Personal Stories

Hari Ziyad’s Memoir ‘Black Boy Out of Time’ Is a Spiritual Look at Growing Up Black and Queer

What is the experience of growing up Black and queer in America? Hari Ziyad’s new book Black Boy Out of Time offers a story that is part memoir, part theory, part manifesto, and part prayer.

I Had to Get Past the Stigma of Having HIV. Then I Had to Do the Same for Mental Illness

A Minnesota HIV activist recounts her epic tale of overcoming not one, but two, diseases that can destroy us if we don’t accept—and treat—them.

Sean Coleman Made His Dream of Housing for NYC’s Trans/GNC Sex Workers Come True

Even amid COVID, the City Council–funded Bronx supportive residence is open for business—and reflects just the beginning of Coleman’s plans.

First PrEP, Now the COVID-19 Vaccine: Why I Faced Medical Mistrust Head On

Black communities have many reasons for mistrust of medical authorities. But getting vaccinated can help us get to a place where we can be together again, safely.

I’m a COVID-19 Long-Hauler, HIV Activist, and Artist. Here’s How I Navigated 2020

“I don’t know what healthy looks like anymore,” says Pato Hebert. “I know what I thought it was. I have fantasies of what it could be.”

This Digital Exhibition Uses Oral Histories to Break the Silence for Women Living With HIV

I’m Still Surviving is a collaborative digital and print exhibition that launched in December 2020, featuring hundreds of excerpts documenting the stories of 39 women living with HIV in the U.S.