amfAR’s EPIC VOICES
What would a cure mean for the millions of people living with HIV today?
amfAR’s Epic Voices is an online video series that aims to reenergize the response to HIV among Millennial and LGBT communities. The campaign aims to renew awareness of the persistent threat of HIV, the urgent need to support HIV research, and amfAR’s leadership in the search for a cure.
amfAR spoke with a small group of influential members of the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS community across the United States, and asked them to share their unique journeys, their personal insights on living with HIV, and the bold steps they have taken in the fight against the epidemic.
We hope their stories inspire and motivate you to be a part of something EPIC – the end of HIV.
Ongina
“I live my life out and proud… and each day of my life is a celebration.”
Ryan Palao, whose stage name is Ongina, is a drag performer. He was a contestant on season 1 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where he emotionally disclosed his HIV status after winning a challenge on the show. As an HIV-positive gay man in Los Angeles, Ryan uses his platform as Ongina to be an advocate for equality, HIV/AIDS, and trans rights.
Teo Drake
“I’ve been hearing so much about PrEP and prevention, that I was almost caught off guard. Someone’s still working on a cure...someone’s got my back.”
Teo Drake is an educator, spiritual activist, and long-term HIV survivor. Based in Greenfield, MA, Drake, who identifies as a queer man with a history of gender transition, is on the board of Transgender Law Center’s Positively Trans program.
Mykki Blanco
“We need a cure tomorrow…And a cure would mean saving millions of lives, but also hopefully, it would mean the end of stigma.”
Mykki Blanco is a gender-queer rapper and performer. In 2015, he announced on Facebook that he had been living with HIV since 2011, making him the first out HIV-positive rapper since the late Eazy-E in the 1990s. Instead of what he thought was career suicide, it marked a turning point, and the disclosure became a creative rebirth for the rapper.
Hydeia Broadbent
“I’m ready for a cure; I’m ready to stop taking my pills”
Hydeia was born with HIV. She began her career as a speaker and AIDS activist at age 6 appearing on national television including “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” While she’s based in Las Vegas, Hydeia spends her time traveling around the U.S. educating people about HIV/AIDS, raising awareness, and fighting HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
Ken Williams
“Finding out I was HIV-positive felt like this was my opportunity to spread a message.”
Ken Williams is a public speaker, AIDS activist and founder of the award-winning LGBT video blog, “Ken Like Barbie.” Diagnosed with HIV in 2010, Williams has dedicated his online presence to issues affecting people living with HIV, especially among communities of color.