"Picture: Positivity" Exhibit: Manuel Monzon

Written by Whitney Reynier

(Picture: Positivity, an exhibition of photographs, biographies and artist statements can be seen at the Santa Clara County Government Center, 70 W. Hedding, San Jose, now until June 20. The photographs are taken by Santa Clara University students. Here is background information about one of the subjects, and a statement from the student about their photograph on exhibit.)

Manuel Monzón

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Cuidad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico/Fremont, Calif.

When he tested positive for HIV in January 1993, Manuel Monzón says he believed that his life was over. “I thought, ‘I am going to die. I’m going to be dead tomorrow,’” he says. Manuel imagined everything in his life, including his job and steady partner, Isaac De La Rosa, slipping away into the blackness that was his diagnosis.

Manuel told his partner about his HIV status and expected the relationship to end. Yet instead of running away, Isaac took him to Coyote Hill, a regional park near their Fremont, Calif., home. Overlooking the San Francisco Bay and standing amidst the breeze blowing through the meadow grass, Isaac told him that they would work though this new reality together. HIV wasn’t the end, simply the beginning of a new and challenging path.

Since that day at Coyote Hill, Manuel has transitioned into a life that replaces negativity and fear with positivity and hope. Even after being diagnosed with full-blown AIDS in 1995, Manuel says, he greets every day with a smile and works tirelessly to assist and empower others who are living with HIV or AIDS. He is now a social worker with the Positive Connection Program of Santa Clara County, helping connect people with the medical care they need. Manuel has worked on HIV/AIDS initiatives for almost two decades and had the inspiration for the photo project that you see before you today.

In his free time, Manuel is a passionate cyclist. He visits Coyote Hill often, riding up the long hills, each pedal stroke confirming his existence and reaffirming his purpose. Reflecting on these memories and on the peace he finds through cycling, Manuel writes, “There is a peaceful place inside that welcomes you. A space so safe, so still, that there is no forward or backward – only the eternal flow of now. Enter this radiance where the truth of your own being resides, and remember who you are.”

Manuel describes 2013 as his 20-20-10. He has lived with HIV and AIDS for 20 years, and has been with his partner for those same 20 years. This year also marks the 10th time he has participated in AIDS/LifeCycle, the California AIDS ride, biking almost 550 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise awareness and funds to support HIV/AIDS initiatives. Through this photography project, Manuel hopes to inspire others to reach their own 20-20-10.

Photographer’s Statement 

Whitney Reynier 

Prior to taking on this photo project, I knew very little about HIV/AIDS. Like many other people, I considered HIV/AIDS to be a life-ending disease. I believed individuals living with HIV/AIDS live unhappy and unfulfilled lives riddled with medication and sickness. 

I was terrified of HIV/AIDS; it existed as this dark specter, something to be scared of, a disease that consumed all of you. 

Upon meeting Manuel, however, I realized that my understanding of HIV/AIDS constituted only a small portion of what living with this condition can actually be like. 

Manuel explained that my reaction was similar to many, a common assumption that he is fighting to change. Manuel described his own struggle with the emotional darkness of living with HIV/AIDS, but then explained how he managed to transition out of this mindset and into a lifestyle that promotes rich experiences.

Despite the challenges he faces with his condition, Manuel is one of the most active and inspiring people I’ve ever met. The intensity, vitality, and positivity of his character inspired me to compose a photograph that challenged the societal assumptions surrounding HIV/AIDS that I myself had believed.

Manuel’s photo captures the brightness and vitality of his life. With a beautiful scenic background and a bike lifted in triumph, it challenges the assumption that being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS necessitates living a dark, depressing existence without adventure, beauty, or success. I strove to compose a bright and uplifting photo to directly challenge the stigma of darkness and unhappiness associated with HIV/AIDS.

Overall, this photo addresses the negativity associated with HIV/AIDS. From Manuel’s smile, to the bright colors of the location, to the bike held up in symbolic victory, this photo attempts to portray that living with HIV/AIDS can mean living a happy, positive, and rewarding life. Manuel and I hoped to show viewers that although individuals with HIV/AIDS can’t do anything to change their diagnosis, they can pursue a life filled with positivity, beauty, and happiness, and can help others to do the same.