British MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has shared that he is HIV positive. The Labour Cooperative member for Brighton Kemptown made the declaration in an emotional speech to the House of Commons.
Ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1st, the 32-year-old politician told his colleagues that he had been diagnosed as having HIV when he was 22 years old.
“Next year I will be marking an anniversary of my own, 10 years since I became HIV positive,” Russell-Moyle said.
“It has been a long journey from the fear of acceptance and today hopefully advocacy, knowing that my treatment keeps me healthy and protects any partner I may have.”
The politician said his message for other people living with HIV was that there status did not define them, and HIV in Britain was no longer the death sentence it once was.
“The improvements in survival for people who have HIV is one of the greatest success stories of recent times. What was once seen as a terminal disease is now seen as a manageable condition.” Russell-Moyle said.
The politician said that while there had been advancements in medicine there needed to be advances in tackling the stigma that surrounds HIV.
Russell-Moyle said that given that he is completely healthy, and having an undetectable viral load means it impossible for him to transmit the virus to another person.
“My announcement here today should go totally unnoticed.” Russell-Moyle said.
With his announcement he becomes the first serving British member of parliament to share they are HIV positive. In 2005 former Minister Chris Smith announced he was living with HIV.
OIP Staff, Image: Official portrait of Lloyd Russell-Moyle Creative Commons CC3.0 License
