The Hardest Sermon

It is nearly 3am, and I have been sitting here writing what may be one of the hardest sermons of my career as a minister. I have been writing a sermon on the stigmas of AIDS and how my colleagues and I have to bear the cross of HIV in order to set examples for our congregations.

This sermon has been difficult because it is not starting at zero with AIDS101, but is starting at 60mph by jumping in at advocacy for those who have no voice or who have lost it due to the stigmas of AIDS. I have poured over this topic for years, I have spent my research hours trying to find the best way to the center, I have lived, breathed, ate, and slept this topic for moths.

Now the service is finally here and I cannot put a word in motion. I cannot seem to write the words so near and dear to me that they seem to be almost part of me. I have created a communion liturgy and prayers, and I have created an order of worship, but I have held off to write the sermon itself because the words just swim around my head.

My only question now is do I read these words I have written in a vain attempt to commit something to paper, or do I step out and simply speak the jumbled mess that is in my head…Lord please help me to see clearly the purpose you have for this sermon and this day.

Six Minutes…

From 25 July 2010

Six Minutes….That is the difference between catching a train and missing it. When traveling internationally by train, do not (I repeat) do NOT wait in the main station until the track number is announced. At this point you are too LATE and will most likely miss your train!! Good news for those traveling in London, you are not condemned to catch a different train. If you are in London you become a priority passenger.

The story behind this is as follows…we got to the train station an hour and a half early, but did not know what track to go to, so we assumed that we were to wait to find out. This was not true, as we discovered upon turning the corner towards the track. This turn revealed to us a long (and I mean l-o-n-g) line through immigration. Lucky for us, the ticket agent noticed our departure time, sent us to the front of the line, rushed us through security, and sent us to business class customs. We then booked it to the platform to find that we were on the furthest train car from the station. Again rushing down the platform we made it to our train car in time to wait for some other late-comers to put luggage on the car, then we boarded the train as it was pulling away from the station.

Lessons learned: (1) the British are wonderfully forgiving people and are very helpful to clueless travelers in high-stress situations; (2) never wait for a track number to be announced to begin the custom’s process.

I can also honestly say that I have never gotten through customs so quickly and efficiently, though I NEVER want to try that one again!

How to Change the World

Many of the sessions that I attended during AIDS 2010 discussed stigma, discrimination, and changing social norms. In these sessions, presenters gave talks on both theoretical and practical applications of projects geared towards changing the way in which people look at “the other.” As our conference was titled “Rights Here, Right Now,” sessions were highly dependant on dialogue concerning causes of inequity amongst people. Key stigmatized and discriminated groups discussed were Men Who have Sex with Men (MSM), Illicit Drug Users (IDU), Women, Prisoners, and racial and ethnic minorities (the last not being a major foci but mentioned in passing).

I consider these sessions the “Change the World” sessions by nature of their zeal for creative change. One of the “Change the World” sessions I attended concerned the need for a new outlook on social norms. Each speaker in this session had a particular topic concerning the norms, which stigmatize one group or another.

The last panelist in this session was particularly interesting to me, as he broached a completely unfamiliar social norm for me. This speech discussed the need for social acceptance of transgendered women, that is men (by physical appearance) who feel that they are truly gendered as women. These “trans-women” in Lima, Peru could not get gender reassignment surgeries or proper hormone therapies because of the stigmas within their culture. As a result many trans-women in this culture have taken matters into their own hands—having friends and family members administer silicone injections to create a more feminine appearance. These injections are most often done underground in friends’ homes by non-medically trained individuals.

The thesis of this presentation was to explain that trans-women in Lima, Peru do not have the right to healthcare because the gender norms of their culture exclude transgendered individuals. This means that in this particular culture transgendered individuals are essentially not accepted as human beings.

There was no research done in this study concerning the prevalence of HIV in this community, though such a study would prove useless. If these individuals are denied healthcare, knowing their HIV status would merely mean knowing their death sentence. Without access to treatment an inevitable increase in the presence of HIV in transgendered individuals will occur. The denial of basic human rights to these individuals means more than social exclusion, stigma, and discrimination. It means denial of legal rights and the right to adequate healthcare and treatment.

A Note of Gratitude

Though it has been a few months since AIDS 2010, I would like to take a moment to thank the people that made it possible for me. I would not have been able to attend this conference without generous funding from the Walter and Marian English Foundation. This foundation has been instrumental to the extracurricular experiences of countless Methodist Theological School students, allowing us to attend conferences and events in the United States and around the world. Through their participation in our theological education, we are able to take what we have learned in the classroom out into the world to reach our spiritual and intellectual goals.

