W.M.
I have so many stories of disclosure, most of them thankfully have been good, and interesting, experiences.
Yes, it can be scary to reveal your status, but only because of the fear we impose on ourselves. We often transfer this fear to the people we tell, and sometimes unnecessarily.
One of my most memorable experiences was a couple of years ago when I was at HeadQuarters after a big night out. I met a handsome fella, and we were having such a great time, he suggested we go back to his place or mine.
I suggested we go to mine, and once we got there, he started asking questions about me.
He said "tell me about yourself!" and I replied "What do you want to know?"
He offered, "Well, I'll start. My name is Jason, I'm 24, I was born in Newcastle, and I've lived in Sydney for 3 years." He then said, "oh, I'm also HIV negative."
I offered, "OK, well my name is Derek, I'm 39, I was born in Townsville, and I've lived in Sydney for 8 years." I then added, "Oh, and I'm HIV positive."
Jason looked at me, smiled, and said "Cool, nice to know your name, Derek."
And then we had a wild night together.
These experiences really do prove that young guys can be informed, relaxed and even more importantly, incredibly unprejudiced about HIV.
