Working Life: I realised shame and stigma were love blockers, that they were stopping me from thriving and living my best life
Myself and Doctor Robbie Lawlor created the Poz Vibe Podcast for people living with HIV. There's a fun expression that we use — HIV is in my body and I just want to be a good host, so I guess I'm a good host. We host the podcast, as well as events for people living with HIV.
Over the years it's grown a following, and people have used it as a platform to share their HIV status and the message that being on effective treatment means that you can't pass HIV onto a partner. We've grown into a tribe of HIV activists, the Poz Vibe Tribe.
Pat Commins, Aoife Commins, Dr Fiona Lyons, Robbie Lawlor, and Enda McGrattan. Pic Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
There have been so many great moments for our tribe. Some of the big ones include a documentary movie we collaborated on, now on Netflix , called How To Tell A Secret. Another documentary that we made, called Pregnant With A Drag Queen won Best Irish Short at The GAZE International Film Festival.
Our most recent proud moment w as the release of a new national campaign addressing HIV stigma, co-created with the HSE and featuring members of our tribe living with HIV.
A huge personal highlight was attending Sydney for World Pride and the World Health Organisation conference as guests of the Irish consulate . It was such a huge honour, to not only represent the community of people living with HIV, but also the larger queer community in Ireland.
We recently formally launched our social enterprise, Poz Vibe Tribe, which is an extension of our podcast. It's our mission to destroy HIV stigma, to promote testing and to end new HIV acquisitions in Ireland
Enda McGrattan, also known as drag star Veda Lady, is co-founder of the Poz Vibe Tribe and Poz Vibe podcast. Earlier this year, the HSE, in collaboration with the Poz Vibe Tribe, launched 'You, Me and HIV' — a nationwide campaign to address misconceptions around HIV and help reduce the stigma for those living with it.
Details at HSE.ie/HIV
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HIV+ advocate Aoife Commins: 'People jump to conclusions before they hear my full story'
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