“I started coughing first, my body started getting weaker and thinner, and I had used up all my medical leaves already. Finally I had to quit my job and the same day I visited the Hospital Selayang, was also the same day I was put into the ward.”
They then referred me to Hospital Sungai Buluh (HSB) Infectious Disease Unit where I got my counseling about HIV from the staff nurse counselor there and also about my HIV medication (HAART).
“The thing about us is that, we are afraid. Whenever it comes to testing us for HIV – we freak out. And there is the fear of being stigmatized. Because eventually, we will have to admit that we might have had sexual relations with other men”.
“A (gay) friend of mine contracted HIV from another partner without knowing it. He thought of doing a police report, but the police informed him that they cannot arrest the HIV positive partner if they didn’t arrest him as well, because being a homosexual in Malaysia is a crime too.
“The police asked: “Are you sure you want to reveal your sexuality to us police, because we think you’re gay.
“In the end, they just told me to not do anything, as there was nothing I could do.”
*The story has been corrected for some minor chronological details.
Photostory by Mushamir Mustafa
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(This post was first published on April 20th 2015)
