Personal Stories

With the heavy emphasis currently placed on the Christian response to HIV/AIDS, especially in the black community, the subject of how the Muslim community has dealt with it is intriguing, if not compelling. At the U.S. Conference on AIDS in Chicago i...

The topic of HIV prevention is a controversial one in many faith communities, and the local churches in the New York City Borough of Queens are no different. "We go to 10 churches in order to recruit one or two," explains Nathaly Rubio-Torio, co-foun...

"I still have a problem getting close to gay people. I do not feel comfortable passing by a gay sign or getting involved in gay issues. Is this a clear case of internalized homophobia? The answer is "No." This is me trying to avoid getting close to m...

This piece originally appeared in Rae's blog, Diva Living With AIDS.

Sometimes it feels like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I know you can relate. The hits just keep coming and coming, and you wonder if there is even a God up there....

"Salamu-alaikum" is the Islamic greeting used in the Middle East and in almost every country that is predominantly Muslim. It's in Arabic and it means in English: Peace be upon you!

And peace is what I am seeking, by writing this blog -- peace in my...

I arrived back in New York in the summer of 1989, tired and dazed after what seemed like an eternity. I was 27 years old and had been away from home for 10 years. I left to go to school and returned home fully engulfed in active addiction. I returned...

From the time I was a young boy, religion was a very important part of my life. I remember my father's look if I was acting up during Mass, and I knew that I should be quiet and listen to what the priest had to say. My father died when I was nine, bu...

Welcome to This Positive Life! Where are you from, Ahmad?

I was born in Modesto, California, but I come from an Arab dad and a Mexican mother.

How long have you known that you were HIV positive?

I found out I was HIV positive on September 28, 2007...

Taking what he learned while acquiring a master's degree in religion at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, accountant Paul Chimhungwe is looking forward to returning to his native Zimbabwe. Chimhungwe plans to fulfill his calling to mini...

For nine years, Nomusa Mpanza lived with a secret. In 1993, her newborn daughter was diagnosed with AIDS, and the South African woman realized that she herself was HIV-positive. Yet it was only after her daughter died of the disease this year that sh...