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My name is Charlie. Uh, I was diagnosed in 1985 in Wellington, but I shifted back to Auckland in 1990 uh, due to the transfer with job, the only people in Auckland that were around for people living with HIV was the AIDS Foundation, which I found out through the hospital. The specialist up at the hospital, Dr Mark Mark Thomas. He put me on to them to get some help, which I went to, and [00:00:30] and I saw one of the counsellors there. I told him what was wrong, and I was sent by specials and he just dropped me off. Didn't do a thing for me. So I went home, um, got in touch with the specialist again, and he said he was body positive, so I came to body positive, and they were the only ones that ever helped me. AIDS Foundation didn't do a thing for anybody. If you were good looking, they would if you're a young person [00:01:00] in the mid eighties having a diagnosis like that, what? What did that mean when they didn't give me any help? It meant a lot because I didn't know who to turn to. Um the only person I could turn to was my specialist up in the hospital, and I couldn't ring him. 24 7. There was just no nobody else to turn to. So it did. It didn't mean a lot. They were my first port of call. They did nothing for me. So I didn't go back. I just kept it myself. Can you recall [00:01:30] the first time you came to body positive? Uh, yes, it was. He And behind the counter was a lady by the name of Karen. What did it mean to you to come to body positive? Uh, it took me a long time to, um, trust anybody else. And it It took a lot. It was only for a friend of mine. Told me. Oh, this is a place you can go to, and they can help you. So I came with him. He had to come with me. I wouldn't have come by myself and just signed up. And I've been covering you ever [00:02:00] since I come to body positive anyway. So what did body positive offer in those early years Friendship, um, place to sit and talk with everybody else? I didn't know. There were so many people living with HIV in Auckland and they were all coming here, So yeah, it was a place of friendship and just getting to know everybody else. And I wasn't the only person living with it. I've been the one diagnosed, um, the longest. But I didn't think there was anybody else at that time. What was [00:02:30] the membership like at body positive in terms of, you know, science was a lot of people or Well, the people I met was that wasn't all that much. It was only just over the past few years that coming back to it and going to the retreat, And I found out it was a bigger, bigger membership. What retreat? Or they have a retreat every year in March. Um, for HIV men living with HIV and they have a retreat up at park. So I think that's where a lot of people come out [00:03:00] and and get used to being HIV. It's just somewhere to let let let yourself go and enjoy the company of everybody else. Ron, when did you get involved with positive? About five years ago. Uh, I joined body positive. Um, I was, uh, coming in to see Bruce the CEO. And, uh, he had a small, uh, position available, uh, doing a survey on the phones [00:03:30] and from my telecom background. Um, he said, Look, I've got two weeks of work. You can, uh You can call this and do the survey calling our members, uh, and, uh, and there was a little bit of money in it available to pay me. Um, and, uh, also a little bit for the organisation itself. Uh, so I did that, and then a position came up to, uh, uh, do a part time position came up, [00:04:00] uh, where one of the, um, people were leaving, Uh, so I, I did, uh, did that. And it soon grew into a full time position. Uh, as a full time receptionist. Uh, come, uh, application funding application? Uh, writer, uh, and really, you know, that sort of thing. So, uh, so hence I am here today, just carrying on that [00:04:30] work and absolutely love it. You say funding applications. Does that mean that body positive is independent and always kind of looking for funding, or does it come under some other organisation? No. We're totally independent, and we rely on philanthropic organisations to survive. We do have a small government contract. And that came about around two years ago. Uh [00:05:00] and, uh, So we we still need to contact the philanthropic organisations to survive, uh, to pay our rent to pay the overheads of, uh, of our location here and also the staff as well as providing the services that we do. What kind of services do you provide now? We have a range of, um of services. Um, there is, uh, the drop in centre itself which, uh, anyone can drop [00:05:30] in can use the internet. Uh, they can sit and relax. Watch a DVD. Uh, they can come in and have a coffee or a tea and a chat with other members in a safe, secure environment. Uh, we offer counselling. Uh, so for those that that feel they need to talk to someone one on one. we offer that, uh, we also have what they call a positive health scheme, and that is an amazing scheme [00:06:00] which has been going for around two years now whereby for a yearly fee, members can, um, get a range of services for free. Uh, the services are doctors uh, free doctors. Um, charges. So no charge to go and see a doctor. Uh, pharmacy charges. So subsidised. Uh um, pharmacy charges. Um, we have the counselling, of course. Uh, and [00:06:30] we have a podiatrist. So a podiatrist comes in once a month, and they can have three of those a year. Uh, we have two masseurs that come in. They come in twice a week, Uh, and so the member can have six of those per year. Uh, we run a budgeting service. So for those that can't quite manage their money, they can come in and do that. We have a stop smoking group. We have a range of, um, [00:07:00] outside groups. When I say outside, it's still a body positive group or groups. Uh, one is the under 35 group, which we, uh which, uh, meet once a month. Uh, and that is for under 35 people that are positive, uh, where they can be within their own age range. It's run by the same lady Charlie talked about Karen Ritchie. Uh, so she's still involved with us, and she, um, keeps [00:07:30] keeps that group secure. Um, they called her mother, uh, which is absolutely wonderful. And she is like a she actually, she's actually a grandmother, but, uh, she she, uh, is called mother. Uh, we also have the club Phoenix Group, which is on a Wednesday night. Uh, and that is really good. It's for those that are working or those that even you don't have to have a job to come to. This, um, you can still come along and it's run on a Wednesday night every [00:08:00] Wednesday night where people can come after work. They can, um, have a meal, uh, and basically sit down and relax and socialise and talk. We have another group, um, which is run probably, um, once, um, 33 times a year. And that's called six on six. And that's That's six guys, um, for six weeks [00:08:30] at 6 p.m. on a particular night, and it's usually a Monday night for six weeks in a row. And this group is generally for those that want to know more about HIV more about the care and support, uh, aspect of it. Uh, the first, uh, the first week. They tend to talk about what the next five weeks are going to be about, and it's the group that decides what those topics are going to be. For example, they might decide [00:09:00] that they want a specialist to grill him and talk about the virus or talk about treatment. Might want a dietician to come in and talk about food. Uh, that sort of thing. So, um, they have some really great successes. And, of course, in the within the group, there is generally one or two that are long term survivors, and normally three or four that are that are not, um, and some newly diagnosed [00:09:30] people. So, yeah, it's it's it really is good, um, to be able to share and find out information from others. Um, about that about the virus and about the, um uh, yeah, about, uh, the the treatment. So So you mentioned kind of peer to peer support. Why is peer to peer support so important? What? What do you get out of that? I think peer support is very important because, uh, especially [00:10:00] for a newly diagnosed person, uh, the the people that are newly diagnosed have not been on a journey. They haven't knowing about the, uh, treatments. They they they generally, uh, are very scared. Are very isolated. They think it's only happening to them. And then, of course, when they find out that there's lots of you know people out there with the virus then and some long term survivors, [00:10:30] it's It's very good for them to be quizzed, Uh, for the newly newly diagnosed person to to quiz, Uh, nowadays it's no longer a death sentence, and that's the first thing I think for a positive person. Um, that's newly diagnosed. If they can hear that because there's still the There's still the, um, belief out there in the general public that it's a gay man's disease and that the eventual, [00:11:00] uh, the eventual fate is death. Were you more likely nowadays to die of a heart attack or, um, natural causes that sort of thing? Uh, so in fact, we had a specialist come, uh, several months ago, and we asked him that question. What is the difference between the average life expectancy between a positive and a negative person? And the specialist said, five years, five years different. So it's [00:11:30] really nothing nowadays. OK, you have to still take your tablets every day, and that's a conscious decision that you have to make to, um, to be to stay alive. Um, because without those tables, we would all die. Um, yeah. Generally, how long does it take from somebody being diagnosed to coming to a support group like body positive? It really differs from each person. Really? Because each person has to handle it [00:12:00] in a different way. Um, some handle it quite well, and some do not take it quite well. Um, we get some people that, um for a number of years before they even start taking their medication, that what have they done wrong? You know, Are they Should they be worthy enough to live? Um, they're asking themselves this question and yet putting themselves through this mentality, um, of something that's not normal for them. So they're going through this abnormal, abnormal journey [00:12:30] of where their mentality takes them. It's a totally different place. And it's usually a dark hole or a dark place where they feel that everyone hates them and that they they feel that they're in a dark place where there is no support. And that's why a lot of them literally scream out. And for others, they say that Oh, don't be a drama queen about it, you know, um but that's what they're doing. They're just trying to find some sense as to where to find support. Where to start, where to begin. Um, you [00:13:00] know, am I going to die? Um, it's and a lot of them feel like that. You know, where they do want to not take the medication. And they do want to, um, exterminate the existence that they have now and rather live through the, um, stages of, um and the pressures of living with HIV not only do you to live with the mentality of it, but also the stigma behind it as well. And I think another thing is, too. They