{"id":18692,"date":"2023-10-25T15:56:39","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T15:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/leadership\/meet-3-inspiring-lgbtq-leaders\/"},"modified":"2023-10-25T15:56:41","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T15:56:41","slug":"meet-3-inspiring-lgbtq-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692","title":{"rendered":"Meet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Like many other epidemics, AIDS disproportionately impacts marginalized populations like the LGBTQ+ community. Widespread stigma and discrimination contribute to social exclusion, creating barriers to testing, treatment, education, and care. LGBTQ+ communities often face higher rates of poverty and homelessness, which can increase the risk of HIV exposure. And, shockingly, same-sex relationships are still criminalized in many countries around the world, further hindering health service efforts.<\/p>\n

Addressing these disparities requires comprehensive strategies that combat stigma and discrimination, improve healthcare access, and empower the vulnerable. These efforts must be tailored to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals so that everyone, everywhere, has access to life-saving resources.<\/p>\n

(RED), the organization that I lead, recently traveled to Colombia to meet with leaders who are tackling these injustices. Their stories of battling and overcoming adversity are both infuriating and inspiring. I hope learning from these leaders will be as enriching for you as it was for me.<\/p>\n

Learsy Batista, Trans Peer Educator, ENTerritorio<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/fbs-ad><\/p>\n

As a transgender woman, Learsy Batista knows firsthand the barriers LGBTQ+ people face when accessing vital health services. After learning she was HIV positive, Batista turned to ENTerritorio, a Global Fund supported comprehensive health center in Colombia, for psychosocial support and medical care. Batista described seeking health care services as a \u201clong, hard process,\u201d but said her peers at ENTerritorio gave her strength.<\/p>\n

After receiving the care she needed, Batista channeled her energy towards helping others. She now works as a Trans Peer Educator for ENTerritorio, detecting positive cases of HIV and TB in her community. As a peer educator, Batista provides compassion, resources, and care to those in need. \u201cHere, you have a hand to help you get back up. You\u2019re not alone. You have a community, you have a friend, you have a sister,\u201d Batista explained.<\/p>\n

Batista enjoys being a peer educator because it allows her to develop new entrepreneurial skills and has sparked a new passion for making her own clothes and textiles. She also loves helping her neighbors. \u201cI like bringing the knowledge that I\u2019ve learned in my day-to-day life to my community. I like knowing that people don\u2019t feel alone, the same way I had support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the obstacles she faces, Batista dedicates herself to changing the narrative around the LGTBQ+ community. Through her work at ENTerritorio, she\u2019s making positive change possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis support gives you the strength to move forward,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Steven Jos\u00e9 Moreno Andrade, Peer Educator, El Centro Integrate<\/strong><\/p>\n

At age 14, Steven Jos\u00e9 Moreno Andrade\u2019s family packed their belongings and embarked on a treacherous trip from rural Venezuela to Cartagena, Colombia in search of a better life. But as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a Venezuelan migrant, Andrade faced incessant harassment and discrimination.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond identifying as a migrant and identifying as Black or African, there is another challenge \u2013 identifying yourself as someone from the LGBTQ+ population. All of this comes together and it is tough. It is tough because sometimes you have to put up with humiliation from the public. You just want to be free and walk and dress the way you want,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Andrade then discovered El Centro Integrate, a Cartagena center that bridges national and local health initiatives to address the unique needs of Colombian citizens and the growing migrant population. As a peer educator and influential local activist, Andrade connects El Centro Integrate to members of the local LGBTQ+ community seeking medical, psychological, and legal assistance. Thanks to funding from the Global Fund, El Centro Integrate supplies rapid HIV tests, life-saving medicines, and other preventive care to Cartagena\u2019s most vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n

Andrade loves being a community leader because he gets to meet new people and share his El Centro knowledge with those in need. \u201cWe are just people like others, like everyone else, like heterosexuals, who only demand and are looking to get ahead, working, looking for the possibility to study, to earn a scholarship, to be able to get ahead and succeed like everybody else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Through his work at El Centro Integrate, Andrade builds a better life for his mentees, and a more tolerant and equal world for everyone.<\/p>\n

Miller Huila, Peer Educator, La Corporaci\u00f3n Stonewall Antioquia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Miller Huila says her work with human rights organizations and other activists finally allowed her to be herself. This work began with La Alianza Social LGBTI, an organization in Antioquia, Colombia, that brings together community groups and activists fighting to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people.<\/p>\n

