A community information primer by the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP) and the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO)

What’s going on?

 Bill C-31, a proposed immigration law tabled in Parliament, if passed, will disrupt Permanent Residence as we know it. Targeted mainly at migrants in need of refuge –those fleeing persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, gender or sexual orientation –the law will drastically gut Canada’s already flailing refugee program.

 Such a move stands to threaten the safety, health, well-being and integrity of our communities.

Tell me more.

The new proposed immigration law is called Bill C-31. It was tabled in Parliament on February 16, 2012 with a push to have it passed and implemented by June of this year. Bill C-31, ironically titled “Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act,” is a re-incarnation of the widely criticized and condemned “human smuggling” Bill C-4 (previously C-49), retaining nearly all of its controversial provisions and reintroducing those aspects of the “Balanced Refugee Reform Act” (Bill C-11) that communities and human rights advocates pressured opposition parties to defeat back in 2010.

 Here’s what Bill C-31 proposes:

• Stripping permanent residence and deporting permanent residents whose refugee claims were previously approved should the Minister decide, at any time, that they no longer need protection from their country of origin (or if the Minister decides their country of origin is now “safe”)
• Collection of invasive biometric information for all applicants of  temporary resident (visitor) visas, study permits or work permits.
• Mandatory detention of at least one year for refugees as young as 16 who the Minister designates as “irregular arrivals.”
• A 5-year ban on applying for permanent residence for refugees designated as “irregular arrivals” even if their refugee claims are ultimately successful.
• An additional 5-year year ban until refugees designated as “irregular arrivals” can sponsor their family members and be re-united with them in Canada.
• Unilateral power for the Minister to name so-called “safe” countries in order to create a two-tiered refugee determination process based on nationality. Refugee claimants from these designated countries will have no right of appeal and will have very limited time to access lawyers and prepare for their cases.
• Eliminating the right to file an Application for Permanent Residence on Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds (“H&C Application”) until 1 year following the refusal of a refugee claim (Most refused refugees will be deported within the year).

How does this affect our community?

 Immigrants and refugees from South Asia move to Canada for a variety of reasons – to seek work and opportunities for themselves and their families, to flee conditions of war, poverty or persecution.  However in many cases, even after landing in Canada, they face multiple barriers in getting their skills and qualifications recognized, obtaining decent jobs for decent pay or accessing services they are entitled to. Nevertheless many in our community persevere and build better lives for their kids and families.

 South Asians are also the largest demographic among people of colour in Canada. Here in the Greater Toronto Area, nearly a quarter of the city’s population identifies as South Asian. Our communities have a long history in Canada dating back to the early 20^th century and our community members have made invaluable contributions to all sectors of society – be it in health-care, education, social-services, arts and culture – and much, much more.

Despite this, our communities continue to be attacked, vilified and painted as system abusing refugees, and are accused of flooding Canadian visa posts with “fake marriage” sponsorship applications.  For example, over the last 2 years, months-long detention of over 500 Tamil refugees aboard the Ocean Lady and MV Sunsea, including children, was justified with false accusations that they are criminals and terrorists.

Gay rights references from the new citizenship guide have been removed and racist references to practices such as “honour killings” have been added, further stereotyping our communities. All the while women are made more vulnerable to abuse through the introduction of ‘conditional permanent residence’ for sponsored spouses. Avenues for family reunification have been closed by putting a moratorium on parental (& grandparental) sponsorships. Muslim women who choose to wear niqab (face veil) during the citizenship ceremony have been accused of being a security threat and have been the subject of debate and proposals to deny them access to public services.

Our agencies support South Asian communities through difficult and often stigmatized issues such as HIV/AIDS education, healthy relationships and more. Our services are premised on trust and confidentiality between clients and service providers. We strongly believe that increasingly stringent laws on immigration status that place people in insecure conditions and threaten their residency will negatively impact their ability to secure stable employment, housing and access to health services.

What are others saying?

 Bill C-31 is a continuation of a steady and relentless attempt to dismantle the refugee system and move the whole immigration system towards one of temporary migration, where increasingly, people are treated as disposable economic units. Many civil liberties and human rights organizations have already issued statements condemning the bill and exposing ill-advised rhetoric justifying its implementation.

For example, while the official press-release for Bill C-31 claims it will “protect the integrity of Canada’s immigration system,” the Canadian Civil Liberties Association asserts that it will actually“stand in stark contrast to Canada’s legal obligations under our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” And further when the release declares the bill will “include further reforms to the asylum system to make it faster and fairer (our emphasis),” Amnesty International instead affirms that in reality it will “violate Canada’s commitment to uphold the 1951 Refugee convention and to abide by provisions in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

 You can find statements issued by various organizations here:

No One Is Illegal
Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers
Amnesty International
Canadian Civil Liberties Association
Canadian Council of Refugees
Roma Community Centre

What can I do?

1) Call and write your Member of Parliament. Tell them you want them to vote to scrap Bill C-31 – The Refugee Exclusion Act. To find their contact information, click http://bit.ly/mfMkVq

2) Have your organization, traditional council, union, community group, or artist collective write a short public statement/press release of support of migrants and against Bill C-31. You can use information within the primer and statements issued by organizations listed above for reference.

3) Always take a minute to write letters to the editor and comment on news stories – make a difference in public conversation! Reinforce your support for migrants and refugees, demand that Bill C-31 be immediately and entirely scrapped. All letters must be short (100 words), include name, mailing address and daytime phone number of the writer; state “Letter to the Editor” in subject; and content should be in the body of the email.

