The Lancet: Criminalizing homosexuality threatens the fight against HIV/AIDS
Ashton Barnett-Vanes of St. George’s University of London

“…Criminalizing homosexuality might do untold damage to HIV treatment and prevention efforts that have succeeded in engaging with the homosexual community. … The ambitious goals to tackle HIV by 2015 as outlined by UNAIDS, particularly to halve the number of countries with ‘punitive laws and practices around HIV transmission, sex work, drug use or homosexuality that block effective responses’ cannot be achieved if we are going backwards and not forwards. If homosexual communities are further marginalized or isolated by national policies, the prospect of undoing progress in HIV/AIDS care is real. The international health community, together with those in law, human rights, and equality, can ill-afford to not make this case heard” (3/1).