Three HIV/AIDS activists working in Pennsylvania made the sixth-annual POZ 100, a list of people who have lived with HIV since 1995 or earlier and remain active in the fight to end the epidemic.
Jose de Marco from ACT UP Philadelphia; Andrena Ingram, pastor of St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Mt. Airy; and Sam Wickersham, an HIV/AIDS-care volunteer in Lancaster, have all been named to the list.
POZ, a magazine for those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, produces the list each year leading up to World AIDS Day on Dec. 1.
“I’m just grateful that I have a big mouth and I’m not hiding behind my collar,” Ingram told PGN, noting she has always spoken openly about having the disease, as well as depression, anxiety, sexual abuse and homelessness.
She said part of her gift as a long-term HIV survivor is being a pastor and reaching out to communities that may find it challenging to trust the church.
Ingram noted her husband died of AIDS-related complications. She said people need to overcome the fear and stigma associated with an HIV-positive status.
“Living with HIV has changed tremendously in the past three decades, with advances in treatment being the biggest factor,” Oriol Gutierrez, POZ editor, said in a statement.
He added that half the population living with HIV is estimated to be over 50, and more needs to be learned about the effects of aging with HIV.
Ingram is aware of the uncertainty that comes with long-term use of medicine to treat HIV. She said she deals with fatigue and a host of other health issues. She speaks about anything she experiences to help others going through the same thing.
Gutierrez said the POZ 100 honorees represent a wide range of people — whether LGBT or straight and from many cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds — who understand the current fight against the epidemic.
For a full list of honorees, visit www.poz.com/100.