AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan (ABVA; English: AIDS Anti-Discrimination Movement) was the first

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

activist movement in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

founded in 1988 in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. The group received popular recognition with the publication of its pioneering report "Less than Gay" in 1991. Through this report, ABVA advocated for civil rights of

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

Q people to include

same sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

LGBT parenting Same-sex parenting is parenting of children by same-sex couples generally consisting of gay, lesbian, or bisexual people who are often in civil partnerships, domestic partnerships, civil unions, or same-sex marriages. Opponents of same-sex ...

, and the

decriminalization Decriminalization or decriminalisation is the legislative process which removes prosecutions against an action so that the action remains illegal but has no criminal penalties or at most some civil fine. This reform is sometimes applied retroacti ...

of homosexuality through the repeal of

Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code Section 377 is a British colonial Penal Code provision that criminalized all sexual acts "against the order of nature". The law was used to prosecute people engaging in oral and anal sex along with homosexual activity. As per a Supreme Court of I ...

. In 1994, ABVA filed the first petition challenging the

constitutionality In constitutional law, constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applic ...

of Section 377 in the

Delhi High Court The High Court of Delhi ( Hindustani: दिल्ली उच्च न्यायालय; ''dillī uchcha nyāyālaya'') is the high court in Delhi, India. It was established on 31 October 1966, through the ''Delhi High Court Act, 1966. ...

, in order to challenge prison authorities' ban on condom distribution.

Brief Background

ABVA got involved in AIDS activism in 1989 on hearing from women in the red-light area that doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had forcibly tested them for

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

, with the help of the police. ABVA protested this action, asking that good quality condoms, humane treatment and rehabilitation schemes for HIV positive people be made a prerequisite for any government screening for HIV. In addition, it began running a free dispensary for

sex workers A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is vo ...

in Delhi's GB Road District. Between February 1990 and August 1991, the ABVA organised several demonstrations in New Delhi to protest against the prevailing discriminatory attitude of authorities against HIV/AIDS victims. The 1994, ABVA petition was filed in the Delhi high court in response to the then IG (Prisons)

Kiran Bedi Kiran Bedi (born 9 June 1949) is a former tennis player who became the first woman in India to join the officer ranks of the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1972 and was the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry from 28 May 2016 to 16 Februa ...

blocking access to condoms at

Tihar Jail Tihar Prisons, popularly known as Tihar Jail, are a prison complex in India and are one of the largest complexes of prisons in India. There are 9 functional prisons spread over more than 400 acres. Run by Department of Delhi Prisons, the prison ...

, India's largest prison. Reacting to claims that two-thirds of all inmates at Tihar had engaged in homosexual behaviour, Bedi said consensual homosexual behaviour was virtually unknown at Tihar and that usage of condoms would promote homosexuality.

Less Than Gay

In late 1991, ABVA came out with a report titled "Less Than Gay: A Citizens' Report on the Status of Homosexuality in India" which was the first document to publicly demand queer rights in India including same-sex marriage. The report was an interesting breakthrough and is regarded with respect as it provided the first resource on homosexuality in India. In 2022, ABVA released the 2nd edition of the report, detailing their struggle since 1988-89 for the full repeal of Section 377.

Activities

ABVA's activities included: * Public advocacy; one success included stalling the AIDS Prevention Bill in 1989 through numerous petitions to Indian parliament. * Organizing public meetings, protest actions and public demonstrations as part of AIDS activism in India. * Networking with AIDS activists and activist organizations in India and abroad. * Grass-root work in Delhi slums and with gay people, with other NGO's involvement. * Research and publication of citizen reports. * Campaigning for the decriminalization of sodomy in India through efforts to repeal all discriminatory legislation.

References

{{Asia topic, LGBT rights in HIV/AIDS activism LGBTQ culture in India