I am HIV positive, says a Labor MP

A Labor MP told the House of Commons that he was HIV-positive.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Labor MP for Brighton Kemptown, is currently the only sitting MP to reveal that he was living with the virus.

He is the second MP to announce that he has HIV as a deputy.

In an interview with the Press Association, Mr. Russell-Moyle said that he had decided to express "because he had a duty as a member of Parliament" .

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 said 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 person's ability to fight 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.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle said he felt "relieved" to report he was living with HIV (Yui Mok / PA)

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 on 1 December.

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 that 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 if it may seem 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 rural dwellers, blacks, women or the elderly.

Asked why he had decided to disclose his status, the Association of Journalists 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. "

Lloyd Russell-Moyle was interviewed by the Press Association (Yui Mok / PA)

"My job as an MP 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 it?

"Secondly, 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 reducing HIV infections.

"But 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 about, especially when it affects not only people I know, but me personally."

He said, "I have been HIV-positive for 10 years, nine years since I was diagnosed."

Upon discovering that he was HIV-positive, he said, "Of course it was a shock. Whatever your level of preparation, you receive this call and you are told: "Come in, we can not tell you something on the phone", know that something is wrong.

"Suddenly, it strikes you like a wall and loads of things go through your mind.

"At the same time, you feel like your guts are completely empty and you wonder" is this just a horrible joke? You even think, "I hope it's a horrible joke, I hope someone will come out and say 'Hidden camera – hey we got you.' And of course, this is not what happens, you have to go and start making your life.

"It's really difficult, but it's not the end of the world, even if it may seem like a few seconds."

Mr. Russell-Moyle stated that he had been put on treatment a "year or two" after his diagnosis. He added, "In fact, this has been an absolute revelation to me: you can actually lead your life normally without taking a pill a day. . "

In revealing his diagnosis to his friends and family, he said, "The first person I called 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 these experiences a little bit.

"Then I talked to my parents shortly after, but extended family, siblings – it takes a bit of time because some of you do not want to get something out of it.

"You do not want that 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 the stigma, the misconceptions about what that is. 39, is, rest.

"So it's a difficult choice, which is much more difficult at first because you are also navigating with your own emotions.

"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, that your mouth is drying out, that you have a little shake on your hands, you do not know too much how it's going to be and you mumble it in half.

"My feeling now is an element of relief and we will see where the next few days will come in. I hope this will take us in a positive direction."

Lloyd Russell-Moyle said the ghost cabinet and his colleagues had been very supportive (Yui Mok / PA)

He said his colleagues had been "really 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 would not expect unless from Labor colleagues," he said. he adds.

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 now that I hope not to stay away, I hope to win the next election. "

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 campaigns of the eighties make many think that it is a death sentence."

He added, "In some ways, I am incredibly lucky. I am a white homosexual in a very liberal open city. That is why I will probably be one of the most favored groups.

"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 older or if you are a woman, it means that your stigma is much stronger than it is much harder to talk about that. Talking about it is really important.