Testing Times – Tackling Transphobia, Stigma & HIV

Last night cliniQ showed a series of short films looking at the issues of HIV in the trans* communities, at the 20th Century Fox Screening Rooms, in Soho Square. The event was likely the first public discussion of HIV in trans* communities in the UK, which engaged with service providers, trans* people and people living with HIV. We were also incredibly privileged to host a panel Q&A afterwards, which included the amazing Ingo Andersson from Wotever World, and Klubb Fukk, and a member of the trans* community, who openly recounted her nearly 30 year journey of living with HIV. The panel also included Michelle Ross, Toni Hogg (cliniQ/Antidote) and Aedan Wolton from the cliniQ team.

The films screened included:

Heroes of HIV: The Sex Worker is one of several

“Sou Southevy is a 70-year-old transgender sex worker who has been working the streets of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh since she was thrown out of home by her parents at just 14 years old. Through the worst ravages of the Khmer Rouge regime and since, Sou has been subjected to terrible discrimination and at times violence, and in the absence of any support groups working with transgender and gay men, she decided to start one herself.”

Against the Odds: Transgender, Black & HIV Positive

“HIV and AIDS affect every segment of American society, but they affect certain populations disproportionately. About half of those living with HIV in the United States are African-American. About a quarter are older than 50. And a study in the journal “AIDS and Behavior” found 28 percent of male-to-female transgender people are infected. Josh Lederman has the story of one woman who fits all three categories.”