The implications of intersectionality on gay men was the topic of one of the plenary sessions at the Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance (GMSH) summit held in Toronto in May 2013. Intersectionality considers the simultaneous intersections between social difference and identity as well as the different forms of systemic oppression that reflect relationships of power.
One of the panel members at this plenary session was El Farouk Khaki, a Toronto refugee and immigration lawyer and human rights activist with a clientele of predominantly gay men and people living with HIV. In my video interview with him (which you can see below) after his presentation, he talked about how immigration and refugee rights in Canada are under siege and how this is impacting people living with HIV. He also discusses how we need to work together through the intersection of different communities, groups and organizations so that our society can meet the needs of individual newcomers to Canada who are living with HIV.
