I was forced to ‘out’ myself as HIV positive before someone did it for me – this is what it was like

Sharing my Aids story on my own terms opened up a whole new world of self-love, empowerment, and acceptance from others, writes Jason Reid

I was living in a constant state of anxiety (AFP via Getty Images)

In 2014 – nine years after being hospitalised with Aids-defining illnesses for several months – I decided to go public with my HIV status and Aids story in the most fabulous way possible.

Those were the early days of me being a well-known face on London’s LGBT+ scene. Each week I interviewed drag and cabaret artists for QX Magazine – which was a popular weekly LGBT+ publication – and drag artists often asked me to judge talent competitions. I was passionate about what I was doing and loved every second, despite very rare but vocal negativity because I was a “normal person”.

For World Aids Day 2014, I posed proudly for the cover of QX Magazine, along with a magnificent drag artist called Vanilla Lush. Inside, I wrote frankly about my near-death experience. Cabaret comes out for World Aids Day, the cover caption read.