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5 Latino HIV Activists You Should Know
The LGBTQ+ community and HIV+ individuals face many challenges such as inequity based on sexual preference, gender identity and gender expression, difficulties to access to equal marriage in some states, and adoption, to name a few.
As the community continues their fight, we’re highlighting five Latino activists who are moving the needle forward when it comes to LGBTQ+ health, lifestyle and HIV awareness. Get to know them!
Charles Sanchez
An Arizona native, Charles Sanchez started his artistic life as a member of the Phoenix Boys Choir. Charles is a Mexican-American, gay, HIV+ writer, performer, director and activist living in New York City. He is one of the co-founders of Skipping Boyz Productions, and writes and stars in the musical comedy web series, Merce, which was named Best HIV/AIDS Content at America’s Rainbow Film Festival in 2016. In 2003, Charles woke up in the hospital to find out he’d been in a 3-week drug induced coma, due to advanced HIV/AIDS. Because of his diagnosis, he became an activist.
Adding to the list of all of his achievements, in the spring of 2020 Charles began hosting a weekly live interview show on Instagram for the body, called “At Home With”, featuring prominent members of the HIV and LGBTQ+ community.
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Erick Velasco
Also known as “The Homo Homie,” originally from El Monte, California. He is one of eight siblings and a first-generation Mexican American. Erick is an established individual who is well-rounded in the arts and is known as a triple threat. His ability to connect with people, regardless of his sexual preference, has opened doors to allow room for safe spaces wherever he’s been. He’s not afraid to help others understand his LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters and is helping to bridge that gap by creating inclusivity and creating allies. He’s a Guncle (Gay uncle) to his teenage niece.
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José Ramos
A fierce LGBTQ/HIV activist, leader, Founder and President of Impulse Group, AFH Director of Western Sales, triathlete and former General Manager at Target North Hollywood, José founded Impulse Group is an international group of volunteers and friends dedicated to promoting healthier sexual lifestyles among gay men.
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These are some of the CDC’s ambassadors for the National campaign to reduce stigma, promote HIV testing, prevent HIV & help people with HIV stay healthy.
César Emil Concepción-Acevedo
César leads a HIV Prevention Program on the Island of Puerto Rico that serves populations with increased risk for HIV including like Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) and Transgender individuals. The program focus includes HIV testing, client service navigation and referral, structural condom distribution, and interventions such as Personal Cognitive Counseling (PCC). César also has experience with Community-Based Non-Profit Organizations focused on preventing HIV/AIDS among transgender youth. César continues to raise HIV/AIDS awareness through panel discussions, events, and conferences.
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Michael J. Roman
Michael has over 15 years of community engagement experience. As a community leader working for the City of Miami, Michael has fine-tuned his skills in community outreach, coordinating events, developing actions plans and facilitating projects. Most recently, Michael implemented the City of Miami’s HIV initiative to address the growing epidemic. Michael also brings his expertise and experience as a staffer for the National Institutes of Health – National Cancer Institute’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison. Michael brings a wealth of knowledge, partnership, and experience to his role as an Act Against Ambassador.
José Ramón García-Madrid
As a child, with little to no access to healthcare, José relied on the internet, chat lines, and other resources to find information about sexual health. As an HIV/AIDS advocate, José’s mission is to ensure that HIV/AIDS education is available, especially for at risk populations. José’s has worked with Union Equals Fuerza: The Latinx Institute, within the Creating Change LGBTQ conference, to bring together over 200 LGBTQ Latinxs for a full day of skills sharing, workshops and presentations related to queer Latinx activism. Jose believes that, “voices of LGBT immigrants are disproportionately absent in conversations of justice and equity in Arizona,” and that there is an undeniable link between Arizona’s anti-LGBT laws and its rising HIV infection rates.
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