Tuesday 20 June 2017

SARSYC 2017 CHANGING THE POP CULTURE

CHANGING THE POP CULTURE

I wanna take this opportunity to jump a little bit forward and get inside the Jo-burg University arena in the SARSYC 2017.As we commonly say "you run,you crush",I am fully aware that with this article I might surely crush, for in this post I will be touching a very sensitive issue in the Sexual Reproductive Health arena especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68EyF9U4olQ
Some time in 1997 Ellen DeGenerous made news when she openly came out as a gay celebrity,the whole world received the news with mixed feelings,some hated their once favorite star and yet to some she was an advocate a voice of the voiceless and to herself it was freedom.

Now going back to SARSYC 2017,the theme for this year's conference is Building a business case for a solid future: Promoting Access to Youth SRH services and commodities”.
This is a clear yet packed theme it's saying Promoting Access to Youth SRH service, which means that as long as you a youth you are included in this group,not minding your race,sex and sexual orientation.
The problem we are having as the Sub-Saharan youths we are mixing the Popular culture with our well-being.I will try and explain my point below,

What really is pop culture?

Contemporary lifestyle and items that are well known and generally accepted, cultural patterns that are widespread within a population is called popular culture or pop culture.
As the definition clearly states the pop culture is a lifestyle culture or tradition which is widespread it doesn't necessarily mean that there are people who chose to live a different lifestyle.This is for service providers especially those who serve the public,when delivering a Health Service you should do it in a position of a service provider,why serve the public in a religious manner.Why discriminate people because of their lifestyle.
Even doctors often violate the privacy of LGBTI patients by exposing them to other staff or police, preaching to redeem them, or altogether denying them medical care. The testimony of one such victim of violation illustrates discrimination.

The doctor refused to believe that I was gay; he said he had only heard of gay people on TV and that I was simply lying (even after seeing my anal warts). He then called his colleagues to come spectate. It was quite embarrassing for me. He later told me to go read Leviticus 18:25, I felt judged

http://kmet.co.ke/index.php/newsroom/success-stories/167-access-to-reproductive-health-services-for-the-lgbti-community-will-contribute-to-reduced-hiv-prevalence-in-kenya

SARSYC 2017 is offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to openly discuss these issues in Track TWO.
Track 2: Sex and Sexuality- Shining the light on Marginalized Groups LGBTI+, women, People With Disabilities (PWD) and People With HIV (PWHIV).
People with disabilities (PWD), women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI+) community are usually the most affected and least catered for by SRH services due to the specificity of their needs. This track will facilitate conversations that illuminate and attempt to address the numerous challenges which inhibit these vulnerable groups access to SRH services. It will seek to share experiences in programme design based on living no one behind through inclusive program design that incorporates vulnerable and marginalized communities.
The track is informed by the reality that, although significant work has been done to support people with HIV in general, stigma remains an issue which affects vulnerable and marginalised groups the most, leading in some instances to people refusing to access services which have availed, thereby affecting the outcomes of designed programmes. This track seeks to provide an opportunity for conference attendees to examine and share progressive initiatives and ideas on addressing issues relating to marginalised communities.
I urge the public to support the moves to ensure the LGBTI community accesses sexual reproductive health services a strategy of reducing new HIV infections.We must all actively support the SARSYC in its efforts to decriminalize homosexual conduct in order to increase access of essential HIV prevention, management and care services to LGBTI groups. Such action is imperative if we are to address this recently identified root to HIV infection. As Ban Ki Moon once said  “you don’t have to be gay to fight homophobia”
Let's not judge.I rest my case
To BE continued........................

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