HIV/AIDS Legal Network official says anti LGBT laws drive HIV epidemic

Maurice Tomlinson

Senior Policy Analyst and Legal Advisor in the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Maurice Tomlinson has said that a few agencies have identified that laws such as section 14 and 16 of the Sexual Offences Act drives the HIV epidemic, because they force members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community away from HIV prevention.

Section 14 of the Act is a sweeping law criminalizing gross indecency, while section 16 criminalizes buggery.

“UNAIDS and other agencies including PANCAP [Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS] have identified that Laws such as section 14 and 16 of the sexual offenses act drives the HIV epidemic because they force members of the LGBT community away from effective HIV prevention, treatment and care intervention,” Tomlinson said during a recent news conference.

Tomlinson continued, “So one effect of that, for example is that men who have sex with men in Dominica have a disproportionately higher HIV prevalence rate, nearly 26 percent than the general population because they are unable to freely access prevention, treatment and care support intervention.”

He said the challenge that the group has taken up is being brought by a Dominican, “and we are very proud to support this claim.”

Tomlinson reiterated the claimant’s request that his identity be suppressed.

“So we are applying for a gag order and this is because the very small society of Dominica he feels will impede his ability to move about freely without any kind of interference while this case is working its way through the court,” Tomlinson stated.

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22 Comments

  1. Kalinago Justice
    July 24, 2019

    First of all DNO should not even put this on here and help give these abominable attention! Secondly, buggary is not sex,sex is between a man and woman! Thirdly,no law prevent you abominables from being protected,on the contrary, the laws protect humanity from the diseases that comes from your abominable behavior! If you abominables obey the Spiritual Laws, Natural Laws which make up the Legal Laws, there’ll never be any abominable sexual diseases! Since when has anyone been denied medical care :?: Man, laws are to protect and not destroy!

    • Anonymous
      July 25, 2019

      You’ll find that the majority of sexual health disease are from the heterosexual (man-woman) community as they make up a higher proportion of society. Go and learn about how sexual disease is spread.

  2. This is an Excuse for Legalization
    July 24, 2019

    Excuse Me. Logically this article makes no sense. Individuals have the right to protect themselves no matter what their sexual preferences are. How can we say that the laws are the reason for the epidemic. Everyone should protect themselves. Everyone has a right to medical health care.

    Tomlinson continued, “So one effect of that, for example is that men who have sex with men in Dominica have a disproportionately higher HIV prevalence rate, nearly 26 percent than the general population because they are unable to freely access prevention, treatment and care support intervention.”

    What is prevention? Doesn’t prevention start with the individuals? When someone walks into Planned Parenthood or a Pharmacy are they asked about their sexual preferences?

  3. NoName
    July 24, 2019

    The Law is The Law

  4. Amused
    July 23, 2019

    Wait for the mastrubators, fornicators, adulterers, porn watchers, dead beat fathers, unwed mothers who would all be stoned to death in Jesus time to start with the fire burn them comments.

    After all you should feel proud to never have committed a sin you would never be tempted to commit in the first place if you’re not gay. But all the others.. well, we can ignore all that. The death penalty for having sex outside of marriage is only mentioned 40 something times in the bible. Trivial really. *sips tea*

  5. d-a born
    July 23, 2019

    The laws force them away from getting tested and/or using protection? That’s a load of nonsense.

    It’s common knowledge (at least here in the US) that they’re a high risk group and are still reckless regardless. They’re reckless to the point where they lead the charge for the use of things like Prep. It’s legal in the states and LGBT people still have the highest rates of HIV infection.

  6. dissident
    July 23, 2019

    dat LGBT movement seems to want to paint itself as a high lass race or mental affluence
    dem man presenting themselves as de new breed for humanity that deserves a sort of highest super respect and adoration
    that breed cannot procreate…..totally against de creative principle to be fruitful and multiply
    i personally think that de only reason that they feel that embolden is because they enter de legal and judicial circles and tear down de walls of righteousness
    is this a silent method of depopulation?????

    • Mark
      July 25, 2019

      Ebe weh, that is a u related topic but de world overpopulated already and in the near future it doh have enough resources to sustain that population. Full support for LGBT rights!!

  7. Made in China
    July 23, 2019

    Absolute nonsense! Your sexual orientation does not prevent you from going to a store and buying condoms. It doesn’t prevent you from getting tested. It doesn’t prevent you from being careful about who you deal with. The fact is that homosexuals tend to engage in sex in a very loose and perverted way because this “sexual orientation” is a result of a perverse and degenerated mind. While this may not entirely be their fault (most times it is because of upbringing, abuse or trauma) they still have the responsibility on themselves to take care of themselves. Like the ad used to say “An AIDS free you, depends on you”.

    There is absolutely no proof for this claim which is why only a “few agencies” (unnamed agencies at that) are used as an authoritative source. You all need to start looking at the root cause of this behavior and try to fix THAT instead of wasting time with court cases and “gag orders”. So people won’t be able to express their views on this issue now?

