MCC Global HIV/AIDS Ministry

by Joshua Love, Director of Metropolitan Community Churches Global HIV/AIDS Ministry

As I left the 2008 International AIDS Conference in Mexico City last week, I felt in awe once again at the complexity of HIV and AIDS in the lives of people around the world.  The impact of this virus has been anything but simple.  It complicates the body, mind, and spirit of people living with HIV (PLHIV).  I wanted to share a few of the ways time has evolved our understanding. 

On August 3, 2008, during the days and weeks many people around the world were preparing for and arriving at 2008 International AIDS Conference a press announcement was released by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which stated the following: “New Technology Reveals Higher Number of New HIV Infections in the United States than Previously Known.”   This was serious news to those of us working on the frontlines of HIV and AIDS in the United States, and potentially around the world.

I visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to gather their latest definitions and statistics on HIV and AIDS…wondering what language are the experts using to explain this multi-layered pandemic.  I then went back to a publication, ALERT, circulated by Metropolitan Community Churches starting in 1987.  Rev. Steve Pieters worked with a team to gather all the information available at the time and send out updates to the community.  I an including for comparison the 2008 CDC definitions and the 1987 news item from Alert on the definitions of HIV and AIDS.   First you will find the August 3 Press Release from the CDC, then a few excerpts from the CDC website and finally the synopsis by Rev. Steve Pieters of Metropolitan Community Churches AIDS Ministry in 1987.

Press Release

For Immediate Release
August 03, 2008

Contact: National Center for HIV/AIDS,
Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention
404-639-8895

New Technology Reveals Higher Number of New HIV Infections in the United States than Previously Known

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that an estimated 56,300 HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006. That estimate differs from the agency′s previous estimate of 40,000 because CDC is now using a more precise method for estimating annual HIV incidence, which is the number of individuals who become newly infected with HIV in a given year. The new estimate is published today in a special HIV/AIDS issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, released at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

“These data, which are based on new laboratory technology developed by CDC, provide the clearest picture to date of the U.S. HIV epidemic, and unfortunately we are far from winning the battle against this preventable disease,” said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding.  “We as a nation have to come together to focus our efforts on expanding the prevention programs we know are effective.”

The new estimate is derived from the first national surveillance system of its kind that is based on direct measurement of new HIV infections and builds on a new laboratory test (the BED HIV-1 Capture Enzyme Immunoassay) that can distinguish recent from long-standing HIV infections. CDC′s prior annual HIV incidence estimate was based on indirect and less precise methods available at the time.

A separate CDC historical trend analysis published as part of today′s study suggests that the number of new infections was likely never as low as the previous estimate of 40,000 and has been roughly stable overall since the late 1990s.

“It′s important to note that the new estimate does not represent an actual increase in the number of new infections, but reflects our ability to more precisely measure HIV incidence and secure a better understanding of the epidemic,” said Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of CDC′s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.  “This new picture reveals that the HIV epidemic is - and has been - worse than previously known and underscores the challenges in confronting this disease.”

Burden Greatest Among Gay and Bisexual Men of All Races and African Americans

CDC′s new surveillance system also provides more precise estimates than previously possible of new infections in specific populations.  Results confirm that the impact of HIV remains greatest among gay and bisexual men of all races and among African American men and women.  In 2006, men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for 53 percent of those with new infections (28,700), heterosexuals for 31 percent (16,800), and injection drug users (IDU) for 12 percent (6,600).  Infection rates among blacks were 7 times as high as whites (83.7/100,000 people versus 11.5/100,000) and almost 3 times as high as Hispanics (29.3/100,000 people), a group that was also disproportionately affected.

“Too many Americans continue to be affected by this disease,” stressed Fenton. “These new findings emphasize the importance of reaching all HIV-infected individuals and those at risk with effective prevention programs.”

Separate Trend Analysis Sheds New Light on History of U.S. Epidemic

In addition to the 2006 HIV incidence estimates, CDC conducted a separate, historical analysis that provides new insight into HIV incidence trends over time - overall and for specific populations. Results confirm dramatic declines in the number of new HIV infections from a peak of about 130,000 in the mid-1980s to a low of roughly 50,000 annual infections in the early 1990s. However, findings also indicate that new infections increased in the late 1990s, but have remained roughly stable since that time (with estimates ranging between 55,000 and 58,500 during the three most recent time periods analyzed).

