March 19, 2008

Transgendered Cubans Fight HIV Among Men Who Have Sex With Men

A group of transgendered people in the Cuban province of Pinar del Rio is working to curb HIV infections among the country’s men who have sex with men (MSM), the Inter-Press Service (IPS) news agency reports (ipsnews.net, 3/17). The group, which has launched a comprehensive education and awareness campaign, held its second annual culture and music festival, called Transarte, on March 10.

The HIV prevention programming— which includes peer counseling and training workshops—focuses on Cuba’s cross-dressing and transgendered community. But it’s also addressing the growing rate of infection among men who identify as straight, particularly those in the Pinar del Rio province.

“We’ll have to start to talk more about masculinity and take actions aimed not only at men who have sex with other men but at the heterosexual population, too,” said Geidy Diaz, an official at the provincial AIDS prevention center.  

According to the article, 31.3 percent of HIV-positive men in Pinar del Rio are heterosexual, compared with 14.3 percent nationwide.

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Ramon Trigo, , 2008-03-21 22:47:37
Check what's happening in Cuba. I might have to go there to give some one of my "charlas"...