This is part 8 of a special series focusing on the community of Honoring Our Experience, and their work with long-term survivors of the HIV/AIDS virus.
“I was a reluctant activist,” says Vince Crisostomo of the humble beginnings of his advocacy for LGBTQ communities. He’d done his share of sitting by the bedsides of friends and community members as they succumbed to the deadly virus, but it would be a few more years until he would step into a role he has now occupied for more than 30 years.
An invitation to return to his native Guam on World AIDS Day changed all that. They were looking for a gay Chamorro who was HIV positive to speak. “Oh my God that’s me,” he thought, but he dismissed it outright. Surely there was someone else, he mused to a friend. But it was his time. A time to lean into the moment. He didn’t want to regret the chances he didn’t take. Now, more than three decades later, he has committed his life to the healing power of community.
Vince Crisostomo is a gay Chamorro (Pacific Islander) long-term HIV/AIDS survivor He is passionate about bringing health care to all and social justice equity to people of every sexual identity, HIV status, gender, race and age. Vince is currently SFAF’s Director of Aging Services and is seated on the SF Human Rights Commission’s LGBTQI+ Advisory Committee and California State Equity on Aging Committee.
As you listen to this episode, consider:
Where are the opportunities to step forward, even reluctantly, to make a difference?
What kind of world do we want to “age in to?” What is one thing we can do to work towards that vision?
Vince talks about making optimistic choices? What is one optimistic choice you can make today?
You can listen to Vince’s episode here.
Learn more about Honoring Our Experience here.