Happy #LGBTQHistoryMonth! Let’s make sure it’s as #intersectional as possible. Dominic D'Souza was an Indian actor turned AIDS activist. He was a frequent blood donor and under India’s new blood testing act, doctors learned he had contracted HIV and labeled him Patient Zero for HIV in Goa. He was arrested and detained by the police and escorted to a hospital without being given any information. He was locked in a tuberculosis ward and forcibly quarantined for 64 days with armed guards outside his doors. His mother petitioned the court on his behalf, citing his treatmenat was in violation of WHO guidelines, and the court issued an order for him to under house arrest. Once the order was lifted, Dominic was fired from his job and began to get involved with the HIV/AIDS community. He started his own organization, Positive People, providing counseling, education, advocacy and other services for people living with HIV, and for those who were at risk for contracting HIV. He a died a month after registering Positive People. His life was the basis of the film My Brother…Nikhil and the novel The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay. Positive People remains the largest of its kind in Goa and still advocates for people living with AIDS. #LGBTQHistory #QTPOCHistory #DominicDSouza
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