It is with my deepest gratitude that I dedicate my AIDS 2010 blogposts to all of the scholarship donors at Methodist Theological School, particularly the Walter and Marian English Foundation.

Blessings and thank you so very much for making this amazing experience possible!

MDG and Sexual Minorities

In the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) the global leaders determined that one goal, which they would work towards was universal access. This is universal access to healthcare and treatment. Our concern at AIDS 2010 is to discover why and how this particular MDG has and has not been accomplished. Universal Access, from a human rights perspective, means that regardless of social stigma or discrimination each and every person has the right to receive health care, particularly in terms of testing and treatment for any and all chronic/life-threatening diseases. People should not and cannot be denied health services because of their gender, sexuality, or sexual orientation. The marginalization of women and sexual minorities has gotten the world into a huge problem in terms of Universal Access.

Without access to health care, a woman in an inculturated patriarchal society is not able to even ask for an HIV test. For one, some of these cultures blame women for the transmission of HIV, when in most cases it is their husband’s unfaithfulness that brings HIV into the household. None-the-less, in areas where a woman is blamed for transmission of HIV, a woman may be abandoned by her husband and consequently by her community for even asking for an HIV test. If a woman is found to be positive, she faces brutalization and sterilization along with official excommunication from the community. She will not be allowed to receive treatment and thus is sentenced to a slow and painful death.

In cultures where women are blamed for HIV, a woman is often also not given the right to control her own sexuality. She has no sexual rights. This means that she has no choice as to whether or not she will have sex with her husband and has no right to ask him to use a condom, even if she believes he may be HIV positive. Thus she is unable to protect herself from HIV infection.

Women in some cultures are also stripped of reproductive and sexual rights when they become widows. It is particularly the case with young women that a brother of her deceased husband is required to have sexual relations with her after the death of the husband so that she may in fact continue the family line. Though some cultures have set this standard so that women are continued to be cared for by their deceased husband’s family, it does not make amends for this serious infraction on human rights.

The infractions on women’s human rights do not begin to address the full extent of the issues faced by other sexual minorities. In many cultures MSM (men who have sex with men) are considered to be deviating from social gender norms and thus are denied universal access and other fundamental human rights. Other severely inhumane actions face MSM as well. In many cultures, MSM and homosexual men and women are raped to “fix” their sexual preference. In these cultures MSM are also badly stigmatized and shunned from society, unable to even go to a medical clinic for care. MSM are also often arrested for sexual activity.

Though governmental officials have determined universal access to be part of their goals for the global populace, it seems as though stigma and discrimination against women and sexual minorities need to be addressed first. Without a drastic change in the social norms of many developed and developing cultures, no matter what the governmental officials say about it, universal access will continue to be denied to those who quite often need it most.

[Yet another post from the AIDS 2010 conference...more to follow.]

HIV Positive…So What?

20 July

In a sea of advocacy signs and slogans, I noticed a sign that read, “I am HIV Positive…So What?” Someone, whom I did not even see, carried this sign at the Human Rights March through the streets of Vienna this evening. Whoever this person was, s/he took ownership of HIV status, not afraid of sharing such a personal and stigmatized thing with the world. It moved me to think that in this place, amidst so many other logos, brandings, chants, cheers, and slogans, this person felt safe.

But what happens when this person is not surrounded by thousands of HIV/AIDS advocates? What happens when this person is gay…a woman…a sex worker…an orphan…a racial minority…a migrant worker? What happens to this individual outside of the protection of a Human Rights March advocating for change in the status of the marginalized?

What happens is, that this person is tossed to margins of society both by the government and the private sector. This person who openly states her/his HIV status is stripped of basic human rights. S/he is told “you are not wanted, “you are worthless,” “you are diseased,” “you are to blame,” and worst of all “you are a SINNER!”

These things may not audibly be stated to this person, but are stated in the government and the people’s actions. When we stigmatize individuals for their drug use or sexuality—we say, “you are not wanted.” When we do not give promised funding to HIV/AIDS research and relief efforts we deny treatment—stating, “you are worthless.” When we flinch at someone’s confession of status—we say, “you are diseased.” When we deny health care to sex workers—we say, “you are to blame.” When we turn our backs on the gay community—we say, “you are a sinner.”

We do not need words; we need action. Again, the theme of AIDS 2010 comes to mind: “Rights Here, Right Now.” The Human Rights March, lead by Annie Lennox, Michel Sidibé, Julio Montaner, and many other global AIDS leaders had this message. It is only our actions that can and will create change. By our marching through the streets of Vienna, surrounded by Austrians as well as media from around the world, we made a physical statement: in representing the marginalized and stigmatized globally by marching through Vienna. Our message for Universal Human Rights will not be ignored!

