Homosexuality and International Assistance in Central Asia
Masculine homosexuality was duly recognized in pre-Soviet Central Asia, but very heavily legally sanctioned the blatantly homophobic Soviet era. The AIDS epidemic strengthened homophobic prejudice in the 1980’s despite Glasnost tolerance in other domains. In light of this shared historical base, we will consider the present situation of male homosexuals in the various countries comprising post-Soviet Central Asia as well as its potential impact on the development of the epidemic in the region, and analyse the influence of international aid. This study is essentially based on our fieldwork in the area, combined with rather scarce data in the existing literature on masculine homosexuality in post-Soviet Central Asia.