“When we chose to stigmatize those living with HIV, we do a disservice to our own humanity,” Mykki Blanco says at the start of the new video for “Hideaway.” “As someone who has lived healthily with the disease for five years now, I know all too well the fear of persecution and shame, and what that can do to one’s character and their life. Love and happiness, compassion — they’re birthrights of the human condition. 37 million people living with HIV deserve that, just like anyone else.”
Released on April 10, National Youth HIV and AIDs Awareness Day, the video depicts tension between a couple, one of whom is HIV positive, and one is negative. Mykki circles balletically around them, in full old-school Hollywood glamour. “That feeling of shame, of hiding, of having love only exist in a bedroom,” Blanco told W, “I know what that feels like.”
In an interview with amfAR, which collaborated on the video, Mykki is asked what he would say to people about National Transgender HIV Testing Day, which is on April 18. “Everyone needs to get tested because it’s a part of your sexual health,” he says. “As a human being, get tested. As a human being, take care of your sexual health.” Check out the video below.
Credits
Text Charlotte Gush