Musician and artist Mykki Blanco has come out as HIV positive in a Facebook status. “Ive been HIV Positive since 2011, my entire career. fuck stigma and hiding in the dark, this is my real life. I’m healthy I’ve toured the world 3 times but ive been living in the dark, its time to actually be as punk as i say I am,” the post reads, with a comment underneath by Blanco stating, “no more living a lie. HAPPY PRIDE”.
Fans from around the world have left hundreds of comments expressing their pride and respect for Blanco’s openness and bravery, and she appears to have liked and responded to many of them. Blanco told one fan, “thank you, hiding, being afraid of stigma is exhausting, we are souls not images thank you brother,” and reassuring another who expressed concern over Mykki’s health that, “well ive been poz before Wavvy came out so, i aint ill !! thank you for the love.”
Speaking to i-D at the end of March, Blanco said that she was leaving music in order to write and spend time researching LGBT issues around the world. In another post on Facebook, Blanco had explained that she was leaving the music world as, “I must be honest, writing words that rhyme over beats made by other people, mostly male, no longer interests me and I’ve felt this way for over a year now. I do not find being a ‘rapper’ fascinating.” Blanco told i-D, “while I am sure I have not turned my back on the arts or entertainment for good, it is time I use the audience and platform I have acquired as a tool to communicate to the world my journey, my findings, my research and my reflections as I better educate myself about the social issues that plague our planet, creating an organic network of infinite possibilities to spread global awareness.” Coming out as HIV positive is surely a major achievement in terms of communicating her own personal journey, as well as for raising global awareness.
In a comment further down the thread, Blanco has urged those in the art world to make a punk statement themselves, by helping her to get her artwork out there, saying, “the music industry ain’t gonna like i admitted this so if a curator could help me move more into the art world that would be awesome.” Listen up, curators: Mykki’s show is definitely something we would like to see!