Three Gay, HIV-Positive Men Talk HIV/AIDS

Jesse Sanchez, Robert Breining, Jack Mackenroth

December 1st is World AIDS Day, which is an event created to draw attention to the issue of HIV/AIDS.

HIV/AIDS isn’t something we talk a lot about on AfterElton.com. Our site analyzes gay and bi men in pop culture, and the issue doesn’t come up as much as it should.

Which is a big part of the problem. Why are so few people in the media, gay or straight, talking about HIV/AIDS these days? It’s not like the issue has gone away. And while HIV is most decidedly not a “gay” issue per se, it absolutely affects our community in greatly disproportionate numbers.

GLBT people have always been on the forefront of HIV/AIDS issues. If we don’t talk about it, not very many other people will either.

So we decided to ask three experts, all of whom are gay and HIV-positive themselves and who know better than most exactly what this disease entails. What’s their take on HIV/AIDS in the GLBT community?

But to make things even more interesting, we made a point to include members of three different generations: a man in his 20s, a man in his 30s, and a man in his 40s.

Our panel includes Jack Mackenroth, the 41-year-old Project Runway fashion designer who has since become a prominent activist for HIV/AIDS awareness; Robert Breining, the 31-year-old founder of PozIAm.com, an online community for people who are HIV-positive and their supporters, and the co-host (with Mackenroth) of a weekly online radio program on HIV/AIDS-related issues; and Jesse Sanchez, a 21-year-old Miami TV producer who also works on HIV/AIDS awareness.

(Our interviewees were all asked similar questions, but the interviews did not take place at the same time.)

AfterElton.com: How do you think people around your age view HIV/AIDS these days?

Jesse: My immediate friends, people that I know with my education background, see AIDS as something they won’t get, something that doesn’t affect them directly. There are some who are more aware, but some just feel that they’re invincible. They feel it’s something that doesn’t concern them or affect them.

I’ve heard people my age [21] say, “If you get HIV, you just take one pill, and you’re good for the day.” People don’t understand the reality. Yes, HIV is a chronic disease, it’s manageable, but there are so many circumstances that come with it. First of all, going to the doctor every three months? The responsibility of telling your partners? In my state, you’re responsible to tell them, even if you’re wearing a condom.

Robert: A lot of people of my generation [age 31] seem to have two different mind-sets. One, they’re so ignorant and so uneducated that they think there’s a cure because there are pills now. On the other hand, there are others who [really know their stuff and] have even been transformed into educators. It’s like there are two ends of the spectrum, either really ignorant or really educated.

Jack: I think [people my age, in their 40s] all remember the devastation of the 80s and early 90s, but I also think [in some ways] we have a short memory.

I contracted HIV in 1988 or 1989, but I was really, really young. I know people who lost 100 friends. I was so young, that happened to me a little bit [but it wasn’t the same].

Now it’s [different]. There are treatment options available. In the best case scenario, it’s a chronic illness, you can live a very healthy, successful life. I’ve been very lucky. When I was 20, I thought I was going to be dead by 25, no question in my mind. But then I lived to be 25, and then I was 27, and then I was 30, and now I lie about my age!

Next Page: closeted celebrities with HIV.