COCQ-SIDA launches the third edition of the "HIV/AIDS is the problem, not the people living with it" campaign
MONTREAL, Nov. 29, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - For a third consecutive year, COCQ-SIDA is launching a bold campaign in honour of World AIDS Day, on December 1. This year, for the first time, people living with HIV will speak out. The 2012 campaign launched today with press conferences in Montréal, Québec, Gatineau and Trois-Rivières in the presence of campaign spokespeople and representatives of the member organizations of COCQ-SIDA.
"We are very grateful to our spokespeople for agreeing to speak out for the 'I am HIV-positive' campaign. These people are proof that the men and women living with HIV/AIDS are full-fledged citizens and contributing members of Québec society. When we exclude them, we deprive the whole community of their talents, and all that they have to offer. By taking up our cause, these people are delivering a message of tolerance and respect, and demonstrating that HIV/AIDS is the real problem, not the people living with it," states Ken Monteith, Executive Director of COCQ-SIDA.
2012 campaign
The "I am HIV-positive" campaign is built around the portraits of five people living with HIV/AIDS who come from different backgrounds and regions of Québec. It's an interpretation of the "If I were HIV-positive" campaign run by the French organization AIDES, which has spread to several countries and always been met with great success. Still, this is the first time the campaign has been developed using portraits of actual people living with HIV/AIDS. This third edition of the campaign aims to show that people living with HIV/AIDS aren't defined by their HIV-positive status; they are people first and foremost, with interests, skills and talents. The public is invited to visit the campaign blog, http://www.jesuisseropo.org, to see a short video of each of the five spokespeople, and more..
- Bruno, Montréal, community organizer, HIV positive
- Donald, Québec, singer, HIV positive
- Emelyne, Montréal, substance abuse prevention worker, HIV positive
- Jacques, Victoriaville, grandfather, HIV positive
- Yves, Outaouais, visually impaired, loves reading, HIV positive
Through the portraits of HIV-positive people from different backgrounds, the campaign provokes reflection by demonstrating that a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS doesn't prevent people from living a full life and actively contributing to society. The signature line "HIV/AIDS is the problem, not the people living with it" brings to mind the absurdity of the discrimination HIV-positive people are faced with.
Blog
Once again, the public is invited to join COCQ-SIDA's initiative to promote a prejudice-free society by participating in the campaign blog, "HIV/AIDS is the problem, not the people living with it," launched last year as part of the "If I were HIV-positive" campaign, and adapted to this year's version of the campaign.
http://www.jesuisseropo.org
About COCQ-SIDA
A coalition of Québec community organizations fighting against HIV/AIDS, COCQ-SIDA sparks, supports, and strengthens community action in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the territory of Québec. The organization fosters solidarity, and unifies the approach, actions and resources needed to respond to the challenges faced by people living with HIV as well as communities at risk of being infected with HIV.
SOURCE: COCQ-SIDA
For more information or for an interview with our spokespeople Emelyne or Bruno, or with Ken Monteith, Executive Director of COCQ-SIDA, please contact:
For more information:
René Légaré
Communications Coordinator, COCQ-SIDA
514-704-8634
[email protected]
To coordinate an interview:
Marianne Brault
Hill+Knowlton Stratégies
514-258-5950
[email protected]
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