GOSHH drives stigma-free HIV conversations in Limerick with coffee morning

GOSHH (Gender Orientation Sexual Health HIV) will mark World AIDS Day with a series of Limerick-based events aimed at raising awareness, encouraging early diagnosis, and challenging the stigma that continues to surround HIV.

On December 1, the organisation is inviting the public to its Limerick city office for a community coffee morning, where visitors can meet the testing team, learn more about HIV, and avail of free, rapid and confidential HIV testing.

Two screenings of the award-winning Irish documentary 'How to Tell a Secret' will also take place at 12pm and 5pm, opening conversations about disclosure and the lived experience of people with HIV in Ireland today.

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This year’s World AIDS Day theme, “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” highlights the importance of practical, community-led action, something GOSHH says it remains committed to through its Limerick services.

“Even with incredible treatment advances, stigma and late diagnosis are still major hurdles,” says Ayushi Patel, Sexual Health Engagement Coordinator. “By offering late-night testing and screening ‘How to Tell a Secret’, we’re creating opportunities for conversation, understanding, and early diagnosis.”

GOSHH is also emphasising the U=U message, Undetectable = Untransmittable, reinforcing that people with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus sexually.

Limerick residents are invited to drop in for a coffee, attend a screening, get tested, or simply learn more as GOSHH marks World AIDS Day with a call for a more informed and supportive community.