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♪♪

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[MANUEL] I was called like

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faggot in like third and fourth grade
or like maricón, which is faggot.

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And so

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those were the kind of words
that I was being told that I was.

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But I just was like,
I don't know what that word means.

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(♪) Is your heart in battle (♪) 

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(♪) living in misty shadows? (♪) 

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(♪) Does she miss me 
at all? (♪) 

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[MANUEL] I was always bullied.

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English is my second language,
so I didn't understand

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like the the words that students
were using to describe me

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or like these slurs that they were using
until I was in middle school.

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And that's when I, like, picked up

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or looked into the dictionary
on the Internet, what these words were.

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And sure enough, that was me.

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And so I, since sixth grade I was out.

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And so I was very much going
against the grain at a young age

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just for me to survive
and actually be who I am on the inside.

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[MANUEL] I was born and raised in Moses La

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It was really small and I knew that
I was living in a small town.

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I was always like a rabble rouser
because I knew how conservative that town

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was, and I knew that I was just completely
the opposite of that.

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One of the first things that I did in
defiance is start shaving my legs.

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Like I started shaving like body hair.

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And my dad especially, was just like,
not pleased at all.

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But I kept doing it anyways.

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I was able to kind of excel in school

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and work
my way up into advanced placement courses.

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And so at that point in time,

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especially in my US government class,
I was only focused on gay issues

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at that time.

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[MANUEL] Yeah, we're at the Defeat HIV boo

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over in the community services pavilion.

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[MANUEL] I think my activism started
 at that political science class in

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high school and then I moved to 
Seattle in 2010.

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I just wanted to be in a safe community
where I could be out

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about my sexual identity

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and meet others
who shared my sexual identity.

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- The next agenda item
I have appointment in 00143

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the appointment of Manuel Venegas.

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[MANUEL] I'm very fortunate that I'm 
allowed to be a representative in the 

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city of Seattle to the LGBTQ 
community and that also kind of like

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cements my

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being here in Seattle.

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[MANUEL] Yeah, it's it's a great 
opportunity to be that positive role model

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on the community.

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I know that growing up I didn't really
have those role models in my community.

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I mean, there were hardly any out adults 
in Eastern Washington, 

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let alone Moses Lake.

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So just kind of

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putting that into perspective
as far as like the next generation

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of leaders, I'm not the only one
and I won't be the only one.

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- I think you're very capable to do the 
job, I'm just a little worried about

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I'm just a little worried about

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whether you're going to be outspoken
enough, to be honest.

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(laughter)

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- So my name is

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MANUEL Venegas and I'm on 
the LGBTQ commission.

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(cheering)

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And so before next month’s meeting
we're supposed to have kind of like a

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commissioner 101 session.

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I was curious
to see how to kind of highlight

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the HIV community in Seattle,

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especially at a high level at the city
level, making

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elected officials and the community
still aware of the crisis,

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even though people are not dying
on the sidewalk like

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they used to be in the eighties
and nineties.

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Young people, especially people in my peer
group, are still

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those that are getting HIV to this day.

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[MANUEL] So we are looking at Dolutegravir

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and we're looking at Rilpivirine.

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I was 21 years old
when I learned that I was HIV positive.

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I was there in the clinic room
over in Harborview overlooking onto I-5.

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The result, she said,
these were confirmed.

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And I was like, okay.

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My name is Manuel
and I've been living with HIV since 2012.

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Here's the thing with me, and what I'm
noticing is that there's a sad story

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or there's the need for a sad story.

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My story wasn't sad like that was for me,

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just a point of realization.

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That was like a point of awakening.

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And I was like,
Oh my, I've neglected my sexual health.

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I have neglected

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actually being proactive
and learning about my body.

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Now I'm this advocate.

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Now I have national board membership to

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the HIV Cure Initiative, HIV cure effort.

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So for me, it's like my relationship
with communities is different,

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and that's reflective of

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like how I took in this information
that I was HIV positive.

