Karel Teriihauroa Luciani is mā’ohi indigenous Tahitian. Now 54 years old, Karel was born to two parents of mixed mā’ohi, European and Chinese ancestry. Karel is a new Leader for the International Indigenous Working Group on HIV & AIDS (IIWGHA).
Karel has been an activist for LGBTQ+ rights for over 20 years, beginning in 1997 with the Homosphere association in New Caledonia. Today, in French Polynesia, Karel is president of the LGBTQ+ organization Cousins Cousines de Tahiti and member of the board of local AIDS organization Agir contre le SIDA. Karel is also Vice President of the regional organization Alliance LGBT+ Franco Océanienne and a representative to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA). Karel engages in HIV prevention activities through the various LGBTQ+ and AIDS groups in which he holds posts.