don't understand [00:13:30] that HIV is totally different to aid. That's two different things that they they get HIV, and then they think I'm gonna die. I've got a I exactly. And they totally two different things. They've got to live through HIV not take your tablet. And then you get a That's what they don't take it. So that's it? Yeah, it's just not understanding that HIV is not aids and what a lot of them had to live through. Um, for when a lot of people were being first diagnosed [00:14:00] is that, um we literally had to wait until we were such such a six state to such a state where we are not really. Well, we, um yeah, before we can take medication, that's that's now, Not in my day, you know, put on medication straight away. That's only happening now. And that's just happening now. Just taking part now. I, I had, um a lot of support from the hospitals and everything medication and everything, [00:14:30] but, um, we didn't have to wait till we got down that phone. Yeah, you went straight on. When I was diagnosed in 2005, I had to wait until my CD four counts were below 100 and 50. Um, whereas now they even just reviewing that and thinking that people should when they're first diagnosed, they should go straight on to medication. And but getting them on regulation is difficult enough, um, having to support them through the mental stages that they're going [00:15:00] through of I'm not gonna die. It's a death sentence and disclosure, which is another thing. Who knows who's going to find out? So you live in the secret squirrel lifestyle where well, you and then develops and then developing from there are different personalities you create and some psychology is schizophrenic. But and then again, you're learning and learning about something and you're creating something. And then at the end, [00:15:30] before you take your medication, you are so many of these things which can could have been easily ordered if you just had the simple support if they had the support there. And now with what BP offers, um, is the support for all those who do have it. And those who are about to go through those status are being recently diagnosed, Which is a scary thing. Yeah, I don't know where to go The first port of call, which is quite hard for them, but, [00:16:00] um, very positive. We have a number of, um, people that will do a test and will go to do a follow up, and they won't come back because they're scared, and that is a very scary thing. At least they know now that they have the virus. Whereas before they didn't know, uh and they didn't know they would possibly go out and have unsafe sex. Now they know they may still go out and have unsafe sex, but [00:16:30] at least in the back of their mind, they know that they have this and they they are, uh, told at at the initial diagnosis that eventually you will need treatment. Um, and, you know, we are advised that we need to get them into the hospital care so that we can monitor when that treatment starts. Uh, so, yeah, it's it's It's a scary time for a newly diagnosed person. And, um, I think support [00:17:00] is very important. One thing that you mentioned was disclosure, and I'm wondering, is disclosure a bit like coming out that actually, it's not just a one time thing that actually, in every situation you're always kind of weighing up? Do I disclose? Do I not? You have to know it by law, by law, if you're going to have sex with anybody without a condom, you have to disclose whether you like it or not. If you if you don't want to say that you're [00:17:30] HIV positive. If you use a condom, then you don't have to. You don't have to because you're taking all the necessary precautions to stop the transmission. So then you're safe. The other person is safe. Uh, and there's no reason to disclose. But does disclosure happen in different situations, like, say, in a workplace or in other situations other than kind of in a sexual Yes. Yeah. Uh, disclosure is up to the individual. And certainly, [00:18:00] apart from having unprotected sex and sharing a needle, there's no other way that you can get it. Uh, so in a workplace, uh, you can't pick up the virus from another person unless you have those things that I've just mentioned. Uh, so but there is still the stigma out there. Oh, he's got a IS. Even though he's got HIV, the people say, Oh, he's got a I DS So it's still that stigma. Uh, even now And we get we get people [00:18:30] coming in and saying My dentist won't treat me, which is totally illegal, or the dentist is, um, talking to his staff about me in my earshot about oh, double glove with this one because he's still got the virus. I mean, it's OK to double glove, but they should be double gloving for everyone because you're more likely to get hepatitis from a person than HIV in in that sort of situation. So, yeah, [00:19:00] there's there's a whole lot of fear, even in the medical world, and it's just through lack of education. Uh, so I believe that there is not enough education in within New Zealand anyway, and probably the rest of the world to educate everyone about the virus and how it's transmitted and yeah, um, all that So is that something that body positive does is actually through the outreach education [00:19:30] type of thing we do. We we need to do more. Um, our mandate is really care and support for people living with the virus. New Zealand AIDS Foundation is about, uh, education. So I believe that, um, you know, the education isn't happening as much. Maybe they're coming up. Maybe New Zealand AIDS Foundation are coming up with brick walls in