    • Anonymous
      July 25, 2019

      Simple- the root of the ‘issue’ is genetics. That’s how they born. Same as heterosexual people naturally like the opposite gender, homosexual people like the same gender. What’s the big deal??

      • KaliNeg
        July 25, 2019

        Anonymous; if so,they need to be born again!

  8. Chakademus
    July 23, 2019

    Ridiculous. Homosexual activity drives the epidemic, not laws prohibiting it. In fact, if the laws were obeyed and no one did that horrible thing, the epidemic would subside.

    What is this, are we living in an upside down world? Since when did a law prohibiting buggery spread disease?

  9. Gouvelma
    July 23, 2019

    I hate it when people are looking all sorts of excuses to get out of the closet. You are gay say it and done. Stop blaming morality and righteousness for you hiding and playing a-c/d-c switch. Gay/antiman/lesbian are just greedy and nasty sins. Do not blame right thinking, decent citizens for nasty men contracting AIDS through buggery. Imagine this for one second. It is illegal. They are not saying ok I will protect myself so i do not contract AIDS and be publicly ridiculed. They are dipping their extensions into the septic. What do you expect. If it is legitimized them they will mount each other in Lagon at 1.00PM. Stop blaming any one for the behavior of those nasty fellows. Having said all of that i am sure everyone suffering from cancer now would trade places with an HIV patient. Tell me someone who has survived cancer for twenty years. None that I can think of. However I know of multiple people living with HIV for twenty plus years and living decent happy lives.

  10. Patience
    July 23, 2019

    That’s a ploy by the DLP government along with the commonwealth nations through Scotland to quietly introduce their nasty bugery lifestyle in Dominica. Wait for it!!

  11. Really DNO
    July 23, 2019

    Really DNO? I find all you really interested in LGBT affiars. Thats not really news.

    • Anonymous
      July 25, 2019

      I think it’s very important news.

  12. Buy a condom
    July 23, 2019

    Mr. Tomlinson, when your case was about your right to sexual expression, I was willing to listen but you see right now you want to blame a law for the spread of AIDS? Really? That’s just BS, plain and simple. When I go by Jolly’s to buy condoms, nobody knows if I am gay. When I do my HIV test, nobody knows if I am gay. All people with HIV receive treatment at our healthcare facilities, all receive the same quality of care, gay, straight, it’s the same. You cannot blame a law for you being irresponsible with your sexuality and blame the law for you being irresponsible with your health. You just can’t.

  13. Lord help this nation
    July 23, 2019

    This is such a bull…. claim. Condoms can be found everywhere in all stores , supermarkets, pharmacy everywhere. To claim that the preventative measures are inaccessible is a plain out lie. Treatment is available for all as well so how is the law forcing men to not seek treatment, the reason this is so high in the gay so called community is because these men know they have it and use that to trap young men to them, yes i said it, they use it as a way to keep those young men tied to them because they know how the young fellas wont be so happy as they are to spread it once they get it. STOP BULLING that all-you need to do. Leave our country how it is eh …………

  14. NKRUMAH KWAME
    July 23, 2019

    Good day Mr. Tomlinson. It seems to me that in order for the LGBT to access HIV treatment there is no reason to change the existing laws. If the health system follows the stipulated policy of privacy and the nondisclosure of patients identity as is done for “straight” people, why then do you want to change the law? What currently obtains for the so-called straight individuals also applies to the LBGT community. If this protection of people’s private information is being compromised, then what is required is ensuring that it is done, not changing our laws. Don’t you think?
    HOTEP!

  15. magway ca
    July 23, 2019

    but what kinda logic i that nuh. shouldn’t it be lessening the HIV/aids numbers ? cause they keep there shit to themselves and eventually they all die out. since when one of the questions on the treatment list say : do you borgar? yes/no. delete as appropriate. no one wants to kno what you do in ur bedroom .we doh want no drag queen walking down the road. we doh want no gay pride parades down independence street. so far no one is bothering you all with what you do in your bedroom or in the bush behind your house. we just dont want it all up in our faces

  16. viewsexpressed
    July 23, 2019

    Tomlinson continued, “So one effect of that, for example is that men who have sex with men in Dominica have a disproportionately higher HIV prevalence rate, nearly 26 percent than the general population because they are unable to freely access prevention, treatment and care support intervention.”
    This is gross negligence and they have to take responsible for their actions. They have three choices to make: 1. Stop the sex through the anal, it is used for waste disposal not penetration. 2. Use condoms and 3. Abandon this dirty Gay business.
    We have always said that the anal is not for penetration. Nature gave us two sexes, male, female. Therefore male to join female as a couple and you procreate. Go have babies, its natures bliss. So no bestiality, no homosexuality etc. and no anal penetration. This part of the body is for excretion. Amen.

  17. viewsexpressed
    July 23, 2019

    I dont understand this man. HIV has been around for years now, even before the whole talk of LGBT became somewhat prominent. So what is the point he is trying to make, or is there some promotion for LGBT?
    We also read that: “anti LGBT laws drive HIV epidemic”. What is the statistics Sir, how did we arrive at this. Where was this statistics document or research?

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