“My father told me that had he known that I would be queer, it would have been better for me to have been born a dog,” a 27-year-old patient told Pascual when he first met him. German (a pseudonym) went on to say, “My life has always been one of rejection due to my sexual orientation and then due to my HIV diagnosis. I did not know the meaning of acceptance and family until I came to Siempre Unidos.”
Two weeks ago, Pascual wrote to tell us that German died. “He was our patient for the past 19 years and we loved and served him with all our dedication and with the quality and warmth that characterizes our work.”
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) recognizes March 1 as Zero Discrimination Day. Every day we struggle for the rights of our patients to live free of discrimination with high quality care, education about human rights, solidarity marches, and love.
