Washington Blade - November 26, 2004

AMHERST, Mass. - Campaigns against gays can cause feelings of isolation, stress and sadness for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people and their heterosexual allies, but several steps can combat such negative emotions, according to the Institute for Gay & Lesbian Strategic Studies. Such campaigns have made headlines this fall with 11 states approving anti-gay marriage constitutional amendments in the Nov. 2 elections. In a news release, the institute outlined steps through which gays can counteract the effects of anti-gay rhetoric. "I've heard many stories about fear, sadness, and a sense of loss from people all over the country," Dr. Glenda Russell, author of the report, said in the press release. "Putting the civil rights of one group to a vote takes an enormous psychological toll on members of that group, as well as on communities and on families." Three primary strategies help combat such feelings: analysis, action and allies, according to Russell's report, titled "Surviving & Thriving in the Midst of Anti-Gay Politics," the institute said in its news release.

AIDS-awareness group decries Singapore law against gay sex

SINGAPORE - A law that prohibits gay sex in Singapore is under fire from an AIDS awareness group, which says the law hurts efforts to educate gays about the dangers of transmitting HIV via unsafe sex, according to media reports. Stuart Koe, leader of the Fridae Asian gay and lesbian network, disagrees with criticism from Singapore's minister of state for health, Balaji Sadasivan, who said the group is "not doing enough" to fight the spread of HIV, news outlets reported. "Since gay sex is illegal, how then can any agency or organization in Singapore promote safe sex among men ... without being complicit in abetting illegal activity?" Koe said via a statement on the Fridae Web site over the weekend. The law in Singapore defines gay sex as "an act of gross indecency" and punishes the illegal activity by a maximum of two years in jail, according to news reports.

Activist group accuses U.K. gov't of neglecting gay men in AIDS fight

LONDON - A new Public Health White Paper dealing with sexual health issues in Britain ignores the needs of gay men and Africans in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the National AIDS Trust contends, Gay.com UK reported. The government paper calls for additional funding to fight sexually transmitted infections, in addition to suggesting more firm deadlines for patient waiting times in clinics, the news outlet reported. By 2008, all patients should be seen within 48 hours, the paper stated, and access to such clinics should be simplified, according to media reports. The trust agreed with those proposals but said the paper does not distinguish adequately between HIV and other infections, news agencies reported. "The White Paper does not differentiate between HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, despite HIV being a major, stigmatised and life-threatening condition that affects specific marginalised communities in the UK," the National AIDS Trust said in a statement to the media. The number of new HIV cases in Britain is on the rise, with gay men and Africans comprising two of the most seriously affected groups, news outlets reported.

Rights group reports anti-gay violence common in Jamaica

NEW YORK - Human Rights Watch last week released "Jamaica: Hated to Death," a report on homophobia, violence and Jamaica's HIV/AIDS epidemic, according to news reports. The document opens by recounting the murder of Brian Williamson, a leading Jamaican gay rights activist, news outlets reported. On June 9, an hour after Williamson was found dead from multiple knife wounds, a celebratory crowd gathered outside his residence, the study said. "A smiling man called out, 'Battyman [homosexual] he get killed!' Many others celebrated Williamson's murder, laughing and calling out, 'let's get them one at a time,' 'that's what you get for sin,' 'let's kill all of them.' Some sang 'boom bye bye,' a line from a popular Jamaican song about killing and burning gay men," the document states. With Williamson's death as a stark illustration, Human Rights Watch reports that violent acts against men who have sex with men are common in Jamaica and range from verbal and physical altercations to killings, according to media reports. Gay victims of violence usually are too afraid to go to police since they have been known to join attacks against gays, the report indicates. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that a mob included police and was responsible for the June 18 death of a man believed to be gay, according to the report.

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