What We NOT Gon' Do...

Respectfully that ship has sailed.

I've fought something bigger in the last 2+ years and found something even greater within myself. I don't like for people to whisper "HIV" to me- nah... say it with your chest. It's not a SITUATION, it's a diagnosis. If it were cancer, you'd say cancer, so call a spade a spade, and IF I decide you're worthy of a response about it based on your genuine ask, I will respond appropriately. I am a vessel. I am going through more than HIV. I have survived more than managing HIV. HIV is a part of my legacy but it's not my character, personality, or complete lifestyle. It is my work and an intricate subsection of my life.

So yes, genuinely ask the uncomfortable questions about HIV. Just don't ever try to make me feel like I should be ashamed.

-Reflection on a conversation between me and someone who did not like that I kindly asked them not to refer to my HIV diagnosis as a SITUATION