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Be 'Sex Positive' to be HIU-Neaative

By Wilhelmina S Orozco
The sexual health risks for immigrant women in the US are greater because of language and cultural barriers
ASIANS In New York city are getting their share of use condom” reminders to prevent their being infected with the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) The reminders come in the form ol condoms packaged innocuously — for example, in bright candy wrappers for Filipinos. as small ribboned gifts for Thais and In origami wrapping for Japanese and Koreans. ’
With neon pink brochures on AIDS, these are left on scounters and tabletops in beauty salons, video siiops and laundromats, even In an overseas shipping company frequented by sailors.
Seeing how fast the condoms' disappear, outreach workers like Ludy Resurrecc-tioii replenish the supply almost daily.
Ludy. a Filipina. is with the New York-based Asia and Pacific Islanders Coalition on HIV and AIDS (APICHA).
In the United Stales the discussion on sexuality now centres on making it a sexpositive topic, says Ludy. "To be sex positive Is to have a healthy attitude. Thia means you do-not practise (sex) until you are responsible." she explains.
A former college professor In the Philippines and cq-founder of the Women's Resource and Research Centre of
the Maryknoil College (now Miriam College). Ludy talks passionately about the lopsided rearing of children / which contributes to grave social problems She said when socl ety permits sons to grow up without respect for women, and daughters to think they cannot live without men. the result can be confusion and an abnormal sexual appetite which can lead to Irresponsi ble sex.
The Filipino community in New York Is priority group for sex education as it members experience sexual repression due to traditional religious views about sex. says Ludy who was In the Philippines recently to spend Christmas with her family.
Ludy. whose places of assignment include the Thai Beauty Salon which is frequented not only by Thais but by Vietnamese. Filipino, south Indian. Cambodian and Irish clients, was resisted at first. She earned their trust after six months of just making herself visible and chatting with them as an immigrant like them-
selves.
The sexual health risks for immigrant women. Ludy notes are greater because of language and cultural barriers. A lot of immigrant women have no ac cess to health care and the traditional focus (of HIV infec tlon prevention) are gay men and women. Ludy quoted colleague San Fong Au. coordinator of the coalitions Women's Project.
Ludy thinks that Informed and responsible sex can reduce the risk of being in fected with HIV. This could only come about, she says. If society roots out the sexual repression which conservative forces In he Roman Catholic Church would like perpetu ated.
Aside from direct client services likely teaching the proper use of condoms. APICHA extends technical help and conducts education and advocacy on HIV and AI DS-related concerns for imnflgrants for Asia and the Pacific.
Statistics gathered by APICHA show that in the US. Thais followed by Indians and Filipinos top the list of HlV-ln-
fected immigrants from Asia and the Pacific
in New York City. Filipinos have the highest number of AIDS cases among all ethnic groups, composing more than 21 per cent of New York City's more than 300 AIDS cases reported through May 1993 to the NYC Department of Health. About 80 per cent of the reported cases are Immigrants.
Overall. Asians still count I lie least numtier of AIDS cases among ethnic groups while non-hispanlc blacks have the highest. However, the situation for Aslans Is becoming graver. Thus Ludy uses unconventional advocacy methods such as leaving condoms in a laundromat patronized by women in saris and veils.chatting up the Thai beauty shop clientele, visiting a Filipino video rental store and ' frequenting the Cambodian market In Brooklyn's Crown Heights.
Starting out as an all volunteer group in 1989, APICHA was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1993. Its first president of the board, Glenn Tadashi Izutsu, died In
May 1993 of AIDS at age 49. He was openly gay and was greatly concerned with the bureaucracy of government agencies (being) slow in responding to the needs of the Aslan and Pacific communities." He questioned the absence of funding for Asian and Pacific communities from the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, as a result of which Ilw Institute gave APICHA an aHolnx-iit in 1994
To APICHA, attending to the nutritional needs of persons with AIDS (PWAs) is an important aspect of caregiving. PWAs need "high levels of calories, complex carbohydrates. protein and moderate amounts of fat." the group explains in its newsletter. Also, they require easy to digest meals because they are prone to gastrointestinal pain and diarrhoea.
Under Its programme called God's Love We Deliver. APICHA volunteers brings meals to housebound PWAs using menus tailored to the particular diets of various ethnic groups. Student Katherine Chen of Cornel University who
developed the menus pointed to the need to respect Indigenous perspectives on health and diet
The coalition has tieups with other groups Its Client Services links up with groups that support caregivers of PWAs especially women as well as with groups that help these people overcome substance abuse and those assist ing AIDS victims on legal matters such as immigration problems.
APICHA is now collaborating with the Philippine American Communities Executive Council (APCEC) for what they call the Tulay (bridge) Project, which among other things ed ucates the Filipino American community on AIDS and mo bilizes community resources for Filipino clients.
Anomer joint project Is the pimbrera (a tiered food container) service which provides hot meals to Filipinos with AIDS who can no longer look after themselves, and who have been shunned or abandoned by relatives and friends
Also networking with APICHA Is the Coalition for the Advancement of Filipino Women. Inc (CAFWI). mainly a consciousness raising group for which Ludy Ressurecction Is the coordinator.
— Depth news Asia