“Prevention can and does work when we apply what we know,” said Richard Wolitski, Ph.D., acting director of CDC′s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. “While the level of HIV incidence is alarming, stability in recent years suggests that prevention efforts are having an impact.  In this decade, more people are living with HIV and living longer than ever before due to advances in treatment.  Even though this could mean more opportunities for transmission, the number of new infections has not increased overall. ”

The analysis revealed some other encouraging signs of progress as well as significant challenges among specific groups. Findings indicated reductions in new infections among both injecting drug users and heterosexuals over time. Yet, the findings also indicate that HIV incidence has been steadily increasing among gay and bisexual men since the early 1990s, confirming a trend suggested by other data showing increases in risk behavior, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV diagnoses in this population throughout the past decade.  The analysis also found that new infections among blacks are at a higher level than any other racial or ethnic group, though they have been roughly stable, with some fluctuation, since the early 1990s. 

“These data confirm the critical need to revitalize prevention efforts for gay and bisexual men of all races and to build upon the growing momentum in the African American and Hispanic communities to confront HIV,” said Wolitski.  “We must all remember that we are dealing with one of the most insidious infectious diseases in history.  Reducing this threat will require action from everyone - individuals at risk, community leaders, government agencies and the private sector.” 

For more information on HIV prevention, visit www.cdc.gov/hiv or www.aids.gov.

###

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Content Source: Office of Enterprise Communication
Note: Links to a non-governmental sites does not necessarily represent the views of the CDC
Page last modified: August 03, 2008

Page Located on the Web at http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r080803.htm

Brief History of HIV in the United States

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm#hiv

HIV was first identified in the United States in 1981 after a number of gay men started getting sick with a rare type of cancer. It took several years for scientists to develop a test for the virus, to understand how HIV was transmitted between humans, and to determine what people could do to protect themselves.

In 2008, CDC adjusted its estimate of new HIV infections because of new technology and developed by the agency.  Before this time, CDC estimated there were roughly 40,000 new HIV infections each year in the United States.  New results shows there were dramatic declines in the number of new HIV infections from a peak of about 130,000 in the mid 1980s to a low of roughly 50,000 in the early 1990s.  Results also shows that new infections increased in the late 1990s, followed by a leveling off since 2000 at about 55,000 per year.

AIDS cases began to fall dramatically in 1996, when new drugs became available. Today, more people than ever before are living with HIV/AIDS. CDC estimates that about 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV or AIDS. About one quarter of these people do not know that they are infected: not knowing puts them and others at risk.

2008

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm#hiv

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease.

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It can take years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment, to reach this stage. Having AIDS means that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult time fighting infections. When someone has one or more of these infections and a low number of T cells, he or she has AIDS.

1987

ALERT: News from the UFMCC on Legislation, Education, Research and Treatment

Written by Rev. Stephen Pieters, Rev. Elder Don Eastman, and Gary McClelland, M.D.

“It has been recognized ever since the discovery of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) as the cause of AIDS and of sensitive, accurate tests to determine its presence that the original case definition of AIDS was far too narrow to include all the manifestations of the disease.  As a result, the statistics which are quoted so frequently in tracking the progress of AIDS have not been truly reflective of the full extent of the disease.  In response to this awareness, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia in its August 14, 1987 newsletter presented a new broader definition of AIDS which is expected to increase the counts by more than 15%…

“While the primary goal of the CDC in introducing this expanded definition is for its own benefit – to reflect a more accurate picture of how widespread AIDS is – there is, a much more significantly beneficial impact of the definition on the AIDS patient and that is socioeconomic.  Up to this point there have been large numbers of people with significant illness, disability, and even death who were never classified as AIDS because of the narrow criteria which previously existed.  Because these patients did not fit the AIDS definition they were excluded from many of the benefits which AIDS patients received (i.e disability, SSI, MediCare, benefits from AIDS organization, etc…) With the more realistic definition of AIDS untold thousands will become eligible for these benefits and will no longer be living their lives in the grey zone – that limbo of disability in the absence of diagnosis. 

Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=53901

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Politics and Policy

Washington Post Examines Treatment of MSM, WSW In Mexico, Latin America, Ability To Access HIV Treatment, Seek Asylum in U.S.

Asylum applicants, U.S. lawyers and Hispanic advocates say it has become increasingly difficult for men who have sex with men and women who have sex with women from Mexico and other Latin American countries to obtain asylum in the U.S. because of the countries’ improved treatment of homosexuality, liberalized laws and expanded HIV/AIDS treatment, according to the Washington Post (http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=53901). Arthur Leonard, a professor at New York Law School, said, “For a time, it seemed like it was a slam-dunk if you were gay, from Mexico and filed for asylum in the United States,” adding, “But there’s been a turning point. The gay rights movement has started to make progress in Mexico, and it’s a little harder to show” that asylum is warranted.Leaders throughout the region who consider asylum as way to access better treatment of people with HIV say the “subtle, unofficial shift in immigration policy” has significant public health implications, the Post reports. Although advocates praise the progress on rights for MSM and WSW in Latin America — where it has been argued that the culture of “machismo” places them in danger — they say that it may take decades to reverse “deeply ingrained” attitudes toward homosexuality, which some believe are linked with the spread of HIV in the region, according to the Post. According to the Post, there are no official figures for the number of such cases that have been granted asylum in the U.S. because the

Department of Homeland Security does not track asylum cases by categories such as sexual orientation. DHS officials said that there has been no change in policy regarding asylum for MSM and WSW.Jorge Saavedra — director of

Censida, the National Center for the Control of HIV/AIDS in Mexico — said that MSM in Mexico have been most affected by HIV/AIDS and that homophobia has been the main cause of the epidemic. “People think the homophobia is under control, which is not true,” Saavedra said, adding, ‘Homophobia in Mexico is really high.” According to Saavedra, although Mexico has a relatively low overall HIV/AIDS prevalence of 0.3% of the general population, routine medication shortages and discrimination and violence against MSM and WSW still necessitate some HIV-positive people’s need for asylum.The Post also reports that stigma and a lack of education have complicated prevention efforts and that some hospital patients and employees are routinely screened for HIV without permission. Martin Martinez Sanchez, who works at a private hospital in Mexico City where this practice takes place, said, “If they test positive, they are not admitted.” The story profiles several experiences, including that of Arturo Lopez, an HIV-positive MSM, who has been trying to get asylum into the U.S. (Connolly, Washington Post, 8/12). The article was supported by a Kaiser Family Foundation mini reporting fellowship (http://www.kff.org/mediafellows/2008-Kaiser-Mini-Fellows.cfm).

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Gay, HIV-Positive Man from Pakistan Seeks Refuge in the United States

LGBT, HIV/AIDS, and Immigrant-Rights Organizations Submit Brief in Support of His Asylum Claim

http://www.nclrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_inreSK080408

(Falls Church, VA, August 4, 2008)—Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) filed an amicus brief with the Board of Immigration Appeals in Falls Church, Virginia on behalf of a number of other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), HIV/AIDS, and immigrant-rights organizations in support of a gay Pakistani man with HIV who is seeking asylum in the United States.

S.K. is a gay Pakistani man seeking asylum and withholding of removal because he fears persecution based on his sexual orientation and HIV status. Under Pakistani law, being gay is punishable by death and LGBT people are forced to live in secrecy and constant fear of exposure.

The Immigration Judge ignored the serious risk of persecution that S.K. faces and denied his application for asylum. The judge held that S.K., who has HIV, and was in a committed relationship with a man in Minnesota, could avoid persecution by hiding his sexual orientation, marrying a woman, and having children. The Board of Immigration Appeals originally upheld the Immigration Judge’s decision and is now reviewing the case a second time.

“No one should have to live in fear that just by being themselves they could be punished with prison or death by their own government,” said Shannon Price Minter, Legal Director of NCLR. According to the amicus brief filed today, the Immigration Judge also failed to recognize that S.K.’s traumatizing diagnosis of HIV that had progressed to AIDS understandably delayed his filing.

