Tag: HIV

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Australia: HIV+ Man Receives 4.5 Years In Prison For Knowingly Infecting Boyfriend

An Australian man has pleaded guilty to infecting his former boyfriend with HIV.
Martin Peter Jaksic (image via Facebook)

An Australian man has pleaded guilty to infecting his former boyfriend with HIV.

Martin Peter Jaksic was diagnosed as HIV positive in 2010. But he never shared that news with the man he would soon meet and go on to date for six years even though he was fully aware of the risks.

In a Sydney courtroom on Wednesday, Jaksic pleaded guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily hard to his former boyfriend.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the 31-year-old told the court in a letter than he had been in denial after receiving his own diagnosis and admitted that what he had done to the victim was “cowardly and unthinkable.”

Judge Peter Zahra showed no sympathy for Jaksic saying, “The offender’s conduct was a gross betrayal of trust and a contemptible and callous disregard for the victim’s life.”

“At all times (he) would have been aware of the grave risk of the victim suffering serious illness which had the potential to be life-threatening,” the judge added. “The continuing effect of the harm caused to the victim is incalculable.”

The former boyfriend shared in his victim impact statement that due to his infection he now faces “internal wounds and emotional struggles” that will never heal.

The ex-boyfriend told the court that when he entered into what he believed to be a “close and loving” monogamous relationship more than 6 years ago, Jaksic did not share his HIV status.

Even though the couple had unprotected sex during their relationship, Jaksic never suggested using condoms or any other protection.

The victim added that after trusting Jaksic during their six year relationship, he nows sees him as someone who behaved “dishonestly, callously and ruthlessly.”

Jaksic was arrested at the airport in January 2016 attempting to flee Sydney.

He received the maximum sentence of four years and six months in prison.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 24 states in the U.S. have laws which specifically require persons who are aware that they have HIV to disclose their status to sexual partners.

Penalties vary from state to state with some treating the transmission of HIV as a felony and others as a misdemeanor.

There has been a movement, however, in recent years to repeal these HIV-specific laws due to the success of antiretroviral therapy which can bring viral levels down to undetectable.

In that the CDC’s current medical policy is that “undetectable=untransmittable,” many feel those who are HIV+ but undetectable shouldn’t be prosecuted in the same manner as they once were at the height of the epidemic.

The REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act was introduced in Congress in 2011. The legislation would call for a review of all federal and state laws involving the criminal prosecution of people for HIV-related offenses.

(h/t Sydney Morning Herald)

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Handsome Hottie Karl Schmid Tackles Stigma Of Being HIV+

Entertainment reporter Karl Schmid (image via Instagram)

Karl Schmid, the handsome host of “On The Red Carpet” and reporter for ABC7 in Los Angeles who came out as HIV+ in a candid social media post this past March, spoke with The Today Show’s Megyn Kelly what it was like to share his status with the world.

With an upbeat tone and message, Schmid told the TV audience his goal in coming out was to hopefully breakdown the still-painful stigma surrounding HIV today.

The entertainment reporter hit several important points along the way, beginning with the fact that in some states you can be arrested, convicted and put in prison for 8 years as a felon for having consensual, protected sex without disclosing one’s HIV+ status.

After Kelly noted that some consider the idea of having sex with someone who is HIV+ a ‘death sentence,’ Schmid clearly (and correctly) states, “Undetectable equals untransmittable – I’m here to bang it into everyone’s heads.”

Dr. Antonio Urbina of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City was on hand to help underscore that message.

“Right, so that’s that ‘U=U,’” said the physician. “A person living with HIV takes their medications, drives their viral load down to undetectable, their chances of transmitting is zero.”

