Men and HIV – Media Watch
Working to tackle HIV infection
At a two day conference held in Durban this week Sabcoha (South African Business Coalition on HIV) announced they would be putting forward a 5-year strategy to aid government's promotion of HIV education in the workplace. They will also assist in upgrading health care facilities near places of work making them more accessible.
Commonwealth’s common knowledge
According to an article in The New Age (TNA) the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Perth, Australia will challenge old homophobic laws still present in many commonwealth countries.Set the record straight on hate
A SAPA syndicated article on the Zimbabwean government’s refusal to make condoms available to prisoners makes no effort whatsoever to debunk the HIV-related myths and misinformation spilling from the mouth of an overly quoted official.
The poorly constructed article is built almost entirely out of homophobic and ignorant quotes from one deputy commissioner Agrey Machingauta, which the article makes no attempt to correct.
According to the SAPA piece, Zimbabwean officials are refusing to make condoms accessible to prisoners despite their status as a group with a very high risk of HIV infection. Condom distribution to prisoners would be illegal, given the country’s stance on homosexuality.
MSM: But a blip on the media’s radar
While an article in this week’s issue of Move! Magazine highlights the health concerns associated with infidelity and hands out some useful advice, it fails to engage with the complex issue of men who have sex with men (MSM).
The Move! Article entitled ‘Is he attracted to other men?’ is an indication that the ‘invisible’ group of men who have sex with men (MSM) are finally on the radar.
But the vignette of the woman who finds out her husband is cheating with another man fails to scratch below the surface and touch on the broader social issues which underpin the personal experiences of homosexual and bisexual people.
The King’s speech: Focusing on the role of men
In his speech delivered at the weekend’s heritage day celebrations, Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini took an uncharacteristic and more welcome approach to HIV prevention messaging, focusing on men’s role in the epidemic.
The Sowetan covered the Shaka Day celebrations in Johannesburg and quoted Zwelithini as saying that HIV-positive men needed to stop spreading the virus. The king also advised that men should be faithful to one partner at a time.