4) Stay Informed. You can join the low-traffic ASAAP Newsletter List-serv here: http://asaap.ca/

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For more information contact:

 South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO): Karin Baqi 416-487-6371

Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP): Yogi Acharya 416-599-2727ext. 225

Devan Nambiar is actively involved in HIV research, LGBT health, complementary medicine and community based research. He has co-authored, edited and contributed to three of the Practical Guides at CATIE and contribution author to Managing Your Health (2009). He works full time at Rainbow Health Ontario, and as a consultant on health and mind-body modalities at http://www.ghis.ca./  Devan is completing his studies in MSc Integrated  Healthcare.

As we stride into 2012, it is time to reflect on our connections to the world.  Deep within the psyche our thoughts transcend to the conscious, sub-consciousness and super- conscious mind.  In some circles it is known as the divine incarnate within us.    

There is a saying in Sanskirt, “Tat tvam asi.”  It means “That art thou,” or “You are that, “I am that.” It means we all are of the one source; we are of everything and nothing. Tat tvam asi is found in the Upanishads, and refers to our experience of “identity” with Brahman.  Brahman is the one supreme universal spirit.  When we can see Brahman in all things, the basis for our love of others is that they also are one with Brahman. I have spent many years contemplating this concept.  

In this article, I have chosen to portray on the spiritual and religious essence of our being through the writing and spiritual experiences of five gay/queer men. These men have made remarkable strides in gay spirituality and LGBT rights.  They are leaders and visionaries and have contributed immensely to the body of work for queer communities.  They have opened the doors to gently nudge us into exploring a deeper sense of our belonging in the mystical world of spirituality and sensuality, be it western or eastern.   Their literary works, spiritual wisdom and journeys speak to the core of who we are.  They are: Joey Crinita, Christopher Isherwood, Richard Albert (Ram Dass), Mark Thompson and Andrew Harvey.

As I write of contemporary gay western mystics. The oldest queer mystic that I have ever read on is the Sufi mystic Shah Hussain who fell in love with a Hindu man Madho Lal in the 16^th century in Pakistan http://shirazhassan.blogspot.com/2010/08/love-of-sufi-mystic-shah-hussain_03.html  Hussain “expressed his love by adopting his friend’s name. He would call himself Madho Lal Hussain. His poetry remains popular and millions throng his grave at the Mughal era garden, Shalamar Bagh, in Lahore, to celebrate Mela Charaghan (the Festival of Lights) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCO-P0v3Qv8  every March.” Hundreds of years later their love for each other is still celebrated in Pakistan. Sufi Islam is the mystical sect of Islam.  

Joey Crinita, http://joeycrinita.com/ Our very own Canadian gay spiritualist and mystic. I have had the privilege of knowing Joey for over 20 years. He has been instrumental in sharing various spiritual and esoteric knowledge, meditation techniques, and to bring an understanding of religion to many in the gay, lesbian, bi and trans communities.  Joey warmth and kindness interjects a spiritual force that invites the seeker into knowing and understanding his or her place in this world.  Joey’s latest book This Medium’s Life speaks of his growing years as a young gay men and finding religion and God. Joey’s latest book is available via amazon.com. His other books include, The Medium Touch, A New Approach to Mediumship, From Chains to Wings, The Journey Into Spirit and Healing Poems of Spirit.

Christopher Isherwood http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Isherwood  His novel spawned the movie A Single Man. He also spend close to three decades learning from Swami Prabhavananda in India, learning spirituality, religion and the God within.  He also translated the book Sermon on the Mountain –based on Christ`s teachings.  Swami Prabhavananda was a follower of Shri RamaKrishna (http://www.ramakrishna.org/rmk.htm) who embodied God like experiences on earth.  Christopher was told by Swami Prabhavananda to see God in his lover/partner. It was a challenge for Christopher as it would be for most of us mortals.  Christopher`s other contributions to spiritual writing include, Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God, by Prabhavananda and Isherwood;  Vedanta for Modern Man (1945); Ramakrishna and His Disciples; Essentials of Vedanta; My Guru and His Disciple

Ram Dass http://www.ramdass.org/ I used to listen to Ram Dass talks and his readings and it never dawned on me he is gay until much later. His birth name was Richard Albert.  He was a professor of psychology at Harvard University, worked at Yale University and Stanford.  He is one of the most enlightened contemporary spiritual leaders of our time and well known for his working relationship with Dr. Timothy Leary. He is also the author of best seller, Remember, Be Here Now.  

During the 80’s Richard was going through his own spiritual search.  His quest for spiritual knowledge was intense. With few teachers available, he traveled to India in 1967 and there he met Bhagavan Das, http://www.bhagavandas.com/home.html

Bhagavan guided “Richard barefoot from temple to temple, and began teaching him basic mantras (sacred chants) and asanas (yoga postures), as well as how to work with spiritual beads.   After a few months, Bhagavan Das led Richard to his guru, Neem Karoli Baba http://maharajji.com/  (also known as Maharaj-ji) at the foothills of the Himalayas.  Maharaj-ji soon became Richard’s guru and gave him the name “Ram Dass,” which means “servant of Lord Rama.” Under the guidance of Maharaj-ji, Ram Dass was instructed to receive teaching from Hari Dass Baba, who taught in silence using only a chalkboard.”   

Richard realized he had met a special human being in Hari Dass Baba.  He came to appreciate Hari Dass Baba even more, “the day Baba asked him about the tiny pieces of paper he was eating.  “LSD Richard responded.”

