I regret some decisions and some situations I found myself in, not because I was "bad," but because I was naive, vulnerable, and lacking affection.
We all take some risk in search of companionship, and those with HIV are no exception.
Check out The Well Project's A Girl Like Me LIVE!, an interactive, livestreaming series created to advance health and wellness education among women living with and vulnerable to HIV.
For as long as I can remember, I thought survival and worth were the same damn thing. If I was needed, I mattered. If I was wanted, I was safe.
This holiday season, while many are wrapping gifts and gathering with loved ones, I find myself walking through a different kind of transition — one filled with endings, beginnings, and a quiet, steady determination to choose faith over fear.
Through the hospital visits, the medication changes, the frustrations, the prayers, the tears — I am still here. I am smiling as I write this blog post.
We are opposite in many ways, but compliment each other beautifully. I can literally tell him anything.
Dating while living with HIV can be empowering, joyful, and deeply fulfilling—but it also comes with moments of vulnerability, especially when it comes to disclosure.
HIV had kept me locked in fear for over a decade, constantly worrying about stigma and judgement. But I reminded myself of everything I had learned through yoga, meditation, and mindfulness: Stay present.
Not only do I want these things, I deserve them. So does everyone else living with HIV. Shift the paradigm. Let's talk about pleasure.