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Australia Censors AIDS Info Site

by Peter Hacker, 365Gay.com Newscenter
Sydney, Australia Bureau

April 21, 2003

(Sydney, Australia) AIDS activists in Australia are pressing for the
return of a website that promotes safe sex. The site, maintained by
the Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations (http://www.afao.org.au) was
closed after the Department of Health and Ageing said it contained obscene
material.

Funding for the AFAO comes from the government agency. AFAO Education
Team Manager Dermot Ryan said the site was taken off-line during a
departmental review of its funding, according to gay newspaper The
Melbourne Star.

The site, which contained sexually explicit material was aimed at
promoting safe sex between men who have sex with men.

Part of the government funding review was a determination if the site
could be put back up.

Ryan said a government review process finished last week and the AFAO
hoped to know soon whether or not the site could be returned.
"At this stage we believe that access to the material may be outside
the guidelines for the Office of Film and Literature Classifications,
which is a part of approval procedures and are awaiting advise on
this," Ryan told the paper.

Last week, AIDS scientists in the US said they are being warned their
federal grants will be in jeopardy if they use words and phrases such
as "gay", "men who have sex with men".
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