By: Arianna Lint, President and Founder, Arianna's Center/ Translatina Florida
Today, I am a proud Trans Latina, openly living with HIV, but my journey to get here wasn’t easy. Originally from Peru, I knew that to live life as my authentic self, I would need to leave, and that’s why I came to the United States. My American life began in New York, and as a someone navigating my transition and unable to speak English my options were limited and so like many trans women, I survived as sex worker. For several years I struggled, enduring stigma, discrimination, and violence, while I saved my money as best I could. What kept me focused was that I had a dream.
That dream was I would move to Florida and start a new life. My HIV diagnosis came at a very difficult time as I was finally realizing my move to Florida. It was during the process of attempting to purchase life insurance that I found out that I was HIV-positive. I was devastated, lost, and felt very alone. My saving grace was the love and support of my family. I’ve always been incredibly close to my family, in particular my mother. Their support and acceptance have played a huge role in my life and after my HIV diagnosis I was at a loss for how to disclose my status to them. I experienced feelings of shame and was terrified of disappointing them, and so for almost 4 years I hid my status from them.
When I found the strength to confide in my mother, she shared with me that she knew I was HIV positive. Apparently, she had found my HIV medications some years beforehand but had never said anything, instead waiting until I was ready to share my status with her. This was heartbreaking, knowing that she had been living with this knowledge for so long and knowing the worry she had been carrying with her. I’m one of the lucky ones though because she is my biggest supporter in everything I do. Not everyone in our community is so fortunate though and much stigma and rejection continue to exist particularly from transgender women of color living with HIV.
Above all else it was the strength afforded to me by my mother that inspired me to become the unrelenting HIV advocate and transgender leader I am today. Her love and support along with that of my chosen family has helped me realize my dreams. I have a strong support system of traditional family and those friends and allies that have become “family” along the way. From opening my own agency, Arianna’s Center, which has been uplifting the lives of trans women of color for the last six years, focused on providing services and advocacy from the trans community in Florida and Puerto Rico, to becoming an international ambassador for the U=U campaign, to speaking and leading sessions at conferences throughout the country and Puerto Rico, and also being a recognized media spokesperson nationwide for trans issues, that love of my family, biological and chosen, has been my fuel for success.
Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.
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