From: rastern@sol.racsa.co.cr
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 1997 12:13:34 -0600 (CST)
Subject: NEWS FROM TRIANGULO ROSA COSTA RICA

News From Triangulo Rosa
Costa Rica


1) Triangulo Rosa, Costa Rica=B4s gay and lesbian Association has opened =
 its
new community center in the capital San Jos=E9. The inaugeration was held on
February 12th. Currently at the Center a variety of programs are taking
place, including workshops dealing with human rights and AIDS prevention,
a Saturday night coffee house, and a series alternative activities including
dance classes, a theatre group,
movie nights, and a drop in area open each day for reading and conversing.
There is also  a lesbian support group.  =20

We continue to operate similar programs in the city of Alajuela, and the
Carribean port City of Limon.

2) We have recently appealed a decision by the local Ombudsmen organization
which is called the "Defensoria de los Habitantes."  At first the Defensoria
was denying  the importance and relevance of our complaint about the attacks
which occurred against our Alajuela  Center in December. (In these attacks
windows were broken, and obscenities were written on the outside walls of
the center.) However, the Defensoria is now  agreeing to consider  the
issue, which we feel is an issue of  the government=B4s response to what we
consider to be a "hate crime." We have received many letters of support from
the International Community  regarding this situation and we are grateful
for this.  =20

3) We continue to be strongly involved in supporting a group of HIV+ people
and PWA=B4s who are lobbying for the government here to begin to provide the
new AIDS medications here. Up to now the government has not been willing to
do this. (Only pregrant mothers receive AZT as a prevention measure.)
However, we have been encouraging negotiations between the government and
the pharmaceutical supplies here including Roche, Bristol Meyers, Glaxo
Wellcome and Merck, among others.  This is not a poor country, but since 70
percent of the people affected by AIDS in Costa Rica are gay men, the
government has only recently begun to take an interest  in what can be done
given the budgetary constraints. We have a meeting scheduled for Thursday
March 20th with the Vice Health Minister and other people who may be
involved in the decision making process regarding these medications.

Since we began negotiations in December, three members of our  negotiating
commission  have died.

We consider the right to adequate medical treatment to a fundamental human
right and we believe that decisions regarding treatment should be made
without regard to factors such as sexual preference,  but there is a very
low consciousness in this country about this issue.

We also welcome additional information about the status of  government
payment for medication in other countries as well as information about
studies of the effectiveness of  the new medications.


4) Triangulo Rosa is financed by the Embassy of Holland and by HIVOS.  All
of Board meetings are public and our constituency is invited  to participate
at any level in our decision making processes.
We believe that this foments the process of empowerment in the community and
that this is especially urgent in our culture, where  frequently   decisions
about   the use of donated    resources for minority communities   have been
made by an elitist groups who do not share the decision making processes
with members of their  unempowered  constituencies.


We are interested in comments and feedback from the International Community.

Triangulo Rosa can be reached at:

e-mail: rastern@sol.racsa.co.cr

Phone: 506-223-1370
Fax:       506-223-3964

Mail: Apartado 1619-4050
          Alajuela, Costa Rica, Central America