HIV awareness in Northern Ireland has long been shadowed by persistent stigma and a lack of public information. In recent weeks, The Rainbow Project, an LGBTQ+ charity, launched a welcome new public health campaign, to ‘Catch Urself Up’ on U=U (Undectable=Untransmittable).

For those already campaigning for HIV awareness in Northern Ireland (NI), the campaign comes at a critical time. HIV charity Positive Life NI noted that, based on 2023-2024 Health Survey findings, general awareness of HIV in the country had dropped from 94% to 87% across a five-year span. Out of those who had heard of HIV, only a quarter knew that effective HIV treatment can mean the virus is untransmittable (U=U). 

Against this backdrop, GCN recently caught up with two drag performers and activists from Northern Ireland, Cherrie Ontop and Tailor Maid Colby, to discuss HIV representation, supports, and solidarity in the North. 

Tailor Maid Colby, the alias of James McGuigan, has been performing as such since 2020. She first began drag in 2003, but stopped shortly after due to the attitudes towards the art form in Belfast at the time. However, Tailor continued in the scene with an annual HIV and AIDS fundraiser in London for a few years, which sowed the seed for future activism. 

In discussing her journey back to drag in Belfast, Tailor noted, “Everything I do fills the ingredients to make the perfect drag queen”, be it an early interest in fashion, performing, makeup, or gymnastics.

Much like her drag, Tailor’s foray into activism was a natural progression. Tailor has been a vocal advocate for HIV awareness throughout her career, using drag as a means of activism through annual performances at World AIDS Day in The George for the past three years. 

One of the biggest moments for Tailor was opening up about her HIV status on the BBC docu-series Made Up in Belfast. Before the show, only Tailor’s partner, close family, and select friends knew about her status. Through the programme, Tailor shared her story with the whole world, marking a momentous feat of HIV representation, and a personal achievement for the performer: “It was such a big thing for me to do, and I was petrified”. 

As a result, Tailor received hundreds of messages of support, and kickstarted a deeper conversation about HIV in the North: “It was emotional connecting with people and making them feel not as alone or isolated”.

Tailor also recently featured on the Poz Vibe podcast, talking about her diagnosis and her journey to find community and acceptance. She credited Veda and Robbie of Poz Vibe for helping her come into her own as an activist: “Veda has been such a shining example, and a mentor, and a great friend to me, opening my eyes to see what is possible.” 

Noting the lack of public information in the North, Tailor said: “People don’t talk that much about their status in NI. It’s a very different experience to being in the Poz Vibe Tribe in Dublin.” 

Tailor commented that one of the barriers to challenging stigma is a persistent ‘us versus them’ mentality. “I feel there’s so much work that needs to be done here in order for us to progress as a society, to become more inclusive, more accepting, and also more understanding,” she said. The things that are perceived to divide us are in fact “the biggest opportunities for people to learn and grow”, she added.

In terms of activism, Tailor shared, “I’ve got my own story and my own experiences, and I think that’s a good starting place”. Mentioning the lack of visible HIV representation in Northern Ireland, Tailor noted the opportunity for her and fellow drag queen Cherrie Ontop to “be those role models, and hopefully be a guiding light”. 

Tailor’s core message is about acceptance. “This is the reason why I’ve come out about my status. It’s to heal my own wounds, but if I could help even one person to accept themself a little more, then that’s what I do it for”, she said. 

She urged people to get out there and support HIV awareness groups, fundraisers, and nights like Veda’s Witchy Wednesdays, “events where people are talking about HIV, or where it’s a friendly place”. 

Furthermore, Tailor advised people to know their status. There were 10 AIDS-related deaths reported in Northern Ireland in 2023 as per the Public Health Agency, confirming the need for greater public awareness and investment in health campaigns and services.  

