My Community

Now that I have had a moment to settle back in at home and much of the hype has died down from the International AIDS Conference (IAS), I have had a lot of time to think.

For a long time, I thought silence was protecting me. I thought if I didn't say something out loud, maybe it wouldn't feel real.

I educate the world to keep the disease at bay/ But education is lost in the politics of today/ Yet more and more minds I continue to sway/ HIV will never define me...

Joining this blog will allow me to connect with other women living with HIV/AIDS, contribute to an important community, and continue using my voice to encourage, support, and advocate for others.

I remember the hard times that I've been through and survived, and I remember the love of my great grandmother, the kindness and strength of my grandfathers, and I want to make them proud.

via San Diego Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) - Join us at the Get Activated: Standing Up for Community in Response and Research Town Hall in San Diego, CA

Rio reminded me that ultimately the HIV response is powered by people from the many local HIV communities who refuse to disappear.

I lived in secrets and lies for far too long and it caused heartbreak for everyone.

Jyoti Dhawale stands in the long lineage of people who refuse silence. For more than 20 years, she has lived openly with HIV in a society where stigma still tries to shape destiny.

Beauty and self-care spaces should be sanctuaries, but for many women living with HIV, they can become sites of fear of stigmatization.