Posted February 20, 2019 05:24:23The first time I heard the word “homosexuality” I thought it was an insult.
I was in a mental health crisis and in a desperate need of help.
I was 17.
I had been diagnosed with a rare form of HIV.
I knew that my life was over and that my family would never be able to support me, so I left the country and took up residence in the Philippines.
I arrived in Australia at the age of 23.
I spent my first three months in a Sydney rehab clinic, working as a nurse.
At the same time, I had started living my life in my own way and became more open to new experiences.
When I returned to Australia, I discovered I had a rare disease.
I am gay.
I don’t know what it is about this disease that makes me so different from other people.
I’ve been told by doctors that it has to do with my gender identity.
My diagnosis of HIV is very personal, and I’m not just someone who has had sex with men.
I have a girlfriend, two sisters and a brother.
It is an affront that is never going away.
When I first came to Australia from the Philippines, I was not given much hope.
I didn’t know if I would be able a normal life or whether I would ever be able go to university or get an A-level degree.
I would probably never be allowed to marry and have children.
For months, I struggled to find the words to express my feelings.
I could only cry for a short time and that was about it.
I had been to rehab and my boyfriend was also there and was not helping me.
I started to realise that my illness was not just a mental illness but a physical illness that affected my physical and mental health as well.
I didn’t want to die.
I wanted to live.
In the first three weeks of January, I went into a Sydney rehabilitation clinic, and while there, my boyfriend gave me a diagnosis.
I said to him, “I’m gay, I’ve got HIV”.
He laughed.
I asked, “What is HIV?
What does it do?”
He replied, “It’s just a virus.”
I had never heard of HIV and I had never experienced HIV.
I did not have a doctor in my family who would understand my condition.
I got the diagnosis because I had seen the doctor at the time and I thought, “Well, if it is something that affects me, I’ll be OK.”
When I got the test result, I knew I had HIV.
The doctor did not tell me that.
I wasn’t told about the fact that I was gay.
The only time I knew about HIV was when I had my first sexual experience and was told that I should be careful about it and it might have some side effects.
I went to a local gay bar and when I left, I didn.
I tried to call the doctor and said, “If I don