David Furnish, Aids campaigner and husband of Sir Elton John, has condemned the homophobia and stigma that is hampering the control of HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Mr Furnish, chairman of the Elton John Aids Foundation, was speaking to the Telegraph as the foundation, in partnership with drug company Gilead, launched a $25 million, five-year initiative to fight the disease in Eastern Europe and Central Asia – the only region in the world where the number of new HIV infections is going up.
Mr Furnish, a film producer, said gay people in the region suffered “tremendous stigma”.
“The former Iron Curtain countries are still suffering from homophobia - it’s a hangover from Soviet occupation.
“Homophobia makes it much worse for people with HIV and Aids. No one wants to go for an Aids test or pick up Aids medication if they’re terrified and live in fear of being stuck with a label,” he said.
"These attitudes pervade around this region - it's what causes HIV infections to go up," he added.
Despite being a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s anti-gay legislation Mr Furnish and Sir Elton have continued to visit the country. And Sir Elton was one of the few Western musicians to tour the former Soviet Union, playing eight concerts in 1979.
Mr Furnish said it was better to be critical in a “polite” way and added: “Elton says [to the Russian people] you have always accepted me and you have always accepted my music. If you love and accept me, accept all of me. That’s a very compelling and real proposition.”
The foundation and Gilead’s new initiative is to be launched in Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan, before being rolled out to other cities in the the region. Around 25 countries will be eligible for funding.
Groups and organisations will be able to apply for grants aimed at improving health services and reducing stigma and discrimination.
Latest data from UNAIDS shows that in 2018 there were 1.7m people living with HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia but just 38 per cent of those were on life-saving antiretroviral treatment. This is a long way off a UNAIDS target for 90 per cent of those diagnosed to be on treatment.
At the launch of the fund, Dr Assel Terlikbayeva, HIV researcher and regional director of the Global Health Research Centre of Central Asia, said the Aids mortality rates were very high in Kazakhstan.
“Too many people are not identified as HIV positive and many people are identified very late in the advanced stages of infection when they’re very hard to treat. There are also those who refuse treatment or are uncommitted to treatment because of the stigma and discrimination they face,” she said.
Mr Furnish said one of the key aims of the fund, called Radian, was to help people living with the disease find support from others.
“It’s an amazing thing, the human spirit. When you put your arm around someone who feels they don’t have support or recognition they turn into the most amazing ambassadors.
"They are the best people to reach out and empower people like themselves. It’s a ripple effect,” he said.
Mr Furnish has been chairman of the foundation since 2010 and in his lifetime has seen Aids and HIV go from being a certain death sentence to a condition that is easily managed with the right treatment.
He said he was hopeful Aids would end in his lifetime but urged governments to back organisations such as the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis, which is currently looking for funding for the next three years.
“It’s about consistency and maintaining funding and financial support,” he said.
He added that Sir Elton was still committed to the fight against Aids.
