I have written here before about how brave I think Lee Thompson is to live openly as a gay person in the south and the beatings he has to endure because he is gay. Well, the uncle of Honey Boo Boo who she refers to as Uncle Poodle total
"Fenuxe" magazine in Atlanta that he is HIV+. He was diagnosed last year and says that he always had been religious about checking his status and that On March 16 last year he tested negative and then in May 2012 tested positive. His boyfriend at the time infected Lee and had not bothered to tell him that he was HIV+ and was not taking medication to control his infection. Lee pressed charges against his ex who is now serving five years in jail because of his failure to inform Lee about being a carrier.
That's sad, but at least he had the good sense to make sure he was tested!
ReplyDeleteUgh. How can you do that to someone? The lowest of the low. So selfish.
ReplyDeleteSad story, glad he took testing seriously and put the guy who didn't behind bars. A casual neglect for the lives of others is stupefying.
ReplyDeleteJesus. Stories like this make me paranoid about who I date now.
ReplyDeleteFive years is too short of a sentence. That pig should be locked up longer. What a shitty thing to do to someone.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Five years, maybe less with good behaviour, I'm guessing. This man gives responsible gay men a very bad name.
DeleteHe needs to hook up with Magic Johnson to get the cure. Poor guy. :(
ReplyDeleteThis is too bad - I'm glad he charged the boyfriend. He has a supportive family, so he is very lucky in that sense and they will be able to afford the best medications for him.
ReplyDeleteOh Poodle, how horrible. Again, at least he was safe and got tested and the loser passing the disease around is paying for it.
ReplyDeleteI just really hate these people that are this irresponsible. This isn't some curable STD that will go away with medication, this is a death sentence.
Actually in the UK if caught early HIV + people can live a near normal long life with drugs. And yes our health care is free. Hiv no longer needs to be a death sentence.
ReplyDeleteJeez that's horrifying. Poor man.
ReplyDeleteKudos, though, for being vigilant about testing. When I was single, and about a year into my relationship with my love, I was very careful about being tested. Even though I used protection during my Wonder Slut Years (tm) - I was very aware I needed to keep an eye on my sexual health. I was lucky that I never had an issue (and neither did my love, made sure that was looked into as well!)
I do think that people who have unprotected sex knowing they are infected should be charged with attempted murder.
Gays come from all regions, all walks of life. It continually amazes me that this bad stereotype of a Southern family have NO trouble accepting their gay relative, and even the kids are told what it means---He prefers to date men. NBD.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope that HBB is given a great education, because she is NOT a stupid little girl...She's smart as a whip, really. I hope she'll use her brain for her future.
I have a few friends who are HIV+. They take so many pills, but they live.
One of my friends with it killed himself though, because the pills made him sick and he thought no one would ever love him again. SAD.
I don't understand what living in the South has to do with getting beat up for being gay.
ReplyDeletenewsflash: there are homophobic people all across the nation - even in the *gasp* liberal North!
100%!!!! This was so disappointing and stereotypical ignorance! I thought better of you, Enty!!Georgia has one of the top 3% of states with GLBT per population. Just because the media tells you that the South is more homophobic, sexist, racist, lalalala, try broadening outside your world and learn for yourself. I've had the fortune to travel all across America, Mexico, China, Korea, Japan, etc, and not only did I encounter some of the worst racism I'd ever heard in my life in DC, but was shocked at the open gay hatred and racism, in several other countries. This type of behavior shouldn't continuously be considered analogous to any one state, region, or country. Shame on you!
Delete@libby - I think her mother knows how smart she is. She's no dummy either. I read an article where she says they have everything they need, so all the money they make off this reality show goes straight into trust funds for the kids. She knows this is fleeting.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is an unexpected serious side to the Honeybooboo story. I've never watched it, but it is an interesting eye-opener. Some gay men have become complacent about safe sex, in part because of the decrease in lethality. Still, the science of HIV is improving, and with rigorous monitoring and antivirals, people are living a much longer time. Scary stuff, though!
ReplyDeleteMiz, so agree with your last sentence. I hope they keep people like him segregated from the general prison population because you know regardless of the rules some inmates obtain gratification where and how they can.
ReplyDeleteOh man libby. I feel so badly after reading that. Sorry for your loss.
I read that too, nichole!
ReplyDeleteSO WISE with money.
Once again, it's proven that you can't judge a book by the cover.
I was going to come on here and bitch because I was just laid off from my job yesterday (with NO warning whatsoever, thankyouveryfuckingmuch), but this...being suddenly unemployed sucks, but nowhere near as much as being infected with a potentially fatal disease by someone you loved and trusted, in spite of the fact that you had been being safe all these years. Good for Lee for getting the asshole sent up the river, and I wish him all the best with his health and happiness.
ReplyDeleteRobin, sorry about the job loss.
DeleteHer family may be poor and uneducated, but they're NOT stupid--there's a big difference between the two that a lot of people don't recognize or understand. Good for them for being sensible with their money and planning ahead; they won't be famous forever, but with any luck at all they can have better lives over the long run.