Baba replied, “Give me some.” Baba took 915 micrograms of LSD (the average dose is 50 to 70 micrograms). He waited with interest for the outcome of the acid trip his teacher was about to have. But he observed with astonishment, the acid didn’t change Baba. The LSD had no effect on him.  Baba lived in an expanded state of consciousness that the drugs temporarily created for Richard.  He knew he had found the map-reader to teach him the mysteries he longed to understand.  These life changing experiences in India inspired Ram Dass to write the contemporary spiritual classic, Remember, Be Here Now.  Richard teaches that everyone is a manifestation of God and that every moment is of infinite significance. For an ecopy of the classic book, http://nseo.com/remember/thebook/index.htm and his website at http://www.ramdass.org/

There are numerous videos online on addiction, relationship, love, by Ram Dass. Here is one on Talking About Being Gay, Being Soul Friends, and Just Being http://www.throughyourbody.com/ram-dass-talking-about-being-gay-being-soul-friends-and-just-being/

Mark Thompson, http://www.markthompsongayspirit.com/author.html  A writer who embodies the spiritual gay essence.  In the late 1980’s I had just read The Gay Spirit: Myth and Meaning by Mark. I was so moved by the jewels of wisdom in the book that I called Mark than when he worked at the Advocate.  It was a book that truly touched my soul and what it meant to be queer.

Mark interviewed Ram Dass in 1994 about being gay for his second book The Gay Soul:Finding the Heart of Gay Spirit and Nature.   Most people in the spiritual/ meditative communities who knew of Ram Dass did not know he was gay.  Likewise many in the gay community had never heard of Ram Dass.  Mark’s third book in the trilogy was Gay Body: A Journey Through Shadow to Self.  Through the books I heard about the Radical Fairies, a group that exist till today. You will read about Harry Hay the founder of the first gay political group on gay rights and founder of Gay Pride. While Harry’s vision of Gay Pride was spiritual, I wonder what he would say of Gay Pride now.  

In an excerpt from the Gay Body, we read about the archetype of queer love-the Double. “We see the Double overtly reflected in the deeds of men who have bonded together for the sake of achievement.” “The Double is one the most important and ascendant elements within a gay male psyche.”  “Myths are sacred time. Myths are pertinent to psychological understanding ……..”  They transcent the daily condition of our life and take us to another world.  Sometimes it even holds promise of a better way. ”   

Andrew Harvey http://www.andrewharvey.net/ My previous partner gave me a cassette titled, Gay Mysticism: Ecstasy and Transfiguration through Divine Love. Listening to Andrew’s spiritual awakening via eros was mind blowing and when he talked of his vision –it was addictive.  Even more coincidentally, it had all happened in on his return to India.  Andrew was born in India and left for the west and returned back to India. While in India, he had intense spiritual/religious experiences that solidified his yearning of a gay religious sense of being.   When I read of his experiences it opened the doors in my own being and sense of identity that I intuitively understood. His experiences validated and deepened my beliefs.    

In his new book The Hope: a Guide to Sacred Activism, he defines Sacred Activism “as a force of compassion in action destined to midwife the birth of a new humanity able to co-create with the Divine a new world.”  More writing by Andrew at, http://www.andrewharvey.net/freeexcerpt.php  Institute for Sacred Activism,

It is my hope that each of us delve a little deeper into our soul to search for our place in this universe and make this a better and happier world. Blessings. 

( FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE )

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP) stands united with community allies against attempts to further criminalize HIV

Toronto: On February 8^th, the Attorney Generals of Manitoba and Quebec will bring 2 cases to the Superior Court of Canada – R. vs Mabior & R. vs D.C – that carry profound consequences for us all. In two separate appeals both Attorney Generals are arguing for an expansion of criminal law to enforce disclosure of HIV status in any and all cases of sexual contact, regardless of the person’s viral load, use of condoms and the risks (or lack thereof) associated with the activity. Such a move will effectively result in the potential criminalization of all those living with HIV and derail advances in prevention efforts.

The Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP) strongly believes that criminalization further stigmatizes HIV and deters people from taking action that keeps themselves and those around them safe such as getting tested and seeking treatment and counseling. More importantly, these blanket conditions proposed for criminalization fail to recognize people living with HIV as responsible members of the community.

“To address non-disclosure we first need to understand why this is difficult – if you were met with fear, anger, loss of housing or employment and even violence – would you easily disclose your status?” asks Vijaya Chikermane, Executive Director at ASAAP. “Adding criminal connotations and consequences to disclosure only serves to bolster the stigma and fear of HIV testing which can increase the risk of transmission,” she continues.

The criminalization of HIV in Canada on the scale we are currently witnessing started with a 1998 Superior Court of Canada (SCC) ruling (R. vs Cuerrier) which stated that that a person must disclose his or her HIV‐positive status before engaging in sexual activity that poses a ‘significant risk of serious bodily harm’ (i.e., a significant risk of HIV transmission) to their partner. The SCC however did not define what would constitute ‘significant risk’ in its decision or provide criteria for assessing risk. The result is that since then there have been over 130 charges laid with a conviction rate of 50%, roughly 85% of which resulted in jail sentences. In most cases, there was no actual transmission of the virus. In other words, the charges were based solely on non-disclosure of HIV status and NOT on whether anyone was actually put at any risk (determined by the type of sexual act, the infected person’s viral load and the use of condoms).

“What we need to understand is that the rhetoric employed by those pushing for heavy-handed enforcement of disclosure hardly matches the reality on the ground. More convictions mean more people being sent to prison. This makes no sense in a context where the rate of HIV transmissions in federal prisons is 22 times higher than it is on the outside and the rate of transmission of co-infections like HEP-C is 45 times higher ” adds Yogi Acharya, Community Outreach worker at ASAAP.

“Putting people in prison will not stop the spread of HIV. What will help is efforts to reduce stigma associated with HIV through better and expanded education and testing programs,” concludes Chikermane.

