♪♪
[MANUEL] I was called like
faggot in like third and fourth grade or like maricón, which is faggot.
And so
those were the kind of words that I was being told that I was.
But I just was like, I don't know what that word means.
(♪) Is your heart in battle (♪)
(♪) living in misty shadows? (♪)
(♪) Does she miss me at all? (♪)
[MANUEL] I was always bullied.
English is my second language, so I didn't understand
like the the words that students were using to describe me
or like these slurs that they were using until I was in middle school.
And that's when I, like, picked up
or looked into the dictionary on the Internet, what these words were.
And sure enough, that was me.
And so I, since sixth grade I was out.
And so I was very much going against the grain at a young age
just for me to survive and actually be who I am on the inside.
[MANUEL] I was born and raised in Moses La
It was really small and I knew that I was living in a small town.
I was always like a rabble rouser because I knew how conservative that town
was, and I knew that I was just completely the opposite of that.
One of the first things that I did in defiance is start shaving my legs.
Like I started shaving like body hair.
And my dad especially, was just like, not pleased at all.
But I kept doing it anyways.
I was able to kind of excel in school
and work my way up into advanced placement courses.
And so at that point in time,
especially in my US government class, I was only focused on gay issues
at that time.
[MANUEL] Yeah, we're at the Defeat HIV boo
over in the community services pavilion.
[MANUEL] I think my activism started at that political science class in
high school and then I moved to Seattle in 2010.
I just wanted to be in a safe community where I could be out
about my sexual identity
and meet others who shared my sexual identity.
- The next agenda item I have appointment in 00143
the appointment of Manuel Venegas.
[MANUEL] I'm very fortunate that I'm allowed to be a representative in the
city of Seattle to the LGBTQ community and that also kind of like
cements my
being here in Seattle.
[MANUEL] Yeah, it's it's a great opportunity to be that positive role model
on the community.
I know that growing up I didn't really have those role models in my community.
I mean, there were hardly any out adults in Eastern Washington,
let alone Moses Lake.
So just kind of
putting that into perspective as far as like the next generation
of leaders, I'm not the only one and I won't be the only one.
- I think you're very capable to do the job, I'm just a little worried about
I'm just a little worried about
whether you're going to be outspoken enough, to be honest.
(laughter)
- So my name is
MANUEL Venegas and I'm on the LGBTQ commission.
(cheering)
And so before next month’s meeting we're supposed to have kind of like a
commissioner 101 session.
I was curious to see how to kind of highlight
the HIV community in Seattle,
especially at a high level at the city level, making
elected officials and the community still aware of the crisis,
even though people are not dying on the sidewalk like
they used to be in the eighties and nineties.
Young people, especially people in my peer group, are still
those that are getting HIV to this day.
[MANUEL] So we are looking at Dolutegravir
and we're looking at Rilpivirine.
I was 21 years old when I learned that I was HIV positive.
I was there in the clinic room over in Harborview overlooking onto I-5.
The result, she said, these were confirmed.
And I was like, okay.
My name is Manuel and I've been living with HIV since 2012.
Here's the thing with me, and what I'm noticing is that there's a sad story
or there's the need for a sad story.
My story wasn't sad like that was for me,
just a point of realization.
That was like a point of awakening.
And I was like, Oh my, I've neglected my sexual health.
I have neglected
actually being proactive and learning about my body.
Now I'm this advocate.
Now I have national board membership to
the HIV Cure Initiative, HIV cure effort.
So for me, it's like my relationship with communities is different,
and that's reflective of
like how I took in this information that I was HIV positive.
I knew that I was now going to be a role model.
[MANUEL] I'm here on the LGBTQ commission, so it was just that that comfort
So it was just that that comfort
that goes with sharing your story, of sharing your truth and the community
it just felt like, okay cool, I'm a role model and I can speak
on my experience and people are willing to listen to my experience.
People are willing to learn from my experience.
[MANUEL] I'm going to continue to pass the Nice to see you, Lauren.
I'm able to contribute to the global efforts
in the movement, just by simply being at the table,
sharing my perspective as a young person living with HIV,
as a person of color, living with HIV before either of us who are HIV positive,
The four of us who are HIV positive,
we represent the different realms of HIV positivity.
For me, my philosophy is that we're all learning from one another
and to like acknowledge that
so that we can all kind of leave on the same page,
I guess, progress on the same page.
[MANUEL] Would you like some all gender restroom information as well?
- Yes
[MANUEL] We have to be open and out there and talking about it and being active
and fully representing us as individuals
but us as a community because we are in a bubble
and that bubble is being constantly attacked.
[NEWS ANCHOR] We do want to update you on the breaking news out of Orlando,
the terror attack on a gay nightclub.
[NEWS REPORTER] Three hours of terror over
multiple shootouts, hostages, a packed nightclub under siege.
By the time it was all over, at least 50 people dead.
- They will divide us to destroy us.
Do not let fear
and the misguided actions of a damaged few keep us apart.
Hate and fear destroys.
Only love can bring peace.
♪♪
[MANUEL] For me it was just very sad, this direct attack on our community.
It sucks that we had to wait that long
and wait until that event happened
so that the nation as a whole
can fully see the attacks that are happening on our community.
It sucks that it had to take something that large
for people to wake up about all the hatred that's coming down to us on our
just daily existence as human beings in this country.
So how do we rise above this violence?
How can we, you know, maintain our safety in an unsafe
environment, an unsafe national environment?
(tense music)
[MANUEL] I hope that it awakens all of these LGBT organizations
to actually start working together, have more conversations
so that we can all kind of work on these same overarching issues
that are impacting our ability to exist.
- I'm so excited to see you all here.
We know that we've been fighting for a long time.
I've been doing this work for 22 years.
[MANUEL] I'm hoping for more vigilance.
I'm hoping for more communications.
I'm hoping for more people sharing stories.
- I am still here.
(cheering)
[MANUEL] More representation, more need to be vocal.
[CROWD] We are still here.
[MANUEL] Hopefully we can get the community within the LGBT
population to activate and focus,
and also that people who are outside of the community and people
who are tourists to the city actually understand
what's happening.
(uplifiting music)
(chanting)
(uplifiting music)
[MANUEL] I want to recruit more people in this effort.
So that's kind of where I want to go next, is to see more community,
seeing more people involved in the work that I'm doing and feeling
as empowered as I'm feeling.
So one that's giving voice to people who are living with HIV and AIDS, those
who are historically not part of the decision making process.
So all sexual minorities, all ethnic minorities, all
people who have been long term survivors.
Hopefully if I have enough people participating in this effort,
it might not take a long time to reach HIV cure
or to reach an ending to the AIDS crisis.
- ¿Cómo estás? - Muy bien, ¿y tú
[MANUEL] That is really promising for me as a young person
to help the community go forward in that process,
sharing little bits of knowledge with the community
and letting them know what's happening.
It's all just to maintain that conversation and maintain that awareness.
I find this super useful and super critical and
very much needed now and going forward in the future
because this is a global effort now.
♪♪