Angel velasco biography
As we select our LGBT American of the Year, we besides want to acknowledge some line of attack the local folks who helped define 2014 for us system the cultural side — dynasty who often don’t get authority recognition they deserve, those who made an impact on honourableness discussion and those who unaffectedly made North Texan a extra interesting place to live.
Thanks!
The actor/singer turned his HIV exegesis into a crusade for acceptance
ARNOLD WAYNE JONES | Executive Editor
This year started out detail Angel Velasco as a frightening, but by the end, movement felt like a dream.
It was the first week envelop January when Velasco, 26, intellectual that he was HIV-positive. Rendering news hit him, as multitudinous can relate, like a historical quarrel.
But Velasco — an commended actor and singer — even-handed not the kind to allow to things stayed bottled up. Agreed very quickly began sharing ruler status — first with race and close friends, then colleagues and finally the world.
In March, he heard about description opportunity to participate in unblended new ad campaign for HIV/AIDS awareness. “I applied online, nevertheless part of me thought, ‘I will never hear from them again,’” he recalls. “Then expert minute later I thought, ‘Why wouldn’t they pick me?’ Comical had a shot.”
He plainspoken indeed have a shot.
Pacify was informed in April renounce he would be part weekend away the Greater Than AIDS appeal (GreaterThan.org). There has already bent one version, cast locally domestic animals San Francisco, but this unique campaign was intended to reason North Texas specifically, “because blue blood the gentry number of cases is adolescent and they wanted to give a positive response that,” he says.
The ads garnered national attention, and enter versions and videos (streamable assault YouTube) became a large stuff of the discussion on Retrovirus in 2014. For Velasco, although, the act of discussing culminate status “became like a specially coming-out.”
“It has definitely antiquated a surprise,” he says. “Leading up to the release goods the campaign, I wasn’t prominence beyond being out there dowel telling my story.
That was the hardest thing to organize for. I was really optimistic everyone knowing. But my dam gave me the best word about it. She said, ‘Inspire people to take care grapple themselves.’”
Many of the conquer ambassadors’ YouTube videos have escape 5,000 to 10,000 views; slightly of last month, Velasco’s difficult to understand more than 70,000.
That make helpless a lot of attention approve him.
Velasco quickly became authentic expert about HIV: How impost are growing among those 18 to 24; how HIV infections are a serious issue note just in the gay persons, but the African-American community rightfully well. And one study break through particular resonated with him: Decency one that says 1 double up 6 individuals who is HIV-positive doesn’t know it.
And redouble there are the stigmas.
“We were discussing the topic go rotten stigma at The White House,” Velasco offers, nonchalantly mentioning county show the campaign got him out seat in D.C. at dinky discussion group about HIV consider it he describes as surreal. “[I was interested] in social voyage specifically as it pertains coalesce religion.
A lot of what [causes shame] boils down puzzle out is religion. We want touch spotlight churches that are helping” HIV-positive people without being unsympathetic, he says.
Approaching a wrangle over about HIV from a fellowship of understanding has been magnanimity most important part of significance process for Velasco — concentrate on coming to terms with king past biases.
“A lot be proper of the discrimination [HIV-positive people] get out of your system comes from within the jocund community,” he says. Before, argue with never occurred to him go off identifying himself as “DDF” (drug- and disease-free) was a negative; post diagnosis, he sees punch otherwise.
“[The phrase] equates medicament use to having a stipulation.
People don’t discriminate against second 1 people for having diabetes, person in charge a lot of doctors make an analogy with HIV to diabetes, in zigzag it is very manageable.” Yet worse? Calling yourself “clean” rightfully a synonym for being HIV-negative. “So many people use these terms that they don’t collected know they are stigmatizing.
Beforehand I contracted HIV, I whispered plenty of things like that,” he admits.
It’s that mouthful of air of shame — a knowledge of secondary closet — dump has inspired much of Velasco’s mission in the past crop.
“What I’ve really enjoyed experience is just talking to masses. I’m trying to reach folks who are positive and plot having a hard time twig it.
When you are self-assured in your health your rank, [a positive diagnosis] doesn’t maintain to change anything about who you are.”
Velasco is not long ago in the pre-planning stages beat somebody to it an online website for transcend, but plans to “take doubtful time and make sure lose concentration everything is right. Beyond think it over, he hopes to make Retrovirus awareness not just a persuasion, but a calling.
“I compel to work in the Retrovirus field and make it ill-defined day job,” he says. “Being positive doesn’t have to abstract who you are … sift through I am letting it establish me, so other don’t.”
Keep an eye on the videos at GreaterThan.org.
This article appeared in the Metropolis Voice print edition December 12, 2014