At the time, Huila identified as a gay man and struggled to be herself with her family, friends, and community. Huila then became secretary of La Corporaci\u00f3n Stonewall, a Global Fund-supported organization that provides community-based HIV testing, treatment, and counseling.<\/p>\n

Huila has since transitioned and now identifies as a trans woman. Today, she works as a peer educator and helps other people living with HIV navigate the legal system and community-based testing, treatment, and psychological programs.<\/p>\n

Huila says her work can be demanding, but her personal journey gives her the strength to keep going. \u201cI feel proud of who I am,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leaders like Learsy Batista, Steven Jos\u00e9 Moreno Andrade, and Miller Huila all play a pivotal role in fighting AIDS and injustice in their communities. Their firsthand experiences overcoming stigma and discrimination make them uniquely positioned to advocate for comprehensive, inclusive strategies that address the specific challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n

We need more leaders like them to share their unique perspectives, raise awareness, and champion inclusive policies. It\u2019s the only way we\u2019ll ever end injustice and make preventable and treatable disease, preventable and treatable for everyone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like many other epidemics, AIDS disproportionately impacts marginalized populations like the LGBTQ+ community. Widespread stigma and discrimination contribute to social exclusion, creating barriers to testing, treatment, education, and care. LGBTQ+ communities often face higher rates of poverty and homelessness, which can increase the risk of HIV exposure. And, shockingly, same-sex relationships are still criminalized in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18692","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leadership"},"yoast_head":"\nMeet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders | Brandiary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Like many other epidemics, AIDS disproportionately impacts marginalized populations like the LGBTQ+ community. Widespread stigma and discrimination\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders | Brandiary\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Like many other epidemics, AIDS disproportionately impacts marginalized populations like the LGBTQ+ community. Widespread stigma and discrimination\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brandiary\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-25T15:56:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-25T15:56:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/1698249400_0x0.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1373\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"News Room\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"News Room\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"News Room\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5062dafb0f932b59aa228f1a047332f4\"},\"headline\":\"Meet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-25T15:56:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-25T15:56:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692\"},\"wordCount\":951,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Leadership\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692\",\"name\":\"Meet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders | Brandiary\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-25T15:56:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-25T15:56:41+00:00\",\"description\":\"Like many other epidemics, AIDS disproportionately impacts marginalized populations like the LGBTQ+ community. Widespread stigma and discrimination\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Meet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/\",\"name\":\"Brandiary\",\"description\":\"Latest Business and Startup News and Updates\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Brandiary\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/b-logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/b-logo-1.png\",\"width\":381,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Brandiary\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5062dafb0f932b59aa228f1a047332f4\",\"name\":\"News Room\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/avatar_user_1_1688031660-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/avatar_user_1_1688031660-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"News Room\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Meet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders | Brandiary","description":"Like many other epidemics, AIDS disproportionately impacts marginalized populations like the LGBTQ+ community. Widespread stigma and discrimination","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Meet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders | Brandiary","og_description":"Like many other epidemics, AIDS disproportionately impacts marginalized populations like the LGBTQ+ community. Widespread stigma and discrimination","og_url":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692","og_site_name":"Brandiary","article_published_time":"2023-10-25T15:56:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-10-25T15:56:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1373,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/1698249400_0x0.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"News Room","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"News Room","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692"},"author":{"name":"News Room","@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5062dafb0f932b59aa228f1a047332f4"},"headline":"Meet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders","datePublished":"2023-10-25T15:56:39+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-25T15:56:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692"},"wordCount":951,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Leadership"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692","url":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692","name":"Meet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders | Brandiary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-10-25T15:56:39+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-25T15:56:41+00:00","description":"Like many other epidemics, AIDS disproportionately impacts marginalized populations like the LGBTQ+ community. Widespread stigma and discrimination","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18692#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Meet 3 Inspiring LGBTQ+ Leaders"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/","name":"Brandiary","description":"Latest Business and Startup News and Updates","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#organization","name":"Brandiary","url":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/b-logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/b-logo-1.png","width":381,"height":100,"caption":"Brandiary"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5062dafb0f932b59aa228f1a047332f4","name":"News Room","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/avatar_user_1_1688031660-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/avatar_user_1_1688031660-96x96.png","caption":"News Room"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com"],"url":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18692"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18694,"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18692\/revisions\/18694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}