Jeremy* contacted OUTinPerth to share his experience. At 22 years of age the local Perth resident discovered that he was HIV positive.

“I had bareback sex once,” Jeremy shared, “…the guy was incredibly nice, around my age and ‘well recommended’. So I decided to go for it, why not? I got a call a few weeks later from him stating he’d been tested positive.”

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The revelation lead to what Jeremy describes as a period of freaking out and the beginning of testing to see if he too had contracted the virus.

“The doctor thought my chances were really good as it was a one-time event, “Jeremy said, “but unfortunately luck hasn’t come my way. The only luck is that I tested positive very early so there is less chance of it affecting my immune system later on.”

“I consider myself a decent, kind, well known guy who is now living with this forever.” The young man said he takes responsibility for his situation and that he now knows a lot more about HIV than he did before.

“I’m lucky that I’m not a depressed mess,” Jeremy explained, “I’m looking at it like I have to move on with life due to a single mistake. It’s my own fault, no blame game here.”

Jeremy shared that he didn’t learn a lot about HIV while going through high school, saying there was more of a focus on other sexually transmitted infections. Now he realises that there are still a lot of unknowns with HIV, and that there have been huge research developments in the last five years.

Prior to discovering his status, Jeremy didn’t know any people who were HIV positive. The young man shares that he understands why people may be reluctant to be open about their status.

“With such a small community in Perth, I feel I can never be honest about it to anyone unless I meet someone with relationship potential…”

So far Jeremy has only told a few close friends of his positive status, and he’s not sure if he’ll ever be able to tell his family members.

“The most shocking response was ‘are you going to die?’, before I explained that wasn’t the case. A lot of people don’t realise it’s not actually a death sentence once treatment starts.” Jeremy said.

Jeremy highlighted that there is a misconception about HIV that it is a condition that only affects men over the age of forty but he hopes that by sharing his experience younger people will appreciate that HIV is something everyone should be aware of.

“If you meet someone with HIV, don’t freak out. You can’t get it from hugging, kissing or talking to them. Just use condoms and don’t share needles. That’s it.”

“Seeing constant profiles on hookup sites searching for bareback sex makes me wonder how many people actually have this disease and not know about it.”

Jeremy suggests that people should get tested as often as possible, highlighting that you’re better off knowing what your status is so you can look after yourself and make sure you don’t pass the virus on to other people.

Looking to the future Jeremy shared that he hopes to meet other people who are living with HIV, encouraging others to join online forums and share their experiences. Jeremy also noted that the support workers at the WA AIDS Council have been a great resource.

*Not his real name, stock image

Graeme Watson

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