Marcya Gullatte had a diverse upbringing, having lived in 12 states within the United States. She began educating others about HIV prevention in 1990 while attending a community college. Her inspiration came from the story of Ryan White in 1985 and from her mother, who worked as a hospice nurse and a drug rehabilitation counselor. In January 1994, Marcya was diagnosed with HIV, cervical dysplasia, and pregnancy, but she remained determined to show the world how to live with HIV.
As a senior in college in 1995, Marcya began sharing her story of living with HIV with a diverse group of college students with various stories of overcoming challenging situations. She became a volunteer at AID Atlanta, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. In 1996 she joined several community advisory boards (CABs) for the Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA) and Emory AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). She joined the Dekalb HIV Forum and AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta. In 1997 she joined several other committees, such as the AIDS Housing Need Assessment Steering Committee, AIDS Survival Project Advocacy Committee, Ryan White Planning Council, and Georgia AIDS Drug Assistance Program Task Force. In 1998, she added one more research CAB, the University of Alabama in Birmingham ACTG. In 1999, Marcya took her advocacy outside of the HIV community to ensure meaningful involvement of people living with HIV by joining the Governor Roy Barnes Census 2000 Complete Count Committee, which she served on in 2000 too. Marcya was the co-founder and executive director of R.O.S.E. HIV/AIDS Project from 1996-1998, and then worked for AIDS Survival Project from 1998-2001. Since moving from Atlanta, Marcya has remained active in the HIV communities in St. Louis, Missouri; Huntsville, Alabama; and Charlottesville, Virginia.
Marcya attended AIDSWatch 2024 and has been active with PWN-USA, where she is a co-chair of PWN-Alabama (AL). She has been on the Positive Leadership Council since 2022. Marcya has facilitated several women's support groups for women living with HIV both online and in person. She is a part of the Alabama HIV/AIDS Policy Partnership (AHAPP) as a PWN-AL representative, A Girl Like Me blogger and CAB member for The Well Project, and the Southern Community Advocacy Council as a 2024-2025 cohort member.
Throughout the past 30 years, articles have been published about Marcya, and she has also written many herself. She has spoken boldly across the country to various groups and has appeared on TV. Despite initially working to prevent the spread of HIV as a condom user, she now aims to show the world how to live with HIV, and her journey is ongoing.
