Nitto Marquez was recently acknowledged by ACAS during their 10 th Anniversary Awards Banquet for his volunteer contributions and work around HIV/AIDS awareness and education. As one of the co-founders of Gay Asians Toronto (GAT), Nitto has been active in advocacy and HIV/AIDS education during the last ten years and belongs to a few advocacy and social groups. After his diagnosis in 1996, Nitto devoted his time volunteering with ACAS , serving as a board member and later as President. He's been featured in an article in the Toronto Star about being gay and Asian and later in Xtra! in an article highlighting the hurdles positive gay Asians go through. Currently, he is a case manager for PWA Foundation and during his spare time he runs a website dedicated to opera diva Montserrat Caballe.

C: Why did you and the others form Gay Asian Toronto?

N: “Richard Fung, Tony Souza, Gerald Chan and I got together one day with no real set agenda and decided that we needed a group that we could relate to. At that time [1980’s], there weren’t many out Asians [gay Toronto was still very WASPy] and we wanted to identify with a group that was distinctly gay AND Asian.”

C: What is the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence?”

N: “During the 80’s there were many anti-gay rallies around the city (and in North America), so in response an order on male nuns was created ‘for the promulgation of joy and expiation of guilt’. A group of (us) gay men would show up at religious rallies dressed as nuns to protest the Church’s homophobic stance. We were heavily criticized but we brought awareness. We showed up at one of the first Pride events at the Grange Park and we started one of the first safer-sex awareness campaigns in Toronto called ‘Cum Clean’.”

C: What was your involvement with ACAS then and now?

N: “I knew Dr. Alan Li in 1981 [back then he was a med student] and at that time he was already active in the community. ACAS was looking for board members around 1996, and he asked if I would join. I was a board member from 1996, then as President from 1998-2001. When asked, I occasionally facilitate workshops for ACAS at their volunteer training programs.

C: How did your family react to your HIV-positive diagnosis?

N: “I have 6 sisters and 2 brothers, and my parents have passed away. I have 2 sisters who are conservative Catholics. I never told my parents before they died because I didn’t want to burden them. But my brothers and sisters know about my status. Some of my siblings sometimes treat me like a ‘baby’: they are just constantly worried about my health. They have a basic understanding of HIV/AIDS, but think that I shouldn’t be working. My partner of 21 years, Bill, has been totally supportive and understanding especially when I am not well.”

C: What is your involvement with the Toronto PWA Foundation?

N: “I started out as the coordinator of their Speakers’ Bureau. I spoke in schools, churches and organizations about what it’s like being HIV positive. It helped me get though my illness and help build confidence in myself. Now I’m one of the case managers for TPWA Foundation helping clients access government income support and related services.”

C: What are your views on spirituality and God?

N: “Before my diagnosis, I didn’t have a particularly good experience with being Catholic; I didn’t bother with the Church. During my time in the hospital, one of my sisters recommended that I talk with a priest, who gave me a meditation book called ‘The Way of the Cross’. After a series of visits with this priest, I am slowly finding my way back towards my religion. I go to church every Sunday these days for two reasons: I am honouring and reconnecting with the memories of my parents [they went to church every Sunday] and also I feel stronger. I have always believed in God”.

C: What are you thoughts on discrimination?

N: “I was called a ‘chink’ once walking on Broadview Avenue and was mistaken for a ‘houseboy’ at a party. I will confront people who I see as practicing discrimination. We [as minorities] always have to constantly prove ourselves. I think in order to affect change; we have to connect with people at a certain level, and challenge their prejudices one person at a time. We also have to realize that some people will not change (their prejudices) and learn move past their issues and their prejudices”.

C: What have you learned in the last 10 years?

N: “I’ve learned compassion for myself and others. I’ve learned to live with being HIV + and have come to accept that it is now a permanent part of me. I’m still impatient with people but I’ve tempered it with compassion. My advice to Asians who have become positive, is to get past the guilt and deal with the reality. You will need support, you can’t go through it alone, so get involved and get active, it usually makes things better”.

C: What are your current goals now?

N: “It’s almost 10 years since my diagnosis and my priority is to regain my strength [I got sick after the ACAS banquet]. I enjoy working at PWA and hope to stay there for awhile. I’d like to make a difference. I’m rediscovering [and getting reacquainted with] other people who have supported me over the years. I am grateful for the award I received [ACAS PHA Leadership Award]. I’m learning to deal with things as they come and am learning that you have to tell people exactly what you need and want. I am learning about compassion and humility”.

C: When I was doing research on you, I found a site dedicated to opera diva Ms. Caballe, can you tell me about why you decided to create this tribute site?

N: “… after a recital she gave in Toronto I experienced first hand Montserrat's graciousness on meeting her in the green room where she was receiving well-wishers. I had handed her roses during her curtain call at the end of the performance, and afterwards when I met her she remembered and thanked me for the flowers. I was won over by that gesture; it was a very pleasant surprise, and of course has made me a fan for life!”

C: Thank you Nitto for sitting down with me for a coffee, even though most of it was on the notes (hee hee).

•  PWA Foundation
http://www.pwatoronto.org
•  Montserrat Caballe Tribute site
http://www.unbeldi.com

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