By Prem Calvin Prashad
On April 18, volunteers from the LGBT community and their allies collaborated with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis to set up a mobile HIV testing unit outside the Lefferts branch of the Queens Library, at Lefferts Boulevard and Liberty Avenue.
The event was aimed at increasing HIV awareness in the Caribbean community in Richmond Hill in advance of the GMHC’s 2014 AIDS Walk NY May 18.
Team Sundari — led by Sundari, The Indian Goddess; Nalima Amin; and Mohamed Q. Amin — encouraged community members to get tested, know their status, be empathetic to those affected by HIV/AIDS and live healthy lives.
Sundari, The Indian Goddess is an LGBT rights activist who uses performing arts as a platform to advocate for equality and inclusion for LGBT individuals of Caribbean descent.
“This is the first time [testing] been done openly here in the community,” said Sundari.
Reaction from the community was largely positive, though a few passers-by were perturbed by the idea of being tested for HIV.
Still, Sundari continued, “this is for the community, so we can have the conversation about it.”
People with HIV/AIDS face a stigma in the Caribbean, and that stigma often carries over to immigrant communities in Queens. This stigma inhibits people from getting tested and marginalizes those who are HIV-positive.
Sundari thanked the NYPD and Queens Library for allowing the group to secure the permits and space to carry out the event.
Kenneth Curry, of GMHC, administered the tests from one of the mobile testing units. The test consists of an oral swab that provides a result within 20 minutes. A possible positive result will lead to further testing to confirm a preliminary result.
The test checks for the presence of HIV antibodies, which are present three months after infection. A negative test means the individual is HIV-free as of three months ago.
During the 20 minutes, those undergoing the test will be provided counseling by Curry, with questions about the individual’s support network, habits, behaviors and other risk factors as well as review of a questionnaire. GMHC provides counselling and other services to those diagnosed with HIV.
Paired with the outreach event, Amin, Sundari and other volunteers hosted the Live Yuh LIFE fund-raiser April 26 at Naresa Palace, in South Ozone Park. The Caribbean-themed event channeled Carnival and featured several dance performances from the Caribbean LGBT community.
Team Sundari will wear Carnival-themed attire at the AIDS walk and Sundari noted that the team wanted to “still represent the culture, because we are Caribbean, but we want to do it in a way that we raise awareness [and] be who we are as well.”
Beyond the AIDS walk, the group plans to engage the community through HIV-positive speakers and other educational and advocacy events.
For more information on Team Sundari, visit awny2014.kintera.org/sundari_lgbt.