schools and I don't know in in in general public, but there's [00:20:00] certainly could be more done around education. We try to educate in testing. There was when a person comes to have a have a test, we talk about sexual practises and how it's passed on and and all that, um, you know, in the pre and post test counselling but I still believe in schools. There should be a lot more, not only with HIV, but with other sexually transmitted diseases. How [00:20:30] do things in the media affect the body? Positive membership. I'm thinking of, um, the recent creche case where, um, a child was, um, had to disclose their kind of HIV status, but also things like the the Glenn Mills case from a couple of years ago. How did those major media stories affect, um, the membership I with with Glenn Mills? It brought a lot of people together through him doing that. It [00:21:00] I I found coming here. It brought you all together. You were more of a family, people that you never spoke to that you just said hello now and again. And that was it. They all got closer to one another, and we all, um, supported one another, but it brought people together with the child thing you're talking about up north? Yeah. That, um that was unfortunate because they had people going up there telling people what to do. And they didn't know their job. It wasn't their job to do it. [00:21:30] I speak of two Maori people who end up. They shouldn't have gone up there in the first place and done what they did. It should have been somebody from the AIDS Foundation or body positive. Yeah, so the uneducated people are going up and telling people things that they don't even know anything about and being married. It's ridiculous because Mary don't know a lot about things with our race, we don't open up to a lot of people. We're very private and to be HIV, even [00:22:00] to be gay. It's a big thing, because, um, if you're a man, you're meant to be a man, a warrior, Um, and in the gay world, it's a different story. You're not a warrior, you're a woman. And disclosure is a funny thing. And it's depending who you disclose it to, whether it's the professional world, educational facilities or the family, um, where it hits home. The most family disclosure to family would affect you even more in the heart. Um, when [00:22:30] you're disclosing to educational facilities like university or schools, or such like that, then it's then it's the fear of being known, and that's what our society is these days. You can't walk out your house and have 50 people, 100 people poking their fingers at you go. He's got HIV, and, um so that's the different areas of fear. But what we have at the BP, um, is it a collective group that literally united underneath that fear and knowing that we [00:23:00] are HIV positive? We have acknowledged it and accepted it, and we've even been telling ourselves that it's not a death sentence and say it more often. You know, it's not exactly. It's just about hitting 30 years I'm still alive. I'm 21 and and say that say that we're educational like the fresh, um roles, Um, even when the eve when Eve came from Australia, that should have been the first signs that we New Zealanders are more compassionate and educational about this. It's not a disease [00:23:30] that you can touch by getting to each other, and and that's that's what a lot of people are fear the most of Can we get it from touching them or them sneezing at us or looking at us? You know, can we get it from that? It's just the murder trans transmission that you have to educate them about. It's just like people with cancer you know, um, back in the 1920 everyone with cancer was shipped to Stewart Island in the 19 fifties. They were allowed back of Why was that? They educated them about cancer. It's not contagious. [00:24:00] Hepatitis B is. So they inoculate them and isolate them. Um, with HIV, it's not contagious. Um, um, it's you can live to a ripe old age, taking the proper medications and looking after yourself. Well, um, but when you get HIV, you see, a lot of people would see the changes in their lives that they have to make you know, their their lifestyle as well. Perhaps they not gonna party as much or drink as much or smoke as much like they used [00:24:30] to. But they can definitely see the changes in their bodies that HIV does. Um whether they take their medications, it's entirely up to them is because they're still living in that fear of disclosure. Um, finding that support, they also have to look for as well on their own. It's not that easy. It would be nice if they had someone there that can guide them, but unfortunately they don't. They literally have to do everything on their own. We all did. We had to look for friends of our own. We had to. I had to look for Charlie on [00:25:00] my own, who helped me join body positive and also got me onto my medications as well. So being diagnosed, um, six years ago, without medication, I could easily feel my body deteriorating and see myself deteriorating. Um, I just would not seek help for the for the fear of disclosure. That's when I went into that dark room, Dark hole, four years closed. Curtis. Dr Myself silly got stoning so silly and just wasn't an oblivion every day. [00:25:30] I did not want to face reality, and it took me four years living in that hole in that darkness. Um, but I knew that there was light at the end of the tunnel and unfortunate. Fortunately, um, I did find my light at the end of the tunnel, and he showed me a greater path to looking after myself and and and being better, and he could see that I was I was