battling stigma

As an African artist living with HIV in the Netherlands for more than 15 years now, I continue to experience a lot of stigma and discrimination based on me being open about my HIV and my beautiful...

I have a least favorite question when it comes to HIV. It annoys me. It didn't always, but over time due to folks' reactions and overheard statements, it gets on my damn nerves. "May I ask you...

My name is Jonique (John-Neek), I am a single mother of two smart and amazing HIV-negative boys. I was born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut.

My lovely people, can you explain to me why white people coming to Africa are quickly called "experts", but people of African descent in Europe are often called "refugees, migrants, or illegals"...

It’s hard to believe that we’re coming up on the 40 th anniversary of the first reports of what would come to be known as HIV. My personal journey with HIV began in 1994 when my sister, Ellen, was diagnosed with AIDS—with under 100 T-cells. It was a devastating diagnosis for my family, and the after-effects (including the degree to which her disease was accepted, or not, by those around her, and what she did with that) have had a long-lasting impact on me.

I've had this virus nearly 11 years now and not long after diagnosis, I made it public. I'm sure a lot of those reading can relate and understand my frustration.

In May 2014 I finally told my secret; I published a note called "The Hidden Truth" on facebook to inform everyone about my HIV. I had been thinking about coming out of the closet for many years and...

May 23, 2021 marked five years that I've been living with HIV.

Hi ladies, it's been a long while since I've checked in or written on my blog. Life's been busy, a lot of things have changed for me. Things I thought I would never see. I was 18 when I was diagnosed...

Even when it comes to HIV and tattoos the messages are pretty mixed. Can people with HIV get tattoos? Is there a risk to a tattoo artist in inking someone who's HIV positive? Does a tattoo heal...