I was 24 when I found out I was HIV-positive in 2003. I immediately went into a state of shock, and then a period of depression. But I pushed through to live a healthy and stable life, and began building my career as a legal clerk at the Court of Appeal, where I’m from in Louisiana.
But my life was turned upside down again on New Year’s Eve, 2007. That night, I met a man at a gay club, and we ended up dating for three months. I immediately disclosed my HIV status to him, and I was in treatment at the time, which made my viral load low enough that I could not transmit HIV to another person. When the relationship ended badly, and we didn’t see eye to eye on some things, he pressed charges against me, accusing me of not disclosing my status.
