“Strategies for the South: Building Synergies in HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights”.

Particpants went to Calypso Cabaret- a transgender show in Bangkok. The show is extremely professional, but at the same time is an extremely humerous and thought provoking commentary on gender roles in Thailand and the world at large.
Many of the networks involved in the dialogue have been involved in the push for human rights for transgenders and for their particpation in the broader women’s movement. While still controversial with some sections of the Women’s Movement, working with transgenders and looking at trasngender issues is a constant reminder for those of us working in the area of gender and sexuality that gender is a is a social construct and a fluid concept that is deeply rooted in culture.
Whilst their is currently no regional transgender network, Transgenders organise within the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers and AP Rainbow. A group within APNSW are currently working to set up a regional TG network.

The regional dialogue was held from 11 to 13 July at the offices of the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers, in Bangkok. It brought together representatives of diverse networks working in the areas of HIV/AIDS, Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Women’s Rights and the regional sex workers and LGBT Networks. Put simply the idea was for us to think about our common issues, and innovative ways in which we can work together to strengthen all of our movements. The background documents to the entire “Strategies for the South” project can be found in the page links on the right.

The report and some of the working notes from the Asia-Pacific Dialogue will be posted here shortly, and hopefully this site will be the beginning of the collaborations we so enthusiastically talked about over the 3 days.