More than 100 organizations from Canada and around the world have signed on to a statement opposing the criminalization of people living with HIV in Canada. For more information and for background information on the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure, visit www.aidslaw.ca/stopcriminalization.

Media Contacts:

Vijaya Chikermane
Executive Director
Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention
416-599-2727 ext 224 or ed@asaap.ca
www.asaap.ca

Yogi Acharya
Community Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator
Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention
416-599-2727 ext 225 or volunteer@asaap.ca
www.asaap.ca

Starfish is a budding writer, an avid reader, a lover of compassion and collaboration, a keen explorer of human consciousness, and a curious seeker of natural healing wisdom and multi-dimensional spiritualities.  Originally from a remarkable little South Asian country, Starfish made the great migration with family to Canada.  Starfish is excited to be sharing her thoughts, insights, adventures, and quirks about being poz, and also just being human. 

She sped out of that library like a reporter on a beat.  She saw blurred faces with sharp eyes looking at her and she thought she heard growling coming from the gutters of their rounded bellies.  Why were their bellies rounded?  Swelling with pride.  Babies pushed out of their wombs screaming bloody murder for bringing them into this world.  No more squishy softness inside mummy’s tummy.  No more muted sounds from the universe outside, rather a deafening roar of voices mingled with machines and the maddening urgency of racing mufflers and screeching tires.  This was life!  On the inside and outside where one was alive.  And there was no place to hide. 

Stop.  Breathe.  Shhhh…

She had walked all the way from the library to Book City just past Runnymede station.  Sweat was trickling down her back, absorbed by the thick elastic waistband of her sweatpants.  She took off the bulky grey coat, the blue hoodie and the long-sleeved tee until she could feel the air brush against her clammy skin.  She was now completely visible for the world to see in her dull black tank top, the one she had been wearing to bed for the last couple of days inside out because the crisp paper labels made her skin itchy.  The disposed garments lay on top of her bare forearm like heavy drapes.  She bent down to lift her backpack and could feel the intensity of curious eyes of the passersby.  It was -1 degree Celsius. 

She stepped inside the mid-size book shop and felt her mind coming back to accepting the regular comings and goings of the day.  No longer were babies bawling or mothers cuddling and fussing or mowing her down with their strollers.  The traffic had somehow ebbed to an even flow and rhythm.  Footsteps fell in melodious thumps at a safe distance.  The space felt like home. 

She stood and stared at the assortment of magazines on the rack to her right and marveled at the talents behind the layouts, the photos, the typeface, the subjects and the text.  How many hours did they spend to get it just right?  What inner genius propelled them to discover the right balance of colour, light and literature?  They were complex minds seeking ingenuity and innovation over the prosaic reality of a mucky world.  Someday, she would get out of the trenches of her silent war where veils were both the bullets and the emollient.  Get out and redirect her mind to creative pursuits and industry.  For now, she listened and observed through these veils and allowed her body to react and overreact as she forgave it for its weaknesses. 

But peace came and went as the battle cry ricocheted once again from cover to cover.  It landed on those defiant pills, oozing photo-shopped brilliance from the pores of a dead tree.  The Walrus.  Aids at 30.  But she didn’t run this time.  She moved her body close to the cover in a kind of face-off daring herself to touch it. 

“That’s the last copy we have.”  Her body shook so startled was it by the bass tone that came from behind her.  She turned around to see a tall youthful-looking man standing behind the counter directly across the magazine racks.  She stared at the wild black curls framing his soft features.  He was wearing round glasses with a red frame resting at ease on a long, hooked nose.  His lips were like two slices of prosciutto carved into skin the colour of cinnamon.  His eyes looked larger than normal with the glasses.  She wasn’t close enough to see their shade.  The rest of him looked rather dumpy.  But for the red-rimmed eye-wear, style wasn’t his forte.  He was lean underneath a washed-out t-shirt with a dull palm tree on the front and a pair of years-old jeans. 

He returned her gaze and gave her a quick look from head to toe, noticing the mound of fabric on her arm.  Something in her eyes compelled him to speak further. 

“Actually, that’s the September issue and shouldn’t even be there.”  She nodded.  She felt her heart picking up speed and her blood warm to the sound of his voice.  A faint sliver of a smile formed on her dry lips.  He smiled back.  She immediately turned to the magazine and picked it up off the shelf and brought it over to the counter. 

“I’ll take it.”  Her voice whispered.  She was starting to feel cold again and heaped her clothes on the counter to put them back on one by one as he watched in earnest.  When the turtle shell of her clothes enveloped her once more, she receded to a place in her mind where this man with the red-rimmed glasses was no longer an object of her delusional longing but part of the dust and the mud that buried her heart every time her life expectancy was mapped out in a printout of numerical data. 

I won’t lose myself this time, she thought. 

Aids at 30 was in her hands.  It was once a death sentence, read the tagline.  She mused on these words as she walked out of the book store and back towards her silent dwelling where she trusted the veils to keep her secret and to keep her warm at night. 

Remember you can blog your ideas, comments and thoughts too! Simply get in touch at info@asaap.ca

Devan Nambiar is actively involved in HIV research, LGBT health, complementary medicine and community based research. He has co-authored, edited and contributed to three of the Practical Guides at CATIE and contribution author to Managing Your Health (2009). He works full time at Rainbow Health Ontario, and as a consultant on health and mind-body modalities at www.ghis.ca.  Devan is completing his studies in MSc Integrated  Healthcare.

Finally an Indian gay story between two men and it is not a parody or comic or a series of mistaken sexual identifies. It is a winner of 7 Audience and Jury Awards. YOU CAN’T CURRY LOVE is a short movie of 24 minutes.

