Abstract:

I have been raped so many times that I have lost a count of it. The police tells me that if I indulge in such ‘wrong’ things then I am bound to be treated this way’’ said a 19 year old boy during a focused group discussion in New Delhi, the capital of my country, India. I was not surprised, disheartened but not surprised. The ‘wrong’ referred to was that the boy is homosexual; he has sex with other men. Just when we as individuals and a nation begin to believe that we have moved past such blatant bigotry, instances and narratives like these burst our bubble. In a country where even the existence of the MSM population is not acknowledged, the issues that they are faced with are least of our concerns. The vulnerabilities among men who have sex with other men are well established across the public health arena, especially with reference to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Low rates of condom usage, multiple sex partners and inconsistent lubricant use make them more susceptible. Although the efforts of prevention and support in care have been going on for a while now, the Government records point out that the reach of such interventions has not been quite successful. The seclusion and society’s aversion to their acceptance has become one of the most significant impediments against the HIV/AIDS programs in India. A major cause being that until recently, sex between men was seen as immoral and unnatural, not just by the general public but also by the legal system. This has resulted in keeping these communities at bay from all the government initiatives and programs aimed towards HIV prevention and care as most of the MSM population remain hidden and hard-to-reach.