March 24, 2008

12 Men Evicted From AIDS Hospice in Nepal

Twelve men diagnosed with AIDS were thrown out of an AIDS hospice in Nepal on March 20 due to the country’s reportedly prevalent bias against homosexuals and attendant HIV stigma, the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) reports (in.news.yahoo.com, 3/21). According to the article, the hospice in Kathmandu was closed down due to continued complaints from neighbors in the community.

The hospice—sponsored by the Elton John AIDS Foundation and run by Blue Diamond Society, a leading gay rights organization in Nepal—was established two and a half years ago, and during that time it has been forced to move four times.

“Though we are prompt in paying the rent, the landlord comes under pressure from his neighbors to throw us out once it becomes known that there are AIDS patients in the hospice,” society founder Sunil Pant told IANS.

The article notes that as of March 21, no human rights group had intervened on the hospice’s behalf.

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Michael McGowan, Bristol, UK, 2008-04-01 11:55:45
I have visited this hospice and seen he remarkable work they do in a country where there is no state support - in fact, there is discrimination and denial where homosexuality and AIDS are concerned. The Blue Diamond Society is the only organisation trying to help people living with AIDS and desperately needs funding to buy their own building in order to continue their hospice work. Please consider sending a donation for their new building.