“In addition to the many difficulties he was already facing, S.K. was diagnosed with HIV and AIDS, and the understandable psychological and physical difficulties he experienced immediately following that diagnosis delayed his filing for asylum,” explains Claudia Valenzuela, supervising attorney for the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Detention Project, a program of Chicago-based Heartland Alliance. “Our country’s asylum laws were written to take into account situations like S.K.’s, in which individuals’ circumstances may change long after they arrive in the United States and make them subject to renewed danger in their home country.”

S.K. appealed those initial rulings to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. After reading briefs submitted to the Eighth Circuit by S.K. and NCLR, the government took the unusual step of requesting that the case be remanded back to the Board of Immigration Appeals so that the Board could clarify its decision. NCLR worked with a number of other LGBT, HIV/AIDS, and immigrant-rights groups including the National Immigrant Justice Center, Immigration Equality, the ACLU, AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, and International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care to submit a joint amicus brief in support of S.K. to the Board of Immigration Appeals on July 31, 2008.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
http://www.nclrights.org/

The National Immigrant Justice Center, a partner of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, is dedicated to ensuring human rights protections and access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. NIJC’s National Asylum Project on Sexual Minorities works to secure protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and HIV-positive individuals who are victims of persecution in their home countries because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
http://www.immigrantjustice.org/

Plenary on Gender-Based Violence and Trafficking

(photo courtesy of Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance)

This morning’s plenary session began with a chilling recitation of headlines and quotes from news sources around the world:

“The peacekeepers cannot be prosecuted in the countries where they are serving.”

“She has a fistula as a result of genital mutilation.”

“Three year-old girl HIV-infected by relative.”

“A fifteen year old girl was raped on her way home from school.”

These were but a few of the painful messages read by the plenary moderator, Ms. Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary, World YWCA, as she brought us to attention.  Many people nodded their heads as she spoke, some even bowed their heads in silent prayer.  The grim reality that women and girls are still at great risk of sexual and gender-based violence in the vast majority of the world never gets easier to hear.  

This plenary session served to inform the uninformed and call the knowledgeable to greater action.  The challenge was clear, as people of faith how can we NOT respond?  It is not enough to imagine action in the future.  Action is needed, NOW.  The panel of speakers each offered different glimpses into the issue.

Dr. Pauline Muchina, Senior Partnerships Adviser for UNAIDS opened by asking us to take a moment of silence to remember all people suffering from all forms of gender-based violence who suffer alone.  Dr. Muchina commended those members of the Ecumenical Pre-Conference and Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) who have been present in the work to end AIDS from the earliest days.  She also mentioned that there was a rising number of FBOs who were engaging in the HIV and AIDS ministries and education efforts.  

Dr. Muchina noted, however, that many religious groups are ill-equipped to be of service, in fact some increase the damage done to people living with AIDS by perpetuating stigma, shame, and gender-oppression.  She noted that while FBOs have succeeded in many areas of compassionate response like service to orphans and vulnerable children there are many more who have taught that sexual feelings and desires are evil and sinful, that women belong to men, and that sexual diversity is against God’s will.  She says that these harmful messages increase HIV risk and infection.  

Dr. Muchina explained that gender-based violence and gender-oppression are clearly connected to new HIV infections.  Promotion of social standards which prevent women from making their own best decisions about who they have sex with, when, or how they choose to engage their sexual selves increase risk and danger.  These male dominant messages contribute directly to the continuing pandemic.  

Specifically she spoke about trafficking of human beings, especially young girls and women for sexual service.  She lifted up FBOs like the Salvation Army who are doing direct hands-on work to support the lives of women and girls to help them help themselves and have increased sexual and economic independence.  She also noted that all forms of oppression, including discrimination and stigma of diverse sexual and gender identities must be overcome in order to see real change occur. 

Dr. Muchina’s challenge speaks to the need for serious changes on all levels in order to create safe and just world for women.  Furthermore her words put FBOs into a serious process of considering what role our theological and social teachings have on the lives of vulnerable people, especially women and girls.  

It brought to mind the following parable for consideration about hearing a call for justice and not responding.  