Speaking about what meaningful solidarity would look like, Tailor said that she has achieved this with her relationship to the Poz Vibe Tribe: “I’m not surviving with HIV, I’m thriving. I want other people to feel what I feel, and that’s meaningful solidarity.”

 

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Meanwhile, actor Matthew Cavan, also known as Cherrie Ontop, spoke about his journey to activism beginning with an HIV diagnosis in 2009, which put his life on pause and prompted him to stop acting. 

“In 2009, we definitely weren’t as honest as we are now, especially because there was a massive lack of information, so to be diagnosed at a time where I still pretty much thought it was a death sentence was a scary thing to experience,” Matthew said. 

Matthew noted that, upon diagnosis, he “had not met anyone living with HIV in NI at that time, and still to this day very few people talk about it”. 

After a two-year break, Matthew got back on stage with the help of actor Neil Keery, and soon began a drag residency as Cherrie Ontop. Cherrie’s shows continued right up to 2022, when Matthew decided to return to acting. 

Matthew is part of the company The Belfast Ensemble, producing political queer work. He performed in The Abbey as part of the opera Abomination: A DUP Opera, taking the words the DUP have used in reference to the LGBTQ+ community and verbatim putting them to orchestral music. 

Matthew’s activism started in 2010, when he contacted the Belfast Telegraph, angry at the lack of awareness on HIV, and the lack of support for World AIDS Day. Matthew produced a front-page article, launching his activism yet unfortunately opening the door to a lot of negative press and harassment. 

“But also because of that article, a number of people reached out to me and told me that being able to read my story had brought them some comfort and some solace,” Matthew said. The experience helped affirm his activism and realise that there is a whole community out there who need to feel represented. 

Matthew has since made a number of documentaries, including Becoming Cherrie, and a BBC documentary about HIV. Recently, youth theatre company Replay Theatre commissioned a musical about Matthew’s lived experiences, called Mirrorball, which was nominated for a UK Theatre Award.   

“Myself and James aka Tailor Maid definitely stand on the shoulders of giants,” Matthew said. “I definitely think we are two of the most high-profile people living with HIV who talk about it, so we are the ones that will get the press and the publicity, for good or for bad”. 

Speaking about HIV awareness, Matthew said, “I think the biggest barrier for people accessing treatment is fear and shame. There are amazing sexual health services in the North, and two charities: Positive Life and The Rainbow Project, a more broad LGBTQ+ charity which offers rapid testing, therapy, lobbying and supports.”

When HIV is talked about in media, “we need to hear from people who have lived with it, and medical professionals,” said Matthew. With so much misinformation, it is vital that people hear from real lived experiences.

Activism, to Matthew, is about “representation… it’s being honest with people, it’s showing that there is a life to live with HIV, it’s getting angry at injustice around HIV”. 

He urged people to talk about HIV, to share information: “We need to stop making HIV people be the educators, and put a bit of responsibility on the general public… There is so much misinformation out there; people need to be directed on where to find the best information.”

 

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Veda of Poz Vibe also spoke to GCN, highlighting the intersectionality of HIV activism with other social justice spheres, and urging people to promote the activism of Matthew and James, to use social media to platform their work, and include them in events. 

“It’s a tremendous weight that Tailor and Cherrie are lifting… I believe in them, but it takes more than just me believing in them; it takes actual support and opportunities for them,” Veda said. 

Reiterating the importance of HIV awareness, Matthew concluded: “We’re at a place now because of the undetectable status, a working cure… I may live with HIV in my body for the rest of my life, but I will not be able to physically pass this virus; my immune system is strong. And those are all things that we should celebrate.” 

Matthew’s message is to “pay it forward”. He urged people to “go and learn three new things about HIV and tell them to somebody and ask them to do the same. And then we are getting information out there and talking about it.” 

To learn more about James and Matthew’s work, check out their Instagrams @cherrieontopbelfast and @totally.tailor. To find out more about The Rainbow Project, and HIV campaigning and supports in Northern Ireland, visit their website.