IN HULL AND EAST RIDING
On tuesday 1st December, World Aids Day,there will be a candlelit vigil on the theme of ‘getting’ to zero’ This will be held at BricWorks ,22-23 Story Street Hull between 6 and 8 pm. All are welcome and refreshments will be availble.
On the previous evening, Monday 30th. November at 6.00pm for a 6.30 start there will be a screening of the highly acclaimed film “The Normal Heart’ at Kardomah 94 on Alfred Gelder Street. This film is a timely reminder of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s and is billed as ‘taking an unflinching look at the USAs sexual politics at the time as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fought to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial.’
‘Don’t die of ignorance’ was the governments slogan in the UK when they launched their Aids Awareness Campaign—–and then introduced Section 28 to ensure that it was made very difficult to talk about in schools.It was ignorantly seen as something that only affected the gay community and schools were not allowed to ‘promote’ homosexuality by talking about it. So it was stigmatised and people stayed ignorant. And many died. And across the world HIV rates are on the rise again
CRIMINALISATION BOOSTS INFECTION RATES
A report published this week by the Human Dignity Trust on HIV in Commonwealth Countries in advance of the Heads of Commonwealth meeting in Malta next weekend.
The shameful fact is that in 40 0f the 53 Commonwealth Countries Homosexuality is—to greater or lesser extent–criminalised -and in several it is getting worse rather than better. It cocludes
1. That Criminalisation of Homosexuality is a Commonwealth Problem. In many cases anti-gay laws were imposed by the colonial power [Britain]-and in many cases the independent countries have made this even harsher. The Commonwealth
accounts for about 305 of the worlds population ,but around 60% of HIV infections.
2 That there is a direct link between criminalisation and soaring infection rates
As Jonathan Cooper,Chief Executive of the Human Dignity Trust has commented ‘You will never get the AIDS crisis under control while gay men are criminalised. It’s literally not possible where gay men are shamed and stigmatised.’
Which sounds remarkably like New York in the early 1980s!
3. Global funding to tackle the worldwide AIDS crisis is in serious decline
The British Government MUST do whatever it can to promote decriminalisation.
It is not only denying a fundamental human right by not doing so but is—–quite literally —a death sentence
In Britain
Rates of infection in the UK—among ALL communities are also on the rise again
And here too the government is culpable.
1.George Osborne has announced—in advance of the Spending Review that £200,000,000 will be cut from local councils public health budgets . This matters because they are the deliverers of many specialist sexual health services. Cuts would be inevitable and affect patient access and limit the range of treatment. They would also limit educational and awareness programmes helping to boost infection rates. Again people will be dying of ignorance.
2 The government has failed to respond to the Education Select Committee Report supporting mandatory Personal Social and Health Education [PSHE] —including meaningful education on HIV for our young people
CUTS COME AT A PRICE AS DOES PREJUDICE AND IGNORANCE
CRIMINALISATION+IGNORANCE+BUDGET CUTS.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SOARING HIV RATES
COLIN LIVETT 23/11/15
WE REGRET TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAVE JUST BEEN INFORMED THAT THE PLANNED SCREENING HAS BEEN CANCELLED> SORRY___I WANTED TO SEE IT AS WELL>
THE VIGIL GOES AHEAD AS ANNOUNCED ON 1st December