Conchita Wurst, winner of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, announced that she is HIV positive, saying she was blackmailed into making the news public.
“An ex-boyfriend is threatening me to go public with this private information,” Mr. Neuwirth wrote on Instagram, “and I will not give anyone the right to frighten me and affect my life in the future.”
In the statement on Instagram, she went on to say she had been receiving treatment, and that his virus levels were now undetectable.
“I hope to show courage and take another step against the stigmatization of people with HIV,” she added.
Translation:
Today is the day I’m freeing myself from a sword of damocles for the rest of my life: I have been HIV positive for many years. This isn’t relevant for the general public, but an ex-boyfriend is threatening to go public with this private information, and in the future I don’t want to give anyone the right to instill fear in me and control my life in such a way. Ever since getting the initial diagnosis, I’ve been in medical treatment, and for the past few years, I’ve consistently been under the limit of detection, meaning I’m unable to pass the virus on. There are several reasons I didn’t want to make this public: First and foremost my family, who has known about it from day one and supports me unconditionally. I would’ve liked to spare them the attention focused on the HIV positive status of their son, grandson, and brother. My friends have also known about it for a long time and I wish everyone affected would be treated with the same lightheartedness*. second of all, it’s information that is relevant mainly for people with whom I might have sexual contact. Coming out is better than being outed by a third party. I hope to give courage and take another step against the stigmatization of humans, both the ones whose own actions led to an HIV infection and the ones with no fault.
(via New York Times; photo: Pacific Coast News)