Producing & integrating animations into online outreach to promote social justice, equity & access HIV/AIDS prevention

While many transgenders, or 'lady-boys', have a high visibility and work in professions such as hairdressing, cabaret shows, and Thailand's sex industry, they still remain marginalised and stigmatised in Thailand. Drawing on data from a larger research study, we learned that trarisgenders face unique issues in regards to their legal rights and risk to HIV / AIDS. Transgenders are regularly victims of sex crimes and due to stigma and fear; often do not report these crimes to police. Most transgenders do not know their legal or human rights under Thai law, where to go for help when their rights are violated, or about the availability of Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after a sexual assault. We describe working with transgenders, through a unique international collaboration, to produce a context-specific animated film that supports their struggle for social justice and the protection of their human rights. The animation is a new, strategic screen-based resource that aims to empower transgenders in overcoming barriers that deny them equitable access to participation in social, economic, political and cultural relations in their local community. The animation is currently being distributed through peer outreach on mobile phones and MP3 players among the different transgender communities in Chiang Mai. Looking forward, we describe our plans to integrate the animations into a chatroom-based peer-education programme to promote equity, social justice and how to negotiate condom use to minimise the transmission of HIV among the target population