"I have a Queery about...Living with HIV" ft. Hernando Umana

Queer Queeries

"Am I going to die?" "Can I sleep with someone who has HIV?" "How do I get to an undetectable status?" "How do I get help? How do I tell my family? My friends?"

On this episode, I'm joined by Hernando Umana (he/him), Broadway actor (Kinky Boots/School of Rock) and HIV activist, who helps to answer "queeries" such as these and many more. Growing up in a religious environment, he was not allowed exposure to sex education, not to mention gay sex education. At 20 years old, he was diagnosed with HIV and had no idea what that meant for his life. "Am I going to die?" was the first thing he asked the doctor. However, after educating himself, realizing that an HIV diagnosis wasn't a death sentence, and that he could live a normal and healthy life, he decided to go public with his status. He has since gone on to be featured in various Queer magazines, as well as be a part of the 2019 U=U campaign to end stigma and raise awareness. We discuss why he decided to go public and be a face for HIV awareness; the lack of knowledge and stigma around those living with HIV; the lack of queer sex education in our schools; as well as Hernando's other passions, Cannabis and Dogs, and how the intersectionality of the two led to a profitable business endeavor.
Follow Hernando:
Instagram
Twitter
CBD Dog Health
Organization of the Week: Black AIDS Institute
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Resources to learn more about HIV/AIDS, testing, prevention (PrEP, PEP), and care:
How to Survive a Plague Documentary
GMHC
Whitman-Walker Health
Trillium Health
Show Produced by Nick Eibler
Theme Song written by Matt Gregory, Colin Egan, and Mike Hubbard
Produced by Colin Egan and Mike Hubbard
Logo Design by David Pavón