A lot of people may remember me from Caitlyn Jenner’s docu series I Am Cait and from my appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in which she and Caitlyn teamed up to help me pay for nursing school.
I started telling my truth talking about my struggles of not getting in nursing school, but I noticed that as I would tell my story to different people, to different shows and everything, there was one part of my life I decided to leave out.
I’ve been living with HIV for twelve years now, and most people couldn’t tell because I’m just so happy, but once upon a time I just, I went around just so angry all the time.
But, as I get older I really have to understand that people can talk all they want, but I can’t let that hurt me. I just can’t. You know, I’ve come a long way. And if I’m going to talk in my truth, I need to stand in my entire truth. I feel like it was the right time, the right place for that to happen.
People are still stuck on the fact of just trans people being in society period.
And so often it’s a topic that’s just left out, because people will think well, there’s like three strikes against you. One: I’m transgender, two: I’m a person of color, three: I’m HIV positive. Society will look down on me anyway, and I feel like a lot of trans women of color don’t mention it, it’s because of those things but I feel like if we don’t talk about it then, you know, the problem will continue to persist
It is very possible to be transgender and living with HIV. You can still have a normal life. HIV is not the end of the road. It should be just the beginning.
Blossom was in high school when she first found out she was living with HIV. When she appeared on the TV show I Am Cait to talk about issues facing the trans community, she realized she was leaving out part of who she was by not talking about her status.
Today Blossom proudly opens up about being a transgender woman living with HIV – including how staying on treatment helps her be her healthiest, happiest self. As she says: “I need to stand in my entire truth.”
A person with HIV who is in ongoing care can live a normal lifespan. In addition to improving health, HIV treatment also prevents the spread of the virus to others.
