Sexual and Gender Minorities with HIV Face Double Stigma in Nepal
25 Oct 2011 05:06
Source: Global Press Institute
http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/sexual-and-gender-minorities-with-hiv-face-double-stigma-in-nepalKATHMANDU, NEPAL - In a residential area of Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, neighbors are unaware of what goes on inside this three-story building. Neighbors stare at the men, often dressed in women's clothing and makeup, as they disappear inside.
The building is a hospice center for HIV-infected men who have sex with men, MSM, and "meti," the term for transgender or "third gender" people here. Blue Diamond Society, BDS, an advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex Nepalis, runs the center to provide services for the most critical cases.
"Third gender people are often disliked by the society," says Dibya Gurung, one of the residents at the facility. "Due to the fear of discrimination, we often don't come out as HIV-infected."
