I met Mikrobio one night in New York, 8 years ago, we made an instant click and the next day we were traveling together outside of the city. During these years our friendship has become a place of support and collaboration. His work with nightlife in Berlin, techno and activism has motivated me. When he told me about Love Lazers, which is basically a group of friends, sexy nerds, lovers of nightlife, cruising, and activists for the right to have a free and healthy sexuality. I invited him to Colombia then, to do some activism together before the tremendous silence that exists regarding HIV in the country. Scary !!!
When PERIÓDICA invited us to write an article, we decided to have a chat first to see how everything was going:
mikrobio, [11.09.18 20:33]
hey juan, 2 thoughts: the photo better should be a new one for publishing it in the mag and online (same pics parallel), 1 for span, 1 for engl – i’ll check our pic collection.
and, the article: lets better write here, more effective.
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 20:54]
Agreed with both. let me fix myself a coffee and I’ll be ready. how are you over there?
mikrobio, [11.09.18 21:55]
pasta here! we have lovelazers session. working on a text about the new role of condoms in times of new safer sex. fighting about the risk chapter.
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:03]
[ 🚦 Sticker ]
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:02]
and iván is translating the UNDETECT info into spanish here.
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:03]
Sounds cool. I’m painting the walls of my new studio at El Parche.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:07]
new studio? great!
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:08]
you know what: a group of ppl organized a meeting to talk about our PrEP flyer and stop it.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:12]
WTF! do they speak in public?
Juan BOG Betancurth, [11.09.18 22:13]
Yeah, they had a meeting in a gay bar.
and I got w’pp messages from a guy who was VERY upset about our PrEP flyers: we are promoting auto medication. HIV infections increase because of the flyer! – I had to ask him to read our info well: it’s saying medical supervision is important.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:16]
SERIOUSLY? nonsense! that’s so regressive. PrEP is not for everyone but some need it urgently! seems we have to discuss it in every circle, every scene, every institutions.
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:17]
it’s actually the job of public health organizations. but I never see any information around: not in gay bars nor in cruising spots. no condoms either.
Maybe is my speed, I always want things to happen fast, but definitely things move differently.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:17]
it’s because you’re becoming an activist. hihi. –
its a quality not to be patient, juan!
Juan BOG Betancurth, [11.09.18 22:18]
Uhmm I dunno about that. Hahaha
Sex without condom is a reality in COL and ppl fuck a lot here.
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:20]
which I enjoy, I have to say hehehe
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:22]
LOL
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:22]
last months in Germany PrEP was announced to be paid by health insurances. big “activist” euphoria for some days. until everyone understood: this will be in summer 2019. that means in 1 year. that’s not the fast track.
Juan BOG Betancurth, [11.09.18 22:22]
but wow! good news! Hope we will have it one day here, too. don’t have big hope for it: Seems like Colombia embraces ignorance over information.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:23]
PrEP is not only cheaper for the health system, its a right for vulnerable communities.
btw how is the flyer distribution goin?
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:24]
Slow, but getting there. bringing them to my favorite sex video booths. also to others in south bogota, where I just go when feeling adventurous.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:24]
every hot colombian guy i meet here in berlin i hand it out for sure! :–]
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:25]
some responses have been very positive. Send a good amount to Medellin + to the Office for Diversity BOG. Tupamaras take them to their performances. friends asking me for copies to give it away to their friends.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:28]
step by step. we actually do the same here. furthermore the prevention agencies use our flyers to hand it out widespread.
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:29]
because of the flyer other things are happening: 2 weeks ago I got a call from a poz guy. his condom broke inside his lovers ass while having sex, the partner needed help urgently I told him about PEP to get treatment for 1 month, in an emergency immediately in 48h. It was already too late.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:34]
oh, no. i’m sorry.
missing info leading to infections.
and now?
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:34]
I’m keeping in touch with the guy. he told me that we have to do something here to makes it change.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:34]
unite forces. ACT UP!
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:35]
YEPP!
tell me how’s your meeting there?
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:36]
right now we discuss to make stickers for the telegram messenger. (u don’t use it in COL, i know). this will be mega fun!
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:37]
social media guerilla!
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:38]
and a polish rapper is coming soon. he was writing a text for this “hypermasculinity” exhibition i told you about. i wanna cast him as a photo model for lovelazers. he have lots of tattoos! :–|
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:40]
Send him here, I can make him work too!
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:41]
hehehe. i didn’t know you like inked guys, juan.
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:42]
I like them all.
I have to tell you: our application for fall 2018 was canceled. the financiation plan is not working out. I’m sorry.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:42]
i see. no money.
how do we make this colombian UNDETECTABLE info possible then?
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:42]
lets focus on online publishing! printing is next step.
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:43]
i can work on it the next weeks!
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:44]
YES! lets start with it now. would be so important to open up the conversation. you know, there are no up-to-date campaigns about it here, not national, not from NGOs. nothing about STIs, PEP, PrEP, UNDETECT. and HIV is just invisible!
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:45]
what i’ve seen in COL: people are curious, try to find information, getting PrEP meds from somewhere. all for me. not for us. all in private. not as a community. a hidden struggle of individuals.
Juan BOG, [11.09.18 22:46]
YES, WE HAVE TO MAKE ALL OF THIS ERUPT OR EXPLODE!
mikrobio, [11.09.18 22:50]
ok. next tue, 19h berlin time.
There are three different methods of New Safer Sex today. PrEP is medical prevention to avoid HIV infection by the application of pills before a possible risk (PreExposureProphylaxis, taken daily or on demand). Treatment as prevention means: a HIV-positive person is successfully treated with antiretroviral therapy: HIV transmissions are impossible because the viral load in the blood is UNDETECTABLE and HIV untransmittable.
PEP is an emergency treatment (with medications for a month) of someone who had a risky situation and possibly got infected. This PostExposureProphylaxis is available in some emergency rooms in hospitals (needs to be started in 48h).
At www.lovelazers.org all this methods are explained in english. A Colombian PrEP Info is online in spanish, UNDETECTABLE will follow end of 2018.
Taken from: PERIÓDICA Magazin #2, Bogota Nov 2018.
Article Photo:
“Bogotá, 2018” by Diashi/Love Lazers.