METRO Charity, formerly the Greenwich Lesbian and Gay Centre, has been working to support people living with or affected by HIV since the 80s. This LGBTQ+ History Month we will be reflecting on our history and discussing the impact the AIDS epidemic had on LGBTQ+ people’s live, the role METRO and partner organisations played in the response, parallels/contrasts to the COVID-19 pandemic and where we are now. METRO’s Head of HIV and Mental Health, Jo Robinson, will chair the conversation with both present and former colleagues, partners and HIV activists.

Panelists:

• Jo Robinson (Chair)

Jo Robinson is Head of HIV and Mental Health & Wellbeing at METRO Charity. They have worked in the not-for-profit sector for over twenty years, including roles at Terrence Higgins Trust and the London Buddhist Centre. They also work as a psychotherapeutic counsellor.

• Marc Thompson

Marc has been an activist since the late 1980s in HIV+ issues for BAME people as a worker/volunteer with Big Up, Positively UK, Terence Higgins Trust. He is the Founder of prepster.info and a METRO ally and collaborator.

• Mike Hartley

Mike was the Gay and Bisexual Men’s Health Needs Development Worker 1993–1994 (GLGC) and MetroThrust Manager 1994–1997 (Metro Centre).

• Mark McNestry

Mark was the HIV Prevention Outreach Worker for Greenwich Health Promotion (later Bexley and Greenwich Health Promotion) from the early 1990s; Partner with GLGC on the development of MetroThrust.

• José Mejía

José is METRO’s Peer Support Manager. He designs and facilitates some of METRO’s HIV one-to-one and group work, and is responsible of for our HIV work in Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Wandsworth. José has been living with HIV for over 13 years and works closely with people living with HIV from different communities and walks of life.

• Sakthi Suriyaprakasam

Sakthi was the Service/Centre Manager for the GLGC/Metro Centre 1993–1997; Director of the Metro Centre (METRO) 1998–2003.