September 19, 2009

Why HIV Status Doesn't Matter

It's becoming increasingly clear to me: I don't have to post my HIV status on a gay "social" site. It's nobody's business. Unless I decide to share my business

Tonight, a stranger on the net asked me: u hiv - or.

This was my answer:

My HIV status is private and personal, like all my medical information. If you're truly concerned about HIV, I suggest you concern yourself with having safe sex with everyone, regardless of HIV status. That way, the status of others becomes irrelevant to you.

It's the best response I've ever imagined for myself in the 24 years I've been living with HIV/AIDS. I've come a long way from that scared 23-year-old kid who realized he had what the newscasters kept calling "the deadly disease." That alone makes me feel good about myself.

Here's hoping the world catches up soon.