From: Nadine Lurie Batya Subject: Please post Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 10:58:49 -0700 > The only gay/bisexual HIV prevention program in Africa has been told it > will lose 90 percent of its government funding this year. > The cuts will go from R253 000 in '97 to R37 000 in '98 ($50,000 to > $7000). > > Nicci Stein, Director of the Triangle Project in Woodstock, South Africa, > > has asked for letters of support which they can use in negotiations > with their Department of Health. > > You could help by either: > > (1) Writing a letter, preferably on letterhead, in support of > continuing HIV prevention targeting gay/bisexual men; or > > (2) Signing the short support letter below. To do so, copy the text of > the letter, sign your name (with title and organization if you can), and > email to: triangle@icon.co.za. http://www.icon.co.za/~triangle/ > Fax27-21-448-4089. You are encouraged > to add to or change the letter if you wish. > > (3) Sending a donations by bank transfer or by sending a cheque in the > mail. > Bank details are as follows: > Name of bank: STANDARD BANK (SOUTH AFRICA) > Branch and code: VICTORIA ROAD 02-47-09-15 > Name of account: TRIANGLE PROJECT > Type of account: CURRENT ACCOUNT > Account number: 071237526 > Their funding number is: 08 800707 000 0 > (They are registered with the Director of Fundraising as a non-profit > organisation). > > Sincerely, Nadine Batya ACT UP/Golden Gate and John S. James AIDS > Treatment News > __________________________________________________________________ > > Suggested letter which you can cut and paste, and email or send by postal > mail: > > The Director > Triangle Project > P O Box 43282 > Woodstock > 7915 > South Africa > > We are concerned to hear that the Triangle Project has been told that it > will lose 90 percent of its public funding this year. We understand that > this organization is doing unique work in HIV prevention among gay and > bisexual men--a group which remains at particularly high risk of > infection. It remains important to continue targeting prevention > campaigns to all of the most vulnerable groups. > > (signed) > __________________________________________________________________ > > For more information, see the following email which we received March > 18 from Nicci Stein, Director of Triangle Project: > > DEPT OF HEALTH IGNORES GAY HEALTH ISSUES > > March 1998 > > Last week we were at last informed of the amount Triangle Project > would receive as its annual grant from the Department of Health. Although > we > were expecting less money than last year, as a result of the process > of devolving funding decisions to the Provinces, we were astounded to > find that our grant had been cut by 90%. We feel that such an unexpected > cut over such a short period of time is not in the spirit of good donor > practice. The total amount available for NGO's doing HIV work in the > Province was R1.7 million. Of that, a mere 2.2% was spent on work in > gay and bisexual communities, a highly stigmatized group which is known to > be vulnerable to HIV infection. > > There is a perception that gay men have a lot of information and many > resources at their disposal. This may be true in some contexts but our > work with young gay men in townships shows that they have almost no > resources and are just as vulnerable to violence and powerlessness in > society as young heterosexual women, and often face more societal > rejection and discrimination. This group at present is uninformed > about the risks of HIV infection and has very little in the way of > resources > to be able to counteract the problems I have mentioned. Triangle > Project needs support to be able to serve this group effectively. > > At a meeting held with the Provincial Health Dept last week, it became > obvious that their perception is that the "epidemic has shifted" away > from gay men to heterosexual women. We know from experience that this > cannot be true and feel that it has expanded rather than shifted from > one group to another. We know that the only figures for the rates of > HIV infection are from the annual ante-natal survey. Obviously, this > information is inherently biased and has absolutely nothing to do with > gay men. Therefore, the funding allocations have been made on the > basis of incomplete information and unsubstantiated assumptions. > These assumptions need to be examined before we can decide whether > they are true or not. The Health Dept was adamant that statistics about > the > nature of the epidemic amongst gay and bisexual men were of no concern > to them. They even went as far as suggesting that it was Triangle > Project's responsibility to collect these statistics! It thus appears > as if the Health Dept is abrogating all responsibility regarding HIV > infection amongst gay men and does not feel that this aspect of the > epidemic is a mainstream health concern. It should not be the sole > responsibility of gay and lesbian organizations to raise these issues. > Once again we find gay men being marginalised and sidelined. We find > this attitude offensive, discriminatory and completely unacceptable. > The lives of gay and bisexual men should be of equal concern to the Health > Dept as any other vulnerable group. > > Triangle Project will continue to lobby the Health Dept on these > issues. > One of the recommendations we have made is to include questions about > the gender of sexual partners in surveillance questionnaires and to > ask about specific sexual behaviours. Often the word used does not > accurately describe the behaviour. The assumption that everyone is > heterosexual unless they say they are not, is also a myth which needs > to be debunked. > > Triangle Project needs as much support as possible from other gay and > lesbian organizations and individuals. If you feel that the Health Dept > is not showing enough commitment to your issues, please write us a > letter of support which we can then use in our talks with them. Send > your letters to: > > The Director > Triangle Project > P O Box 43282 > Woodstock > 7915 > South Africa > > email: triangle@icon.co.za > Fax 27-21-448-4089. > > Thank you for your support. > > Nicci Stein > Director >