Ending AIDS is not an unreachable goal

While homosexuality was decriminalized in China in 1997 and officially removed from the list of mental illnesses in 2001, there has been little progress on the social environment for sexual minorities. In China, the majority of homosexual individuals and couples remain invisible. There are no laws to protect sexual and gender minorities from discrimination.

We need a pragmatic response. First, we must ensure that stigma-free services are delivered when and where they are needed. This could be achieved simply through more support for community-based organizations: services by the gay community for the gay community are likely to be more effective in meeting that community's needs, as many examples around the world have shown.

Second, we need to ensure that the HIV services offered are those which will be most effective－for instance, single-dose combination of drugs and community-led rapid testing. These approaches are standard elsewhere in the world－and there's no reason why they couldn't be introduced in China. If they were, testing rates and uptake of and adherence to treatment would improve dramatically.

China's recent commitment to ending AIDS by 2030 is laudable－but achieving it will only be possible if science is accompanied by a commitment to respecting human dignity and embracing marginalized people. With single-minded focus on ensuring that the necessary information and services reach those who need them most, we can ensure that ending AIDS by 2030 is not an unreachable goal.

Catherine Sozi is UNAIDS country director and Bernard Schwartlander is WHO representative in China, on behalf of the UN Country Team on AIDS.