Claudia from Bern is a journalist and reporter who primarily writes for magazines and weekly newspapers and is passionate about delving into the stories of people. Away from the desk, she loves to travel, explore nature, and take creative breaks through ballet training, photography, and drawing.

"How many people with HIV dare to show themselves? Why not more?"

Dominic Hartmann, an actor from Zurich, is dedicated to the psychological well-being of queer people through his project "Queer&Sober." He creates a space for support for those who want to move away from alcohol and questions the social normalization of alcohol to raise awareness of the psychological challenges in the LGBTQ+ community.

"You're not 'sick.' You can do everything like before. You just need to take a pill once a day, in addition to your fiber, vitamin capsules, collagen tablets, and vitamin D drops."

Ellen Cart-Richter has been living with HIV since 2017. The 55-year-old mother of three adult children is a senior nurse in a large institution. She works as a mentor for people with HIV at the University Hospital of Lausanne.

"I started living again when I started speaking openly about my HIV."

Gleisson Juvino, 32, is a non-binary activist from the Groupe SIDA Genève, who works to deconstruct the stigmatized images of living with HIV and bring about positive change in society. As a migrant and person with HIV, they use their experiences to educate and fight HIV discrimination through social networks and workshops.

"Thanks to therapy, I can focus entirely on my sociology studies. That's it!"

Ivo is Managing Director at the Digital Trial Platform (dTIP) of ETH Zurich and President of EUPATI Switzerland. The Zurich resident, who has been living with HIV since 2016, advocates for greater involvement of those affected in the development of treatment strategies and research.

"With HIV, I can live very well – with stigmatization, not."

Ivy Monteiro is a Brazilian artist, political activist, and performer living in Switzerland who advocates for the rights of people with HIV, queer people, and people of color (PoC). Ivy uses their experiences with racism and HIV-related discrimination to support, connect, and empower others.

"Talking openly about my HIV status? No, I have no problem with that."

Janos is a filmmaker and lives alternately in Basel and Amsterdam. With the feature film project "Love Undetectable," he aims to make the current experiences of people living with HIV visible and address the emotional and social challenges of an HIV diagnosis in the U=U era.

"We need contemporary images of HIV. As a filmmaker, I want to bring these to the big screen."

Melanie Öztürk, 31, was born in Zurich and has lived with HIV since birth. When Melanie was two years old, her mother died of AIDS. Melanie's childhood was also marked by numerous HIV-related hospital stays. Today, she is in perfect health, advocates on social media against HIV-related discrimination, and was one of the faces of the 2024 World AIDS Day campaign by Aids-Hilfe Switzerland.

"I've lived with HIV since birth and am in a happy relationship for the second time. Living with HIV is a life full of possibilities."

Renata lives in the Canton of Jura and has been living with HIV for 38 years.

"38 years positive and still here! A very positive senior..."

The Jurassian Sandrine lives in Biel and has been living with HIV since 1986. She is passionately engaged as a peer-to-peer advisor for people with HIV and educates students about living with HIV.

"I love life, walks, good wine, friends, the sea, feeling loved... just like you!"

Stéphane describes himself as an Epicurean, meaning he strives to lead a life full of joy and inner peace. He has been living with HIV since 2016 and resides in the Canton of Neuchâtel.

"HIV + treatment = Liiiiife"

Susanne is a nursing assistant from the Canton of Zurich. After a tumultuous past, the polyglot has found happiness again and has been engaged in the Positive Life Advisory Board since 2025.

"I'm tired of hiding."

Yannick is a 23-year-old HIV activist from Romandy who started openly talking about his life with HIV on social media after his diagnosis in July 2023. He now has around 60,000 followers on TikTok, where he educates and encourages people to fight the stigma of HIV.

"I want it to become normal to talk about HIV and show people that there is nothing to be ashamed."