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I knew that
I was now going to be a role model.

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[MANUEL] I'm here on the LGBTQ commission,
so it was just that that comfort

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So it was just that that comfort

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that goes with sharing your story,
of sharing your truth and the community

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it just felt like, okay cool, 
I'm a role model and I can speak

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on my experience and people are willing
to listen to my experience.

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People are willing to learn
from my experience.

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[MANUEL] I'm going to continue to pass the
Nice to see you, Lauren.

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I'm able to contribute
to the global efforts

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in the movement,
just by simply being at the table,

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sharing my perspective as a young person
living with HIV,

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as a person of color, living with HIV
before either of us who are HIV positive,

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The four of us who 
are HIV positive,

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we represent the different realms
of HIV positivity.

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For me, my philosophy is
that we're all learning from one another

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and to like acknowledge that

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so that we can all kind of leave
on the same page,

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I guess, progress on the same page.

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[MANUEL] Would you like some all gender 
restroom information as well?

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- Yes

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[MANUEL] We have to be open and out there
and talking about it and being active

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and fully representing us as individuals

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but us as a community
because we are in a bubble

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and that bubble is
being constantly attacked.

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[NEWS ANCHOR] We do want to update you
on the breaking news out of Orlando,

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the terror attack on a gay nightclub.

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[NEWS REPORTER] Three hours of terror over

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multiple shootouts, hostages,
a packed nightclub under siege.

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By the time it was all over,
at least 50 people dead.

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- They will divide us to destroy us.

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Do not let fear

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and the misguided actions of
a damaged few keep us apart.

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Hate and fear destroys.

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Only love can bring peace.

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♪♪ 

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[MANUEL] For me it was just very sad,
this direct attack on our community.

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It sucks that we had to wait that long

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and wait until that event happened

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so that the nation as a whole

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can fully see the attacks
that are happening on our community.

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It sucks that it had to take something
that large

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for people to wake up about all the hatred
that's coming down to us on our

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just daily existence
as human beings in this country.

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So how do we rise above this violence?

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How can we,
you know, maintain our safety in an unsafe

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environment,
an unsafe national environment?

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(tense music)

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[MANUEL] I hope that it awakens
all of these LGBT organizations

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to actually start working
together, have more conversations

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so that we can all kind of work on these
same overarching issues

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that are impacting our ability to exist.

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- I'm so excited to see you all here.

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We know that
we've been fighting for a long time.

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I've been doing this work for 22 years.

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[MANUEL] I'm hoping for more vigilance.

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I'm hoping for more communications.

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I'm hoping for more people
sharing stories.

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- I am still here.

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(cheering)

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[MANUEL] More representation,
more need to be vocal.

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[CROWD] We are still here.

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[MANUEL] Hopefully we can get the 
community within the LGBT

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population to activate and focus,

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and also that people who are outside
of the community and people

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who are tourists to the city
actually understand

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what's happening.

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(uplifiting music)

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(chanting) 

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(uplifiting music)

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[MANUEL] I want to recruit
more people in this effort.

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So that's kind of where I want to go
next, is to see more community,

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seeing more people involved in the work
that I'm doing and feeling

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as empowered as I'm feeling.

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So one that's giving voice to people
who are living with HIV and AIDS, those

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who are historically not part
of the decision making process.

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So all sexual
minorities, all ethnic minorities, all

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people who have been long term survivors.

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Hopefully if I have enough people
participating in this effort,

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it might not take a long time
to reach HIV cure

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or to reach an ending to the AIDS crisis.

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- ¿Cómo estás?
- Muy bien, ¿y tú

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[MANUEL] That is really promising for me 
as a young person 

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to help the community
go forward in that process,

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sharing little bits of knowledge 
with the community

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and letting them know what's happening.

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It's all just to maintain that
conversation and maintain that awareness.

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I find this super useful
and super critical and

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very much needed now
and going forward in the future

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because this is a global effort now.

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♪♪