Durban - The first two recipients of funding from the Elton John Aids Foundation and the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Fund have been announced in Durban.
Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, who serves on John’s Aids foundation’s board, were at the International Aids Conference on Wednesday to award $10 million (R143.59 million) to the International HIV/Aids Alliance and the Global Forum for MSM (men who have sex with men) and HIV.
The LGBT Fund was launched by John and US ambassador Deborah Birx in November last year. It is aimed at addressing the stigma, discrimination and violence faced by LGBT people.
“Establishing the LGBT Fund is something that we have worked on for a long time in our attempts to make a real and lasting difference in HIV awareness, education and prevention,” said John.
Elton John- #WeAreTheBrave- No human being should be left behind. @DailyNewsSA @IOL pic.twitter.com/p6AukRZnXs
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On Monday morning, John and Minister of Health Dr Aaron Mostoaledi visited a clinic run by the Anova Health Institute, a project both his foundation and Pepfar fund.
”The work they are doing through their ‘We the Brave’ programme, the first large-scale campaign ever in South Africa addressing both prevention and treatment issues in an affirming and non-judgemental way, is something for us all to be incredibly proud of,” John said.
“Many years ago I came to Durban with David, and on one of our first field trips I met with some white members of the LGBT community … and none of those people wanted to have their photo taken with me.”
That was because they feared being victimised.
Shaun Mellors had taken a risk in the early 1990s by being one of the first South Africans to disclose his HIV status.
Now the associate director for Africa at the International HIV/Aids Alliance, Mellors said they were thrilled to be one of the first to benefit from from the fund.
“We are going to be using the money to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who face criminalisation or are in hostile environments have access to emergency funds,” he said.
To members of the LGBT community who faced persecution in many countries, John said: “You might have to fight for your life, but it will be worth it, because in the end you will win.”
Furnish said LGBT people deserved the same access to medical treatment and the same love and care as anyone else.
John also visited the global village, where the International Aids Society launched a new campaign to celebrate doctors, nurses and other front-line health workers providing quality integrated HIV prevention services, care and treatment to key populations.