So said the health minister

For Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, men having sex with men (MSMs) is not only “unnatural” but also a “disease”. Addressing zilla parishad chairpersons and mayors on HIV/AIDS on Monday, Azad said, “This disease has come to India from foreign shores, and Indian society needs to be prepared to face it.” Unfortunately, he said, the number of “such people” was increasing by the day. “The disease of MSM is unnatural and not good for Indian society. It’s a challenge to identify such people. In case of female sex workers, we can identify the community and reach out to them since they live in clusters. But in case of MSMs, it isn’t always possible,” he said. The minister’s comments have not only caused uproar among civil society but also in the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) which, incidentally, reports to him. “How can this be a disease? It is just a form of sexual orientation. It’s definitely not unnatural,” a NACO official said. NACO has been working towards identifying MSMs and giving them a rightful place in society. A large number of targeted interventions (TI) have been put in place by the organization to cater to the needs of the MSM community. According to NACO’s latest surveillance data, India is home to an estimated 4.12 lakh MSMs, of whom 2.74 lakh have been identified. Around 4.2% of sexually-active men in India are believed to have sex with other men, with Chennai, AP, Gujarat, TN and Orissa topping the list. Of the total number of 1,511 TIs, 168 cater to MSMs. Each TI, catering to 1,000 MSMs, costs Rs 15 lakh.