The Positive Side is back! If it seems a bit different from before, that’s because it is. Since the last issue in July 2022, CATIE received a grant to reimagine this publication through a community-centred lens. We—a group of people living with HIV—collaborated across geographies, generations and backgrounds. As a newly formed editorial board, we brought our own lived experiences and vast professional skills to The Positive Side to start this next chapter. Welcome.
This issue took 10 months to make. We all had our own reasons for joining: to share accurate and inclusive information about life with HIV, to connect with other community members, to spread joy, learn new skills and to give back to a publication that is important to us.
We also had our own reasons for sticking with it. Through this process, we built a strong community, fostered a caring and creative space, and exchanged and honed our skills. We worked from a place of abundance, mutual accountability and generative reciprocity. We expanded this culture outward, to the writers and artists we had the privilege of working with.
We are proud of our journey together, and we are proud of the product. From accurate research and resources, to nuanced reflections, to impassioned calls to action, to stories of creativity and community-building, and expressions of joy, we are excited to share with you stories that challenge the status quo, that reflect the interests and locations of our diverse community—that inform, inspire and entertain.
Our hope for you, dear reader, is that you feel seen and represented in these pages and that you feel a sense of connection to our broader HIV-positive community. We hope you feel empowered to self-advocate, seek answers, find each other, break barriers and celebrate our wins. We wish you a joyful read. Thank you for joining us.
In solidarity,
The Positive Side Editorial Board
Masthead
Editorial collective
Chendz, Mary Ermine, Beau Gomez, Jordan, Martin Laurent, Tracey MacKinnon, Muluba, Chris McBain, David Ramsay, James Watson, Denise Wozniak
Editorial facilitator
Sheila Sampath
Contributors
Justine Aman, Justin Anantawan, Ashley, Michael B., Davina (Dee) Conner, Dakota Descoteaux, Justin Ducharme, Zoë Dodd, Carl Egan, Emma, Kevin Fonseca, Jennifer Gratrix, Muluba Habanyama, Noel Ives, Jordan, Yoav Keynan, Dr. Moussa Konaté, Denise Lambert, Chris McBain, Alexander McCelland, Bradford McIntyre, Mikiki, Boki Moetedi, Hugues Lefebvre Morasse, Shaneequa Potts, Zulma Rueda, Dr. Ameeta Singh, Petra Smyczek, Soeur Bibicyclette de la Sativaparla, Cara Spence, Deveilyau Tymusko, Nikki Williamson
Copy editor
Dan Udy
Translation
Jean Dussault, Josée Dussault, Andrea Zanin
Creative direction and design
Special thanks
Denise Bérubé, Andrew Brett, Janet Butler McPhee, André Capretti, Laurel Challacombe, Rachelle Fecteau, Kubota Hamalengwa, Julia Horel, Jody Jollimore, Magnus Nowell, Catherine Poëzévara
Publisher
CATIE
505-555 Richmond St W Box 1104
Toronto ON M5V 3B1 Canada