Pete

As an HIV-positive migrant, I decided years ago to get involved in self-help and have been working in the field of HIV prevention and education ever since. One day I was invited to an HIV self-help group meeting. This meeting took place in a café. The operator of this café is a local support organization. The panel gathered in the café consisted of HIV-positive German men.

The man was so blinded that he could not imagine that I could also be HIV-positive

As I was about to enter the café, a man came towards me - but not to welcome me. Instead, he told me that the entrance to the Turkish store was next door. I tried to explain to him that I had been invited to the meeting and was therefore part of the group. The man was so blinded by the headscarf I was wearing that he couldn't imagine that I could also be HIV-positive. He continued to insist loud and clear - "You. Me. Understand?" -that I should go to the Turkish store. As I am very persistent, I made it clear to the gentleman, briefly and concisely, what my concern was and what the word "human right" meant.

I attended the meeting and made many friends among the gay men there. I now know that behind every prejudice there is fear and ignorance, which we have to fight against.