During a panel at the International
AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, Sir Elton John launched a scathing
attack against Russia and other Eastern European governments for
their treatment of LGBT people.
John, a vocal AIDS activist, said that
such discrimination hurts efforts to end the epidemic.
“I’m so anti what’s going on for
the LGBT community throughout eastern Europe. We’re here to protect
them and for everyone who’s HIV [positive] but especially for the
LGBT community that have suffered so badly and are still suffering
and it makes me crazy,” said John. “If there wasn’t this
discrimination we could get rid of the disease far quicker.”
“Until we get that idea out of our
head that gay people are less than then I am afraid we will still be
sitting here in twenty years time discussing the same thing.”
“To be an LGBT person in Russia is
very difficult,” he
added.
Rates of new infections rose 30 percent
in the Eastern European and Central Asia region between 2010 and
2017. The region has the world's highest rate of infections.
(Related: Prince
Harry, Sir Elton John launch AIDS initiative in Amsterdam.)