 Luke 18:1-8

“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” 6And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

For more information on the topic of gender-based violence and ssupporting women and girls please visit the UNAIDS website listed below and read about their powerful work on gender.

http://www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/Gender/default.asp

Excerpt:

 “Gender inequality both fuels and intensifies the impact of the HIV epidemic and is most effectively addressed on the national and community level. In the context of HIV prevention, treatment, care and mitigation, this reinforces the need for interventions that are directed at individual people. Reducing gender inequality requires changing social norms, attitudes and behaviours through a comprehensive set of policies and strategies.

At the 2006 High Level Meeting on AIDS, all member states of the United Nations have pledged “ to eliminate gender inequalities, gender-based abuse and violence” and to “increase the capacity of women and adolescent girls to protect themselves from the risk of HIV infection, principally through the provision of health care and services, including, inter alia, sexual and reproductive health, and the provision of full access to comprehensive information and education.”

Furthermore, as part of the same resolution, all member states of the United Nations have also pledged to “ensure that women can exercise their right to have control over, and decide freely and responsibly on, matters related to their sexuality in order to increase their ability to protect themselves from HIV infection, including their sexual and reproductive health… and to take all necessary measures to create an enabling environment for the empowerment of women and strengthen their economic independence…”

…Members of many faith communities are continuing the theme of “Faith in Action Now”, from the Ecumenical Pre-Conference of the 2008 International AIDS Conference in workshop sessions, satellite events, participation in the Global Village on-site, and worshiping together.

It would be nearly impossible to capture the bulk of these experiences but I want to highlight some of the beauty and complexity that we, as people of faith who are committed to striving for an end to AIDS, are sharing with one another. Here are some of the words we have prayed together in Mexico City.

Faithfully,

Joshua

(The following worship service was carefully and loving crafted by members of the Ecumenical Pre-Conference worship team. It is with all due respect and gratitude that I share portions of it with the readers of this blog. I have used their citations for songs and readings when they were made available. Thank you.)

Ecumenical Pre-Conference: Opening Worship, 31 July, 2008
(click on the title of this post to see the full worship script)

Inaugural Summit of Religious Leaders Living with HIV
XVII International AIDS Conference
Mexico City, Mexico
3 August 2008

Statement

We, as lay and ordained religious leaders, women and men, living with and affected by HIV, assembled in Mexico City for the 2008 International AIDS Conference, make the following statement.

Faith, in all its forms, holds a powerful and central position in the lives of the majority of people in the world. Leadership in faith communities thus carries great responsibility. 

Religious leaders are uniquely positioned to bring an end to the stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV (PLHIV) which continues to damage the bodies, minds, and spirits of human beings.

Religious leaders living with and affected by HIV who are open about their status exemplify the transformative power of honesty. By bringing an end to our own self-stigmatization, we serve as agents of hope to other PLHIV and affected persons and model the possibility of ending their own self-stigma. We also show that HIV does not disqualify us from fulfilling our respective callings in the world. Since HIV is a global pandemic, we consider all religious leaders to be affected by it.

Many injustices continue to marginalize PLHIV: criminalization; travel restrictions; immigration policies; access to medications, care, education and prevention services; and many forms of violence. We call upon all religious leaders to make full use of their trusted positions to break the silence surrounding HIV and take an active stand against these injustices as well as all forms of stigma and discrimination

________________________________________________________________________

The Rev. Paul Mokgethi, from the Metropolitan Community Church in Johannesburg, South Africa spoke inspiring words at the Inaugural Summit of Religious Leaders Living with HIV at the International AIDS Conference.  In addition to Rev. Paul’s participation three other Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) leaders participated in the Summit; Bobby Pierce of San Francisco, USA, Preben Babko Sloth of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Joshua Love of San Francisco, USA.

At the event Religious Leaders Living with HIV were asked to work together in a breakout session to craft a statement for public distribution.  Joshua Love and Preben Bakbo Sloth were two of the drafting authors of the official statement released above.  Once the initial draft was created the entire gathering discussed and expanded it to bring many voices into common action.  Together the gathering leaders completed the statement to continue our work of putting “Faith in Action Now.”

