Out the Archives is a recurring feature diving into the Windy City Times collection, offering a look back at the rich history of LGBTQ+ Chicago. In this edition, we look back at the July 2001 issue of En La Vida.
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A new campaign targeting Chicago’s Spanish-speaking residents launched in June 2001, urging them to “get away from HIV.” It was launched via a first-of-its-kind prevention program, created by West Town-Humboldt Park HIV/AIDS Providers Association (WHAPA).
The campaign included radio and TV spots and a poster to be displayed on 55 CTA buses going through West Town, Humboldt Park and Logan Square neighborhoods. Ramón Rodriguez of CALOR said this HIV prevention effort is the first to target those areas and the first to be done in Spanish.
“I have a lot of faith in this campaign,” Rodriguez said. “We’re making history.”
The ads featured a wide range of people across genders and sexualities, including one intravenous drug user. The neighborhoods of West Town, Humboldt Park and Logan Square had the highest concentration of AIDS among Latinos in Chicago at the time, with the sharing of needles being the most prevalent mode of transmission.
The project’s tagline, “Sacale el cuerpo al VIH”—“get yourself away from HIV”—was made to directly target high rates of HIV/AIDS concentrated in the West Town area.
Omar Lopez, co-chair of WHAPA, said a recent survey found the majority of people were not taking the necessary steps to protect themselves despite knowing how to prevent HIV. He hoped the campaign would emphasize the need for “a change in behavior.”
While providers at the June 2001 press conference spoke of the pressing need to stop the spread of HIV in the Latino community, healthcare consumer Freddie Vasquez read a moving open letter about the cruelty he endured from his family since he tested positive 16 years prior.
“Just because we have HIV, we’re not animals,” he said. “And we’re not going to contaminate them,” he said of his family.