GAT at Lisbon's LGBTI+ Pride March: Pride is Transmissible

On Saturday, July 6, GAT took part in Lisbon's 25th LGBTI+ Pride March. With a significant presence of around 30 activists and volunteers, members and employees of GAT, we stood shoulder to shoulder with the LGBTI+ community to celebrate pride and promote non-discrimination. This year, our mission included spreading the word about the Transmissible campaign, promoted by CAD - Centro Anti-Discriminação VIH e Sida, of which GAT is a member.

With the message "Transmissible is Pride", we took the scientific evidence Indetectable = Untransmissible to the streets, so that everyone knows that people living with HIV and undergoing treatment do not transmit the virus. This knowledge is fundamental to combating the stigma and misinformation that still surround HIV and AIDS.

During the march, internal and external condoms were distributed, as well as lubricating gel, with the aim of ensuring access to prevention methods for safer sex.
GAT's participation in the initiative ended with a speech at the end of Lisbon's LGBTI+ Pride March, in Terreiro do Paço, which served as a tribute to António Variações, an HIV icon, at a time when 40 years have passed since his death, as well as the 40 years of HIV and AIDS initiatives in Portugal.

GAT took this opportunity to pay tribute not only to Variações, for what he represents, but also to all the people who have lost their lives to AIDS. This tribute extends to people living with HIV today, who continue to resist discrimination, stigma, prejudice and serophobia.

GAT'S SPEEACH AT THE LISBON'S LGBTI+ PRIDE MARCH

We marched today because respect for human rights is transferable, LGBTI+ rights are transferable, OUR PRIDE is transferable!
We have come a long way with the Stonewall Uprising, with the de-pathologization of homosexuality, with the de-pathologization of trans people, with the approval of same-sex marriage and adoption, and with gender self-determination.

In this long process of gaining rights, HIV and AIDS decimated us.

It's been 40 years of HIV in Portugal and it's also 40 years since António Variações left us.... still vulnerable to stigma and discrimination today.

Variações is an artistic and cultural reference! Variações is queer representation! Variações is an HIV icon. Variations is a symbol of the lives lost to AIDS and stigma! Variações was one of the victims of lack of treatment and negligent prevention by the authorities. In tribute to Variações and all the people lost to AIDS, in tribute to the people living with HIV today and resisting stigma, we now propose a moment of silence.

The GAT Group of Treatment Activists is part of the CAD HIV and AIDS Anti-Discrimination Centre and is an organization of people LIVING with HIV, a cooperation between people from different communities and different organizations, affected by HIV and AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis.

We are a community made up of men who have sex with men, people who use drugs, migrants, trans and non-binary people and people who do sex work, who promote the right to sexual health and non-discrimination.

Today we marched with the scientific truth Undetectable = Untransmissible, that people with HIV and undergoing treatment do not transmit the virus, and aware that transmissible is discrimination, transmissible is stigma, transmissible is prejudice, transmissible is serophobia!

But today, we are breaking these social contagions by making it clear that Transmissible is Love, because love always wins; that Transmissible is Safety, of having peers like us by our side; that Transmissible is Passion, of being different and being the same; that Transmissible is Empathy, which we want in the community and outside it; that Transmissible is Family, of those we have lost and those we have built. Transmissible is the pride of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, trans, non-binary, intersex; of being HIV positive, detectable and undetectable; of being us, of being free!