It’s Pride Month and National HIV Testing Day is June 27th! The Pride parade is happening in Chicago this weekend and you’ll find me cheering and celebrating on the sidelines! As an Act Against AIDS ambassador, raising awareness of HIV is so important. One in seven people living with HIV don’t know that they have it. And Hispanic/Latinos are disproportionately affected. About 7 in 10 new HIV diagnoses among Hispanics/Latinos occur in Hispanic/ Latino gay and bisexual men.
A few weeks ago, United Latinx Pride held their Haciéndolo event with Calor and Act Against AIDS. I made a few videos about my experience there and met so many wonderful new friends who are working hard to eradicate HIV and AIDS. We truly believe it can happen in our lifetime!
I also had the chance to intimately interview a few attendees about why they came to the event, what HIV testing and awareness means to them and why EVERYONE needs to support this cause. Hear their stories and share your own with us!
Find a testing location that fits into your schedule and lifestyle and let us know how it went! The more we talk about HIV testing, the more accepted it will be and the faster we can eradicate the HIV and AIDS virus.
Hope to see you at Pride! I’ll be the one wearing a HIV testing shirt with a deep red lip!
For the State of Illinois AIDS/HIV & STD Hotline call 1.800.AID.AIDS (243.2437) or TTY 1.800.782.0423, or email NXTLVL@centeronhalsted.org. ALL CALLS ARE ANONYMOUS.