heading down, but just to hear someone say, Look, you [00:26:00] gotta look after yourself. You know, hugs go a long way, are really a lot. Even a smile goes a long way. But support in HIV goes all the way up. That's a difference between Yeah. So we you disclose it. There are many areas you have to where you have to find the courage to disclose it. And we have to disclose it within our families. We have to disclose it within the professional world, the educational world. If we go to studies, um, if we go into if we decide [00:26:30] to join a group like at the Bridge Club or the Bowling club, you know, then we have to go to certain things of how to disclose. So we've got to train ourselves, you know? And it may be the, you know, like on the gay swimming team, you know? Do they want us swimming with them? No, they don't. But how do we disclose it to them? I think if we have to, it's the fear of being rejected. Um, for any groups of society. But we know now that a body positive we will never be rejected, that we will always [00:27:00] be supported here no matter what. No matter what we go through, how do you reach out to somebody in that kind of limbo period where they, you know, they they're in that kind of black hole of not wanting to, um, cope with, you know, the kind of reality how are are there things that you can do to actually let them know that body positive or support groups are out there? What does that work? Well, basically, what we do is, um, either through the testing here at body positive or [00:27:30] at sex on venues, we, uh, encourage them to take a deep breath. And we give them a very strong message that it's no longer a death sentence. That there is a light through the tunnel. Uh, that, um there is support out there for them and that the next step, really is to find out how far advanced, uh, their diagnosis is. So if [00:28:00] they're an early, uh, they've just been had it transmitted just within the last few weeks or whether it's a two or three year transmission. Um, so then, once we know that information, then we can work out with a specialist. Uh, how long they've got before they're going to need medication. Uh, we we set up counselling sessions for for basically an assessment, and then, uh, you [00:28:30] know, additional counselling sessions right through, um, to help them get through this, But I still think, and I'm sure these guys would agree that, um, peer support and talking to other people that are positive far outweighs, um, a counsellor That is not positive. That has had some experience with positive people. But it's not the same. Uh, certainly. I think, uh, uh, [00:29:00] talking with others in a peer support situation like a six on six group, um, is far more powerful than counselling. It still has its place for other issues. But then regarding the diagnosis, I think of the peer support is the way to go because there was a There was a group now Positive Speakers Bureau, where they train you to go out and speak about being HIV. It's positive women that do it, and we've just done done the course. Um, [00:29:30] four of us quite listed it a couple of weeks ago, and it it it it was like lifting the lid off everything. You know, you felt, um you weren't ashamed of yourself for having HIV. The burden of having it was just lifted because you opened up to everybody there and that's what. And that's what it felt like is that we were burdened with it of having it. It's not a burden anymore, not a burden anymore. It's just that we've got to get out there and tell people what we've been through our journey, [00:30:00] and it's just having to live with it and how to live with it and teach it others that you can live it a fantastic, normal life. Look at me with it as well. Look at Charlie has a perfect result. Our little on the dinosaur period. So, um yeah. So, um, but the body positive speaking weekend that we went through they gave us a lot of courage within ourselves, actually to go up to the public and actually educate, um um the people. [00:30:30] Our main aim is to hopefully target the vulnerable groups between the age of 16 2029 rather than most people. But I think we could start something here with the six on six groups from the bureau who who have been on that course, can go and sit in with the six on six and just tell our story. You'll give them a wake up call because it's not an easy journey. No, not not a very easy journey to have HIV. Now it is for them because they've got all the support they can. All the support is there for [00:31:00] them. They just have to grasp it and go go for it. And with the better information out there about HIV, it's just fantastic. Even the design of drugs that they have these days, they they've got drugs for everything and the drugs that, um, that they have today are just absolutely wonderful. It fantastic couldn't couldn't live without them, you know, literally. But with the drugs when we didn't have IV. No, But you, you you've got drugs for the body. But what about the the kind [00:31:30] of mental side of things? Is that any easier nowadays then? No, that's that's that's That's another journey in itself where everyone's are learning how to get through it. I think if they hook up with the right people and somebody can talk them through it, you know, be there all the all the time to support and and stand stand by them and support them all the time. 24 7 If they have to. If they've got that, then they'll get through it. But it's just having somebody to talk to [00:32:00] constantly all the time, to remind you that through HIV you're not