I choose to show up for love with open eyes, a full heart and a commitment to myself first.
Being stigmatized with the closest friends and relatives... the people you really loved and trusted. It was really hard on me... But now I stand up straight to tell the world that I'm strong... Stigma can't kill my future.
I couldn't have imagined being where I am today. Now I can't imagine going back.
I'm choosing to live out loud—for the girl I used to be and for the ones who still think they have to shrink to survive. You don't. You can bloom right where you are.
Chiiiiillleee... You ever get so caught up in life that HIV doesn't even have a space in your thoughts?
Too often, I was told what I should say and how I should say it—by people working in HIV who do not have HIV.
It's not what others tell you about yourself; it's what you tell yourself that is important. You mold who you think and believe you are.
Nineteen years ago, I never imagined that I would one day have the strength to speak openly about my status in a leading HIV magazine. But here I am.
I share this journey with you all because I feel safety in our sisterhood. I have a safe place to live. My outreach is thriving. I owe all this to a new perspective on me.
Last year I had the pleasure of being part of Dandelions Movement writing workshop that brought more healing than I anticipated. Once upon a time I did enjoy writing - in my youth, when I had time.