Magic Johnson
“I enjoy being the messenger for God in terms of letting people know about HIV and AIDS.” Magic JohnsonHe is one of NBA’s greatest players. In 1991, he told that he had HIV during his retirement with LA Lakers. His condition raises awareness to the public, especially since he published a guide entitled “What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS” to educate others. He also established a foundation named after him to support and fund HIV/AIDS research.
Mondo Guerra
A famous fashion designer and quite popular TV personality. He admitted his HIV status during the 8th season of Project Runway in 2010 where he had previously kept it secret to the public for over 10 years. Now, he has become an HIV activist and travels around the world to talk about his story.
Andy Bell
Erasure’s lead singer Andy Bell announced being an HIV victim on December 2004, but decided to keeping it private for many years before making this announcement. He has donated to charities and raises funds to support HIV/AIDS research.
Charlie Sheen
Famous actor Charlie Sheen told NBC's "Today" show that he was diagnosed as HIV-positive more than 4 years ago, and that a few people who knew it demanded a lot of money from him to keep the secret.Sheen, 50, said he is not sure how he contracted this terrible virus. Since his diagnosis, he has informed all his partners of his condition. He called it "impossible" that he had transferred the virus to others.
Ongina - Ryan Ong Palao
Ryan Ong Palao was born and raised in the Philippines. She likes to describe herself as a woman trapped in a man’s body. Ongina, her screen name, was born when she decided to join the reality TV Series RuPaul’s Drag Race. She was diagnosed with HIV in 2006 and decided to announce it in 2008 after winning the “MAC Viva Glam” challenge. Today, Ongina has a popular web series HIV+ Me, where she converse with other HIV-positive people about their experiences and troubles.
Nadja Benaissa
At age 14, she revealed being addicted to cocaine. At 16, she got pregnant and found out that she was HIV-positive. And in 2010, Nadja was found guilty of infecting her boyfriend with the virus.
Jim J. Bullock
You may remember this actor for his role in Too Close for Comfort. He learned about his condition back in 1985 but kept it a secret. He found love in 1990’s when his showbiz career was down & in 1996, he decided to return to hosting. That same year he lost his partner due to AIDS-related complications. Today, at age 60, he is a longtime HIV survivor through the help of antiretroviral drugs.
Sean Strub
Strub is a famous writer and director of The Sero Project, an organization of people with HIV fighting against discrimination. He is also one of the founder of Poz magazine, a magazine for people with HIV/AIDS. Strub was diagnosed with this terrible virus when he was in his 20’s, but since then, he has been very active in making a big difference in the injustice of how people with HIV are treated.
Rod Daily
An online personality and star of films for adults, Daily, published via twitter that he is HIV positive on September 2013. He is said to be the second adult film's star that has contracted HIV. His announcement led to a week-long shutdown of the industry in San Fernando Valley.
Tyler Curry
“Even though I probably won’t die tomorrow, I can still live better today”- Tyler CurryA famous freelance columnist and a great fiction writer. He is the senior editor of popular online magazine that tries to fight discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS. He was only 28 when he found out he was infected by this serious virus. Since then, Tyler has become very active in writing about HIV, educating and challenging the way the most of people think about this virus and the people who are affected by it.
