ABC News producer Tony Morrison has opened up about his HIV status in a powerful and moving statement.
The 31-year-old released his essay via Good Morning America and revealed that he had been living with HIV for the past eight years.
“It has taken me eight years and a global pandemic to be able to articulate those words confidently and put to paper,” he wrote.
“Not a day has gone by that I didn’t feel shame, fear, guilt and often, anguish. And I have lived every single one of those days carrying a weight of humiliation because that’s what society told me I should feel; that’s what our society told me I deserved.
“And I know that’s what society has probably whispered to you too, about people like me. I allowed myself to think my shame was justified. I accepted a life as a degenerate. And I convinced myself I could never be worthy of love.
“For eight years, I dealt with my diagnosis in hiding and I grieved in silence. Until now.”
Morrison went on to say that he was 23-years-old when he was diagnosed and had recently moved to New York City from Central Florida.
“It was the spring of 2013 and I had just officially come out as gay in a heartfelt Facebook post. I was free from hiding, so I thought, and was determined to finally live the life I had always wanted, “ he said.
When he noticed a HIV testing campaign in the city, he decided to get tested out of “curiosity” with an over-the-counter, at-home test.
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