The 19th World AIDS Conference starts today in Washington, DC. Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe and ICH WEISS WAS ICH TU will also be there with campaign staff and role models.
"Your Freedom of Choice" is the motto under which we will have a stand there and will address human rights issues and discrimination against HIV-positive people. The right to make free decisions about one's own life is a high value - in the USA and in many other countries. Unfortunately, this value is not always realised when it comes to sexuality, drugs and dealing with HIV often overridden.
We will keep you up to date with news, discussions and interesting events here on the blog and on Facebook.
Today, the event SPEAKING OUT - HIV PREVENTION WITHOUT BARRIERS is taking place, in which the German Health Minister Daniel Bahr is also taking part and where he will also meet our role model Marcel. The focus is on a discussion about human rights in the context of HIV and AIDS. Our role model Thilo will also be in Washington.
We will report on our impressions of this event tomorrow.
There are various themed days at our stand in the Global Village, such as Wednesday on "HIV+ - Discrimination kills!" and Thursday on "Gay Life - Exclusion kills!".
We will also provide you with impressions and reactions from the audience.
Last Friday, there was a pre-conference of the MSM Global Forum (MSM = men who have sex with men), which was also attended by Dr Dirk Sander, Gay Liaison Officer at Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe. At the conference, activists and scientists from various countries met to discuss the situation in different countries and new approaches to prevention and health promotion.
Jamaican activist Maurice Tomlinson was also honoured at the event. The lawyer reported on the situation in his country: "I come from one of the most homophobic countries in the world, but even here you can slowly feel a positive development. People are beginning to understand that tolerance doesn't have to mean acceptance, but respect!" However, homosexuality is still a punishable offence in his home country: "In Jamaica, there are around 3 percent gay and bisexual men, but the proportion of HIV infections is 40 percent. This also shows how criminalisation prevents health."
Click here for the Washington-Live-Ticker of the German AIDS-Hilfe.
You can find out all the other news on our Facebook page and here in the blog.
