Fridae

New anonymous and free HIV/STI clinic for Thai MSM
A new HIV/STI clinic targeting Thai men who have sex with men (MSM) has opened at the Bangkok Christian Hospital. It will provide free HIV and Sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing as well as HAV and HBV testing, HBV vaccine, syndromic evaluation for other sexually transmitted infections and CD4 count, TB evaluation and early HIV care and referral for antiretroviral and antimicrobacterial treatment for those who are HIV positive.

According to a spokesman, the Silom Community Clinic was established in response to the rapid increase of HIV infection among Bangkok MSM (from 17.3 per cent in 2003 to 28.3 per cent in 2005). The clinic would later be used as a base to evaluate biomedical and behavioural interventions to prevent HIV infection in MSM (e.g., prophylactic drugs, microbicide gels or HIV vaccines).

Despite targeting general Thai MSM - estimated to number about 300,000 in Bangkok - the clinic will also provide HIV and STI testing to women, transgenders, as well as foreigners. Following the initial consultation, the clinic might however refer female patients to a women's clinic, straight male sex workers to a male clinic and foreigners to other centres to receive more specialised care such as having native speakers when foreigners require HIV voluntary counselling and testing.

In an enquiry by Fridae, the spokesman for the project said that all records will be kept confidentially as first-timers will be asked to create their identification code through a self-registration system (in Thai, with assistance in English).

The system will produce a card which the client holds and connects them to their information such as lab results and counselling notes. No personal identifiers such as names, ID or passport numbers are required for the registration process.

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Singapore bans gay web site, fines another
Singapore has fined a local gay web site and banned another following complaints from members of the public earlier this year that the sites featured pornography, and were "recruiting underage boys for sex" and promoted a "promiscuous homosexual lifestyle," reported a local newspaper last Friday.

According to report in the Straits Times , the Media Development Authority (MDA) slapped a S$5,000 (US$2,940) fine on the local web site titled "Meet Gay Singapore Friends" and warned the operators to remove offensive content.

The MDA also banned another unnamed gay web site which contained pornographic pictures and videos and substantial content discussing where in Singapore men could cruise each other. Singapore Internet users will no longer be able to access the banned site from their home computers.

Local observers have identified the web site that was fined to be Sgboy which used "Meet Gay Singapore Friends" as its web site title until the news broke while the site that was been banned is said to be Fluffboy. The latter is believed by many to be spun off by Sgboy soon after a run in with MDA in September last year, although Sgboy has denied that it is facing a "clampdown" by the government agency.

Sgboy has, in a press release issued on Wednesday, denied any association with the banned site. It also said that the site's popularity had made it "difficult to control the contents posted by all its users" despite the owners' working with the MDA over the past year.

MDA spokeswoman Casey Chang told Reuters, "The MDA has always adopted a light-touch approach and encourages the industry to practice self-regulation. But in this instance, we received several public complaints and we have to act on the feedback."

The government agency which polices the Internet and print media said both sites had violated the Internet Code of Practice which prohibits web sites from depicting "nudity or genitalia in a manner calculated to titillate," and advocating "homosexuality or lesbianism."

Homosexuality is illegal in the city-state known for its tough laws and strict social controls. Although the government has said that it does not discriminate against homosexuals, it has stated repeatedly that it would not tolerate an open gay culture, such as hosting gay parades.

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Star Trek's Mr Sulu comes out as gay
George Takei, best known for his portrayal of Mr Sulu in the acclaimed television and film series Star Trek, has come out as gay in an interview with a US gay and lesbian magazine.

The 68-year-old Japanese-American actor decided to speak about his sexuality and his relationship with his partner of 18 years for the first time after taking on the role of troubled psychologist Martin Dysart in the Los Angeles stage production of Equus.

"Brad's my partner, we've been together for 18 years," Takei casually told Frontiers magazine. "I've been 'open,' but I have not talked to the press."

He also attributed his coming out to the current social and political climate. He told the gay and lesbian magazine, "The world has changed from when I was a young teen feeling ashamed for being gay," he said.

"The issue of gay marriage is now a political issue. That would have been unthinkable when I was young."

Despite being was born in Los Angeles, Takei lived in Japanese internment camps in Arkansas and Northern California from four to eight. He said he grew up feeling ashamed of his ethnicity as well as his sexuality and likened prejudice against homosexuals to racial segregation, saying, "It's against basic decency and what American values stand for."

The actor, who has been active in civil rights and politics for many years, also questioned California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently vetoed a bill that would have legalised same-sex marriage in the state.

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