“Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give thee rest.” What does this mean to the church? I know scripture isn’t the most common language one would find on a CHAMP blogspot :-) but there it is and here I am, a Christian and a proponent for social justice for all.  And I have some questions for my sistren and brethren in the church.

I spent the first 3 days of my time in Mexico City at the Ecumenical Pre-Conference where I appreciated some great dialogue with most of my time and energy engaging in discussions around gender, and specifically about patriarchy in the church and gender based violence. I was sad to note an absence of dedicated space on the program for LGBTQQI people and issues/dynamics particularly affecting queer folk, particularly given the early and continued epidemiology of HIV&AIDS as well as the continued proliferation of discrimination against queer communities and individuals.  read more »

My colleague Hope Hempstone posted an interesting blog entry on reaching youth with new media based on her attendance at an interesting session on Tuesday of the conference.  In a field where it becomes so easy to rely on the same old media channels (or at least using TV, radio and print media in the same old way), it's both refreshing and inspiring to hear about those that are breaking from this norm.  Check out her post at: http://psicommunications.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/08/reaching-millio.html

Click for Video Richard Wolitski, Ph.D., acting director for the CDC's HIV/AIDS Prevention Division, muses about next steps following the 2008 International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

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Click for Video In Mexico City for the 2008 International AIDS Conference, Jing Luo of the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine and a member of the American Medical Student Association describes his poster presentation about HIV education (conducted on trains) targeting migrants in the central Asian country of Tajikistan.

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has finally been reauthorized for another five years, and it’s time to hold the United States accountable for its work.  It’s pretty clear that, under PEPFAR, the rights of women and young people are ignored.  The many strings attached to its plan undermine the needs of women and young people and their ability to have ownership over their own reproductive and sexual health. 

One of the most harmful pieces within PEPFAR II is the requirement that the State Department report to Congress any time a country with a generalized epidemic expends less than 50 percent of its funds to prevent sexual transmission of HIV on abstinence, delay of sexual debut, monogamy, fidelity, or partner reduction.  Evidence from best practices indicates that a comprehensive prevention strategy that also includes education about condoms and harm reduction are critical to achieving a substantial reduction in new infections.   read more »

Prejudice and ignorance can go a really long way towards sustaining injustice, and that is why I believe that sessions like the one on sex workers rights at the Human Rights Networking Zone was completely necessary.
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As a committed SGACer and activist, the experience of going to the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City proved to be an amazing, draining, energizing and exhausting experience all wrapped up together. Getting on the 5:45 am shuttle from the hotel to the conference and not returning again via cab until after midnight is certainly tiring. I know that I definitely consumed a significant quantity of coffee just to be able to maintain some semblance of coherency and alertness—we all did! From speakers and sessions to the twice daily activist meetings, multiple protests a day, and meetings with people, we were kept pretty busy running around. However, my energy increased as the week progressed, in large part because of the passion from the people around me, and the realization that while much work has been done in the area of HIV/AIDS, there is still an enormous amount left to be done.

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