Raising their Voices to end AIDS

A group of young people made their voices heard in the Parliament.

Speaking at the House of Commons, a group of young people living with HIV urged MPs to help end AIDS by 2030. They want governments — and UK government leading by example — to commit to funding programmes aimed at ambitious goals: zero new HIV infections, zero HIV-related discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.

Krishen Samuel, 30, is one of them. ‘Nothing really prepares you for the moment when you are sitting in the doctor’s office. You have that fear ‘Am I going to die?’, he spoke to newspaper Metro. 'As a sexually active gay man, it was incredible how much stigma I had to deal with. I found dating extremely challenging. There’s a huge amount of anxiety when I disclose my status because I’m not sure how the other person will respond. I encounter a lot of fears and that makes it challenging.’

Nowadays he says he feels ‘incredibly empowered’ when he is able to speak out to help others and fight the stigma he once faced himself. ‘I am lucky to access medication. I am going to live a long and healthy life’.