My memory takes me to my first inter-racial gay movie in 1986- My Beautiful Laundrette http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO8skgxSAv0  starring Daniel Day- Lewis  and Gordon Warnecke as the romantic love affair between a British punk and a Pakistani.  A complex movie that dealt with the clash of class, immigrant loyalty and identities. In 1986, it was considered groundbreaking to portray a gay South Asian man. Well, 25 years, mainstream North American gay movies have not moved an inch beyond that.

But along comes, You Can`t Curry Love, a recent UK production. The movie touches the topic of being open to the possibilities that might come in one life. The plot is about a western born Indian man who has never been to India and has all the stereotypes of India.  His job requires him to travel to India and clear a few hurdles to finalize a few business transactions. He is not looking forward to travel to Indian but upon his arrival, destiny has a different outcome for him. 

I am choosing to use the word Indian, because the word South Asian is rather foreign to me in how I would describe myself to another Indian in Asia. Whenever I am back in Asia and if I were to talk about South Asian issues, people look at me and ask, “Who are these South Asians you keep talking about? Then I have to get into this whole political race relations discourse of blah, blah, blah and this is how in Canada we are identified.

Back to be the two Indian cuties.  This is such a cute love story of two very adorable handsome young men, Vikas and Sunil. I get goose bumps just watching these two young men, my Indian heart beat resonates with their emotions, words, sentiments, and not to mention they are both absolutely gorgeous and yummy to look at.  As an Indian gay man, it is mighty refreshing to see two men from my culture, and race portrayed in a loving gay positive movie.  But most important of all, I see so many similarities in the movie of my own recognition of my sense of belonging and longing versus the barren North American gay scene that lies ahead of me.  While the characters in the movie have their own personal challenges, however neither of them is stewing in his issues. The movie is not embedded with stagnation of fear of intimacy, expressing feelings, fear of commitments or emotions that plague the discussions of North American gay scene.  Very refreshing indeed and much needed.      

Sunil is born in India and Vikas is born in the west, but the emotions and feeling expressed by both from different walks of life, are identical regardless of where they were born.  Commonality and difference of class, family values, obligations, caste, transgender, honour and dishonour, homo-social behaviour common in many cultures, are all discussed.  It is simple in its analysis and discourse of intersections of identity and oppression. Most of all what sets it beautifully is the power to believe in love and follow one’s heart.  The full movie version can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/26463502

You Can’t Curry Love is directed by Reid Waterer.

Stars Ashwin Gore as Vikas, Rakshak Sahni as Sunil, G. Russell Reynolds as Thom, Upasana Beharee as Amrita, and Rajan Velu as the Hijra.

Remember you can blog your ideas, comments and thoughts too! Simply get in touch at info@asaap.ca

Starfish is a budding writer, an avid reader, a lover of compassion and collaboration, a keen explorer of human consciousness, and a curious seeker of natural healing wisdom and multi-dimensional spiritualities.  Originally from a remarkable little South Asian country, Starfish made the great migration with family to Canada.  Starfish is excited to be sharing her thoughts, insights, adventures, and quirks about being poz, and also just being human. 

 She crept into the library after convincing herself that it was better to take risks than wait at home for her favourite friends, Rogers and Fido, to call.  It took her only fifteen minutes on foot to get down to the main intersection where the library was located.  It was directly across the ubiquitous Tim Horton’s where bookworms would grab a watered-down double double before sitting down for a few pleasant hours of reading. 

She noticed that the library was quite packed for a Wednesday afternoon.  There were the writers glued to their laptops not quite hitting that perfect sentence to begin or end their life stories.  They were seated with their tech-savvy Mac books on the counter space in front of large oblong windows that looked out into the street.  That was their source of inspiration for now as they watched people coming out of timbits central.  Then there were the avid news readers, who preferred to read about today’s death and destruction in the much coveted plush seating area of the library.  The teens and young college students were at the long wooden tables with textbooks and highlighters spread out in all manner of style and rebellion.  If only they could know how important human biology would be in later years rather than the concentration and confinement its study demanded at this restless age. 

The kids were reading big colourful books and children’s fantasy fiction in that special little section with their guardians at their side to help them pronounce a dreaded three-syllable word.  She always passed their room with rushed steps and hardly ever glanced in the direction as she made her way up the stairs to the adult section.  In this case, partition was good in her mind.  Better to avoid the longing as much as possible.  A child’s voice was enough to make her slip back into her own fantasy fiction about someday being a mother.  Her biology compelled her to keep this delusion in sight, but it was that spiky-cell-devouring virus of all mammoth viruses that brought her back to keeping things simple by daydreaming about coffee and glazed donuts instead. 

As she sat down on one of the plush chairs in the magazine and newspaper section, she brought out Love and Will and pushed herself to open to the bookmarked page.  It was hard reading.  She was constantly in flight mode as she read the passages on honesty and exploration in the experience of love.  It took her back to that time when she wrestled with that powerful daimonic, when she didn’t know what it was.  She was lost inside someone else and thought she would find herself through him, and through the struggle they were both a part of.  The transformation hadn’t come.  Her heart ached.  Still. 

She looked up and was startled to find a man staring at her with a peculiar look in his eyes.  He was seated in the same section but on a chair at an angle across from hers.  He was older.  His kinky grey hair framed his gaunt dark face.  His eyes were the darkest black as they bore into hers.  In situations like this, she would often offer a cheerful smile, but his eyes had unsettled her and she felt self-conscious looking back at the pages, no longer able to think in solitude.  But when she looked again, he was no longer looking at her but at the magazine in his hand.  The Walrus.  The image on the front cover showed a colourful assortment of pills.  Aids at 30, its main heading read.  Now it was her turn to stare, not at the man, but at those colourful candy-like pills.  

