When I think about „coming out“ as HIV-positive, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people that love me.

When I first found out I was POZ it didn’t really „hit“ me until I told my first friend. He didn’t try to give me „words of advice“ or judge me. He just hugged me. After telling him, I felt much more confident in my self and continued to disclose my status to close friends, which usually resulted in similiar response.

When I eventually told my parents, they were supportive. They admired that I wanted to tell my story to other people.

I created a coming out video just after a former teacher disclosed my status to some former peers after I graduated. I decided then and there that if anyone was going to talk about my status, it would be because I’ve already addressed it and have given you „permission“ to talk about it. Even though I was angry with the teacher, it gave me the extra boost I needed to have the courage to release my video about being HIV-positive.

At first, I was so scared of what people would say and think at first. But I took a look at the people I had that were close to me and helped me create this. They all loved and supported me. The opinions of others didn’t really matter.

After releasing the video, checked my Facebook hourly to see what people were saying. The response was unlike anything I could have imagined. Not everyone is lucky enough to have such support in their life. That is why I’ve decided to speak out.

I want to take advantage of the blessings I’ve been given. I would never pressure anyone to „come out“ about his or her status, but I do think the process is liberating.

When I was going through my journey, I had a lot of support. In the midst of it I realized while the support was great, I was strong already. I was happy and healthy. That’s all that truly mattered to me.

When we decide to disclose our HIV status, there’s always a risk that the person you’re telling won’t want to touch you or be with you or love you after you tell them. But if they can’t accept that and still love you, they are not the kind of person you need in your life.

You deserve love and support and ANYONE can create that for themselves.

When I think about „coming out“ as HIV-positive, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people that love me.

When I first found out I was POZ it didn’t really „hit“ me until I told my first friend. He didn’t try to give me „words of advice“ or judge me. He just hugged me. After telling him, I felt much more confident in my self and continued to disclose my status to close friends, which usually resulted in similiar response.

When I eventually told my parents, they were supportive. They admired that I wanted to tell my story to other people.

I created a coming out video just after a former teacher disclosed my status to some former peers after I graduated. I decided then and there that if anyone was going to talk about my status, it would be because I’ve already addressed it and have given you „permission“ to talk about it. Even though I was angry with the teacher, it gave me the extra boost I needed to have the courage to release my video about being HIV-positive.

At first, I was so scared of what people would say and think at first. But I took a look at the people I had that were close to me and helped me create this. They all loved and supported me. The opinions of others didn’t really matter.

After releasing the video, checked my Facebook hourly to see what people were saying. The response was unlike anything I could have imagined. Not everyone is lucky enough to have such support in their life. That is why I’ve decided to speak out.

I want to take advantage of the blessings I’ve been given. I would never pressure anyone to „come out“ about his or her status, but I do think the process is liberating.

When I was going through my journey, I had a lot of support. In the midst of it I realized while the support was great, I was strong already. I was happy and healthy. That’s all that truly mattered to me.

When we decide to disclose our HIV status, there’s always a risk that the person you’re telling won’t want to touch you or be with you or love you after you tell them. But if they can’t accept that and still love you, they are not the kind of person you need in your life.

You deserve love and support and ANYONE can create that for themselves.

When I think about „coming out“ as HIV-positive, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people that love me.

When I first found out I was POZ it didn’t really „hit“ me until I told my first friend. He didn’t try to give me „words of advice“ or judge me. He just hugged me. After telling him, I felt much more confident in my self and continued to disclose my status to close friends, which usually resulted in similiar response.

When I eventually told my parents, they were supportive. They admired that I wanted to tell my story to other people.

I created a coming out video just after a former teacher disclosed my status to some former peers after I graduated. I decided then and there that if anyone was going to talk about my status, it would be because I’ve already addressed it and have given you „permission“ to talk about it. Even though I was angry with the teacher, it gave me the extra boost I needed to have the courage to release my video about being HIV-positive.

At first, I was so scared of what people would say and think at first. But I took a look at the people I had that were close to me and helped me create this. They all loved and supported me. The opinions of others didn’t really matter.

After releasing the video, checked my Facebook hourly to see what people were saying. The response was unlike anything I could have imagined. Not everyone is lucky enough to have such support in their life. That is why I’ve decided to speak out.

I want to take advantage of the blessings I’ve been given. I would never pressure anyone to „come out“ about his or her status, but I do think the process is liberating.

When I was going through my journey, I had a lot of support. In the midst of it I realized while the support was great, I was strong already. I was happy and healthy. That’s all that truly mattered to me.

When we decide to disclose our HIV status, there’s always a risk that the person you’re telling won’t want to touch you or be with you or love you after you tell them. But if they can’t accept that and still love you, they are not the kind of person you need in your life.

You deserve love and support and ANYONE can create that for themselves.

Source: The Human Rights Campaign