Neno, in his own words: “In 1988 when I started the association not much was being done to take care of LGBT people in the peripherical areas in Rio. Not at all to be honest. Once I was already present in every gay event, as an organizer or a participant, it was clear to me that I should engage in some kind of social work. AGANIM (acronym for my association) was born to talk HIV, prevent it and make sure these people´s rights were being respected.”