Brian: So I think maybe a part of us kinda knew from the beginning. I literally called my brother and I said, I think I met the man of my dreams.
Victor: Brian …wow, Brian is the love of my life. I didn’t think that love at first sight was real until I met him.
Brian: I need some Janet Jackson music man…
Victor: I wasn’t looking for love. I wasn’t looking for a relationship.
Brian: We started texting and talking on the phone. We became close like that. He said, I have something to tell you, very important. He sent me a long message telling me that he’s positive.
Victor: There’s a lot of rejection, especially when it comes to like dating. Some people can be cruel and mean, so I’ve been exposed to that type of treatment.
Brian: He’s kind of explaining it to me and I was like it’s fine. It doesn’t change anything.
Victor: It made me feel amazing. The plan was just to go visit him and have a good time and become friends after that, but it went beyond that and, like I said, I mean, we fell in love. His reaction, in many ways, kind of made me feel that there was no reason for me to hide who I am. I’m just dealing with a chronic illness, just like there are people who have cancer and have diabetes or other illnesses. I think it’s just the stigma really makes people afraid and scared. His support really, really made me feel more at ease. One of the things that I really wanted to do with my now-husband was to add an extra layer of protection, consider PrEP.
Brian: PrEP is a once daily pill that helps prevent HIV …like a extra safety precaution. I get my PrEP through my primary doctor. I have insurance. They give all the tests every time I get a refill so it’s once a month for me.
Victor: He has been on PrEP for more than two years now and he’s negative and we want to keep it that way. The fact that I’m undetectable makes it almost impossible for me to transmit the virus to him and that’s something that makes me feel relieved. Brian generally treats my HIV as any other health issue.
Brian: It’s the most important thing in the world to me that he takes his medication because I want him around. We’re just like any other couple. We like to hang out, sit and watch TV together. I’m the laundry guy. He hates doing laundry. [ laughs ] Don’t let HIV discourage you from going for true love. If I did, I wouldn’t be with my beautiful husband today.
When Brian met Victor he told his brother, “I met the man of my dreams.” Finding out that Victor is living with HIV didn’t change anything. They pair PrEP and treatment as prevention to keep each other healthy.
Don’t Let HIV Stand in the Way of Love!
Regardless of HIV status, there are more ways than ever to stay healthy. In addition to improving health, the medications used to treat HIV also prevent the spread of the virus to others. For those who do not have HIV, PrEP offers another highly effective means of protection.