TBC

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Today, the highest court in our land heard legal arguments from numerous groups and individuals about their positions on the fundamental battle between freedom of expression and the right to be free from hateful speech.  The case is Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission vs. William Whatcott et al., and the Supreme Court of Canada has not yet made their decision. Mr. Bill Whatcott, a known anti-gay activist originally from Ontario and now living in Edmonton, has described himself as “pro-life, pro-family, pro-father, pro-gun”.  For years, he has also distributed graphic and demeaning hate propaganda about the so called “dangers” of gay sex and has been known to give out flyers with photographs of a beheaded Indonesian girl describing the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, as a “man of violence”.  He has protested outside many abortion clinics, has been charged by the police numerous times, and has only once been convicted for violating the criminal law.

In 2005, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal fined Mr. Whatcott $17,500 for anti-gay hate speech and found him to have discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation for his active distribution of obscene flyers protesting teaching about homosexuality in Saskatoon’s public schools.  Mr. Whatcott decided to appeal the decision to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, who then decided to reverse the Tribunal decision.  The Court of Appeal stated that the debate over what children should be taught in schools, including an inclusive education exploring the concept of sexuality and diverse sexual orientations, will often be controversial and should be open to debate, even if that debate becomes “impolite”.  My reading of this decision is that the Court of Appeal seems to think that as long as there is no incitement of or threat of violence in the speech, it is alright to make harmful, discriminatory statements that could go a long way to inciting and encouraging hatred towards some of the most marginalized groups in society.  Perhaps the Court of Appeal has not seen Statistics Canada’s recent reports on the dramatic increase in anti-gay violence and hate crime – an increase of more than 35% over a 1 year period between 2007 and 2008.  More and more people are exposed to violence and death every year, just because they are gay. 

Just as alarming as the increase in violence is the trend of ultra right wing groups and organizations inciting overt discrimination through attacks on education systems in Canada for introducing inclusive education programs in schools which would educate children about homophobia, transphobia, and the issue of gender identity.  The National Post’s recent Ontario election-timed ad with the image of a small girl, no more than 4 or 5 years old, picturized beside the caption “Don’t Confuse Me” (making reference to the convoluted idea that children should not be taught about gender identity as socially constructed but should be told whether they are a boy or a girl and stick to that) rightly sparked a serious and active uproar from communities and allies all across Canada.  This type of ad simply reinforces the reality that the courts seem to ignore: the degree of discrimination, harassment, homophobia, transphobia, and overt hate speech that seems to be acceptable in the media and in pop culture the world over is simply ridiculous and unacceptable. 

We will have to wait and watch as the Supreme Court of Canada deliberates over this essential question of whether or not there should be boundaries to freedom of expression when it comes to the issue of hate speech.  Some are concerned that the voices of those who have been historically disadvantaged would be further marginalized if freedom of expression is forced to exist with limitations.  There are those who are concerned that the voices of the majority will be protected with the same vigour, using the same arguments as those that would be used to protect the rights of minorities. 

But, really, can we honestly forget about the documented historical disadvantage of marginalized communities in our country, in our societies?  Can we choose to ignore the lived realities of people who have been silenced, violenced, and tragically killed simply based on the fact that they choose to express who they truly are? Freedom of expression is something that should be protected as much as possible, but there are limits.  When human beings are dying and when human rights are being violated with impunity, I believe that limit has been crossed.

I say, we all have the freedom to express ourselves.  Let us make use of this freedom.  Let us speak out against homophobia, transphobia, and hate speech.  Let us denounce discrimination, harassment and violence. 

This is what our freedom of expression was meant to do.

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Devan Nambiar is actively involved in HIV research, LGBT health, complementary medicine and community based research. He has co-authored, edited and contributed to three of the Practical Guides at CATIE and contribution author to Managing Your Health (2009). He works full time at Rainbow Health Ontario, and as a consultant on health and mind-body modalities at www.ghis.ca.  Devan is completing his studies in MSc Integrated  Healthcare.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued comprehensive recommendations on the prevention and treatment of HIV and sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people.

The guidance emphasizes the very high vulnerability of MSM and transgender people to HIV infection, even in settings where the majority of HIV-infected people acquired HIV through sex between men and women.  In the last 5 years we have seen an increase of HIV infections in MSM communities acrossCanada, US and an increase on HIV infections in transwomen especially in theUS.  The recent report is HIV among Trangender People,  http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/transgender/index.htm

Canadahas been very lax in collecting data of HIV seroconversion in trans communities acrossCanada. In US the HIV infections rates have increase drastically in black and Latino communities.  InCanadaand includingOntario, we have minimal data on race based HIV sero-conversions.  

Overall many AIDS Service Organizations inCanadahave been slow to open doors to serve trans communities and reduce the impact of HIV in these respective communities.  Stigma and discrimination is even higher against trans persons in comparison to gay/MSM communities. 

The “global spread of HIV cannot be reversed without addressing the specific HIV needs of the key populations” at risk, said Dr Gottfried Hirnschall, WHO’s Director of HIV/AIDS Department.  “MSM and and transgender people everywhere face huge difficulties in accessing HIV services,” said George Ayala, Executive Director of the Global Forum MSM & HIV (MSMGF).   “We are issuing these guidelines to help countries and communities scale-up the services needed to reduce new infections and save lives.”

One of the goals of the guidelines is to provide recommendations to help ensure that pervasive barriers like stigma and criminalization no longer stand in the way of life-saving services.  On a global viewpoint, around 75 countries in the world criminalize LGBT persons. These draconian laws were set in place during British colonization around 1834, yet the impact is still felt today. 

