About Club Genesis and the meaning of the logo
by Raphael Meyer- April 2008
CG Coordinator and AfA HIV counsellor from April 2005- April 2008
Club Genesis (CG) was first started in 1994 to cater to the needs of HIV positive MSM (Men who has sex with Men). It was the first HIV+ MSM support group in Singapore. Most support groups were catered towards the needs of the HIV+ heterosexual population. The club was solely run and managed by MSM PLWHIV (People Living with HIV) with support from Action for AIDS, the only non-governmental organisation for HIV/AIDS prevention and education in Singapore.
After more than 10 years of supporting HIV+ MSM in Singapore, the club has grown and move towards a new horizon. In consideration to the needs of the members, CG had done some restructuring and changes to its operations, suitable programmes were initiated so as to allow CG to be more relevant and to benefit the diverse needs of the members. I initiated a logo for CG along with the tagline ‘Empowering HIV Positive Lives’ two years ago giving the club a sense of identity and in line with the new direction it was heading.
The logo is a combined design of the letter of ‘C’ and ‘G’ together with a ‘Ribbon’. The letter ‘C’ and ‘G’ is the acronym for Club Genesis. Whereas the ‘Ribbon,’ it represents the red ribbon which is an internationally recognised and accepted visual symbol to support PLWHIV.
The logo was designed by a CG’s member. The interpretation of the logo with the letters of ‘C’ and ‘G’ being intertwined with the ‘Ribbon’ is to symbolise that CG is a PLWHIV support group and to remind the general public that PLWHIV does exist in Singapore. One needs to show compassion, care and support to PLWHIV who are no more or less than anyone else in the Singapore. CG was founded on the mission to provide emotional support and care to PLWHIV at a time when one being diagnosed with HIV/Aids meant a sure death, as antiretroviral (ARV) medication was either unaffordable or unavailable to fight HIV till the late 1990s. Since then, the mission of CG has changed. With the availability and affordability of effective ARV drugs, CG’s role has gradually evolved not just to support, assist and care but also to empower PLWHIV to lead a healthy, quality and productive life for years to come.
The objective of the formation of Club Genesis more than a decade ago was simple. It provided an avenue and a place for HIV+ MSM to meet and to support one another without the threat of stigma or discrimination. Being gay in Singapore meant living in fear of being criminalised. Under the Penal Code, 377A, sexual activity between men whether in public or private, is illegal. In the 1990s, several gay men were entrapped by the police, arrested, jailed and even to the extent of being canned. Their names and mugshots were published in newspapers to humiliate them. Being HIV+ brought its own set of fears of disclosure and the possibility of being isolated and discriminated of having HIV. It was this double set of issues that made the necessity of creating CG.
The founding members decided to name the support group ‘Club Genesis’ because from Hebrew and being translated into Greek, means origin, beginning and creation. It was to symbolise and give hope to those MSM who found out that they have HIV, that it is not the end of their life but rather a ‘new beginning’. The pioneer members in the early years of CG knew too well that to be diagnosed with HIV was like a death sentence. They did as much as they could to stand together and keep each other in good spirits even right up to the end. Some of the senior member recalled how they went to visit their friends in the hospital so frequently to the last moment where they say their last goodbyes. Every hospital visit and funeral that they had attended was a heartbreaking process, and it remained an aching memory even till today. For some it made them grow stronger, more united and determine to press on with the mission of CG. They held on to the hope that they will survive to see ‘Genesis’ be a ‘new beginning’ instead of the ‘beginning of the end’.
Today, with the advance in medical science, ARV medication has become more effective, available and affordable. The quality of life of PLWHIV has improved and there has hardly been anyone in CG dying of Aids related illness. However, there is still that initial fear of death when one is diagnosed with HIV that remains even till today.
Through counselling and support in CG programmes, those newly diagnosed have begun to realize that HIV is a manageable chronic disease and death is not the immediate end. Many CG members have gone to great extent to change their way of life just to ensure that they take the necessary steps to slow down the progression of HIV. Being HIV+ makes them have the courage and resolution to make changes for themselves. The idea of a ‘new beginning' is more a reality today than a dream of the past. The name ‘Club Genesis’ sounds more apt now than in the past.
To me, ‘Genesis’ translated from the Hebrew word ‘Bereishit’ which means ‘creation’ or ‘in the beginning’, makes clear sense. I’ve seen how one being diagnosed with HIV can lead him to change physically, emotionally and phsycologically almost to a totally different person. I’ve seen fiery people become docile; those who were obsessed with sex take on new hobbies and leave sexual desire aside, sometimes indefinitely. Many reconcile with their families and take the time to get to know them better. These are some of the major changes that the support group encountered in recent times as compared to the early days. Their attitudes, way of thinking, their outlook in life is different. These people want to live because they know that they can and now all they need to do is to find out how and what can be done. No doubt that with the introduction of the internet, information on HIV/Aids is easily available and accessible. However, knowledge alone cannot replace the human touch. Thus, the best place for Positive MSM who really needs a shoulder to lean on is none other than at Club Genesis!
Empowerment is really a 21st century buzz word. It is the process that challenges our assumptions about the way things are and can be. It challenges our basic assumptions about power, helping, achieving, and succeeding. CG took it on and adopted this tagline to describe in its simplest form: to take charge of their own life, illness and care. CG members became more interested to learn and to understand not only on the basics of HIV but also about what they need and what is involved in taking care of themselves. This change in attitude from being passive to active has brought a new perspective for the medical care professional in Singapore. Many of whom used to being the person in-charge and having all the answers about medical care have now played a different role as a co-partner of their patient’s medical care rather as the main caregiver.
Another key element of self-empowerment which CG has been very successful, is to get members to be able to develop an attitude that one’s life is not over or going to end soon simply because they have been diagnosed with HIV. This is not a new idea. In fact it is the very founding ethos of the support group and the very meaning of its name. But this idea of a ‘new beginning’, has shown to have taken on a new dimension altogether. Not only are some members developing a more positive attitude towards life, but they are also taking a step further by achieving great things such as their pursuit of upgrading their level of education and seeking a better career. Members of CG, some of whom just recovering from opportunistic infections or being diagnosed with a very low CD4, have shown tremendous resilience. They have initiated or carried on with their higher education and some even changed careers. Others have begun new friendships or have explored and found a committed relationship.
What is clearly important and being of more interest within CG now, is to promote the idea of GIPA (Greater Involvement of People with HIV/AIDS). CG members not only want to empower themselves but also to help the cause of PLWHIV. They have become more actively involved by working with the relevant Singapore government agencies to promote greater understating about PLWHIV through media interviews. They have also been working with international organizations (APN+, UNAIDS, AIDS Alliance) in the region and beyond to enhance cohesion and solidarity among PLWHIV specifically gay men and women living with HIV. They hope that this could bring the end of stigma and discrimination in the society with people treating and accepting Positive MSM as normal and equal citizens.
Those now at CG believe that they must keep the flame burning on brightly and build on the foundations set by those who founded Club Genesis. If there is something worth doing at all, it’s the contributions that they now continue to make fighting the epidemic and to empower the lives of those with HIV to press on to realize their dreams and not have to give up.
In conclusion, I hope that one day, through the work of tireless and passionate members of CG and all those living with HIV, their right to live without any fear of discrimination or stigma and be treated equally by all our society will be realized.
The logo
