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Fighting the stigma of HIV in India

Vija. "At thrirteen years old I was a boy, but with a girl's walk and voice. The other children would tease me, and my parents would beat me, but I was happy b eing femail. I left home at 1sixteen and after living with transexuals and earning money by doing transexual sex I deceded to have the operation. It is not easy being a transexual in society. We are abused by youths on the street, and not respected at all. We are a high risk group, because we are subjected to abuse and violence. In 1993 when I was working with CAN, a transexual organisation, distributing condoms and advising about testing, twenty to twenty five people took the test. Seven or eight of us tested positive. I was distraught when I found out. I stayed in bed and didn't tell anyone. I had been working with people advising about testing, about safe sex and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, who was to help me now? After one month I returned to work with courage and a need to continue with my work and my life."

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Fighting the Stigma in India
Vija. "At thrirteen years old I was a boy, but with a girl's walk and voice. The other children would tease me, and my parents would beat me, but I was happy b eing femail. I left home at 1sixteen and after living with transexuals and earning money by doing transexual sex I deceded to have the operation. It is not easy being a transexual in society. We are abused by youths on the street, and not respected at all. We are a high risk group, because we are subjected to abuse and violence. In 1993 when I was working with CAN, a transexual organisation, distributing condoms and advising about testing, twenty to twenty five people took the test. Seven or eight of us tested positive. I was distraught when I found out. I stayed in bed and didn't tell anyone. I had been working with people advising about testing, about safe sex and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, who was to help me now? After one month I returned to work with courage and a need to continue with my work and my life."
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