Hi. I’m a 37 year old HIV+ man who has been poz for almost ten years. I work in television. And on the side of the camera where, fo better or worse it’s considered “taboo” for people “like me” to be “like me”. For 10 years I’ve struggled with “do I or don’t I”? For ten years the stigma and industry professionals have said, “don’t! It’ll ruin you”. But here’s the thing. I’m me. I’m just like you. I have a big heart and I want to be loved and accepted. I may be on TV from time to time, but at the end of the day I’m just an average guy who wants want we all want. To be accepted and loved by our friends and family and to be encouraged by our peers. So here’s what I say, stand tall, and stand proud. You can’t make everybody happy but you can make you happy. And so long as you tell the truth, you will never have to remember anything. Labels are things that come and go but your dignity and who you are is what defines you. I know who I am, I know what I stand for and while in the past I may not have always had clarity, I do now. Love me or hate me, that’s up to you. But, for anyone who has ever doubted themselves because of those scary three letters and one symbol, let me tell you this, you are somebody who matters. Your feelings, your thoughts, your emotions count. And don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. I’m Karl Schmid, and I’m an HIV-positive man! #whatisrememberedlives @theaidsmemorial @theaidsmemorialtshirt Sent from my iPhone
A post shared by Karl Schmid (@karljschmid) on Mar 23, 2018 at 8:52pm PDT

Asked what his first thoughts were upon being told he was HIV+ almost ten years ago, Schmid candidly shared his mind went into ‘survivor mode’ telling himself, “Ok, this is what I have to do.”

But noting how difficult it is just to come out to our families as gay, the 37-year-old Australian said his first clear thought was, “Oh my gosh – I’ve let my parents down.”

“I think that most parents, when they find out their son is gay, one of the immediate fears is ‘Now he’s going to get AIDS.’”

Addressing the fears that come with HIV/AIDS, Schmid feels in the early years of the pandemic those concerns were necessary to help stop or slow the spread of the disease.

“People were dropping like flies, we had to stop this – it was very important,” said Schmid. “We had to scare the poo-poo out of people.”

Conjuring up the decades-old images of sickly, high-contagious HIV patients from the 1980s and early 1990s, Schmid admits many people still hold those ideas in their heads.

Turning to the camera, Schmid boldly stopped, gestured to himself, and declared, “This. This. This – hello, camera two – this is HIV+ in 2018. Take a look.”

He also told Kelly that the news of his status was met with great support in the workplace.

But in sharing some of the heartbreaking messages he’s received since coming out publicly, Schmid emphatically announced, “This stigma is real – and it’s unnecessary.”

It’s a tremendously powerful segment, both in the message and the facts.

Schmid prefaced his appearance with a Facebook post which read, “When I was 15 I first came to NYC and remember seeing Rockefeller Center and the NBC peacock and NBC News sign and saying to myself, “one day I’m going to be on The Today Show.”

“Little did I know 23 years later I would be on The Today Show with Megyn Kelly TODAY…talking about something much bigger than myself (for once)!” the 37-year-old Australian added. “The fight against HIV stigma. Hopefully I can help start a new conversation about what it means to be HIV+ in 2018. Oh yeah, and I hope I make my mum and dad proud.”

Not only is Schmid extremely well-spoken, but we can talk about how hot he is???

A post shared by Karl Schmid (@karljschmid) on Mar 20, 2018 at 11:30am PDT

A post shared by Karl Schmid (@karljschmid) on Jan 12, 2018 at 6:28pm PST

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Broadway Actor Hernando Umana Comes Out As HIV+ To Address Stigma

In an effort to address the stigma related to being HIV positive, Broadway actor Hernando Umana (Kinky Boots, national tour of School of Rock) has come out about his HIV status in a candid and moving Instagram post.
Hernando Umana (image via Instagram)

In an effort to address the stigma related to being HIV positive, Broadway actor Hernando Umana (Kinky Boots, national tour of School of Rock) has come out about his HIV status in a candid and moving Instagram post.

The 30-year-old actor begins by taking a literary breath and prefaces the posts saying, “This is by far the most important, scary, liberating post of my life.”

Umana shares that he was surprised by his HIV diagnosis ten years ago because he’d “only slept with 3 people” in his life.

He admits the first thought that came to him was “How long do I have to live?” He immediately flips on that thinking and calls it ‘uneducated,’ but acknowledges that many gay men had been indoctrinated into the school of thought that in this day and age if you get HIV it’s “because of wrongdoings and they deservingly die from it.”

“Well I’m here to shut that shit down,” he quickly added. “There is NOTHING wrong with me and I am healthier than I’ve ever been.”

One point of Umana’s post is to encourage people to talk about HIV and ask questions.

He also wants folks to know there shouldn’t be any shame in asking questions and learning how to talk about HIV status.

