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A Labor MP revealed today that he was HIV-positive during a debate in the House of Commons, in which he explained his journey for a decade, from "fear to advocacy".
Lloyd Russell-Moyle, 32, recounted how he spoke emotionally about his diagnosis during a debate organized on the occasion of World AIDS Day.
Mr. Russell-Moyle, who is a homosexual, recounted how it was "hit the wall" when he was informed of his diagnosis at an NHS clinic a decade ago.
The MP for Brighton Kemptown, dressed in Aids red ribbon, said, "In this NHS room, with its cream colored rugs and plastic seats that we all know, they tell you.
And it hits you like a wall. And even if you have prepared for it, nothing really prepares you for thinking when you say these words.
& # 39; And I remember looking up at this ceiling – those false ceilings you have, and wishing that one of these tiles be washed away and that it sucks you up and that you wake up and that everything is a dream and everything is over & # 39;
He received a rare ovation in the House of Commons after delivering his moving speech.
Lloyd Russell-Moyle spoke with emotion about his diagnosis during a debate organized on the occasion of World AIDS Day.
Members of the Political Division sat in a rare silence as Mr. Russell-Moyle recounted his experience of living with the virus.
He said: "On December 1, 1988, we celebrated the first World AIDS Day, an international awareness day for the international pandemic caused by the spread of HIV and the bereavement of those who died as a result of the disease.
"In two days, we are celebrating its 30th anniversary and this event gives us pause to reflect on the journey we have made and to remember those we have lost.
"But these events are also deeply personal to me, because next year I will celebrate a birthday – ten years later, I became HIV-positive.
"The trip has been long – from the fear of acceptance and hopefully today to advocacy. Knowing my treatment keeps me healthy and protects all the partners I may have. & # 39;
He is the second MP to announce that he has HIV as a deputy.
Wearing the red ribbon of World AIDS Day, Mr. Russell-Moyle confided that he feared for the first time that it was a "joke" when he received the clinic's call. ten years ago.
"When you're diagnosed for the first time, the clinic makes you so cold, and they just say, you have to come in. They do not tell you the details and you know right away that something is wrong.
"So all the worst possible scenarios run through your mind, and of course, HIV is one of those things.
"So you know somehow that something is wrong with this and that it might be serious, but at the same time, you are trying to understand that it's all about it." a joke, a technical mistake, a tiny one will laugh later.
In an interview before his speech to Parliament, Mr. Russell-Moyle said that he had decided to express himself "because he had a deputy's duty".
The 32-year-old from Brighton added that cuts to public health prevented him from "staying silent" on a problem that affects him "if personally".
He stated that he felt "relieved" to announce that he was living with the human immunodeficiency virus, which damages the cells of the immune system and weakens the ability of the immune system. a person to fight against infections and diseases.
There is currently no treatment, but effective treatments allow most HIV-positive people to live long and healthy lives.
Only one other MP has publicly spoken of being infected with the virus. Former Labor Minister Chris Smith revealed his status in 2005 in a newspaper interview a few months before he became a peer.
The ghost cabinet "was very supportive," said Russell-Moyle.
The MP, who was elected at its headquarters in 2017, said he had chosen the moment of revelation to mark the 30th World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.
It's also been 10 years since he's infected with the virus.
Mr. Russell-Moyle, who made this announcement during a debate on HIV and World AIDS Day, which he initiated in the House of Commons, discovered that he was living with the virus after routine tests.
Discovering that he was HIV positive was a "real shock", but it was "not the end of the world, even though it may seem like that for a few seconds," he added.
He said in some ways that he felt "lucky" because other people with the virus may be facing more stigma than a "white homosexual in a very liberal open city" – such as people living in rural areas, blacks, women or the elderly.
Asked why he had decided to reveal his status, the Press Association said: "I felt like I had a duty as a Member of Parliament. I was giving prizes a few months ago to congratulate the people who spoke. about their HIV status, saying how brave they were, and there was a feeling in my mind that said, "Well, if I congratulate people, I also need to be so brave to do it. "
"My job as a member of Parliament is to talk about personal experiences and connect them to a political experience. And if I can not do it, how can I ask others to do that?
"Second, I think we are really at a crossroads to know where we can go with HIV now.
"We are starting to really see the tools in our hands to eliminate HIV, really start to reduce HIV infections.
"At the same time, the government is starting to cut budgets for sexual health.
"Of course, he's already done this crazy thing to put (responsibility for) sexual health on local boards and out of the NHS.
"We have the tools but we seem to be going in the wrong direction.
"So, for me, there was also this political element that I can not keep quiet, especially when it affects not only people I know, but me personally."
He said it was "10 years since I became HIV-positive, and nine years since I was diagnosed".
Upon discovering that he was HIV-positive, he said, "Of course it was a shock." Whatever your preparation, you receive this call and you are told: "Come in, we can not tell you something on the phone, "know something is wrong.
"Suddenly, it strikes you like a wall and loads of things go through your mind.
"At the same time, one has the impression that your guts are completely empty and you wonder" Is this just a horrible joke? "You even think" I hope this is a horrible joke, I hope someone will come out and say Candid Camera – boo! We have you. And of course, this is not what happens. you have to go and start making your life.
"It's certainly difficult, but it's not the end of the world, even if it may seem for a few seconds."
Mr. Russell-Moyle said that he had been put on treatment a "year or two" after his diagnosis, adding, "In fact, this has been an absolute revelation to me: you can actually lead your life normally without pill a day. " & # 39;
In revealing his diagnosis to his friends and family, he said: "The first person I telephoned was a roommate with whom I lived and whose younger brother was HIV-positive. So, first of all, you need to find people who understand a little bit about these. experiences.
"Then I told my parents shortly thereafter, but to extended families, siblings – it takes a bit of time because part of you does not want to derive anything from it.
& # 39; You do not want this to define your life and who you are, but on the other hand, if you do not speak, you do not talk about these things, so stigma, misconceptions about it that's it, rest.
"So it's a difficult choice, which is much more difficult at first, because you are also navigating in your own emotions.
MPs listened silently as he revealed his diagnosis in the House of Commons today (photo)
"The more comfortable you are, the easier it is to say.
"But just now, there was this moment, just before getting up in the House, or telling a new friend, your mouth is drying out, you have a little trembling hand, you do not really know how it's going happen and you mumble it halfway.
"My feeling now is an element of relief that is over and we will see where the next few days will take us – I hope it will take us in a positive direction."
He said his colleagues had been "very positive" and had shown their support.
"The ghost cabinet members have all been supportive, but we are a good college family when the chips are exhausted, so I will not expect more coworkers," he added.
Mr. Russell-Moyle said he spoke to Lord Smith about his decision to reveal his status, adding, "He eventually went out while he knew he was silent. I imagine that the difference is that now, I hope not to withdraw, I hope to win the next election. & # 39;
On stigma around HIV, the member said, "Of course, stigma is present in everyday life. It is characterized by a lack of knowledge, an intestinal reaction.
"These 80s campaigns remind many people that it is a kind of death sentence."
He added, "In a way, I have an incredible luck. I am a white homosexual in a very liberal open city. That is why, among all groups of people, I will probably be one of the best.
"If you are not in the same category, if you live in a rural area, if you have difficulty accessing services, if you are black or elderly, or if you are a woman, it means that your stigma is much higher than it is much harder to: talk about that. Talking about it is really important.
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