Written by: Nada Chaiyajit
Abstract: Currently, access to sexual health information that serves the needs of transgender individuals is nonexistent or severely limited. With “Getting to Zero” as the official UNAIDS campaign to achieve zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths, this lack of access to information coupled with immense stigma and discrimination among transgender individuals will not allow UNAIDS nor the world to achieve such impressive goals. This paper identifies gaps and challenges in HIV services for transgender individuals living in Thailand. Among other recommendations, the paper recognises the need for the ‘de-coupling’ of transgender services from those serving men who have sex with men. The paper describes an innovative communication technology project, the Thailadyboyz (TLBz) Sexperts! Program, a low-cost, transgender-led, community project offering accurate online transgender-specific sexual health information, social support and legal advice. The paper describes how the TLBz Sexperts! Program exemplifies the power of online communities and social networking platforms in reaching transgender individuals, especially when transgender community members lead in the design, development and implementation of such resources.
Keywords: Transgender, HIV and AIDS, Getting to Zero, UNAIDS, Sexual Health Information, Thailand