Umana also has some straight-forward advice: “Take your PrEP. Use condoms. Be SAFE. Let’s end this stigma forever and eventually end HIV forever!”

He concludes with this empowering statement: “I, Hernando Umana, am a proud gay man LIVING with HIV. Fuck that feels good to say.”

The post has received tons of support not only from the general public but Broadway producer Daryl Roth (“Just live your life with dignity, dear friend”) and out Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy (“This is so important! Thank you for being courageous and for educating and inspiring others!”).

 Gay Star News points out the post was re-shared by the AIDS Memorial Instagram account.

The founder of the account, Stuart, spoke with Gay Star News about why he felt the post was important.

‘Hernando’s post just underlines the stigma still out there! It’s ludicrous to think such an announcement in this day and age is still a big deal. But it is.

‘We all know stigma kills. We know that people don’t take their medication because of stigma. That people feel shamed, not worthy and fear rejection. The fact the it took Hernando 10 years to disclose his status just makes you think: how far have we really come?

‘OK, it’s a chronic condition but our attitudes need to catch up fast because people are dying due to stigma.’

Read the full post below. And to underscore just how healthy Mr. Umana is take a look at what living with HIV can be.

Thanks to Hernando Umana for coming out and pointing up how folks can thrive living with HIV in such a poignant way.

::takes deep breath:: This is by far the most important, scary, liberating post of my life. Here we go- 10 years ago, at a young young age of 20, I was diagnosed with HIV. I’ll never forget the moment they told me. It wasn’t possible- I had only slept with 3 people in my life! This can’t be true. The first words out of my mouth were “how long do I have to live?” That’s how uneducated I was about it. It had been drilled in my head that gay people get HIV because of wrong doings and they deservingly die from it. Well I’m here to shut that shit down. There is NOTHING wrong with me and I am healthier than I’ve ever been. In the last 10 years I’ve met countless of HIV positive men. Some of these men are so affected by the stigma that they don’t tell a soul about their status, even go as far as not taking their medication. In our extremely privileged community the stigma is more dangerous than the disease. We still have a lot of fighting to do for the people who don’t have the privilege of cost affective medication. So I stand on the shoulders of people like @staleypr who risked his life for us. I stand on the shoulders of the millions of people who had to suffer and die from this disease. I stand on the shoulders of the gay men who were forced out of the closet in such a scary time. These men and woman fought and died to get to where we’re at now- To take a pill at night and never have to worry about dying. To get the disease to a point where it is IMPOSSIBLE to transmit (undetectable).How can I be ashamed of this? I honor their legacy by telling my story. So let’s talk about it. Let’s ask questions. Take your prep. Use condoms. Be SAFE. Let’s end this stigma forever and eventually end HIV forever! To those who have questions- don’t feel dumb asking anything about it. It’s not your fault there’s such a lack of education out there. To those who are afraid to talk about their status- you’ve got at least one guy right here 🙂 you are LOVED. You are BEAUTIFUL and there is nothing wrong with you. I, Hernando Umana, am a proud gay man LIVING with HIV. Fuck that feels good to say. #actup #fightthestigma #endthestigma #hiv #broadway #bcefa #mytruth
A post shared by hernandoumana (@hernandoumana) on Aug 20, 2018 at 9:37am PDT

A post shared by hernandoumana (@hernandoumana) on May 10, 2018 at 9:40pm PDT

(h/t Gay Star News)

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News Round-Up: May 31, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• Well, hello there fitness trainer Anatoly Goncharov (above). Aren’t you handsome…? #woof

• An Army veteran is suing the Department of Defense over its policy of excluding people with HIV from enlisting, being deployed overseas, or being commissioned as officers. Sergeant Nick Harrison was denied a position in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps because of a 1980s-era policy that judges HIV+ people to be “non-deployable.”

• Pop star Pink tweeted a pic of her wearing an HRC hat embroidered “Make America Gay Again” just in time for Pride Month. #iLovePink

• The Trump administration has announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and Europe. Europe and Mexico have pledged to retaliate quickly. The Dow closed down over 250 points today on the news.

• Hunter Schafer has gone from transgender activist to high fashion runaway model walking in nine shows, including for Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs and House of Holland.

• Take a couple of minutes to hike with smart guy/psychotherapist Matthew Dempsey as he chats about body image and how we see our selves.

