Josh Robbins learned on Jan. 24, 2012 that he was HIV positive. He
“decided to make a blog because [his] new circumstance of being newly poz [wasn’t
his] death sentence… or even close to what defines [HIM] as Josh.” His blog has
gone on to inspire many allies and people living with HIV, and he continues to
a strong figure in stopping the spread of stigma.
Visit imstilljosh.com to learn more about this incredible individual!
Listen to the podcast of this interview!
SAN: You have been running your blog for about a
year and a half now—what has been one of the most memorable moments or learning
experiences?
Josh: When I started the blog, I didn’t
know what it was or would be—and I still feel that way sometimes. Through this
medium, I am just sharing my experiences and journey and what it has been like
for me to live with something day-to-day, month-to-month, and now over a year
that I was completely scared of as a gay man.
With that
said, it has been a process of seeing this platform grow and handling the
unexpected responsibility that comes with it. I have been surprised with the
amount of people who engage with me through I'm Still Josh (ISJ). Almost every day someone
contacts me and shares their very personal stories which I am honored and
humbled to hear. That has really been the biggest thing from imstilljosh.com
and so I feel partly a responsibility to respond to those people for sharing
that. I want to thank them for investing their time and for hearing about my
continuous journey.
SAN: What do you think your impact
has been in terms of stigma reduction?
Josh: What I found is that we have these
digital stigma warriors (and I like to include myself in that) who are changing
the way people think about HIV. There are different ways of understanding HIV,
for example: as an HIV negative person who thinks HIV is the worst thing that
could happen to you and living in fear of it; and then as an individual who is
diagnosed and realizes it is not a death sentence and you can still be you.
Closing those mental barriers and taking down those walls --it requires talk
from people and organizations like ours to do this. That is what I feel like I
am a part of and what I have committed to thus far.
I believe
that if we catch people who are recently diagnosed and we catch them early
enough and encourage the hell out of them then we have the ability to change
them from being victims to heroic stigma warriors who educate the community
about what HIV is, how to prevent it, and how to live alongside people like us.
That encouragement period of time is so important to me and that is what I have
concentrated the most on. That part of my life has the most success. It is
something I am very passionate about.
SAN: Well I saw you started an
encouragement wall on Facebook, so that is a very concrete way that you are
digitally supporting people.
Josh: Yes! And I haven’t officially
launched it yet—but my goal is for it to be the largest digital encouragement wall for those recently living with HIV. What I am doing is getting quotes from
different significant people to influence how those who are recently living
with HIV feel about themselves.
The idea
actually came from the AIDS Quilt. It is so big and people are constantly
adding to it, and that’s what I hope to see from the Encouragement Wall on ISJ.
Eventually users will be able to come to the site and make their own and have their work immediately added to the wall. I am excited to see how it develops with
people’s different words, pictures, and forms of expression.
“If you don’t talk about HIV, and you don’t
talk about those elements that turn
into stigma—how can you ever
combat it and end it?”
SAN: That sounds great! Us too! What
do you think the most effective way for people to reduce stigma is (aka be a
#StigmaWarrior)?
Josh: I
think that HIV needs to become real to individuals and their networks by
talking about it in a very personal way. It requires a bit of trust and
vulnerability from people--like myself--who are living with HIV. Furthermore,
it is equally as important for people to stand up as allies to and speak out
for the community of people living with HIV.
The whole
reason I got involved with this was because I went to a group therapy session for
people living with HIV in Nashville
They told me: “Josh,
you just don’t understand what it is like to hear these words, for people to
not want to date you because of this virus.”
My
response was: “If you don’t talk about
HIV, and you don’t talk about those elements that turn into stigma—how can you
ever combat it and end it?”
For me
that was an epiphany --when I left and I refused to shut up. From that, I have
really learned to and convinced myself that I am going to be ok, all of which
has really reduced my internal stress as well as helped my health and impacted
my view on HIV.
SAN: Very true. Well, those are all
my questions. Thank you again so much for taking the time to do this interview.
It has been a real pleasure.
Josh: Same here, but before we go I want
to tell you something…
Check out the exclusive story Josh gave the SAN!
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