On December 1st, in honor of World AIDS Day, Jennifer Hudson was joined by HIV activist Ian Haddock, on her daytime talkshow The Jennifer Hudson Show.
Haddock is the founder and executive director of The Normal Anomaly Initiative in Houston, Texas. The non-profit aims to assist and empower Black, queer-identifying people in overcoming barriers and social stigma.
Haddock talks about what it was like to grow up Black and gay in a small town in Texas. He revealed that his mother kicked him out at an early age and was forced to couch surf for many years. Fortunately, through this situation, Haddock was able to find his chosen father who changed his life forever.
“One in two Black gay men have the chance to contract HIV in their lifetime,” Haddock reveals. “I speak for the people who are living with HIV in silence, the people who are afraid to get tested, I speak for Black gay men, I speak for Black trans women and men, the people who are normally overlooked.”
“As a Black gay man who was homeless, I either had the choice to be an activist or to die,” he told Hudson. “My community, the people who look and love like me, the people who are dealing disparities, those people gave me hope. So, this is my gift to them and my gift to my 15-year-old self.”
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Dafina Ward, the Executive Director of the Southern AIDS Coalition joined the conversation as well. She spoke about her 15 years as an activist for the community. “The Southern AIDS Coalition was created to make sure the demands and the needs of the people in the south were met. We continue that legacy today.”
“When you look at the rate of HIV or AIDS related deaths in this country, the majority of those are happening in southern states. ” She goes on to explain that, “We have to ask questions about structurally, why is this happening? We have to look at the history of what we’ve seen systemically in the south.”
Haddock reminds viewers that “everyone has a status.” Whether it’s negative or positive, “the only way to find that out is to get tested.”
“We are blessed to have leaders who have vision and innovation and just need the resources to get it done,” Ward said, grateful for Haddock’s work.
Hudson then revealed a $10,000 check to The Normal Anomaly Initiative from the Gilead Compass Initiative!
According to leading HIV/AIDS research organizations, Black Americans account for more HIV diagnoses (43%), people living with HIV (42%), and the most deaths among people with HIV (44%), more than any other racial and ethnic group in the U.S. Black Americans are just 12% of the U.S. population. Additionally, The CDC reports that the U.S. South experiences the greatest rates of HIV and lags behind in providing quality HIV prevention services and care.
For more information and resources regarding HIV and World AIDS Day, visit glaad.org/worldaidsday.