24-Year-Old Remembers His HIV Positive Diagnosis and the Hateful Words That Followed « I'm From Driftwood

24-Year-Old Remembers His HIV Positive Diagnosis and the Hateful Words That Followed

i'm from rusk, tx. by chris richey

Friday June 8, 2012

24-Year-Old Remembers His HIV Positive Diagnosis and the Hateful Words That Followed

Soon after 24-year-old Chris Richey found out he was HIV positive, he had an unfortunate incident in his own home with a friend of his roommate’s:

This guy says something about someone I play dodgeball with in West Hollywood. … He goes, “This guy right here has AIDS, that’s so disgusting.” And he just goes on this tangent, not realizing that I was HIV-positive. … I went over and was like, “You know what, I’m going to take my HIV meds and go to bed.” … I pulled out my medicine and I took my pills in front of him and said, “You know what, I have to do this every day. And so does he. Just because you were dancing with him does not mean you’ll get HIV.

Chris also shares details of when he found out he was HIV positive and his experience immediately following. Chris founded The Stigma Project which focuses on neutralizing HIV/AIDS stigma. Continue Reading to watch his story.

Tags: AIDS/LifeCycle, AIDS/LifeCycle 2012, Chris Richey, gay men, HIV/AIDS, Rusk, Texas
« Fighting Against Gay and HIV Stigma In Churches. | “AIDS Will Not Be The Boss of Me.” »

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