Gender, Sexuality, and HIV/AIDS: The What, the Why, and the How

The focus of this paper is on the what, why, and how of gender, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS and is limited to issues related to the heterosexual transmission of HIV because that has been the the most common transmission HIV for women since the emergence of the epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and particularly amongst poor rural women which has been the focus of my work over the last decade. We recognize that heterosexual transmission is only one aspect of the epidemic, but it is by no means irrelevant since the most recent statistics show that heterosexual transmission of HIV remains by far the most common mode of transmission not only in Africa but globally Gupta (2000). We have known for at least a decade that gender and sexuality are significant factors in the sexual transmission of HIV, and we now know that they also influence treatment, care, and support Gupta, (2000) Hussayn (2016,2017). Both terms, nevertheless, continue to remain misunderstood and inappropriately used.