HIV Identity: Who are we?

“Anybody who’s sexually active should be thinking about HIV….it’s not going away”. In this moving and candid interview, Steve shares his 14-year journey living with HIV. He recalls the phone call informing him he was HIV positive and the supportive response he received from his partner. Steve explains how the face of HIV and AIDS has changed since the 1980s, “HIV doesn’t look the same way that it did back then. You don’t see bodies walking down the street that look emaciated like I was…you generally don’t see that; it’s hidden…we have great medications that work really well to maintain that semblance of what passes for ‘normal’ health.” For individuals who are newly diagnosed, Steve provides words of support, “know that you are not alone!” and strongly recommends getting tested, “getting a diagnosis sooner rather than later…[can] eliminate passing on the virus to someone else.”

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *