Put it all out there is common advice these days.
Silence is violence, so you have to be LOUD!
Yeah, thats good advice!
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Fortunately, I reconsidered and realized… Actually, no, thats very stupid advice.
Is it true that being public about my HIV status has brought me a lot of good?
Yeah, but theres a LOT of factors that influence why.
Are you living in a state that doesnt offer programs like the ones in New York and California?
Are you struggling to find testing and treatment?
Disclosing your status requires you to do a lot of educating.
Then theres my line of work.
It behooves me in stand-up comedy to put everything on the line.
Playing with the line between honesty and over-share is a skill and currency in the world of comedy.
I literally make money doing it!
What is your line of work?
Are you a librarian in a small town where books are being burned?
Theres no denying how much it helps combat stigma.
Having said all that, there is undeniable power in disclosure in even the smallest of ways.
So ultimately my advice is:you dont have to tell everybody, but do tell somebody.
And that advice goes double for the rabid stamp-collecting addicts.
