Join IGLYO HIV Testing Campaign

Dear IGLYO members,

As one of our strategic objectives is increasing the visibility and highlighting the diversity of LGBTQI youth identities, we are devoted to celebrating and respecting the diversity within our community, and breaking down the specific discrimination some of us experience.

We acknowledge that part of our community is facing HIV stigma and discrimination, which can pose complex barriers to prevention, testing, treatment, and support for youth living with or at risk for HIV.

On 15 – 22 May 2020 the European HIV-testing week is taking place, which aims to unite partner organisations throughout Europe to increase access to testing and promote awareness of the benefits of earlier hepatitis and HIV testing. We join it and announce a call for inputs for IGLYO’s social media campaign within #EuroTestWeek.

We intend to have a minimum of seven campaign ambassadors to represent the diversity of identities and realities within our community, whose statements will be published on our social media and widely disseminated during the #EuroTestWeek. This is a unique opportunity to share your vision with the international community which actively work on a different range of health issues around Europe.

If you are interested and want to become an ambassador for this important campaign, please by April 20th, 2020 send us your photo alongside your one-sentence statement answering one or more of the following questions:

• Why is/was HIV testing important for you? 
• Why is/was it important to know your HIV status?
• What would make testing easier for you?
• How has being tested (regularly) had an impact on you?
• How did finding out about your HIV status helped with your (sexual) health? 
• What helped you overcome your fears of getting tested?
• What advice would you give to someone who was apprehensive about getting tested?

Please also include the following information:

• Your public name;
• Age;
• Pronouns;
• Country;
• IGLYO Member Organisation.
• Instagram username if you want to be tagged in your submitted photo(s) once we post them on our Instagram page.

Photo requirements:

We have summarised a few guidelines in a PDF that can be found here.

Although the guidelines may look daunting, most of it is very self-explanatory. In it, there are a few good and bad examples to get you started. Put your best foot forward and act natural. Smile if you are a naturally happy person, but feel free to stare into the distance or to look away from the camera if you like a bit of mystery. Just have fun and be creative!

All unedited and uncropped photos alongside with the answers to the questions above should be sent by April 20th, 2020 to yuri@iglyo.com (include a cc to michaelchin@iglyo.com). 

Contributions may come from any of IGLYO’s member organisations. We encourage young people living with HIV to participate. Likewise, we particularly welcome responses from women, trans, non-binary and intersex people, and from people who identify as black, as a person of colour, as indigenous, as Roma, or as a member of racialised groups, indigenous communities, minority faiths or ethnic minorities. Finally, we encourage any other person facing intersectional stigma on various basis to participate in the campaign.

All selected people will be informed no later than May 1st, 2020.