Dani Forteza Leads HIV Prevention and Holistic Health Initiatives at The Pride Center

At The Pride Center at Equality Park, the commitment to fostering health, wellness, and empowerment within the LGBTQ+ community is a driving force. As the Wellness and Testing Coordinator, Dani Forteza leads a dedicated team to provide essential HIV testing, education, and preventive care across Broward County. Through a network of diverse locations, including community spaces and partner sites, they aim to bring accessible, inclusive care directly to those who need it. I was able to catch up with Dani recently to learn more about his role and the impact of The Pride Center on the local community. 

OCQ: Hi Dani! Thanks for sharing some of your time with me. First of all, what is your current position and overall responsibilities at The Pride Center?

Dani Forteza: I am the Wellness and Testing Coordinator at The Pride Center at Equality Park. While The Pride Center offers many diverse programs, I am proud to be part of the Wellness Program, which provides a wide range of services using a holistic, status-neutral approach to health and wellness. My primary responsibility is overseeing our HIV testing services, which includes managing our team of eight Wellness Specialists and our in-person testing service at 12 different locations across Broward County. These locations range from our campus at The Pride Center to non-clinical community settings like two private clubs for men, four Walgreens stores, and five behavioral health and recovery treatment centers.

At each site, we don’t just offer HIV testing; we also provide comprehensive HIV education. During these sessions, we empower clients, particularly those in vulnerable populations, by educating them about HIV and AIDS, modes of transmission, testing options, prevention methods, treatment, Florida laws on HIV/STD status disclosure, and dispelling common myths.

In addition to HIV testing and education, I help coordinate wellness initiatives such as town halls, workshops, and health fairs. Part of my role involves fostering partnerships with community organizations to broaden access to care, ensuring that our services reach as many people as possible. I collaborate closely with our outreach and community engagement team to provide essential health services like sexual health education, preventive care such as PrEP, and linking clients to HIV-positive medical care and pharmaceutical services.

Furthermore, I am responsible for managing and analyzing our program data and preparing monthly reports for our funders to track our progress and impact.

OCQ: You’re a busy guy! How long have you been with The Pride Center?

Dani Forteza: I’ve been with The Pride Center since February 2022. Over the past couple of years, I’ve had the privilege of being part of many impactful initiatives and working with an incredible team dedicated to community health and well-being. Before that, I was also a client, having joined in 2019 when I moved to Fort Lauderdale.

OCQ: What inspired you to join The Pride Center team?

Dani Forteza: I’ve always been deeply passionate about public health and social justice, and The Pride Center’s mission to serve the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in health and wellness, resonated with me. The chance to directly impact lives by increasing access to crucial services like HIV testing and prevention felt like a perfect match for my background and values. The Center’s commitment to inclusion, advocacy, and community support aligns with my personal beliefs.

However, my main inspiration comes from my own journey with HIV. After going through a difficult experience with my diagnosis, I wanted to ensure that no one else faces the same fear, shame, or uncertainty I did. I aim to be a source of support for people newly diagnosed, guiding them through emotional challenges and connecting them to resources that will help them live healthier, happier lives without stigma.

At The Pride Center, we have a program called PROMISE, where community members share empowering stories to inspire positive change. My own story drives me to continue this work every day, ensuring that others have the support and care they need.

Here is my story:

I am a Latinx cisgender gay man living with HIV since 2009 and, as many others would say, a mama’s boy too. I have many characteristics that could make my Latin family reject and stigmatize me, which created a lot of trauma and insecurities in my life. Where I grew up, just being gay meant people assumed you were HIV-positive and a “dirty mistake with a death sentence.” That was how I saw myself for many years after my diagnosis. I fell into a depression that lasted ten years, during which I judged myself daily, allowed people to hurt me and take advantage of me, and abused drugs to cope with the emotions and loneliness I created around me. Coming out to my family about my HIV status was never an option. Disclosing my status to others was hard because I feared their rejection, not realizing I was rejecting myself.

Year after year, I tried hard to accept I was HIV-positive, but I couldn’t do it. Even though I started treatment right away, I struggled with consistency. Every pill was a haunting reminder of my secret and shame.

Years later, tired of living in shame, I decided to stop focusing on how others felt about my status and focused on feeling good about myself instead. I started reading about HIV to understand what it really meant and how to live a healthier life. Self-help books inspired me to go to therapy, where I began truly working on myself. Facing my fears and shame was scary, but it helped me accept HIV as part of my life. I began to love myself, and my life improved because of HIV. I felt empowered—I was not the problem anymore; I was part of the solution. I went from taking a daily pill to loving myself, one pill at a time.

In 2019, I told my family I had been living with HIV for ten years and how stigma almost ruined my life. While it saddened them at first, they love me unconditionally and support me more than I could have ever imagined. I was able to educate them about HIV, showing them that my journey with HIV led me to a fulfilled and happy life.