World AIDS Day is a reminder of the millions of people that are living with the disease and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research is helping raise awareness about this disease. They teamed up with individuals that are sharing their personal experiences and talking about the disparities seen in the Latino community and HIV through their Epic Voices Campaign, such as Viktor Luna, fashion designer, and Project Runway contestant.
According to the CDC, Latinos account for one-quarter of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S., despite representing 18% of the total population. Even though, there’s been some advances in the success of PrEP and Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART), HIV infections in the Latino community have increased by 14%.
amfAR Epic Voices is an online video series that aims to get the conversation started about HIV among millennial and LGBT communities. It wants to increase awareness of the persistent threat that this disease has and the urgent support that is needed for HIV research. They are optimistic that very soon there will be a cure, which is why they have a Countdown to A Cure For AIDS.
“Our Epic Voices campaign is part of our effort to reach out to the millennials and younger LGBT community – many of whom are part of the Latino community – to renew awareness of the persistent threat of HIV and the urgent need to support HIV research,” says Kevin Robert Frost, CEO of amfAR on giving Latinos a voice in the Epic Voices campaign.
Viktor Luna was 27-years-old when he was diagnosed with HIV and fortunately, he had someone he could confide in and even ask questions, something that many don’t have in their lives when they first hear of their diagnosis. “I was terrified,” says Luna. “I remember someone who I suspected had HIV and I told him my situation and immediately he took me under his wing and really educated me about the lifestyle and how I can live a healthy life. His support meant so much and it still does.”
Viktor Luna joined amfAR’s Epic Voices public awareness campaign, an online video series that aims to reenergize the response to HIV among Millennial and LGBT communities.
When he was on the show Project Runway All Stars he felt very vulnerable and this was something that was looming over his head during the filming of the show, so he needed to speak out. “I was doing it for myself but I knew only good things can come when you set yourself free,” he says. To his surprise, he received a lot of support in the form of e-mails and calls and even people sharing their personal stories. “I tried to respond to all of the e-mails and I can only imagine that it created an impact on people who were recently diagnosed and scared.”
This is the same reason he decided to join the Epic Voices Campaign, in order to use his platform to help raise awareness of HIV. “This disease is just like any other disease and it affects all of us, not just gay men but straight black, white, women, children…it is a world issue and people need to know that. It’s been confined to a category but its more real than we think,” explains Luna. Finding a cure could save many lives and end the stigma, he adds.
“From my experience, I have heard unpleasant things about HIV/AIDS within the Latino community and it’s not because they are mean people, it’s because there’s very little communication and information in our community in regards to HIV/AIDS,” says the designer. He believes that this is something everyone should be talking about, kids should be learning about HIV/AIDS in school, but they should also feel comfortable to talk about it at home. “It’s not taken seriously until it happens to our loved ones.”
Luna has been living with HIV for the last 10 years and now that he knows what it is to live with the disease long-term, he sees it as a second chance at life. “When I first knew I was HIV positive, I saw it as the end, but soon I realized I had a second chance at life and I was NOT going to waste it.” He explains that because of this he’s learned to do everything like as if it was the last day of his life, with no fear of failure or judgment.
“I live free and I want everyone to know how lucky we are to have organizations like amfAR who is giving us hope and soon a cure!”