Canadadecriminalized homosexuality in 1969 but that does mean homophobia has been eradicated inCanada.   Homophobia still exists here and it is evident in the health disparities for LGBT persons and their communities.  In 1973 the American Psychological Association removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM) as a mental illness. Prior to the removal, “homosexuals’ were routinely rounded up and arrested. They given electro shock therapy to be cured, lobotomy, arrested, imprisoned, killed, lost custody of their children, lost their source of employment and refused housing. 

Key recommendations

1. Countries to decriminalize same-sex sexual activity, and to create non-discriminatory and inclusive policy (i.e. environments) to deliver prevention, treatment and care.  The anti-discrimination law to conform to international human rights standards to be put in place. This will help combat the enormous social stigma and violence against same-sex behavior/desire and gender difference in many countries.  Hopefully this provision will assist MSM and transgender to access health services and receive appropriate care.

2. The guidelines makes a number of recommendations on the advice which should be given to MSM and on prevention and treatment services.  The strength of the recommendations is based on a survey by Global Forum on MSM and HIV. 

While the research found no recognition of serosorting among a global sample of MSM, the guidelines discuss serosorting as a possible prevention strategy. In 2006, the HIV global community went into a chaos with the recommendation of the Swiss guidelines for sero-discordant couples ( http://www.positiveside.ca/e/V10I2/Viralload_e.htm).  I remember every national HIV conference inCanadawas dominated by the Swiss guidelines, including staff from national to regional ASOS  to researchers were preoccupied with the Swiss guidelines. 

However many of us in the poz communities also knew many poz men were already sero-sorting without much controversy.  Now WHO has silently endorsed sero-sorting as possible prevention strategy.  To alleviate fears of drug resistant HIV, we have not seen in real humans the rise of drug resistant HIV as sero-sorting has been going on for years.  Drug resistant virus have been documented in-vitro (test-tube studies) or in vivo (cell cultures), but the human body and its immune system is much more complex.   With the exception of theNew Yorkpatient and around four PHAS inCanadawith known HIV drug resistant virus, we have not seen or heard of HIV resistant virus in the last 30 years. Some research has shown that HIV tends to revert to wild -type and in some cases drug resistant HIV is archived in cellular reservoirs.  The final decision is up to the participants to make the informed choice to sero-sort or not.         

3. For HIV negative MSM, consistent condom use is recommended in preference to serosorting.  But in “specific circumstances” serosorting is recommended over not using condoms.  Male circumcision is not recommended as a preventive measure. Refer to the full guidelines on the “specific circumstances”.

4.  Access to HIV testing and counselling is strongly recommended. But the guidelines also noted, the low quality of the evidence supporting this recommendation.  

5. Individual behavior change counselling is conditionally recommended (depending on availability of staff resources). 

6. Targeted internet-based information to support risk reduction is conditionally recommended, together with social marketing strategies to increase the uptake of HIV testing and counselling and other HIV services.

7. Sex venue-based outreach services are conditionally recommended, although the guidelines note the low quality of evidence and suggest that more research is needed in low and middle-income countries to determine the effect of these interventions on HIV or  sexually transmitted infections (STI) incidence. 

8. MSM and trans persons addictions to alcohol, drugs and cigarette should have access to evidence-based brief psychosocial interventions involving assessment, specific feedback and advice, in line with current WHO guidance.

9.  Access to needle and syringe exchange programs, and sterile injecting equipment and training in safe injecting behaviors for transgender people who are injecting substances (hormones especially testosterone) for gender enhancement.

10. Last but not least, the importance of management of symptomatic STI.  If sexually active, get periodic testing for asymptomatic urethral, rectal gonorrhoea and Chlamydia, using nucleic acid testing.  Periodic serological screening for asymptomatic syphilis is strongly recommended, and the guidelines reiterate existing WHO guidance on the need to include MSM and transgender people in hepatitis B immunisation strategies.

Further reading:

WHO Guidelines, http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/guidelines/msm_guidelines2011/en/index.html 

Swiss Guidelines: http://www.positiveside.ca/e/V10I2/Viralload_e.htm

Penal code 377 and the unnatural afterlife of British colonialism, http://sgwiki.com/wiki/377_and_the_unnatural_afterlife_of_British_colonialism 

NAM: http://www.aidsmap.com/page/1846431/

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Starfish is a budding writer, an avid reader, a lover of compassion and collaboration, a keen explorer of human consciousness, and a curious seeker of natural healing wisdom and multi-dimensional spiritualities.  Originally from a remarkable little South Asian country, Starfish made the great migration with family to Canada.  Starfish is excited to be sharing her thoughts, insights, adventures, and quirks about being poz, and also just being human. 

A Story in Three Parts

Part I

Morning penetrated the narrow slits of the half-closed blinds and into the small space that was her corner of the city. It was a sunny day and by the brilliance of the sunlight, it was much later in the morning.  As the rays glistened with room dust, sounds of morning traffic filtered through a tiny opening in the window.  She was fortunate to have gotten a room away from the main road in the back of the building.  Most days, the sound of cars passing by on this stretch of asphalt would rarely reach a few extra decibels above the hum of the refrigerator, at least on her side.  She could only imagine how unpleasant the blaring of horns and the screeching of wheels might be for the residents housed in apartments facing the street.

