A Pozitive Difference
One man's dedication in creating a new
social environment for HIV+ Latinos.
 Juan Antonio Dominion is a man of
dedication, courage, and inspiration. Two years ago, when he
was diagnosed with HIV, he decided that he would not only survive
the disease, but make a positive difference for other Latinos
who were HIV+. The result of his efforts has led him to start
a new social group in Los Angeles called "Poz Papi."
Tell us how you started
"Poz Papi."
It started two years ago when I got HIV. I was very open about
meeting people and telling them I was positive right away- even
though people warned me not to do it. I was looking for other
people who were also HIV+ so I disclosed it right away, but I
rarely had anyone come back and say they were HIV+, too. Then
I started to wonder where they were. I called around and went
to some support groups, but I found it hard to meet people through
those groups because it's really sort of a contrived situation.
You don't get to connect with people on a social, bonding friendship
level. I wanted something Latino oriented and social.
Now, let's go back to last
April (2000)-when I met my last boyfriend. I almost immediately
disclosed I was HIV, but he didn't tell me he was HIV+ until
a month later. This was even after we had conversations about
it. The funny thing was the way he told me. He went through this
whole scenario of making up a story that he was going in for
an anonymous test. He, then, waited a week, went back for the
test results, and gave me the news over the phone that he was
HIV+. I came to find out later that he'd been positive for 17
years, and that I was the only one he had ever told. And even
after he told me he was HIV+, he said he wasn't on medication.
But I later found a bunch of bottles with his name on them, and
they were HIV medication. It kind of made me realize the social
isolation and denial that many HIV+ people experience. He isolated
himself all these years-not even his friends knew.
For a long time, I thought it was just my problem in terms of
finding other people who were HIV+. Then I met a friend who told
me he felt the same way. So I thought about it and realized that
we needed an organization where HIV+ people could get together
in a very casual and comfortable social environment.
I started to do some research
and came across some studies that show that HIV+ people, who
live in isolation, denial, and have low social support, have
a faster progression to AIDS. If you have a little secret that
you're living with-a secret you can't even tell your friends,
it'll eat you inside.
One study I looked at, conducted by UCLA/UCSF, showed that 17%
of men in Latino bars in LA were HIV+. I asked myself, "Where
are they? They're invisible." It was this study that became
the catalyst in forming Poz Papi.
How did you come up
with the name,"Poz Papi?" I was just sitting at the computer one day and
Poz Papi came out. A couple of weeks earlier, when my last boyfriend
told me he was HIV+, I asked him, "Does that make you my
Poz Papi?" He was not happy with that term at all, so I
never used it again. But it was still in the back of my mind.
It was supposed to be like an affectionate name, but because
he was so negative about being HIV, he didn't even want to be
associated with that.
How did you react when
you were first diagnosed with HIV? My reaction was unusual. My doctor told me I was
the only one who left the office smiling after being told my
results were positive. Part of the reason was because I had been
around HIV+ people for years. I was aware of what it was and
knew a lot about it from a medical standpoint. Most Latinos don't
have that information, mainly because the Latino community is
so silent about HIV due to social oppressions such as machismo
and homophobia.
What are your "Poz
Papi" events like?
The feeling of our get togethers is like a party environment,
but the common bond is that we're Latino and HIV+. We also have
other people who come who are not positive or who are not Latino.
In the future, if the need develops, I'll create a non-party
function where we can have a health educator come in and talk
about various forms of treatment or talk about how to manage
side effects, but that's only if the need arises. Right now,
it's about bringing HIV+ people together for fellowship.
What are your future
plans? The current
plan is to build the group. I'm filing for tax exempt status
with the IRS, and I'm going to become a non-profit corporation
with the state of California. Eventually, what I want to do is
get funding from drug companies and places like that. One of
the projects I want to do is inform non HIV+ people about HIV
and dispel some of the myths they might have about people who
have HIV. I want to try to create more of a link between the
isolated HIV+ people and the non HIV people.
What would you tell
people who might have just found out they are HIV+? I would tell them to tell somebody.
Communicate with somebody who loves you. You're going to need
support in terms of knowing that this isn't going to end your
life. HIV is a very manageable illness. They're calling it manageable
like diabetes now. I, in fact, have diabetes as well and that's
more of a pain in the ass than HIV. The thing I would tell someone
is to reach out and find someone who can support you.
Poz Papi holds
many social activities including a New Year's Party, Super Bowl
Sunday Gathering, and a Valentine's Day Party. To get more information
about Poz Papi, please visit www.pozpapi.com or call the event line
at 1-866-POZ-PAPI.
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