We Never Expected to Be Here: Stories of Survival, Loss and Hope
– 2 min read
Six voices. Four decades of history. From the fear and stigma of the AIDS crisis to the resilience and activism that shaped today’s treatments, these candid interviews from members of the Lunch Positive community honour those we lost and celebrate those who survived. Follow the series this World AIDS Day and hear the truths that connect generations.
I didn’t think I’d see my 30th birthday. I’ll be 63 in a few weeks.
This World AIDS Day, Scene magazine launches a powerful series of interviews with people who have lived with HIV for decades - voices that carry the weight of history, resilience, and hope. From the fear and stigma of the 1980s and 90s to the life-saving arrival of combination therapy, these stories remind us that survival is never simple.
Funerals became our new social spaces.
In the run up to and after World AIDS Day - Monday, 1 December - we’ll share a new conversation with someone who defied the odds. They speak candidly about love and loss, the loneliness of outliving friends, and the unexpected joy of still being here.
- The Changing Face of HIV: From 30 pills a day to one, and from secrecy to openness.
- Community and Activism: How grassroots networks and relentless campaigning turned despair into progress.
- Generational Bridges: What younger LGBTQ+ people need to know about the fight that shaped today’s freedoms.
These interviews are both a memorial for those we lost and a celebration of those who survived. They are raw, real, and deeply human. Follow the series and hear the voices that shaped our history - and our future.
For over 15 years, Lunch Positive has been breaking down stigma and building community for people living with HIV across Brighton and beyond. This entirely volunteer-run initiative now welcomes more than 80 people each week to peer-led spaces where healthy meals, warm friendships and vital support networks flourish. With a range of wraparound HIV community support services, peer-led wellbeing projects and community outreach, Lunch Positive proves that coming together can truly change lives - one lunch at a time.
The legacy of the HIV community is care - care for yourself and those around you.
