India ranks third in the number of people living with HIV/AIDS globally. The country has high levels of poverty and inequality poor healthcare infrastructure especially away from the metropolitan areas and a legacy of colonialism that bequeathed laws criminalizing non-heteronormative sexualities. These factors mean that many minority groups do not receive adequate access to preventative and treatment programs. This book explores the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India. Based on research in Tamil Nadu it presents experiences of those marginalized by their sexuality and/ or gender their struggles and their triumphs. Based on interviews with male and female sex-workers men who have sex with men aravanis (male to female transgenders) and HIV positive women-groups usually not included in the policy-making by Indian government agencies international donors and international NGOs-the author uses an interdisciplinary approach. The approach highlights the historical and cultural context while providing contemporary narratives. The book thus presents a deeper multi-dimensional understanding of the context of the disease and comprehends the roots of the stigma and discrimination that exacerbate the epidemic. An important study of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic this book will be of interest to researchers in the field of South Asian Studies Sexuality and Gender Studies Health Sciences and Public Health. |HIV/AIDS in India Voices from the Margins | Asian Studies
