India's health minister derided homosexuality as an unnatural "disease" from the West at an HIV/AIDS conference, drawing outrage Tuesday from a U.N. official and activists who said the comments set back campaigns for gay rights and against HIV.
In a hastily called news conference Tuesday evening, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said he was misquoted, though video of Monday's speech has aired repeatedly on Indian television.
"Some people have played with the words. I have been quoted out of context," he said. "My reference was to HIV as a disease. As health minister, I know (male homosexual sex) is not a disease."
His original speech echoed a common refrain in the conservative South Asian nation that homosexuality is a Western import.
"It is a matter of concern that, unfortunately, in the world and in our country this disease has arisen, where men are having sex with men, which is unnatural and should not be happening," Azad said, speaking in Hindi.
Anjali Gopalan, who heads the NAZ Foundation, a rights group that works with HIV positive people and promotes equal rights for homosexuals, said Azad's initial comments were deeply troubling coming from the health minister of a country fighting a tough battle against HIV infections.
"These comments help no cause. It's definitely not going to help in our fight against HIV," she told The Associated Press.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi and a slew of government ministers were present at the conference Monday.
Singh should consider firing Azad, said Anand Grover, the U.N. special rapporteur on health.
"His remarks are completely insensitive. It lowers the dignity of the gay community," he said. "It is unacceptable to have a minister talking like this."
Roughly 2.5 million Indians have HIV, making it the country with the largest number of people living with the virus in Asia.
Experts say the marginalization of gay people keeps them isolated and makes it harder for HIV/AIDS awareness messages to reach them.
"If you're not going to invest in community building, then gay people will continue to be marginalized," Gopalan said.
In 2009, the Delhi High Court struck down a colonial era law — Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code — that made sex between people of the same gender punishable by up to 10 years in prison. While actual criminal prosecutions were rare, the law was frequently used to harass people.
The court ruling was noteworthy in a country where even heterosexual sex is rarely discussed openly.
Over the last decade, homosexuals have slowly gained a degree of acceptance in a few parts of India, especially its big cities. Many bars have gay nights, and some high-profile Bollywood films have dealt with gay issues. The last two years have also seen large gay pride parades in New Delhi and other big cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata.
Still, being gay remains deeply taboo in most of the country, and many homosexuals hide their sexual orientation from friends and families.
"How can the health minister say something so unscientific and irrational?" Nitin Karani, a gay rights activist told a television new channel. "He needs to apologize immediately or he needs to go."
This is not the first time Azad's words have embarrassed the government.
A few years ago, he suggested Indians watch television instead of having sex as a means to stem population growth in the nation of 1.2 billion people.
Azad''s remarks on homosexuality invite flak from Bollywood , Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad''s comments on homosexuality have not gone down well with several Bollywood personalities, who have criticised his "regressive" stand on the issue.
The Health Minister had yesterday described homosexuality as a ''disease'' and regretted that despite being ''unnatural'', it now afflicts a substantial number of people in India.
"Ghulam Nabi Azad needs urgent counseling for his regressive statement. His ''unnatural'' stand is dangerous for healthy democracy. Its because of these regressive people the largest democracy in the world deprives the largest number of sexual minorities their democratic rights," filmmaker Onir tweeted.
Actress Celina Jaitly, who is a supporter of the rights and equality of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community and supports the gay rights movement in India, said, "I m shocked to hear that our health minister would make a statement about homosexuality calling it a "disease" WHO does not think so Sir!."
"Dear honourable Mr Health Minister, the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from its list of diseases in 1990," Celina said.
Filmmaker Tarun Mansukhani said, "Just woke up to read the astonishing comments made by our Union Health Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, who claims Homosexuality is a disease!! (Speechless...Abusive...ROFL...Abusive again....Pensive.)" PTI KKP DK
Azad's comments on MSM shocking: Gay community
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's comment that men having sex with men (MSM) is a 'disease' and 'unnatural' has drawn flak from the gay community and activists who have been fighting tooth and nail for greater social acceptability for homosexuals.
Mohnish Malhotra, who has been long involved in the fight for gay rights and is one of the organisers of the annual gay pride, said the minister's comments were shocking.
'It's shocking that such a comment was made by the country's health minister,' Malhotra told IANS. 'Even the UN passed a resolution saying that the LGBT community has equal rights as anyone else and cannot be discriminated on the basis of their sexual orientation,' he added.
On Monday at a conference on HIV/AIDS, Azad said: 'The disease of MSM is unnatural and not good for India. We are not able to identify where it is happening as it is less reported also.'
'It is a challenge because in cases of female sex workers we can identify the community and reach out to them. But in case of MSM, it is becoming difficult,' he added.
He also pointing to increased efforts to promote condoms, treat sexually transmitted diseases, and launch information and communication programmes among transgenders and sex workers.
Strongly disagreeing with the minister's comment, Ashok Row Kavi from Hamsafar Trust said: 'Gay sex is not unnatural. It is a matter of one's sexual orientation. If out of 100 children, five are left-handed, do you call them unnatural?'.
Amrita Sharma, an activist, said the health minister should limit himself to talking about health issues instead of commenting on a person's sexuality.
'Homosexual sex is just as natural as heterosexual sex. In a democracy, gays should have the same rights as heterosexuals...Most sex workers use condoms. The problem arises when men have sex outside of marriage without protection,' she added.
This is to inform you that an NGO/CBO based at Secunderabad has been involved in a huge financial corruption and fraud during following 1 year. The concerned NGO/CBO has been granted a MSM (PLHA) DIC along with Prophylaxis Treatment and MSM TI has done so…….
