Inter Press Service - October 21, 2002
Marites Sison

"Low risk doesn't mean no risk. For all we know, we might be a ticking time bomb," said Maria Cristina Cristobal, executive director of the activist group Lesbian Advocates Philippines (LEAP).

Cristobal says most lesbians are unaware that they, too, can acquire HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from women partners who are bisexual or who may have had previous sexual contact with a heterosexual male with HIV.

Ulcers and lesions in the genital area are often the entry points for the virus, which can be transmitted during oral sex, health experts say.

Cristobal cited a study that LEAP conducted among 50 lesbian activists that showed that all of them equated safe sex only with a limited range of factors -- proper hygiene, monogamy, no use of sexual devices, experimentation and use of gloves.

The fact that there has been no reported incidence of lesbians acquiring HIV/AIDS in the country has helped bolster the concept that "lesbian sex is safer sex," or as many of them say in jest, "that we are God's children," added Cristobal.

Although there have been documented cases of lesbians living with AIDS in the West, Filipino lesbians think their infection was more an outcome of lifestyle rather than a biological risk and susceptibility to the disease, explains Cristobal, who spoke before the 6th Philippine National Convention on AIDS on Oct.18.

Cristobal also cites another problematic area: Most lesbians are reluctant to discuss their sexual health and practices because many suffer discrimination at the hands of doctors or other medical practitioners.

"When we say we are sexually active, they immediately ask us what pills we use. They assume we have sex with males," said Cristobal. "When we come out and tell them our sexual orientation, they react negatively. They either ridicule us or become aloof."

Being lesbian becomes a problem especially in a predominantly Roman Catholic population like the Philippines that is conservative, adds Professor Archie Logo, who spoke on eco-feminism and HIV prevention. "One can just imagine the narrowness that prevails."

As a result of society's attitude, many lesbians either do not have themselves examined by doctors or do not disclose their sexual orientation, says Cristobal. Of the 50 lesbians polled by LEAP, for instance, only six had had a pap smear examination.

Cristobal underscores the need for integrating lesbian concerns into the country's existing health programmes and HIV/AIDS education.

She explains that while lesbians included in the study had access to brochures and other materials on HIV/AIDS, the study showed that many of them still had limited information on what constitutes safe sex. "There is a great discrepancy between attitude and practice," she said.

'ManilaOut', a monthly publication for lesbians and gays, estimates the country's non-heterosexual population to be about 10 percent of 80 million Filipinos.

Pennie Azarcon de la Cruz, a journalist who has written extensively on the pandemic and who spoke during the session on women and HIV/AIDS, called for information and education campaigns that are focused on women's vulnerability to the disease.

"Make sure that young girls have information about their own bodies, as well as the skills to say no to unwanted or unsafe sex," she pointed out. "Today, the ratio of HIV infection among men and women in South-east Asia is rapidly moving towards 1:1, with 80 to 90 percent of infections transmitted through heterosexual contact."

She cited medical findings that underscore how biologically, women are four times more likely to be infected through sex with a male partner.

This is because "women have a larger mucosal surface area exposed to the virus, the amount of virus present in semen is greater than those found in vaginal secretions, semen may remain in the vagina for hours after intercourse, women are more likely to receive blood transfusions because of anaemia and complications during childbirth", she said.

Likewise, De la Cruz said, "they are more likely to suffer violent or rough sex resulting from rape, genital mutilation or incest".

Cultural beliefs and attitudes also add to the risks of HIV/AIDS among women, said De la Cruz. "The high value placed on virginity often make women the subject of unprotected anal sex with the resulting tearing of genital tissues," she said.

"Some cultures believe that sex with young virgins would cleanse the virus out of one's system. Girls, thus, become valued commodities - raped, coerced or sold into sexual service," De la Cruz added.

A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) study has shown that young Filipino women aged 19 to 29 represent the age group with the highest number of infections based on gender.

According to the Joint U.N. Programme on HIV/AIDS, the Philippines still has a low incidence of HIV/AIDS infection at less than .1 percent of people aged 15 to 49 years old or 9,400 people.

That is quite different from other countries in the region like Thailand, Burma and Cambodia.

But risky sexual behaviour among Filipino youth of both sexes -- about 14 million or 18 percent of the population - could result in an HIV/AIDS explosion in the future, experts say.

A 1999 study on Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality conducted for the East-West Centre Population and Health Studies has shown that "up to the age of 25, before they marry, 37 percent of Filipino men will have had sex with at least one other partner besides their wives, and a non-negligible share will have paid for sex".

At least 30 percent of Filipino women will have had premarital sex, most with their future husbands. More worrisome, however, is that a large percentage of them "will be placed at risk of HIV through the premarital and extramarital activities of their spouses". (END/IPS/AP/HD/HE/MS/JS/02)

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