United Nations Secretary General Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, George A. O. Alleyne,China NFL Jerseys, believes that if the fight against HIV/AIDS is to be won the laws against buggery need to be repealed.Alleyne noted that one of the most egregious manifestations of stigma in the Caribbean is the rampant homophobia which is buttressed by legislation in almost all the Caribbean countries that makes sex between consenting adult males a criminal act.George Alleyne “The case of rights and freedoms is one in which there is continuous tension, not only between the religious and secular approaches but even within the secular organisations themselves.“I have often queried how persons and institutions which espouse the rights and freedoms of those who are infected with HIV are uncomfortable in accepting the relevance of those freedoms universally.“This is brought home to me most clearly in terms of the attitudes regarding men who have sex with men and homosexuality in general.” Sir George Alleyne noted at a Faith-based conference on HIV/AIDS recently.He lamented that so strong is the moral judgment by religious groups against such practices that few public individuals have had the courage to raise openly the possibility of modifying the relevant laws.“Few have dared to call for a repeal or modification of the laws against buggery, and we have had the recent example of a Minister of Health in a Caribbean country being excoriated because he dared to voice the opinion that such laws as exist are inimical to an adequate public health response to the epidemic.”Sir George is adamant that the existence of these laws contributes to infected or potentially infected men not coming forward to be tested, and proposes that such laws be revised.He advocates a civil debate about the extent to which both moral and public health considerations should be entertained with respect to these laws. “I am well aware of the moral arguments and the firmness with which these are put forward. I am reminded however that up to 200 years ago the traffic in human beings across the Atlantic was legal and sanctioned by many men of faith.“It is so interesting to note from the distance of history how so much of that argument was a denial of the fundamental rights and freedoms which many quite properly affirm to be universal.“It was moving for me to hear Dr.John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, and the second highest ranking prelate in the Anglican Church,holesale NFL Jerseys, on the occasion of my award to him of an Honorary Degree by the University of the West Indies, publicly make apology for the role his church had played in the slave trade.”Recently Prime Minister of St.Kitts/Nevis,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, Dr. Denzil Douglas,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, lead Prime Minister for Health in the Caribbean, called for an examination of the relevant Caribbean laws and the extent to which they favour the perpetuation of stigma and discrimination.He asked that the issue be brought before the Caribbean Attorneys General.“I know that it will take time for the considerable heat that surrounds this issue to be dissipated, but I hope the Faith-based organisations,Cheap NFL Jerseys Supply, the general public, the gay community and the political directorates will be able to engage in the kind of civil discourse and dialogue that can lead to a revision of the law.“I stress civil, as in some places the rights of this minority have only been won as a result of activism that has not always been peaceful,NFL Jerseys 2018,” Sir George Alleyne said.In Guyana and many countries of the Caribbean homosexuality is a crime punishable by law.Among the population of men who have sex with men in Guyana, 21 percent of them have HIV as compared to 8.8 percent in the Bahamas.
