Shuvaseesh Das

9 Bilder

Living With HIV I have photographed and interviewed six amazing people in Switzerland who are being treated unfairly because of their HIV status, but they have so much to offer. They have a rich life filled with experiences. It was not an easy task for me to find suitable participants due to the sensitivity of my project and language barriers. I am grateful to all the participants who have shared their incredible stories with me. A special thanks to Kandid Jäger from the Sexuelle Gesundheit Aargau; without his help, I probably would not have been able to accomplish this project.

5 Bilder

Image 1 and 4. Junior Masandi, did not anticipate he would struggle with mental health. He is considered a ‘popular guy’ and mental health issues are a taboo in Junior’s family and his culture, who grew up in Africa. Having to fend for himself from an early age, Junior experienced loneliness and loss. He attempted to take his life twice before seeking help. Junior grew up away from his family. He arrived in the UK from the Republic of Congo with his stepmother at the age of ten. They didn’t get along, and she threw him out of the house when he was 15. From then onwards, he was forced to look after himself, couch surfing and eating at friend’s homes to get by. Football was a big part of Junior’s youth, and he was close to his coach, who got him his football shoes and even asked Junior to live with him. He suspects something happened at his coach’s house as one night is a complete blur, and he has no recollection beyond flashbacks of waking up in his bed and falling back to sleep. The coach later pleaded guilty to abusing young children and is now serving a seven-year sentence in prison. Image 2. Maggie Mladenova. Image 3 and 5. In the beginning, Angel was not aware that he was a she. She grew up with a single mother. Her parents divorced when she was about one year old. When she was only seventeen years old, with no money, no job, and homeless, Angel decided to sell herself for money but only for a short period of time. Angel is going through a hormone treatment that is painful sometimes because her body is changing, her skin is becoming softer, her nipples hurt because her breast is growing, and occasional mood swings. She needs to change her hormone patches twice a week. When she gets closer to the changing time, she becomes very emotional due to the lack of Estrogen in her body. Angela does not intend to undergo medical surgeries but wishes to live permanently in a female gender from her gender at birth, which means she will have to take pills for the rest of her life.