PRESS RELEASE
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
For immediate release: 4 August 2008

Religious leaders living with HIV share experience, hopes and dreams

(MEXICO CITY) — Speakers and participants in the Inaugural Summit of Religious Leaders Living with HIV shared stories of their experiences with HIV, and their hopes and dreams for the church and their community.

Held in Mexico City on 3 August, the summit was sponsored by the newly formed International Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV and AIDS (INERELA+). The network was formally launched the day before as part of the faith-based participation at the 17th International AIDS Conference.

At the summit, some 30 participants discussed overcoming stigma and discrimination, living positively with HIV, and mobilizing and empowering faith communities. In a statement, they affirmed their conviction that “religious leaders are uniquely positioned to bring an end to the stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV”.

Overcoming stigma

Stigma originates from a cycle in which some people believe that AIDS equals sex, which equals sin, which equals death, said the Rev. J.P. Heath, acting executive director of INERELA+ and its African predecessor, ANERELA+, which has 3,500 members in 23 countries.

According to Heath, who has been living with HIV since 2000, in order to break the stigma, faith communities can deliver messages that HIV is preventable and manageable. Prevention messages include safe sexual practices, abstinence, voluntary testing and empowerment, he said.

“I believe that God can use HIV to heal the church. I also believe that we are the church, the body of the Christ, and together, stigma and discrimination can be something of the past,” Heath said.

“We religious leaders have contributed so much to the stigma and discrimination within our places of worship,” said Pastor Maxwell Kapachawo, coordinator of ANERELA+ in Zimbabwe. HIV is not a moral issue, it’s a virus Kapachawo said, urging participants to believe in themselves, and defeat “self-stigma” so they can work with others who are HIV-positive.

Living positively with HIV and empowering faith communities

The Rev. Paul Mokgethi, from the Metropolitan Community Church in Johannesburg, South Africa, said he learned he was HIV-positive in 1999, about the same time he was ordained.

He began to disclose his status with one-on-one conversations with his family, and finally his congregation. “I found great strength within my own congregation, when I shared my status. I knew they would always stand by me,” he said.  Religious leaders and people living with HIV can do many things together, said Gracia Violeta Ross Quiroga, chairperson of the Bolivian REDBOL+. She suggested creating spaces for dialogue, reviewing teachings and words about “the other,” reducing blame, accepting that AIDS is no one’s fault, and recognizing that “AIDS offers an opportunity to bring these principles into reality for a broken world.”

ANERELA+ and now, INERELA+, is a “movement” not a network, said the Rev. James M. Matarazzo Jr., acting director of INERELA+. According to him, INERELA+ makes it possible to “empower religious leaders to be instruments of hope and change in their communities,” he said. Community members respond to HIV and AIDS in many ways, changing “hearts and minds” when clergy are involved, he said.

For Sally Smith, an advisor to the Civil Society Partnerships Unit of UNAIDS, faith communities can provide HIV and AIDS education and accompaniment through “inreach” to members and leaders. “The credibility of our outreach is measured by our inreach.”

Notes for Media

The summit statement is available for downloading at: http://www.e-alliance.ch/media/media-7357.doc Extensive coverage, including photos, news, features, video and audio, of faith-based participation at the International AIDS Conference is available at http://iac.e-alliance.ch/ All material can be reprinted free of charge providing credit is given to the source. Sign up to receive a daily digest of the latest news and features, video and photos, and other media products by sending an email saying “subscribe IAC” to media@e-alliance.ch To set up interviews or for more information contact Sara Speicher, sspeicher@e-alliance.ch , +521 55 1246 6140 (until 9 August)

The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance is a broad international network of churches and Christian organizations cooperating in advocacy on global trade and HIV and AIDS. The Alliance is based in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information, see http://www.e-alliance.ch/

Dear Joshua,

Thank you for all your support.  My prayer is that our Creator God will allow both you and all the delegates bring both hope and peace to all you meet and bring glad tidings of strength to thoses living with HIV/AIDS, that they will know we love them and care for them.

Peace.
Rev Leigh Neighbour.
HIV+ for 24 years.

August 3, 2008