She rolled over on her stomach as far as she could on the narrow cot and dropped her left arm down over the side to reach for the cell phone that she always threw casually on the rug just before bedtime.  Her eyes were still closed as she groped along the plush carpeting and finally wrapped her fingers around the tiny electronic device that hardly ever received a call much less used to make one.  She brought it up to eye level and took a peek at the time.  Just about noon.  Not bad after having stayed up till nearly 6am.  At that moment between wakefulness and dreaming, the moment when she realized she couldn’t push the dream out into the obscure void that was her life at present, she grudgingly complied with her fate and rose for another day of solitary rituals, almost identical to her late-night ones.

The main sleeping/living area contained simple and basic furnishings including a small table with a lamp, a bookshelf, and the narrow cot she also used as a sofa.  The room had a small closet where she kept her clothes in cardboard boxes that functioned as a chest of drawers.  The bookshelf where all the knowledge of modern-day sages and self-sacrificing heroines were housed stood in dusty stagnation against a wall next to the back door.  The spines were a colourful array inviting her to escape within their pages, which played a big part in convincing her to buy these titles in the first place.  The cover illustration was just as important as the book itself – a major selling point – and made it all the more enjoyable to read.  Despite her being seduced by a glorious combination of graphics and fonts, her final decision always rested on the actual plot depending on what particular emotion she was feeling that day.

She was a book retailer’s dream, not that different from her shoe-loving sisters.  With careful manipulation of lighting, the addition of display features and accolades for the writer, and the distinction of being a New York Times Bestseller, the retailer would draw her in hook, line, and sinker.  Even if it were not her kind of reading material, she’d find a way to like it.  There were no more free spaces on the shelf crammed with books read, unfinished, and unread.  She was taking a bit of a break from the shopping and having gotten over her repulsion of used books, she now preferred to borrow them from various libraries.  She would even lounge around in a quiet corner for a few hours if her body allowed it. 

She moved over to the kitchen which had some space for a desk and a shelf for her bright green house plants.  The kitchen itself was a small counter with a sink, and then a stove and fridge lined up side by side.  The counter barely had space for anything else and served as a drying spot for washed dishes.  She didn’t do much cooking in such a small uninspiring kitchen and didn’t even have the right utensils for elaborate recipes.  She had a single pot, a frying pan, a baking sheet, a Pyrex mixing bowl, two wooden spoons, two coffee mugs with the Berenstein Bears painted on them, two wine glasses, four shallow soup bowls she received from her former landlord, and the requisite amount of cutlery for a single apartment dweller.

Everyday, she would take out the same utensils, plate, bowl, cup, and frying pan to prepare her daily meal.  Eggs were cheap, and so were some of the other basics when she didn’t have the energy to go to the food bank.  The corner store just two minutes away was sometimes as far as she was willing to go even though it meant spending what little she had.  Still, her basic food supply meant very little preparation.  More time to sit in front of the computer and stare into the screen for hours and watch the world go by in cyberspace, waiting for the moment of renewed inspiration in a Youtube song, in a Facebook post, or in a message from a friend.

After grudgingly performing all the daily rituals of the morning though with the understanding that they all contributed to making her feel refreshed and ready for the day ahead, she would take a seat in front of the laptop with a warm cup of green tea with a hint of ginger in it.  She had her favourite plush cotton robe with the tear in the right underarm on even after she had taken a shower and was dressed in a black tee and black yoga pants.  The robe always made her feel like she was being hugged, and every morning, she needed a hug of some kind even if only from an object of apparel.

She logged on to her main sites: Yahoo, Facebook, and her blog page.  There was no mail in her Yahoo inbox, and there were no Facebook comments or messages either.  Her blog page had a half-written story that she was planning on completing that day, but…She was distracted as she clicked the mouse going back and forth from Yahoo to Facebook, Facebook to Yahoo, and then all over again because in her mind, a message could come any minute and she wanted to be there when it did.  She did this for about an hour, and then decided to put the laptop on standby mode, so she could go back into the sleeping/living area and read some of the library books she had picked up, hoping that in an hour she’d have some messages and comments to read.

She noticed that her tea was lukewarm and that she had only drunk a quarter of it.  She dumped it out and grabbed a glass of water – the same glass she used everyday – and pushed herself into the other room.  She switched on the small space heater that she had been forced to use since there was no heat at the moment in the building.  Her landlord had paid all the residents a visit the other day bringing with him space heaters for each unit.  She actually had two now.  The one she had in the kitchen belonged to the landlord, and the one in this room was purchased from Canadian Tire when she was living with her ex in a basement suite.  It was old, but still functioning. She was always worried that one day it might decide to just blow up, but she made sure she didn’t keep it on for too long, allowing it to rest before switching it on again.  Everything in life needed rest even inanimate objects.  Although she was wearing the robe, she was still cold, and decided she’d keep the heater on for an hour while she read.

She was working her way through a philosophical self-help title.  The book was proving to be quite a fascinating read. Rollo May’s Love and Will was an eye-opener.  She identified with so much of what he had written about the artist, about creativity, about the daimonic, and humankind’s ongoing search for the absolute.  But according to May, not all people had the desire to engage in that search, for in the searching, people might lose themselves.  The daimonic was the spirit within all humans which propelled them to seek knowledge, to create, to explore, but in many cases, the daimonic was the cause of psychosis.  Though she was certainly not in the latter realm of experience, she was well aware that she had the capacity to fall into it just as easily as anyone else.  Just not today or even the next day and the day after next. She was on her forward-march phase and was determined to stick to it, however slow the progress might be.  With that thought running through her head, she leaped off the bed and back into the kitchen.  She gave the drawstrings at the window a yank to raise the blinds.  A burst of radiant warm sunshine filled the kitchen and she could almost hear the great wave of sighs come forth from her plants.  She was awake.  They were awake.  The day had somehow begun.

To Be Continued…