Entertainment journalist Marc Malkin just completed an impressive feat, bicycling his first AIDS/LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
After he finished, Malkin took another big step — in an Instagram post commemorating the ride, he came out as HIV positive.
“I am back home. Back home after riding my first @aidslifecycle,” the award-winning red carpet reporter wrote.
“The ride has left me with many things, but probably the biggest gift I have received is the inspiration to live my truth.
“On this beautiful day of LGBTQ pride, I have something to say for the first time in such a public forum. I am HIV-positive.
“In short, I lived much of my thirties in confusion, depression and a search to find myself. I partied too much. I struggled with crystal meth. I was diagnosed with HIV about nine years ago.
“Today, I am sober and living with HIV. @haircoloristfabian came out as HIV-positive recently on Facebook. My dear friend @karljschmid did the same on Instagram. These two amazing men sparked the inspiration to come out about my status. AIDS/LifeCycle convinced me it was time.
“Visibility matters. Just ask the men on the ride who told Fabian that his story inspired them to ride.
“So, here I am celebrating LGBTQ pride and honoring my Uncle David and my Uncle Arthur by standing up and saying, ‘I am HIV-positive.'”
Here’s the full post:
And here’s more from Malkin’s inspiring AIDS/LifeCycle ride:
Johndoes
Makes sense.
Kangol
Good to see him speaking up and affirming his Poz and sober statuses. His advocacy for LGBTQ people is great too. Happy LGBTQ Pride!
paul dorian lord fredine
i congratulate him for his honesty but is it unfair of me to think he should have done it in a way that doesn’t make him sound proud of being hiv+?
Chrisk
You must dwell in an alternate reality or your here to just troll (most likely) because no where did I read that as him being proud of just being HIV+.
QueerTruth
Yep. It’s definitely unfair. You can’t congratulate someone then say they did it wrong at the same time. That’s kinda lame
AndThenTheresMax
You wanna help erase HIV Stigma? Stop glorifying when gay personalities come out as HIV positive. Just sayin’
Kangol
So in essence, you want him to live in shame and silence at having HIV. Nope. You do realize that Poz people fought that battle 30 years ago, right? That the non-gay/bi world and many gay people as well were terrified and ashamed of letting anyone know they were positive, which only helped to fuel further anti-Poz stigma, homophobia, and self-hatred. The stigma comes from feeling that a person has to HIDE being HIV positive, not from letting the world know they have HIV. This man is actively working to help LGBTQ and HIV positive people What are you doing to help LGBTQ people?
QueerTruth
I think it’s important to shed light on people who come out openly as HIV positive. I don’t think people are glorifying their status, but trying to breakdown walls of fear and ignorance. Statistically, we know that the HIV positive numbers among gay/bi men is dramatically much higher than what we see openly discussed. So stories like these go a long way.