Chemsex becoming the new normal in Thailand, activists warn pinknews.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pinknews.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
As Thailand grapples with a third COVID-19 wave, campaigners are warning of the health risks posed by an apparent increase in chemsex - where mainly gay and bisexual men meet to take drugs such as crystal meth or GHB and unprotected sex is common.
When party and play goes wrong
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When party and play goes wrong
A growing subculture of sex parties fuelled by drugs is leading to a worrying rise in venereal diseases
published : 5 Apr 2021 at 04:30
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Ten years ago, Pong went to a party that would change the course of his life. Inside the dim-lit room were a group of five people who were drinking alcohol and taking drugs. When Pong got high on meth, he was caught off guard and ended up having condomless sex.
He felt desperate when he learned that he had contracted HIV because it carried social stigma at the time. However, friends and doctors helped him get through the darkest period. Since then, he has been on antiretroviral therapy (ART) under the universal healthcare coverage scheme and he has never fallen prey to his old ways again.
unaids.org
UNAIDS
APCOM has also used the COVID-19 Effect Series to promote fundraising initiatives, such as #CoronaAPCOMpassion, an emergency fund started by APCOM staff donating their salaries. APCOM collaborated with SWING, the Thai Sex Workers Organization, based in Bangkok and Pattaya, and mobilized 20 000 baht (US$ 650) to purchase basic food and supplies for sex workers.
Feature story
Reporting the realities faced by LGBTI people and people living with HIV in Asia and the Pacific
01 March 202101 March 202101 March 2021
The transgender community has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and the Pac
The transgender community has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and the Pacific. “My main worry is about survival and being able to support and cover the essential needs of the transgender community when job security is less and businesses are closing,” said Khartini Slamah, a transgender woman and activist from Sarawak, Malaysia