I'm Positive 2020

There is nothing more powerful than a father or mother’s embrace, the smile of a proud child, or the unconditional, unlimited understanding and love of a partner. The notion of acceptance takes center stage at this year’s I’m Positive thanks to the real-life stories of five people living with and without HIV. Michalis and Giorgos, a same sex couple, are on hand to talk about adoption and foster care. Marios, an HIV-positive former substance user, talks about being accepted by society. Giorgos, with his parents, talks about being accepted by your own family. Erofili talks about trans rights and gender identity. And Olamide, a gay Nigerian man forced to leave his home because of his sexuality, and his country because of his work supporting people with HIV, talks about stigma in his own community. Sotiris Tsiodras, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, is also taking part in the discussion. He has many years of teaching and professional experience under his belt, and in 2003 drew plaudits for his 2003 postdoctoral research thesis titled “Effects of protease inhibitors on metabolic syndrome in patients infected with the HIV-1 virus”.

Acceptance means to love and to listen, to be aware and empathetic and understanding. Let us open our eyes and ears, then, to the stories of five lives being lived alongside us, and speak openly against the stigma and prejudice that follows in the wake of every virus in every society.

Every child in the world deserves to be hugged. And every parent deserves to be recognized.

Giorgos is 30 years old and an actor. Michael, aged 41, is an actor too. They’ve been a couple since 2015.

Two years ago, a member of Giorgos’ immediate family brought a child into the world that they themselves were unable to raise. This child was to be sent to an institution to be cared for. Michael and Giorgos couldn’t let that happen. A little fearful but full of faith, they looked each other in eye and decided to take the plunge.

Through a series of complex legal procedures, Giorgos was awarded familial custody of the child. Joining them in their home 19 months ago, the child is now being raised by its two dads. While Michael is not legally recognized as the child’s parent – no legal framework currently exists that could assign him such rights – the pair did manage a first for Greece: the court’s decision refers explicitly to the fact that they are a same sex couple who will be raising the child together. A child they named Nikiforos – “bringer of victory” – because for them, he’s a winner.

They believe that no child should be raised by a faceless institution. The sex of those who can offer children homes should not matter. They hope the law will change to allow them to adopt young Nikiforos soon. Their story shows that this is something society is ready for. The time has come for the necessary legal framework to be put in place. Not just because it is a basic right of all same sex couples to have children of their own, but moreover because no child should grow up without someone to hug them.

Marginalization and stigma kill quicker than any virus.

Marios is 46 years old. He was a substance user for 25 years and has been living with HIV for the last decade. He is one case among many from what entered the public consciousness as the HIV epidemic that broke out among substance users in Athens between 2011 and 2013.

Marios currently works for the Greek Association of People Living with HIV – Positive Voice, and is also a member of European AIDS groups and drug policy networks, with an expertise in combatting addiction. He talks openly about his HIV status and his history as a user in order to break the silence and prejudices surrounding such issues. Today, Marios enjoys the support of his girlfriend. And through his activism, he – in turn – gives hope to those who feel hopeless.

Nothing shines brighter than acceptance. To be accepted by your family, but also by society.

Giorgos, aged 31, is an actor. During the course of his life, he has been imprisoned and targeted, and has had sensitive personal data breached by the authorities, solely on the basis of his sexual orientation.

His parents have stood by his side, demanding the glaringly obvious: that their child be afforded the same rights and accountabilities as anyone else in society, no matter their sexual orientation. Every step of the way, through more difficult moments and more light, Giorgos has managed – thanks to them – to stay strong. Today, in the lead up to the final court case that will officially declare his innocence, he is on hand to talk about the violation of his personal data, and the importance of feeling accepted by your family, and by society at large.

Let us work together for a society free from the patriarchy, free from transphobia, free from fascism.

Erofili is a writer and actor. She has been working as a healthcare and sexual health activist for the last five years. She has served as a vital link between diagnosis and treatment for hundreds of people living with HIV in Greece. Inescapably, she has personal experience of the exclusion vulnerable people with HIV face every day.

Erofili is also on the front line in the fight for LGBTQI community rights from a trans perspective. Erofili talks to us about acceptance and understanding, working with people every day without discrimination and without resorting to stereotypes.

Our dreams must be given space within a society where awareness and acceptance trump every form of stigma and marginalization.

Οlamide was born and raised in Nigeria. He came to Greece 18 months ago, and will be turning 28 in a few days. Olamide knew he was different from other children his age, and at 17 decided to leave his parents’ home in order to live his life without having to hide. He wanted to follow his dreams in a world that is more free and more open. And so it was. He spoke with a friend, who found him a job at an NGO in Nigeria. For quite some time, he worked with organizations fighting for the rights of the most vulnerable. He wanted to help those in need.

All was well until the day he was arrested by the Nigerian authorities for providing assistance to gay men through the NGOs he worked with. He had no choice but to flee Nigeria and disappear. So he took a boat to Turkey, and from there was sent to Greece. Olamide dreams of a society where awareness and acceptance trump stigma and marginalization.