Taking Care of Yourself, Taking Care of Everyone

It is commonly believed that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is closely associated only with the experiences of cisgender gay men. Yet in reality, early HIV activism was quite diverse. Even though international funds and local partner organizations were able to effectively address the epidemic, the passage of time, as well as NGO-ization, have obscured the memory of activism and lives of lesbians, queer women, trans*men and trans*women, sex workers, and racialized communities who have lived and still live with HIV. Ukrainian HIV activism is no exception, as it started as a grassroots movement.

This program offers to view HIV/AIDS not only as a medical issue, but also as a space for dialogue between generations, cultures, and bodies. The films selected for it foreground trans* and lesbian stories that rarely enter the spotlight in cinema, even though they form an important part of the global fight against HIV/AIDS — the fight for visibility, dignity, and love.

In his documentary Dear Lou Sullivan, Rhys Ernst combines his own experience with the story of Lou Sullivan, an iconic activist in the North American trans movement, to restore intergenerational connections in the trans*community, torn apart by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, state repression, and transphobic violence. The film touches on the stigmatization of trans*men and HIV-positive men in gay communities.

This theme of intergenerational connections continues in J. L. Whitecrow’s campy work, Recipe for an Elder, about queer and trans indigenous people who live with HIV. A recipe for a favorite dish of many members of First Nations communities becomes a metaphor for queer survival through togetherness and care. The film offers a unique perspective on HIV/AIDS as part of a collective experience, rather than just an individual story.

In their poetic and ironic performance Me Cuido (“I take care of myself”), the band Las Indetectables explores colonialism, the medical-industrial complex, and religious stigma. The flamenco form and bold storytelling highlight the pressure of social and religious concepts like “purity”, “health,” or “self-care”, experienced by queer/trans* people living with HIV in Chile.

Stigma and efforts to overcome it are also the focus of the feature film AnOther Love Story: Women & AIDS directed by Debbie Douglas and Gabrielle Micallef. Care, tenderness, and dialogue (as well as sex education) save the main characters’ romantic relationships, while also help to dispel myths about HIV/AIDS within lesbian communities.

Filled with poetic imagery, That Child with AID$ is the story of a Brazilian artist and activist, Lili Nascimento, who was born with HIV. It is a multifaceted monologue about growing up, embodiment, and self-determination in a world that is still prejudiced against people living with HIV.