As a gay man, I am deeply saddened, though not surprised by the homophobia expressed by Lekiu Bakri ('Homosexuality in the eyes of Islam', July 13) and Tai Lo Chin ('Good try, good cause, but it won't work', July 13).

Once again, we have prejudice justified on the grounds of religion. The demonisation of homosexuality - equating it with robbery, murder and rape - is what breeds violence and discrimination against homosexuals.

Surely religions do not preach violence and discrimination against fellow human beings - which is what millions of my gay brothers and sisters and I are.The heinous crimes of robbery, murder and rape involve a victim and a perpetrator, who typically uses his (or her) power over the victim to do harm.

The expression of one's homosexual orientation and the practice of a homosexual relationship between two consenting adults do not make any of the parties involved a victim and harm is not perpetrated. As with heterosexual relationships, the development of homosexual relationships is based on the need for love, care, support and human bonding.

On the issue of Aids raised by Lekiu Bakri, yes, the majority of new reported HIV infection cases are among heterosexuals.

However, I'd like to point out that because of the prejudice, stigmatisation and discrimination against homosexuals in many countries around the world, including Malaysia, not many homosexuals are willing to come forward voluntarily to be tested for HIV even though they may have engaged in acts that could have put them at risk of infection.

Even if they should present themselves for testing, they may not feel comfortable or safe to admit to having engaged in homosexual acts, especially since in many countries these behaviour is frowned upon or punishable by a jail or death sentence. Hence, the official reported statistics do not necessarily tell the whole story.

It should also be noted that there are certain countries which choose to deny the existence of homosexuals and hence do not allocate the necessary resources for HIV/Aids education and support for the homosexual population. Such denial, coupled with prejudice and stigmatisation against homosexuals, also prevent the population at risk from coming forward readily to access HIV information and education that are available and life-saving.

On the question of "Why should gay and lesbian organisations participate in the United Nations (UN) Conference on Aids when we all know that HIV infection these days have little or no bearing on one's sexual orientation?", well, the answer is simply that these organisations have a great amount of valuable experience and knowledge on combating HIV/Aids to share with the rest of the world.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), whose participation in a human rights roundtable discussion at the recent UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/Aids was objected to by the OIC and certain other countries, has had vast global experience working with persons who have been discriminated against based on their sexual orientation, gender status and HIV status.

In Malaysia, the first community response to HIV/Aids came from a segment of the gay community in Kuala Lumpur back in the 1980s. And individuals from the local gay community continue to contribute their expertise, energy and financial resources to the country's fight against the epidemic.

Why then should we let prejudice and intolerance stop productive and creative people from contributing to making this world a better and safer place to live in?