Glass Closet: Sex, Stigma and HIV/AIDS in Jamaica

As the HIV/AIDS pandemic enters into its 28th year, the battle against the virus is being waged in almost every country on earth. And although HIV/AIDS is a global threat, unique cultural attitudes and religious values continue to shape how individual nations are responding to the crisis.

In Jamaica strict anti-sodomy laws and often violently homophobic social currents have resulted in a curious skewing of the national HIV infection rates. While the general population's infection rate is currently about 1.4%, the infection rate in the gay community is more than twenty times higher -- almost 32%.

This project explores how Jamaica's unique cultural, political and religious traditions are making it harder for public health officials to control the spread of the epidemic.

Jamaica offers a fascinating high-stakes case study in contrasting social values – in which the health and long-term economic stability of a small island nation hang in the balance.

This project was produced in partnership with WNET's WorldFocus program and correspondent Lisa Biagiotti.

Glass Closet was made possible thanks to support from the MAC AIDS Fund.