Noticias
Noticias
SOMOSGAY in compliance with the innovation of effective strategies against homophobia; the improvement of HIV/AIDS prevention; the defense of rights of affected persons by this virus and the advance of human rights in Paraguay incorporates in its daily work and in more formal manner, SOMOSGAY VIHVO that seeks to coordinate plans and programs of the organization in order to attend the particular necessities of prevention of second line, attention, care and contention of gay males living with HIV.
SOMOSGAY VIHVO gives answer to the necessity of giving voice to the big population affected by HIV in the gay community in Paraguay.
The HIV and AIDS pandemic, has impacted disproportionately in the community of gay males since the beginning of the pandemic. The epidemiological data of the entire region state that our group is the most affected. The inescapable reality is still in the world, that the gay population has disproportionately impacted by this epidemic, not being our country the exception in this situation.
In Paraguay, around 12 gay males out of 100 live with HIV as of today, in contrast to the number of 1 to 200 in the general population.
Homophobia leads to social discrimination, has its hardest impact in the population of gay males with HIV, since it exposes and vulnerates them to the epidemic. A gay male will not easily discuss about his own necessities in terms of adequate information, and in some cases deny to even recognize his sexual orientation or sexual practices with other males.
In the majority of the cases homophobia makes accessible only information that is loaded with prejudice and stereotypes that make the young gay male difficult to find the information that will allow him to take better decisions on health and taking care of his body.
These are, among others, some of the various factors of structural discrimination and homophobia that put the gay population as the constant preferent target to this epidemic. It is a indisputable fact that there are no biological conditions that predispose particularly gays to the infection of HIV, and this is the reason why we must face decisively these factors that vulneralize our population.
SOMOSGAY VIHVO understands and takes into conisderation these vulnerabilities seeking to give an answer to the development of programs of intervention that will produce such success that will offer a better quality of life for the gay community affected by the virus.
SOMOSGAY through this initiative will develop legal spaces that will strengthen the citizenship of gay males, supported by the stock of knowledge generated in the three decades of confrontation of HIV. SOMOSGAY VIHVO will be advised by the networks to which it belongs to and supports, as the International Lesbian and Gay Association, the Association for Integral Health and Citizenship in Latin America (ASICAL), MSM Global Forum, AIDS Portal and the MenEngage Alliance.
