third World
countries, including Thailand where the AIDS crisis is also
becoming very grave, attended the alternative conference. So did
activists from New Zealand, Australia, and countries in Europe.

They were unanimous in criticizing the official conference for
failing to feature serious grassroots AIDS activists.

Most speakers at the official conference had had little or no
contact with people with AIDS. Members of the Anti-AIDS
Discrimination Network--a local AIDS education, awareness and
support group--cited incidents of neglect and mistreatment of gay
men who died of AIDS-related infections. They demanded an end to
the stigmatization of high-risk groups, including gay men and sex
workers. The latter are forced into such work to survive but then
are denied AIDS education, preventive methods and adequate
medical treatment.

Lesbian and gay activists said AIDS treatment and prevention
programs need to address issues of homophobia and gay-baiting.
They called for the repeal of archaic colonial-era laws in the
Indian penal code originally instituted by the British. Although
these laws are enforced infrequently, police do use them to
harass and intimidate gay men. Cases of blackmail and extortion
are not uncommon.

Although the laws apply only to men, lesbian activists are
concerned that in the current environment of AIDS hysteria, the
lesbian community could also be endangered.

Participants at the alternative conference regularly picketed the
official gathering. The organizers of the alternative congress
succeeded in taking over the official podium on the final day.

Major daily newspapers in New Delhi provided extensive coverage
of the protests and the alternative conference. Issues of concern
to the lesbian and gay community were reported without judgmental
editorializing. For the very first time, the press here
acknowledged the existence of a growing community of lesbian and
gay activists in India.

The substantive issue of AIDS funding was raised at both
conferences. There is a developing consensus among both activists
and international AIDS experts that it is necessary for the
imperialist countries of the West to provide massive funding to
Third World countries for their effort to successfully prevent
and treat AIDS. But so far only minimal contributions have been
forthcoming.

(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if
source is cited. For more info contact Workers World, 46 W. 21
St., New York, NY 10010; email: ww%nyxfer@igc.apc.org; "workers"
on PeaceNet; on Internet: "workers@mcimail.com".)


 NY Transfer News Service * All the News that Doesn't Fit
 Modem: 718-448-2358  *  Internet: nytransfer@igc.apc.org
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive