36 | HIV Australia Volume 9, No. 1 By Christopher S Walsh Regional Feature: Using animation to confront stigma, discrimination and low perceptions of personal risk to HIV/AIDS in Chiang Mai, Thailand Mplus is a small community-based organisation, based in Chiang Mai, hailand, committed to reducing high- risk sexual behavior and stemming the spread of HIV. In 2008, Mplus produced a series of screen-based animations for use in real-time and online peer- based HIV outreach and prevention activities targeting men who have sex with men (MSM), male sex workers and transgender people. he animations were produced with funding from the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations’ small grants program (2008) and have become part of Mplus’ innovative suite of HIV outreach and prevention resources. Mplus outreach workers take condoms and safe-sex information – including the animations – to places where men meet other men for sex. his includes public spaces (parks, clubs, public toilets, beats); sex venues (brothels, go-go bars, saunas) and online spaces (chatrooms, social networking sites). HIV prevention during a time of political crisis Despite a history of successful government-led public HIV education campaigns during the early 1990s, funding for HIV prevention programs in hailand has reduced dramatically over the past decade. 1 Prevention programs are not adequately reaching men who have sex with men, male sex workers and transgender communities. 2 hese groups remain highly stigmatised and socially sanctioned members of hai society. hailand has also been experiencing an ongoing, often violent, political struggle between the People’s Alliance for Democracy (‘yellow shirts’) and the People’s Power Party (‘red shirts’). his is particularly acute in and around Chiang Mai. 3 Mplus is concerned that this social upheaval – in tandem with the already existing stigma and discrimination that affects communities of men who have sex with men, male sex workers and transgender people – could precipitate increased HIV infection in these populations already at a disproportionately high risk of acquiring HIV. An estimated one-fifth (21%) of new HIV infections in hailand occur in men who have sex with men. 4 Research indicates that these men are at a higher risk of contracting HIV in concentrated tourism areas such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. 5 A 2008 demographic survey found that HIV incidence among men who have sex with men in Bangkok increased from 17% in 2003 to 28% in 2005, and 31% in 2007. he rate of new HIV diagnoses in Chiang Mai rose from 15.3% in 2005 to 16.9% in 2007, while rates in Phuket increased from 5.5% to 20% in the same time period. 6 he study also found that half of the men surveyed do not use condoms and indicated that male commercial sex workers (hai and migrant) are at high risk of contracting HIV because of unsafe sexual behavior. A 2010 study of young men who have sex with men (15 – 24 years) in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket found high levels of inconsistent condom use among its cohort. Of the 837 participants, 33.1% were men who engaged in non-transactional sex with other men, 37.7% were male sex workers and 29.1% were transgender-identified. he study found that 46.7% of men who have sex with men, 34.9% of male sex