Creating awareness and sensitization as a key in the fight against discrimination
Vienna (OTS) – Vienna, March 2, 2024 – Yesterday evening, over 80 participants gathered at the Aids Hilfe Haus Vienna to celebrate the 10th Zero Discrimination Day and to set an example against HIV-related discrimination. As the discrimination reports from 2023 clearly show, people with HIV – as in previous years – primarily experience discriminatory behavior in the healthcare system. Aids Hilfe Vienna therefore emphasizes the importance of non-discriminatory health care for people with HIV, as previous convictions have been proven to impair psychological well-being and can negatively influence adherence.
The event, under the motto “Want for Equal Rights,” offered a diverse and informative mix of discussion, art and celebration. After a productive day with workshops and the ceremonial opening, an exciting expert talk began that illuminated the various aspects surrounding the topic of HIV-related discrimination. Andrea Brunner, managing director of Aids Hilfe Wien, hosted the varied evening.
Mirijam Hall, chairwoman of Aids Hilfe Wien, brought in the perspective of the organization: “An important contribution to preventing stigmatization and discrimination with regard to HIV is to create awareness. Unfortunately, social acceptance and knowledge about HIV still lags behind the great medical progress.”
Barbara Murero-Holzbauer, who is responsible for anti-discrimination work at Aids Hilfe Vienna, emphasized the legal aspects in the same discussion: “Discrimination based on HIV infection is fundamentally prohibited in the workplace, in education, in services and in social and health care.” Nevertheless, as current reports show, discriminatory behavior by medical staff often occurs, especially in the healthcare system, due to a lack of knowledge.
Sex educator, queer activist and drag artist Bernhard Ledinski aka Candy Licious spoke in the discussion about the changes of the last 10 years in Vienna and Austria and emphasized both progress and existing gaps in the legal situation of queer people: “The legal situation of queer people has definitely improved. Alternative gender entries have been available since 2019 and marriage for same-sex couples has finally been implemented. Blood donation has been possible for some MSM since 2022. However, there is still no ban on conversion therapy and protection against discrimination must also be expanded.”
Memo Mokhles, a panelist and representative of the #positivework initiative, once again underlined the importance of education and awareness: “As a migrant, homosexual and HIV-positive person, I constantly encounter issues such as discrimination and exclusion. This discrimination is usually a product of ignorance and misinformation. That’s why it’s important to support initiatives like #positivework.”
A special highlight of the evening was the presentation of the “Sexual Health Prevention for Queer Young People” project and the generous presentation of a check from the MAC AIDSFUND amounting to 30,000 euros by MAC Brand Director Marion Pelzel. Pelzel underlined MAC Cosmetics’ commitment to this important project and support for the LGBTIQ+ community.
The project was launched on the afternoon of Zero Discrimination Day with an interactive focus group of queer youth and adults. The goal: to develop factors to strengthen the health literacy of queer young people.
David Eckinger, make-up artist and trainer from MAC Cosmetics, then presented the first results of the afternoon workshop as part of the expert talk as a participant in the focus group. In a very personal statement he makes the importance of this competence clear: “I don’t like to think back on my school days; growing up as a queer person in the country was associated with prejudice and bullying before I was even able to discover my own identity. It would have helped me a lot back then to have resources about queer identities, to be able to ask questions and to have enlightened classmates to prevent discrimination from occurring in the first place.”
There was also the touching photo exhibition “Going viral” by the photographer and author Christoph Klettermayer, which can be viewed in the Aids Hilfe Haus at Mariahilfer Belt 4 until June.
The final networking session and party with a DJ set offered participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and celebrate the successes in the fight against discrimination.
Aids Hilfe Vienna would like to thank all participants and supporters for their commitment and participation in this event.
Questions & Contact:
AIDS Help Vienna
Juliana Metyko-Papousek, Bakk.phil.
+43(0)1/59937-82 /
metico@aids-hilfe-wien.at