Using films to generate discussion and encourage action among young people at higher risk of HIV exposure in Thailand

At a recent Regional Meeting on Community-based HIV Testing, the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) joined with other groups to highlight that health officials in the Asian region needed to do more to gather information on testing rates among at risk groups – particularly transgender women and men who have sex with men (MSM).

APCOM say many public health professionals are concerned by the large numbers of men who have sex with men and transgender people in Asia not accessing HIV testing and counseling, and are concerned there is little real data available on the scale of the problem, or the reasons behind it.

APCOM and partners estimated that over half of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people living with HIV in Asia do not know they have the virus, with many only diagnosed once they are hospitalized. This is also very much an issue in Thailand.
 
Mplus recently joined forces with UNESCO and Save the Children International to engage young MSM and transgender people to be aware of the importance of getting tested for HIV early and to know their results in order to get to care and support as early as possible. Mplus engaged young people to create their own communication messages and make their own movies to tell their stories. 
 
These short films were displayed on 25 October 2013 in Chiang Mai, Thailand at a “Lanna Short Film Festival” at JJ Market, in Chiangmai province. The event attracted more than 200 participants, including many LGBT youth, from Chiangmai and neighboring provinces including Lamphoon.
 
The festival included a screening of 8 short movies from youth groups and a forum discussion that explored issues including sex, gender, and sexuality, and stigma and discrimination against LGBT populations.
 
“There is no space for transgender or “katoei” in media” said Prempreeda Pramoj Na Ayutthaya, UNESCO’s National Programme Officer on HIV, during the forum. “Short film has power in itself, in a way that you can tell your stories within 7 minutes,” said Chonlatee Tapang, a writer, “you don’t need to complete everything in a short film as if it is interesting, it will encourage the audience to find out the answer.”
 
Pongtorn Chanlearn, Mplus director shared that, “Technology has become part of human life now, young LGBT are also part of that. We believe that the LGBT community can use the short films as the weapon of the weak in order to tell own stories in their own ways and make their voices to be heard in societies both online and offline worlds and one day stigma and discrimination against LGBT community will be no more”.
 
For more information on the films and the event please contact: mplus.foundation@gmail.com or Prempreeda Pramoj Na Ayutthaya at p.pramoj@unesco.org
 
For the Thai-language press release on the event please click here.