GRACE DESOE AND SHELLEY CHENG

Ahead of World AIDS day, Indonesian LGBT+ rights activists warn that escalating “moral panic” is discouraging vulnerable populations from accessing HIV prevention and treatment. For HIV-positive activist Acep Gates, the increasing discrimination in his hometown, Cianjur in West Java, has forced him to go to Jakarta each month to get treatment. In Cianjur, the local government distributed warnings to schools and mosques about the “dangers of LGBT+”, one of the dangers listed was HIV.

This deterred Acep from seeking healthcare in his town. He was only tested when he noticed he had similar symptoms to what he had read about HIV online. “I think most people in Indonesia who are HIV positive try to hide their status because of stigma and discrimination,” he said.

HIV, the virus which leads to AIDS, is now treatable and preventable for those who get advice early enough. In wealthier countries, an HIV diagnosis does not affect average life expectancy. In Indonesia, there are barriers to preventing and treating HIV. It is one of the few countries that has seen an increase in new cases of HIV in the last few years. Read more via Jakarta Post