I’m Ken Williams, and I feel good. I feel healthy. And I’m living with HIV. I’m an advocate, an activist, and I video blog at kenlikebarbie.com. That’s who I am, and I’m living my truth. I want to change the way people think about HIV. A healthier life and HIV are not—they’re not opposites. Not now. And everyone I believe should know that. 

There may not be a cure for HIV, but I’m still in charge of my life, and I’m taking care of my health. And if I can do it, well I think you can too. It starts with something that may seem basic—treating HIV and starting treatment as soon as possible. HIV medicine lowers the amount of virus in my body. That helps keep me healthy. You should talk to a doctor about it. It also means there’s less virus to pass on to a partner through sex. It’s called treatment as prevention. The point is, you can help protect others by staying on treatment, and of course practicing safer sex. I can’t say that enough, and for me taking medicine every day is like part of my routine. And a reminder for me, to take a moment and think about the possibilities of my life. After that, I do what everyone else does. I eat right. I work out. I see my doctor—and that’s the really important part, the doctor part. I talk to my doctor about how I feel, how I’m doing, about my medicine and what’s right for me. That relationship is all about you. Find a doctor who can be your partner, who listens to you, who cares about what matters to you.

Ok, so this is where I get on my soap box. Because the people around you, your doctor, your friends, they’re really important to your life. Look, being diagnosed with HIV is real, and I’m not going to say I didn’t cry because I cried. But you know, when the tears dried, I was still standing, and my life was still my own. You know when I looked around and a lot of other people were standing next to me, I felt support, I felt love, and that’s something we all deserve too. It’s been seven years, and I am here. (Hi, Sydney!) Being Ken, without apology. I live in the present, and that’s all any of us can do. Let our voices be heard and live our best life every day. I am Ken Williams.