Science Speaks is live-blogging from AIDS 2014 in Melbourne, Australia through the coming week, with updates on research, policy and insights from the 20th International AIDS Conference.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Uganda physician and human rights activist Paul Semugoma was honored in Melbourne today with the Elizabeth Taylor Human Rights award at the opening plenary session. In his remarks, he told the audience that he was reminded of the fact that HIV still kills through a phone call this morning alerting him to the death of his sister-in-law from AIDS.

He acknowledged the tremendous contributions to and progress in the AIDS response but added, “I am a gay man; I am an African, and I am a Ugandan, and each of those things can stand in the way of accessing lifesaving services.”