alone. There's somebody there to help you. And the questions that they want to ask are the questions that you cannot ask and professionals with other direct questions that, um, usually happens in the dark room. Conversations like that. They would never confide within the profession, the health profession. They don't see them as that, um, they with host with getting them to talk with another person. That's HIV, [00:32:30] if not on the same age group. It just allows them to give them the opportunity to ask those questions in which you would never ask another. How did you do it? How did you get it? Did you know how you got it? You know, and all that sort of stuff, Um, and which in the gay community, it's not an easy thing to talk about, you know, Where do you go? How do you get you know, all those little dark places that people go for sex? So, um, for them to actually sit in another room with another gay person and ask those questions. It just [00:33:00] relieves the stress. It just releases a small part of stress that they also have to think. The question you had before was, How did you get it? There's no need to ask them that they know how to have a have a how they got it. You just have to be more compassionate about the person that you're talking about, but they need to be reassured. You know, I'm sick. Do you know I'm sick? Yes, I do know you're sick because you've got what I've got. Yes, I have. So [00:33:30] it's a reflection. It's, um, what's it called reverse psychology type thing where it helps them. So the main thing out there is compassion for people to be compassionate about HIV because the stigma is you're HIV you dirt. That's what it is. You're dirty and and a lot of people have to learn how to be compassionate about it and how to understand it. That's that. That's all it is to to read the books, if they can get the information on it, to read or to get somebody to talk to them about it. [00:34:00] One of The things that the Glenn Mills case brought up in the media was there was all seemed to be a lot of discrimination, actually within, say, the gay community towards positive people. Absolutely. And where do you think the most discrimination comes from? Nowadays? Is it Is it actually within the gay community or within the gay community? I think because it's it's more, um, close to us. You know, Uh and it's, you know, certainly in a sexual, [00:34:30] uh, sense. I mean, you know, uh, we often get people you know, coming in and saying and and not disclosing because that they are scared. When they do disclose, they'll be rejected even though they're using condoms. Um, so it's it's that still does happen. And, you know, even in workplaces, we've had some workplaces that have found out through possibly [00:35:00] a medical check or whatever, and and they've broken the law because you can't discriminate it against someone with HIV. Um, yeah, so So that's that's That's where where that happens a lot and one of the and the educational institutes we've got a we've got someone who's applying for a natural path course, and even they've asked him to, and even they they've [00:35:30] asked him to stand up medical status in front of the entire class. He doesn't have to which he doesn't have to. It's up to It's up to himself. But still, there's that stigma out there through the educational departments, um, in institutes not necessarily from Nat, but also universities politics, uh, telling those on their applications. You'll see for them to disclose their medical, um, [00:36:00] situations. And they've also specified I don't know whether you have a look on the Internet on the entry forms. They've also specified what medical conditions you have. So and that's quite scary for them as well. Um, having to do that? Um, the same with, um sorry. Insurance companies or not, they will not if you had HIV. [00:36:30] If you look at the policies that I had 10 years ago, zero policies, zero applications for HIV S. And but if you look at the different years stigma, it came from the business society, the commerce, society, schools and education and health wasn't there somewhere, but because they weren't educated. But companies governments eventually went to anywhere else [00:37:00] as well, so they literally educated them in that sense. Oh, Yeah. No, don't do that. We have nothing to do with them. So that's where it all started. Really? Was from society itself, um, or wanting nothing to do with us. Even the insurance company wouldn't touch us with 2 ft. So yeah, it all started from there. And when they started to get to know more about it from the nineties in the last 10 years Um, yeah, they became more educated about [00:37:30] it. But it's just reeducating them again. Um, which is difficult. I was like telling a 60 year old going school, No, they won. And a lot of people don't like being told what to do as well. I think it's just in the last 15 years, information's come out of that information has come out because it didn't have that much of the days I was going through it. You just told by your specialist they can take your tablets, um, your CD for your teeth, something your T cells were up and [00:38:00] undetectable. Viral load was undetectable. Then, when your viral load is undetectable, they say you can't pass it on to anybody, but you still have to use have to use protection plus still be on medication. You'll always be on medication with HIV, even BP even body positive and the members of body positive have realised, you know, um, how they used the word the word HIV with AIDS. It was always HIV slash a I DS and that's