Speaking at an international AIDS conference, Moscow’s mayor Yury Luzhkov said that the authorities will continue to ban gay parades to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.

“We have banned and will continue to forbid this propaganda by sexual minorities, as they could turn out to be one of the factors in the spread of HIV infections”

Adding that condoms were not a reliable means of protection against HIV and AIDS

“Certain manufacturers state that condoms are reliable protection against AIDS, but modern science has proven this is untrue.”

What modern science Luzhkov is referring to is a mystery, but the science of condom is rather clear about condom’s efficacy and it may be important if not essential to reprint some old science:

Meanwhile, in India, the Centre justified the criminalisation of homosexuality in the country because it is one of the main reasons for spread of HIV/AIDS and needed to be curbed, as reported by the Times of India.

To justify the position of the Centre, Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra quoted HIV prevalence amongst Men who have Sex with Men in Zambia and in Thailand where one in three surveyed MSM tested HIV positive.

On the one hand a 72-years old man who believe that sexual minorities “can [not] be a primary indicator and symbol of democracy”, on the other a lawyer who believes in the criminalisation of the same minority. And in the middle, men who simply seek the right to live their life.

For Malotra “Gay sex is against the order of the nature. We will disturb the nature by allowing them to do so. In the compelling circumstances the State has to take the help of the law to maintain the public morality” reports The Economics Times.

The argument of Nature is an interesting one as many MSM activist find solace for their sexuality in an act of nature rather than a choice of lifestyle. This demonstrates the futility of the debate when some believe that their sexuality is in their Nature and other that it is against Nature. The question is simply irrelevant, if we were to leave according to Nature, it would be a jungle out there, with the law of the strongest as paramount (something tells me that Russian leaders would not object to that).

A 2005 opinion poll showed that 43 per cent of Russians believed homosexual men should be incarcerated.

But ultimately, how marginalising MSM more than they already are is going to curb the HIV epidemic? On the contrary, by castigating MSM out of the society, the Indian and Russian authorities only prevent HIV+ people to access treatment and directly contribute to the spread of the epidemic and not only amongst MSM but beyond as many MSM also have sex with woman in restrictive societies where men must conform and hide their true sexuality.

This institutional discrimination speaks volume about the ignorance pervading societies around the world. We may have entered the 21st century but many still live in a world governed and organised around a Middle Age understanding of what they can’t fathom.

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