Technical Difficulties

Just a quick note to let you all know that I am currently experiencing technical difficulties with getting online. I will be continuing to write but will have to wait to post until I get a more solid internet connection. I apologize for the inconvenience, please continue to check back for more on AIDS2010!

Abbreviated

This morning, I began to think that some of you may not know much about HIV/AIDS, and probably do not know all of the abbreviations that I have/will use in discussing HIV/AIDS. So I will sidestep from the AIDS 2010 conference for this post.

An un-exhaustive list of key definitions:

HIV- (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) the virus that causes AIDS

AIDS- (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) a syndrome, which depletes the immune system

PLHIV- (People living with HIV) individuals who are infected with the virus

ARV- (Anti-Retroviral Drugs) drugs taken to suppress the replication of HIV cells

ART- (Anti-Retroviral Therapy) treatment system for PLHIV

PMTCT- (Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission) treatment systems for pregnant and nursing women to prevent the woman from passing HIV to her child

TB- (Tuberculosis) a respiratory disease which affects many people living with HIV

MSM- (Men who have Sex with Men) Men who have sexual relations with other men, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status

IDU- (Illicit Drug User) A person who uses injection or other illicit/illegal drugs

Quick Facts:

-HIV is the required precursor to AIDS, you cannot get AIDS without HIV

-HIV/AIDS does not kill individuals: opportunistic infections and illnesses, which are considered easily suppressed with an average to strong immune system, such as TB and Pneumonia, kill PLHIV

-HIV+ means that an individual has detectable levels of HIV, while HIV- means that an individual does NOT have detectable levels of HIV

-HIV is caused by the exchange of infected bodily fluids (blood, ejaculatory fluids, vaginal secretions, and breast milk)

-HIV canNOT be contracted by casual contact with a PLHIV (e.g. sharing a drink, hugging, handshakes, kissing, etc.)

-An individual can live with HIV for well over 20 years with proper treatment

-Risky behaviors are those which put an individual at a higher risk of contracting HIV. Risk factors include: unprotected sex, sharing needles, multiple sexual partners.

This again, is nowhere near an exhaustive list of all you need to know about HIV/AIDS, but it is a quick guide to help you to understand the basics of HIV and related issues. If you would like to learn more about HIV/AIDS topics and facts, PLEASE go to any of the following websites:

http://www.unaids.org/

http://www.who.int/hiv/

Political Has-been?

19 July

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Regardless of your feelings about the former first family, it is impossible to deny the presence of the Clintons on the Political stage. Whether you believe that former President Clinton’s “indiscretions” negate his leadership status, or if you believe that he has done great things for marginalized people, you cannot merely ignore his presence. Beyond Hilary’s current office, former President Bill Clinton has been serving as an activist and philanthropist since the end of his presidential term. For this, he received a standing ovation as he stepped out from behind the curtain onto stage at AIDS 2010. No matter what any one of us thought of him before, for the moment, he was in a sense our hero. His voice has been added to the many who fight for people living with HIV, in a rather large way. His foundation the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) has worked on the problem of AIDS since 2002, and he has been an advocate for national and international funding of the Global Fund.

In his keynote address, Clinton addressed the benefits of all of our efforts in service, funding, research, advocacy, and education. He began by explaining that IAS (International AIDS Society) conferences are very much different than other activist conferences and meetings. In other meetings, talk is filled with empty promises and meaningless talk. At IAS meetings, he claimed, talk truly turns to action. Once the global society of individuals concerned with AIDS gets together to discuss the “state of the epidemic” this community produces breakthroughs.

After this praise, Clinton went on to explain that even though the global economy has tanked in the past year, AIDS giving is still going. Though the G8 governments are not fulfilling their promises to the Global Fund of billions of US dollars, privatized giving has been on the rise. He outlined several simple strategies for fundraising, stating that the real solution is in finding millions of people to give small donations to add up to millions of dollars.

The main point of Clinton’s speech was that the global leadership is living in a false dichotomy when it comes to HIV/AIDS. He cited a belief that a choice must be made between funding treatment and funding the general health services for mothers and children. This is simply not the case, as these topics are not mutually exclusive. He said, “There IS a real choice to be made, but its not the one we have been told about. If you want to increase healthcare systems and increase treatment, we need more people in the healthcare workforce.” He continued, that in low-income countries we need to begin to learn how care can be provided at lower costs through in-home care and non-clinical healthcare workers. People living with AIDS need proper medical care, but proper medical care can come from lay people trained to provide for simple medical services and to oversee treatment programs.