what was next after HIV After HIV, [00:38:30] you get AIDS, but they never separated the two and made the two different. And so that's why members at the body Positive said it should be HIV and the AIDS virus rather than HIV slash a syndrome AIDS syndrome. It's different. So you know. So we we're still learning. Everyone's still learning today about HIV, even the facility at the creation [00:39:00] that I'll be going to on the second of August and having to teach them and educate them of people living successfully with HIV. Provided they take their medications. You can live a normal life without being contagious. Hm. One of the big things happening this weekend is the queen of the whole universe Beauty pageant and one of the beneficiaries of of the door sales from queen of [00:39:30] the whole universe is body positive. How did body positive become involved with Queen of the whole verse. Um, that was actually before my time of being here, but, um as I understand it, uh, there are three organisations that are are the beneficiaries, uh, ourselves positive woman and New Zealand AIDS Foundation. And for a number of years now, they have, um, been the recipients of of the the proceeds. [00:40:00] Uh, and it's it's it's been a wonderful help, especially to, uh, positive woman and ourselves, because back then, when it first came on board, we didn't have a go a government contract, whereas New Zealand AIDS Foundation did, um, but, uh, the the money was, uh was absolutely fantastic and generally used for, uh, for our members [00:40:30] predominantly, uh, for people with a condition called lipoatrophy. And that is a facial wasting through the use of having to take out toxic drugs. Uh, and it's often called the old man's look. So someone who has been on long term medication, especially the old regime of meds, uh, have had this condition and [00:41:00] unfortunately, the the because it's the old man Look, they tend to withdraw from society so they stay home and they don't. They're on a benefit. Generally they stay home. They don't want to get out and back into society. They find it a struggle to go to the shops for the the stigma of of of, um, you know, being recognised as a gaunt person. Oh, he must have AIDS. [00:41:30] And so it's been great because a lot of that money has been used to treat the lipoatrophy. And what we do is what we've been able to do for the last number of years is inject a product called Aqua into people's faces. Very expensive product, but it lasts for 15 years. So, uh, for each each patient, it's around 4000 New Zealand dollars, [00:42:00] so you don't need it. Yours is yours is yours is age. Uh, and, uh and so, um, that's that in itself has been absolutely fantastic for those on the on on the receiving that, uh, and we've seen some amazing success stories where people have been shut, have shut themselves away from society, and then they've had this treatment, and then suddenly they're [00:42:30] out there working again, contributing to the government, you know, by way of, uh, taxes, uh, enjoying life again, Uh, and and not afraid to, um, venture out the front gate. Um, so it's been great. And we still have a number of people, uh, around about 50 That are that are actually still in that position that that could actually benefit from, uh, from [00:43:00] this. Now, with the, uh, newer regime of drugs, there isn't those sorts of side effects nowadays, So, um, which is great? It's really good. And as new drugs come on board, all these other side effects tend to, um, drop away. So um so yeah, yeah. Not that we advocate people getting HIV, but if they suddenly do find that they are HIV positive, [00:43:30] then, uh, there is treatment out there and it's good treatment. So what do you think? Um, some of the benefits of having such a large production say, as queen of the whole universe that has safe sex messages and is is supporting body positive and other organisations What are some of the benefits of of of that kind of thing? I. I think the the benefits really are the awareness of of our organisations because, uh, in the [00:44:00] three shows that I've been to, they have had our logo on stage and and positive woman and New Zealand AIDS foundation. Uh, the, uh and bimbo have, uh, have actually spoken about our organisation, So the awareness factor is is very, very good. Uh, most people, you know, they see it in a programme as well, and there's a little synopsis of of what the proceeds is going to go to, uh, and [00:44:30] what we're all about. So from that point of view, it's it's really I guess brand awareness, uh, for us. And who knows, there could be someone a gay person going to, uh, the queen of the whole universe that sees the services that we offer and then might just come in and have a test, uh, to find out, um, and they may well be positive, and they don't know it. Um, so from our point of view, I think [00:45:00] it's, um it's a It's a great, um, great service to our our not only our community in so far as raising money for for our community, but also for the wider community to, uh, to to let them know that there is a place here, uh, positive woman and New Zealand AIDS Foundation, uh, whereby they can get support. Um, you know, for for any issues around, um, around testing around, [00:45:30] you know, being positive, um, and counselling. So is positive. Specifically for gay men? No, we have, uh we have around 40 to 45 probably about 45 females. Within our group, we have a membership of around 600 so it's predominantly, I guess. You know, um, males out of that there's probably about 