Surakarta transgender community urges condom use

Dozens of transgender people held a rally during World AIDS Day on Saturday at the Gladag traffic circle in Surakarta, Central Java, to draw attention to the importance of using condoms to avoid contracting the HIV virus. The community is often repressed but put on a brave face to hold the rally, said Solo Transgender Association (Hiwaso) activist Lousiana Margaretha. The HIV virus can be passed on by anyone, not just transgender people. The public, however, often makes scapegoats out of transgender people since the majority of them are sex workers, Lousiana added.