It’s one thing to stop being gay and another big step is to speak out publicly about an HIV diagnosis, says a young man from Toronto who walks that road.
“It’s like a second closet,” Pedro said in a recent WhatsApp conversation, using a pseudonym and eager to keep certain identifying information private. “I’ve already been through the first (with) sexual orientation, coming out as gay … and I hug it! I am always talking.
“I think I could do more (to talk about HIV and AIDS) but the stigma is holding me back … and I feel ashamed,” said the 29-year-old Brazilian who moved to Canada in 2019, a little over six months after receiving the diagnosis, he has not shared it with his immediate family.
“I feel terrible … I have the conscience of how it would help if I could be one more person to reveal it,” said Pedro. “But sadly, this is bigger. I’m a little scared (that) I might not be brave enough to deal with, so I’m building this strength. “
Pedro is happy to share his experiences in support of NoTimeToWait, an annual conference organized by LetsStopAIDS to be held virtually and in person on November 20 and 21 in Toronto. The group’s founder, Shamin Mohamed Jr., helped Pedro in the months after he arrived in Canada to find a drug similar to the one he took in Brazil, making his HIV undetectable and therefore untransmittable.
The NoTimeToWait organizers hope to host unfiltered conversations about sex, stigma, religion, resilience and underrepresented communities, and have a longer-term goal of eradicating HIV by 2030.
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More than 32 million people have died of AIDS worldwide in the 40 years since it was first identified, and 38 million people are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS if left untreated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. US Disease Prevention
There were more than 62,000 people living with HIV in Canada at the end of 2018, according to national estimates.
Today, HIV can be controlled with various treatments, and Pedro says he will not let it control his life.
The NoTimeToWait organizers hope to host unfiltered conversations about sex, stigma, religion, resilience and underrepresented communities, and have a longer-term goal of eradicating HIV by 2030.
But in many living rooms and around many kitchen tables, the topic of HIV and AIDS remains taboo, something that Seungmyoung Lee, an eleventh grader, wants to change as he strives to “make a difference every day. “.
Lee, who attends Branksome Hall, an international curriculum school just north of Bloor Street and Rosedale Valley Road in Toronto, has been a LetsStopAIDS volunteer since May. She says the work has helped her broach the subject more with her parents.
“This is the first job I’m doing around AIDS, and I’m very proud that my family started to be more open to these discussions when I took on this role,” said Lee, who came to Canada from South Korea ago. three years and said is a topic that is usually avoided there.
He said the more than 30 members of the national team have worked together for six months to bring the conference together under the themes of “breaking and building the chain” (ie breaking stereotypes of HIV and building new connections among young people). A third theme is “going back the chain”, which addresses prevention and harm reduction strategies.
Sessions will take place in person at the LetsStopAIDS center office, with a capacity of around 100 people, and will be streamed live for participants to join remotely, with a plan to record them for later viewing.
Morgan Sharp / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada National Observer
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com