Features and Interviews

One of the things that delights me most in my work with PositiveLite.com is the window it allows me onto a worldwide community that affords me boundless uplift and inspiration. Recently I was privileged to make contact online with William Matovu, a young HIV activist working at Love to Love Organization, which supports orphans and children living with HIV in Uganda.  "We provide and advocate for the rights of the innocent children who are orphaned and vulnerable and youth who we believe des

The images accompanying this article are from campaigns around the world informing people living with HIV that if their viral load is durably suppressed, they can not transmit the virus to others. There were no Canadian images used because no such campaigns exist in Canada.  It’s getting heated People living with HIV have never played a greater part in designing and implementing prevention messaging. In just a few months, the U = U message from the Prevention Access Campaign, arguably the

Photo: Motswari Mofokeng Rob Easton: Minister Philpott, thank you for taking the time for this interview with PositiveLite.com. Jane Philpott: My pleasure. You’ve had a very busy few weeks with health accords and a number of different announcements. How challenging is it to get HIV on the list of priorities, both within your ministry, and also around the cabinet table? I think it would be fair to say that HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood born infections have not b

This article by Aidan Wolton previously appeared at FS Magazine, here. Despite the wonderful diversity within our LGBTQ communities, it can sometimes feel like the ‘T’ is silent. Trans people are often left off the sexual health agenda, and even within community spaces, transphobia is rife. On the often hyper-masculine, phallocentric gay scene, queer trans men (guys assigned female at birth) can experience unique forms of invisibility and discrimination, making even a simple hook-up fee

Listen to the whole program on cbc radio's The Current, here. Anna Maria Tremonti: I have Ron Rosenes with me now. He's a community activist and a researcher living with HIV since the early eighties. Many of those diagnosed with HIV in the eighties, including Gaétan Dugas, have died. Medical advances mean that many others survived. Those still living with HIV from that era can relate to the stigma that was attached and what was going on and how Gaétan Dugas’ name was used. Ron Rosenes, he

Bob Leahy: Thanks for talking to PositiveLite.com first of all. I really appreciate it. Now tell me why you wanted to talk to me, Eric. Eric Cashmore: This is something I had to consider very carefully Bob. Just a couple of weeks ago I had a talk with my employer where I was being very public within my office, and I realized I had started to cause distress amongst people around me talking so openly about my addiction issues and how I’m handling them and people became very worried with me. S

Bob Leahy: Hi Noel. If I can paraphrase what I hear the topic of your talk was, I think you felt that the attention being given to promotion and advocacy for PrEP is not being matched by our enthusiasm for treatment as prevention. But tell me how you came to this conclusion. Noel Gordon Jr:  Yes. I’ve been a PrEP user for the past three years and I started PrEP because as a young black gay man living in Washington D.C. which has one of the highest incidence rates of HIV in the country

On September 24, realize, Canada’s national organization that fosters positive change for people living with HIV and other episodic disabilities — formerly known as the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR) — held its annual Forum. The subject this year was Coming of Age: Exploring our Collective Response to HIV and Aging. In the past few years, medical science has provided us with the knowledge to drastically improve the health and extend the lives of people livin

Bob Leahy: Hi Tammy. I’m going to first ask you the obvious question: why the need for a name change from the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR)? Tammy Yates: Well as you know Bob, since 1998, the organization has really been a leader and a catalyst for improved access to rehabilitation services, including mental health services, here in Canada and internationally. We have done that by bringing together research, education, policy, practice and connecting people who wo

The scene opens with seven men sitting on chairs arranged in a circle. An awkward silence permeates the room until a counsellor among them asks one of them to begin. Lucas ponders what his family might think if they ever find out that he’s hooked on crystal meth. Chen is next. He lists all that he has lost: his house, his job, his partner. Then Jeremy talks about his desire for love and acceptance as Alex, the main character, gives him a knowing look. Empty Nest is a short film, written by

This article by Emily Newman previously appeared at Betablog.org here. We’ve come a long way since the days when fighting for LGBT rights demanded action such as the Stonewall Riots. Or a critical need for HIV medications prompted protests blocking traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. The world saw success come from those tactics—and now, more than ever before, people who are part of marginalized populations are able to stand up and demand that their voices are heard. For access to bath

Bob Leahy: Let’s talk about the RiseUptoHIV campaign which you are well known for, particularly for your T-shirts. Kevin Maloney: Yes, it was a two-pronged campaign. The name “RiseUptoHIV” came to me in the middle of the night. I was thinking about how I was rising up to the challenges in my life at the time when I was diagnosed in 2010. The “No shame about being HIV-positive” story telling campaign started in 2013 – people would send me their stories and photos, which I would pos

(left) Bruce Richman, co-founder of Prevention Access Campaign, with longtime HIV/AIDS activist Professor Carrie Foote, Indiana University-Purdue University; Head of HIV Modernization Movement   Bob Leahy: Bruce thank you for talking to PositiveLite.com. Tell me first of all why you are driven to do this work. Bruce Richman: Well I was diagnosed with HIV in 2003 and I’ve experienced the impact of stigma and discrimination for many years and in many different ways, but not as much as othe

This article by David Pelletier previously appeared on CATIE's Positive Side here. Une version française est disponible ici.  For Benoît Lachambre - dancer, choreographer, founder of the Montreal-based Par B.L.eux dance company and seasoned teacher of contemporary dance—artistic expression is all about sharing and communion. This aspect of his work is so fundamental that since the mid-1990s he’s been breaking down “the fourth wall,” the invisible barrier that separates the

Barry Haarde is a remarkable 50 year old long term survivor of both HIV and HepC who is about to embark on his fifth transcontinental bike ride for Wheels for the World 2016: Saving Lives by the Mile.  Since 2012, Barry has ridden over 10,000 miles to help raise $150,000 for Save One Life. Barry's goal this year? 5,000 miles--from Everett, Washington through 22 states to Key Largo, Florida! He will ride from July 17 - September 11. Bob Leahy: Hi Barry. This is your fifth transcontinental bi