via the Commission on HIV and the Law The end of the global AIDS epidemic is within our reach. This will only be possible if science and action are accompanied by a tangible commitment to respecting human dignity and ending injustice. Law prohibits or permits specific behaviours, and in so doing, it shapes politics, economics and society. Read More >>

via NPR, by Jason Beaubien Health officials in Kenya say reducing the transmission of HIV among gay men is a central part of their national AIDS strategy. But they face serious challenges, including the fact that homosexuality is still a crime in the East African nation. HIV rates among gay and bisexual men in Kenya are far Read More >>

via pisnews.net, by Monica Tabengwa Jun 14 2012 (IPS) – At a news conference shortly after she was sworn in as Malawi’s president, Joyce Banda announced her government’s intention to decriminalise homosexuality. It is unclear how she will achieve this, but the move is in stark contrast to the approach of her predecessor, Bingu wa Mutharika, who Read More >>

via sahivsoc.org, by Rebe K, De Swardt G, Struthers H, McIntyre JA Until fairly recently, the healthcare needs of men who have sex with men (MSM) have been under-researched and under-resourced in South Africa.1 This has occurred despite emerging local evidence confirming high rates of HIV among this most at risk or key population (MARP). Notwithstanding inclusion Read More >>

via GayStar News, by Dan Littauer A new online lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender magazine in Sudan, north Africa, is a first for the country where homosexuality is still punished by death and an opportunity for gay people to start discussing their lives and hopes for the future. Rainbow Sudan published articles discussing topics including being gay Read More >>

via Chicago Sun Times, by Frank Mugisha The world listened last week as Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf defended her country’s laws that discriminate against its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex population. In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, she spoke of preserving Liberia’s “traditional values” and said in part, “We like ourselves the way we Read More >>

via PLoS ONE, by Tonia Poteat, Daouda Diouf, Fatou Maria Drame, Marieme Ndaw, Cheikh Traore, Mandeep Dhaliwal, Chris Beyrer, Stefan Baral Abstract   Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk for HIV in Senegal, with a prevalence of 21.5%. In December 2008, nine male HIV prevention workers were imprisoned for “acts against nature” Read More >>

via IRIN Africa Rights groups in Nigeria fear a same-sex marriage bill being discussed in parliament could boost already prevalent discrimination against homosexuals. The bill goes much further than banning same-sex marriage; it threatens to ban the formation of groups supporting homosexuality, with imprisonment for anyone who “witnesses, abet[s] or aids” same-gender relationships, and could lead to Read More >>

Via UNAIDS. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the region most heavily affected by HIV, legal, policy and social barriers, including stigma, discrimination, gender inequality and the criminalization of key populations at higher risk of HIV infection, continue to make people vulnerable to HIV and hamper the ability of individuals, communities and states to respond to the epidemic. This was Read More >>

Via the Vancouver Sun, by Peter McKnight. It sounds like the synopsis of a B-movie: Thanks to the long arm of the law, the world is once again safe from The Attack of the Killer HIV-people. Safe from Johnson Aziga, the Ontario man who had sex with more than a dozen women without informing them of his Read More >>