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2014 Eurovision Winner Conchita Wurst Comes Out As HIV+

Conchita Wurst (image via Instagram)

Austrian recording artist and drag queen Conchita Wurst, who triumphed as the Eurovision winner in 2014, has come out as HIV positive, acknowledging regular treatment for “several years.”

From The BBC:

The 29-year-old star said she had intended to keep the information private, but an ex-boyfriend had “threatened to go public.”

“I will not give anyone the right to frighten me and influence my life,” she wrote on Instagram.

“Coming out is better than being outed by a third party.”

Wurst added that regular treatment had suppressed the virus to the extent it could no longer be detected in her blood – and could no longer be passed on.

“I hope to give others courage and to take another step against the stigmatization of people who, through their own behaviour or that of others, have become infected with HIV,” she added.

Needless to say, going public with one’s HIV status is a deeply personal issue that has to be determined by each person who faces HIV.

Hideous to think Wurst’s former boyfriend would make such a threat.

Below is Wurst’s Instagram post (in German) regarding the news.

heute ist der tag gekommen, mich für den rest meines lebens von einem damoklesschwert zu befreien: ich bin seit vielen jahren hiv-positiv. das ist für die öffentlichkeit eigentlich irrelevant, aber ein ex-freund droht mir, mit dieser privaten information an die öffentlichkeit zu gehen, und ich gebe auch in zukunft niemandem das recht, mir angst zu machen und mein leben derart zu beeinflussen. seit ich die diagnose erhalten habe, bin ich in medizinischer behandlung, und seit vielen jahren unterbrechungsfrei unter der nachweisgrenze, damit also nicht in der lage, den virus weiter zu geben. ich wollte aus mehreren gründen bisher nicht damit an die öffentlichkeit gehen, nur zwei davon will ich hier nennen: der wichtigste war mir meine familie, die seit dem ersten tag bescheid weiss und mich bedingungslos unterstützt hat. ihnen hätte ich die aufmerksamkeit für den hiv-status ihres sohnes, enkels und bruders gerne erspart. genauso wissen meine freunde seit geraumer zeit bescheid und gehen in einer unbefangenheit damit um, die ich jeder und jedem betroffenen wünschen würde. zweitens ist es eine information, die meiner meinung nach hauptsächlich für diejenigen menschen von relevanz ist, mit denen sexueller kontakt infrage kommt. coming out ist besser als von dritten geoutet zu werden. ich hoffe, mut zu machen und einen weiteren schritt zu setzen gegen die stigmatisierung von menschen, die sich durch ihr eigenes verhalten oder aber unverschuldet mit hiv infiziert haben. an meine fans: die information über meinen hiv-status mag neu für euch sein – mein status ist es nicht! es geht mir gesundheitlich gut, und ich bin stärker, motivierter und befreiter denn je. danke für eure unterstützung!
A post shared by conchita (@conchitawurst) on Apr 15, 2018 at 12:01pm PDT

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Entertainment Reporter Karl Schmid Comes Out As HIV+ In Heartfelt Facebook Post

Reporter Karl Schmid

Karl Schmid, entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles ABC affiliate, came out as HIV positive in a thoughtful, heartfelt post on Facebook Friday night.

Hi. I’m a 37 year old HIV+ man who has been poz for almost ten years. I work in television. And on the side of the camera where, for better or worse it’s considered “taboo” for people “like me” to be “like me”. For 10 years I’ve struggled with “do I or don’t I”? For ten years the stigma and industry professionals have said, “don’t! It’ll ruin you”.

But here’s the thing. I’m me. I’m just like you. I have a big heart and I want to be loved and accepted. I may be on TV from time to time, but at the end of the day I’m just an average guy who wants want we all want. To be accepted and loved by our friends and family and to be encouraged by our peers.

So here’s what I say, stand tall, and stand proud. You can’t make everybody happy but you can make you happy. And so long as you tell the truth, you will never have to remember anything.

Labels are things that come and go but your dignity and who you are is what defines you. I know who I am, I know what I stand for and while in the past I may not have always had clarity, I do now.

Love me or hate me, that’s up to you. But, for anyone who has ever doubted themselves because of those scary three letters and one symbol, let me tell you this, you are somebody who matters. Your feelings, your thoughts, your emotions count. And don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.