Office Rent: The Concerned NGO/CBO for MSM (PLHAs)project has Rs.7333.33/ per month towards Office rent where another TI project has been running in the same premises for which separate funds upto Rs.12000 has been sanctioned for DIC and Office . From 5 months it has become more problem for MSM PLHAs as they feel stigmatised to share same DIC with the Non-PLHA MSMs hence they stopped coming to PLHA DIC. The funds allotted for such DIC, Clinic and Office rent under TI project has been already withdrawn and shown as used in the financial reports of the organisation by management.
Medicines Cost: The Concerned NGO/CBO for MSM (PLHAs) has been granted Rs.3951.5/- per month but for 10 months for purchase of medicines for PLHA’s ,a single MSM PLHA has not been granted such costs for their medicines but the amount has been consumed by the management producing fake bills.
Electricity Charges: The Concerned NGO/CBO for MSM (PLHAs)project has been granted Rs.337/- per month towards electricity charges but, in the same office premises the DIC, clinic and Administrative Offices of the other projects(Crisis and TI) has been maintained which has been already granted separate amount of Rs.800/-per month under those concerned projects ,same electricity bills are produced as proof in all the projects.
Advocacy Expenses: Concerned NGO/CBO has been granted Rs.12000 half yearly to do an event to mobilize, building network and sensitise the MSM (PLHAs) project network ,where only 1 event has been done and the other event has been claimed producing fake bills and report.
Community Event: The Concerned NGO/CBO working for MSM TI project has been granted Rs.10000/- towards one Community Event to be conducted in 1 quarter till date not have been done.
Equipment for DIC: The Concerned NGO/CBO working for MSM TI has been granted Rs.20000/- towards Purchase of TV, DVD and playing things in DIC but till today no such equipment has found in DIC or Office but the amount for the same has been withdrawn by management.
Peer Educator Honorarium and Travel : The Concerned NGO/CBO working for MSM TI has been granted 20 Peer Educators to various hotspots but they have not been appointed fully till today ,the HRGs are not, delivered condoms at such hotspots .Honorarium to such Peer Educators where ever self has been paid has been withdrawn and utilised by management itself.
If this is all regarding financial corruption above all we pleased to inform you that so called NGO/CBO has 5 BENAMI directors for whom such lakhs of project has been handed over for a proper cause please check the signatures of all the directors.
We request the funders that huge amount of funds flow in the HIV/AIDS sector for a proper cause, but because of these cheaters and fraud the objectives behind such need has not been fulfilled and today if you go to any ICTCs working around Secunderabad HIV prevalence has been increased from 7% to 12 %.Awake ,Arise and Act now.
Financial corruption in MSM NGO/CBO at Secunderabad funded by NACO
This is to inform you that an NGO/CBO based at Secunderabad has been involved in a huge financial corruption and fraud during following 1 year. The concerned NGO/CBO has been granted a MSM (PLHA) DIC along with Prophylaxis Treatment and MSM TI has done so…….
Office Rent: The Concerned NGO/CBO for MSM (PLHAs)project has Rs.7333.33/ per month towards Office rent where another TI project has been running in the same premises for which separate funds upto Rs.12000 has been sanctioned for DIC and Office . From 5 months it has become more problem for MSM PLHAs as they feel stigmatised to share same DIC with the Non-PLHA MSMs hence they stopped coming to PLHA DIC. The funds allotted for such DIC, Clinic and Office rent under TI project has been already withdrawn and shown as used in the financial reports of the organisation by management.
Medicines Cost: The Concerned NGO/CBO for MSM (PLHAs) has been granted Rs.3951.5/- per month but for 10 months for purchase of medicines for PLHA’s ,a single MSM PLHA has not been granted such costs for their medicines but the amount has been consumed by the management producing fake bills.
Electricity Charges: The Concerned NGO/CBO for MSM (PLHAs)project has been granted Rs.337/- per month towards electricity charges but, in the same office premises the DIC, clinic and Administrative Offices of the other projects(Crisis and TI) has been maintained which has been already granted separate amount of Rs.800/-per month under those concerned projects ,same electricity bills are produced as proof in all the projects.
Advocacy Expenses: Concerned NGO/CBO has been granted Rs.12000 half yearly to do an event to mobilize, building network and sensitise the MSM (PLHAs) project network ,where only 1 event has been done and the other event has been claimed producing fake bills and report.
Community Event: The Concerned NGO/CBO working for MSM TI project has been granted Rs.10000/- towards one Community Event to be conducted in 1 quarter till date not have been done.
Equipment for DIC: The Concerned NGO/CBO working for MSM TI has been granted Rs.20000/- towards Purchase of TV, DVD and playing things in DIC but till today no such equipment has found in DIC or Office but the amount for the same has been withdrawn by management.
Peer Educator Honorarium and Travel : The Concerned NGO/CBO working for MSM TI has been granted 20 Peer Educators to various hotspots but they have not been appointed fully till today ,the HRGs are not, delivered condoms at such hotspots .Honorarium to such Peer Educators where ever self has been paid has been withdrawn and utilised by management itself.
If this is all regarding financial corruption above all we pleased to inform you that so called NGO/CBO has 5 BENAMI directors for whom such lakhs of project has been handed over for a proper cause please check the signatures of all the directors.
We request the funders that huge amount of funds flow in the HIV/AIDS sector for a proper cause, but because of these cheaters and fraud the objectives behind such need has not been fulfilled and today if you go to any ICTCs working around Secunderabad HIV prevalence has been increased from 7% to 12 %.Awake ,Arise and Act now.
AVAGAAHANA Group
A network…….
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