International AIDS Conference

RGOD2: The spiritual journey begins in exile

The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle - SDGLN Contributor
October 26th, 2012

(Editor's note: SDGLN is protecting the identity of Peter, which is not his real name. He says he is concerned about his family and colleagues in Ethiopia, and his future fighting for LGBT human rights in his native land.)

Peter speaks very quietly and it is sometimes difficult to understand his English. It is hard to believe that Ethiopian authorities see this 27-year-old man as a threat to their national security, but he is the leading gay activist in this largely Christian society.

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RGOD2: Finding kindred spirits with straight allies in the faith community

The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle - SDGLN Contributor
September 21st, 2012

When I spoke at Good Shepherd parish in Silver Spring, Md., about the plight of LGBT people internationally, it was April 14, 2012, the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Here was an average suburban Washington, D.C. congregation who had no connection with the 76 countries where it is illegal to be LGBT.

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RGOD2: “If I were a rich man” ... I could change the world

The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle - SDGLN Contributor
August 31st, 2012

With the music of “Fiddler in the Roof” playing in the back of my head, this week I have been dreaming about what we could do with $1.5 million to win global equality.

My international network of friends has been working on a three-year grant proposal focusing on the intersection of LGBT oppression with HIV. For every person we place on life-saving medications (ARV’s), two people become newly infected somewhere on Earth. Meanwhile, draconian laws remain on the books of 76 countries where it is illegal to serve criminalized populations including LGBT people.

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RGOD2: Supported on the shoulders of others

The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle - SDGLN Contributor
August 24th, 2012

This coming Saturday, I will be deeply honored to receive the Pride Award from Equality California in recognition of the international work we are ALL doing for global equality.

The event has been sold out and we are expecting 300 people in the beautiful garden of hosts Joyce Rowland and Pamela Morgan, who were also sponsors of our successful “Spirit of 76” initiative last month.

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RGOD2: Spirit of 76 delegate to AIDS conference faces horrendous retaliation back home in Africa

The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle - SDGLN Contributor
August 17th, 2012

“They threw my clothes and furniture out from my home. I had nowhere to live but in my car and nothing to eat. My head was spinning – where to go, what to do?”

Only 10 days after the Spirit of 76 initiative was celebrated in Washington, D.C., one of our bright and talented African activists was deliberately targeted by his government for retaliation. His crime: He attended the International AIDS Conference and was sponsored by St. Paul’s Foundation here in San Diego.

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RGOD2: Time to do “the laundry”

The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle - SDGLN Contributor
August 3rd, 2012

Sister Corrita Kent once designed a lithograph using the words:

“After the ecstasy, the laundry.”

I have just spent many days in Washington, D.C. with 26 courageous and talented human rights defenders. Collectively they represent the 76 countries where it is illegal to be LGBT.

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RGOD2: Religion and HIV

The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle - SDGLN Contributor
July 27th, 2012

(Editor’s note: The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle delivered these remarks today at the International AIDS Conference at a panel on “Religion, Culture and Law.” This will serve as his weekly RGOD2 column.)

The word religion is from the Latin word religio “to bind.” It is also sometimes described as law – a divine obligation, or sacred covenant which binds humanity with the mystery we call God.

Elton John urges world show compassion for people living with HIV

PinkNews
July 24th, 2012

Sir Elton John has called for more compassion to be shown to people living with HIV.

The singer was addressing the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington on Monday.

Sir Elton said: “We need to put our arms around people who are HIV-positive. If you show compassion, no one will be afraid to seek treatment.”

Urging the audience to stand up against stigma, he called for compassion and understanding of all people living with HIV or AIDS, including gay and bisexual men, sex workers and drug addicts.

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RGOD2: When you’re a bridge - expect to be trampled upon

The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle - SDGLN Contributor
July 20th, 2012

They clambered over Washington monuments taking photos of each other. Smiling, hugging their new- found friends to post on Facebook and share with their network of LGBT activists. First the White House, then the Jefferson Memorial and finally they came to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial for the first time. There they were, dwarfed between the monument’s two solid slabs of stone that frame the Potomac’s shimmering horizon. These are our 26 “authentic witnesses” from countries where it is still illegal to be LGBT.

Marginalized populations call for revised approach to global HIV epidemic

SDGLN Staff
July 17th, 2012

WASHINGTON – As HIV rates continue to climb among marginalized groups around the world, the major global networks of gay men, people who use drugs, sex workers, transgender people and people living with HIV have put forth a series of joint recommendations for a more effective global AIDS response.

The recommendations were released today in a set of principles titled “The Robert Carr Doctrine,” named for the well-respected international AIDS activist who died one year ago.