I’m Karl Schmid, and I’m an HIV-positive man!

Bravo to Schmid for having the courage to share his story. Even with new drugs which make having HIV more of a chronic disease than a death sentence, and the wider and wider use of PrEP to stop the spread of infection, the stigma of being HIV+ is still a very real issue for many.

The 37-year-old Australian native regularly reports from the red carpet of celebrity events and also hosts the TV show Operation Vacation on Logo.

Saturday morning Schmid followed up with an upbeat tweet thanking folks for their support and for sharing their own stories.

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News Round-Up: July 10, 2017

Instahunk Steve Raider

Some news items you may have missed:

• Woofy comic artist and model Steve Raider (above) doesn’t know anything about today being Monday 🙂

• Out Olympian Tom Bosworth sets new world record.

• Dallas firefighters say someone intentionally started a two-alarm fire at an LGBT resource center in South Dallas.

• Artist Leonardo Gutierrez has reimagined Super Smash Bros. characters as sexy bear versions of themselves. Check out his “Donkey Kong” below:

A post shared by Leo (@leoleus) on Jun 9, 2017 at 9:51am PDT

• The HIV Foundation of Queensland has launched a campaign to highlight how HIV+ people are stigmatized on dating apps.

• The Church of England voted this past weekend to condemn so-called “ex-gay therapy” and to welcome transgender folks to the Anglican faith.

• Check out this romantical dance between boyfriends that’s gone viral. Playful, passionate and definitely in-step 😉

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News Round-Up: November 25, 2016

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Out boxer Orlando Cruz looks to become first gay World Champion boxer on Saturday.

• It’s that charitable time of year! Here’s a list of organizations that put your LGBT charity dollars to good use.

• A McDonald’s franchise in Arkansas, found in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act for firing an HIV+ employee, ordered to pay over $100,000 settlement.

• The Secret Service may have to pay $3 million a year leasing two floors of Trump Tower in order to protect President-elect Trump and family. Taxpayers foot the bill, and Trump gets a financial windfall.

• A straight LGBT ally’s parents asked her to remove her Human Rights Campaign sticker from her car before driving to Thanksgiving dinner. The parents said they found the emblem “offensive.” She refused.

• President-elect Trump apparently hates this picture of him. I don’t see why. Expect to see it a LOT on The Randy Report.

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Florida Congressional Candidate Comes Out As HIV+

Bob Poe, former state Democratic party Chair and currently running for Florida’s 10th Congressional District, shared with the public an (until now) private part of his life: that he is HIV+.

From the Orlando Sentinel reports:

Poe, 61, said he was diagnosed with the virus that causes AIDS in 1998 and is currently in good health. He revealed the diagnosis in an interview with Watermark magazine as well as a video posted to his Facebook page. “I have a motto in my life: If you want to make a difference, you have to be the difference,” Poe said in the video. “And so today, I’m trying to be that difference in this community, so that we can begin to solve this problem once and forever.”

In an interview, Poe said he felt compelled to reveal his diagnosis after encountering a recently diagnosed HIV positive woman while canvassing in District 10. “She told me that she’s recently been diagnosed with HIV and thought she had a death sentence,” Poe said. “I really just wanted to hug her and let her know that I, too, have HIV and that I’ve been able to live out all of my hopes and all of my dreams, and she could, too.”

Poe hopes to be an advocate for HIV prevention in Congress, but he has other focuses as well. He supports a $15 an hour minimum wage; job training to help Americans adapt to a changing work environment; and wants to work to change the criminal justice system to be more fair .

You can watch his “coming out” message, via Facebook, below:

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Burt Reynolds On Charlie Sheen’s HIV Diagnosis: “He’s Getting What He Deserves”

“His father [Martin Sheen] is a very, very decent man and a dear friend of mine,” he said. “I feel bad for him but Charlie—I don’t feel bad for him.”

“He’s getting what he deserves. If you’re going to misbehave like that, they’re going to get you…He misbehaved badly. Very badly. But you know, when you’re that age, it’s tough. All those things are coming at you and it’s difficult.”

– Burt Reynolds appearing on UK talk show Loose Women, when asked about recent news of Charlie Sheen’s HIV+ status