The World AIDS Conference has been running in Washington since Monday. Under the motto "Your Freedom of Choice", Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe and ICH WEISS WAS ICH TU are also represented there. They are focussing on the freedom to make decisions about one's own life. This also includes being able to have sex with whomever you want as an HIV-positive person without having to bear more responsibility than your partner. But time and again, even in Germany, there are court judgements that place sole responsibility on positive people in the event of HIV transmission.
POSITHIV HANDELN, the positive self-help organisation in North Rhine-Westphaliaalso made this a topic at the CSD in Cologne. Around 50 men and women took to the streets under the motto "UN§CHULDIG - and what sex are you having?". At the front, Justitia walked with a pair of scales: a paragraph sign in one pan and an AIDS ribbon in the other. ICH WEISS WAS ICH TU had also mobilised supporters. In an interview, Stephan Gellrich from AIDS-Hilfe NRW explains the background to the campaign.
Stephan, how did you come up with the idea for "Un§chuldig"?
Last autumn, we had a closed meeting of the POSITHIV HANDELN state working group, and the topic of criminalisation was currently in the press. That's when we decided that we wanted to address the issue at the CSD.
How did the CSD visitors react?
Surprisingly well. Although it's not an easy topic, we got into a good dialogue with the people on the sidelines of the demo. Often people had never heard or read anything on the subject before.
Is the lively CSD the right place for such a complicated topic?
If you have a political aspiration for the CSD, then it is exactly the right place for it - especially as celebrations and politics are never far apart in Cologne.
But isn't it difficult to get the facts across?
We only wanted to serve the viewers a teaser to make them aware of the topic. In the materials we had with us, we naturally referred to the background information on the Internet. We created an extra a brochure which deals with the criminalisation of HIV.
What sentence did you use to arouse interest?
If there was no time at all, I just said: You can't leave responsibility at the edge of the bed!
And the longer version?
We are of the opinion that the public prosecutor has no place in any bed. Every individual is responsible for protecting themselves against HIV. You can't simply delegate responsibility for safer sex to positive people.
According to surveys, most people are nevertheless in favour of punishment if an HIV-positive person does not insist on safer sex or does not come out. Where does this harsh attitude come from?
I believe that many people are lulled into a false sense of security. They would prefer to relinquish responsibility so that they can have unsafe sex without worrying. If the positive person is solely responsible for an HIV infection and is penalised if necessary, then you no longer have to make an effort to stay negative yourself. At first glance, of course, this seems easier, but it doesn't help either in terms of preventing infection or on a personal level.
A kind of convenience?
Rather the unwillingness to deal with this unpleasant topic.
Do you often organise CSD events like this?
Yes, for four years now. We started in 2009 - also back then with a campaign against the criminalisation of HIV. A few months earlier, Nadja Benaissa had been arrested. Our slogan was therefore: "We are not angels!" By the way, you can read about everything we have already done at posithiv-handeln.de.
Interview: Philip Eicker
Click here for the video of the POSITIV HANDELN campaign.