100 straight identify as straight males. The rest [00:46:00] are gay or bi. Um, and, uh, and the age range really is from we've got one member, 1919 year old, uh, right up to an 80 year old. So, uh, there's a a huge, diverse, uh, you know, range of people within our organisation. Um, And what about the spread throughout the country? Is it predominantly Auckland? Or is it? It's predominantly Auckland. Only because [00:46:30] we've got the resource centre here. And as the largest population of New Zealand, we have a number of members throughout, uh, throughout the country. Uh, and the positive health scheme that I mentioned before is actually, uh, spreading throughout New Zealand. We've got we haven't got the same sorts of services that we can offer like we do for Auckland members. but we can offer, uh, you know, we get one or two doctors in their [00:47:00] area to be part of it. Uh, in a pharmacy in the odd, um, the odd podiatrist, you know, So there's there's generally a basic range of services that they can offer. Um, and ideally, what we want to do within the next year or two is open up a branch within the Wellington area and also the Christchurch area, uh, to to replicate what we have here. So that is our [00:47:30] our our goal for the next couple of years. To do that, we're we're going to have a retreat like Charlie mentioned for South Island members. The first one ever, uh, in November this year. So, uh, so that's really good. It's obviously because we we have about 80 guys go to the Auckland, and that's been Auckland one. and that's been basically from all over New Zealand members coming, but [00:48:00] it's outgrowing. The services are the facilities. So we're thinking to have a South Island one and a North Island one at two different times of the year. Um, which is great. That's really good. Um, that must be quite something going to those retreats. Yeah, it's, um it's relaxing and you get to meet people that you've never met before and you didn't think they had HIV. You see them in the street, it ordinary people, and you didn't know they had HIV. So [00:48:30] it is. Yeah, it's an eye opener, but it's a good eye opener. It's a, um it's a self esteem building weekend where we are able to see a lot of different things in ourselves and each other, really, and just unite as one people and just the communication that you get for the entire weekend, Uh, where you are able to talk to not only different age groups, but different races. And it doesn't matter what colour you are, what you are all the same. They all got HIV, and that's that regardless of [00:49:00] and the only thing is that we try to see part of our own cells, our own materialistic things that we hold on to so dearly, Um, which, um doesn't exist to today for a lot of people that have HIV because they literally have to let go of the old World and begin a new world of their own, they have to reteach themselves everything they give up on their own, they are able to see a better way of taking medications and see a better life. Um, having [00:49:30] to take medications? Um, just live in AAA. Much healthier. Um, older life. So we take over cigarettes and all do? Yeah. Which one do you choose? A life or you want to have a good time and die early? That's it. It's your medication you got to take to do. Some people choose not to take medication, and eventually they die. We We had a lady had a lady three years ago who, uh, who chose not to take medication. [00:50:00] Uh, and she got down to a very bad state in her health. And then she decided that she wanted to try and take the medication. She died six months later because it was too late. Uh, and she regretted she She, uh she regretted that initial decision because she wanted to party. Uh, rather than take her medication. Um, [00:50:30] so that that in itself is a choice that people have. And, you know, even today we have a number of members that choose not to not to take medication for a variety of reasons. It could be cultural. It could be that they believe in something else they believe in, you know, Buddhism or or or um, that sort of thing. Even the stress related, um, the stress factor related, [00:51:00] um can also help influence where so many things are happening in their lives. It it may not be those particular things. Um, it may be like, for example, coming from Christchurch. The earthquake situations people are, um are recently finding out they have HIV after going through the earthquake situations. Um, we've got people who have gone through, um, family issues and breaking child abuse and their family that's been going on all their lives. You know, [00:51:30] um, and having to deal with HIV and people losing their family members, um, losing their parents, um, losing their loved ones, their partners, and having to find out that they are HIV. And so, Yeah, a lot of things that they go through, um can trigger them. Um, stress is one of the main factors, um, where they decide not to take their medication. So showing them love compassion, [00:52:00] um, helps them make helps them decide to live a better life. Oh, yeah, I. I can live a better life. I can live a healthier life If you've got HIV and somebody else is trying to come out to you, you just gotta have a good listening ear and a and A and a friendly shoulder to like. That's all I knew. Now you think to them. Well, you got it from this and that and that and that. Just gonna push them away. You just gotta be compassionate. Have a friendly year and a shoulder to cry on. That's it.
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