Bob Poe, a Democratic candidate running for an open U.S. House of Representatives seat in Florida, revealed on Thursday that he is HIV positive. If elected, Poe would be the first openly HIV-positive member of Congress — a huge step forward in the struggle of HIV-positive Americans to gain acceptance and break down lingering stigma.
In an emotional video posted to Facebook, Poe revealed that he was diagnosed with HIV 18 years ago, though until now had only shared the diagnoses with a few close friends and family. He decided to share his status publicly in response to a moving interaction he had with a woman who was recently diagnosed.
“She thought she had a death sentence,” he said. “I told her that she didn’t, and I even shared with her where she could go get the resources that she needed. But I really just wanted to hug her and let her know that she wasn’t alone because I too had HIV, but I was still hung up in the fear and the stigma that surrounds this condition.”
“So now it’s time to come out and share this with you publicly, so that we can begin to have this discussion and remove the fear and the stigma and the shame that goes with this. Because its those things that keep people from getting the diagnoses and the treatment that they need to live perfectly healthy lives, like I have,” he added. (TP)
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