The false dichotomy of the global leadership also blinds these leaders from seeing that “more of the same is not enough.” We need to change the programming and treatment initiatives. We cannot stand by and do the same things that are only partially working.

In closing, Clinton conjured memories of the recent physics break-through in breaking down sub-atomic molecules in a manner previously unheard of. He said that this discovery led to knowledge that there are actually more positive than negative molecules in the sub-atomic structure. In terms of HIV/AIDS advocacy, prevention, treatment, and future cure, “That’s the only chance we got, that within us all, the positive is just a little bigger than the negative.

No Retreat…Fund AIDS

18 July

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So it is finally here, after months of planning, preparing, and anticipating, the 18^th Annual International AIDS Society Conference has finally begun! I cannot believe I am here with nearly 25,000 other HIV/AIDS activists, politicians, global leaders, scientists, doctors, healthcare workers, councilors, professors, students, and even the Princess of Norway. Though each of us comes with our own interests and desires, it is simply so exciting to be in the midst of so many people with the same passion for change.

Here, none of us has to explain why. We do not have to go into exhaustion to tell our stories of how we got here and what makes us stay. We all understand the importance of prevention, treatment, education, and rights. We all know the meaning of T-cells, MDG, viral load, PLHIV, and ARV. And, as we saw in a brief video shown at the beginning of the Opening Ceremony, we also all know the meaning of 40 cents…two Anti-Retroviral pills to save the life of a person living with HIV for one day. Here, we can simply begin to address the issues that need to be changed and turn to solutions. Essentially, we can get right down to business!

The theme of this year’s conference is “Rights here, Right now,” meaning that we will be spending the next five days discussing how we can attain universal human rights. Universal human rights means that all people have access to health care globally, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sexuality, and criminal status. Universal human rights means universal access to HIV treatment. Universal human rights means women’s ownership of their own bodies and their own sexuality. Universal human rights means the decriminalizing of HIV, sex work, same sex partnerships, and drug users so that all of humanity has equal access to proper care.* Universal human rights means that all people of all countries are treated as people, not stigmatized, demoralized, or discriminated against for any reason.

Universal human rights do not just happen overnight. Something must be done in order for people to gain access to healthcare and treatment, to claim responsibility of self, to rid the self of stigma. Two suggestions given by speakers (and delegates) at the conference sessions today were to work on Treatment 2.0 and fully fund the Global Fund. Michel Sidibé, the UNAIDS Secretary General, is calling AIDS advocates and researchers globally to back Treatment 2.0, a plan of action to change the look of HIV treatment. Sidibé has called the world out on our collective complacency concerning treatment regimens. We seem to think that since treatment is available, it is actually available to all people living with HIV. This is not the case, as only 5 million people living with HIV are receiving treatment, while another 10million people are living with HIV without treatment. This must change!! Treatment 2.0 seeks to reach out to new forms of treatment and to create hope for those who have tested positive. This plan includes the stepping up to address human rights issues so that access can be given to the marginalized.

The second suggestion for putting “Rights Here, Right Now” into action to universalize human rights was to call global leaders to step up to the plate. International leaders, particularly those who are part of G8, pledged money to the Global Fund (to fight AIDS) but have not followed through on their pledge. Millions of Dollars are still essentially owed to the Global Fund by countries including the United States. A group of delegates gathered this evening to vocalize their plan for governmental leaders: “No Retreat…Fund AIDS.” Their call was that there is no way to back out of a promise of funding for HIV, when 70% of those living with HIV are not being treated. In the Opening Ceremony, almost all of the speakers acknowledged the work of these protestors, agreeing that there is no excuse for an underfunded Global Fund.

I am excited to learn more about different perspectives on the topic of universal human rights. Not all of us here have the same ideas about, well, anything. As previously stated we all come with our own interests and desires but are here for one cause. We each bring our own political views and even political agendas. Yet we can still support and create change once we work together. This was the message of Deputy President of South Africa, Kgalema Motianthe. He said in an address to International AIDS Society members, “We learned from the World Cup, that many teams, which are blessed with individual stars did not make it to the finals, but it is the teams that played with less stars and played as a TEAM that eventually lifted the trophy.” We, at this conference have to work as a team to create the changes, which we know are needed for universal human rights and for the state of the HIV epidemic. We do not want to show up at AIDS 2012 in Washington D.C. with the same program agenda, but with a full report of change on the global, national, local, and individual level.

*To learn more about the decriminalization of drug users see The Vienna Declaration at www.viennadeclaration.com. This is NOT the legalization of drug use, but instead the understanding that illicit drug policies must be changed to allow for the basic human rights of illicit drug users.