ReplyDeleteThanks, phoenix---but I was 'lucky' in that I hadn't seen him for a few years, and he was long gone before I heard about it. So I wasn't there for the shock. His parents took him back to his rural hometown for a quiet funeral, because HIV and suicide aren't talked about by some people.
ReplyDeleteThis is the WORST part---How my friend got HIV. I was the first person he told (he got tested right before work, and we were waiters)...He admitted to me that he had 'taken' his BF's virus, because they were going to be together forever, see, and sex is better without condoms.
And of course they broke up within a year.
His BF was a DOUCHE, and the kicker---He was the head of my state's HIV task force or whatever.SMFH!
Vent all you want Robin, you have earned it!
ReplyDeleteI love Honey Boo Boo and her family and it will set me off if anyone talks shit about them. Watch the show, yeah care less about manners then some of us do, sure they don't exercise and sometimes don't shower. But that family is so open minded, so loving and accepting, and they give so much back to their community. TLC offered to buy them a bigger house but they insisted they wanted to stay in their current house, because they didn't want to leave the community and take away what they were giving to it.
click these blue words if you want to read about how June is handling all their money.
Sorry if that sounded ranty, I love my Boo Boo!
Unbelievable. I hope Uncle Poodle gets all of the resources he needs to live a healthy life in spite of things. He seems like a sweet guy.
ReplyDelete@JSierra - I do too! I was her for Halloween. Except we spent it up north, and no one knew who she was so they thought I was a pregnant beauty queen. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Lib, even though you hadn't seen him in a while I'm sure it was still pretty shitty. And what a cunty behavior by his BF. He should hook up with Poodle's ex, they seem perfect for each other.
ReplyDeleteOmg Amber I can only imagine the hilarity of that costume. You should have had someone dress up as Mama June!
ReplyDeleteI may be in the minority here, but I hope Boo Boo and her family never go away.
Sorry about your job @Robin
ReplyDeleteMy cousin and his boyfriend we re severely beaten in a suburb of Boston, which so far as I am aware is one of the most Liberal areas in the country.
ReplyDeleteHealthcare in Britain is not free; it is paid for by taxation. And most of my British friends pay quite a bit extra in private insurance to supplement the very basic "free" NHS coverage.
HIV is no longer a death sentence, but the emotional toll it takes on people is devastating. Libby, I am so sorry to hear about your friend. My cousin does outreach for people just like him, trying to make them realize there is hope and plenty of people who love unconditionally.
5 years is not enough for this asshole. It should be a life sentence.
I hate to admit it but Im actually begininnig to like these people! Ever since I heard about Mama June putting the money from the show into a trust for her kids...and now this dude. My family is from the South, and anyone who's openly gay down there deserves a medal for sure. I might start watching this program.
ReplyDelete@Robin, sorry to hear that about your job :(
ReplyDeleteHow sad for him and I agree 5 years is not enough.
ReplyDelete@JSierra - My BF was Sugar Bear. Making out w/him was entertaining.
ReplyDelete@Robin - I'm sorry to hear about your job. Hopefully it's a catalyst for something great.
@robin - that blows... I really wish this shitty economy would pick up, just a little. It's hard here in the UK too. Sending employable wishes your way. Have a big drink tonight!
ReplyDeleteI don't watch the show, its not known very well here, but its awesome they're both living the stereotype and subverting it :)
Sad, but really never trust anyone use protection...I have enough gay friends to know guys are being very careless because of the drug cocktails....
ReplyDeleteAnd they are very expensive so without good insurance you are screwed...
PROTECT YOURSELF...
now his ex can infect as many as he wants in prison UGH- who will then get out and infect more.
ReplyDeleteThanks, all....I hadn't seen my friend in a few years because I had left serving...and started a day job. No more hanging out in the same group every night, you know?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I withdrew from socializing because of Depression and other problems...part of the reason I left serving in the first place.
But also--He withdrew. Because he was depressed. It killed him faster than the HIV. He was so great. Funny and sweet.
`I'm in the South and I know lots of gay people and they are not beat up or hassled. Please give up the stereotypes about the South. Where was that young gay man killed that was such a cause celebre a few years ago? Wasn't the south.
ReplyDeleteGlitter, NTW. It's due to closed minded people that cannot grow beyond stereotypes due to lack of Sunshine:) SoFla has a large and diverse gay community that are well established and are known for their political activism.
ReplyDeletealways get tested before you & your bf/gf bf/bf gf/gf have sex and if they refuse i think that tells you all you need to know. then it's time to find someone new.
ReplyDeletePoor Uncle Poodle! I am really starting to like this family.
ReplyDelete@libby, thanks for sharing about your friend. The best way to keep him alive is to share his memory with everyone. <3
Poor Uncle Poodle!
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for the site...one of the only places I can openly admit I fucking love Honey Boo Boo. Well, i love watching the family, anyway. Honey Boo Boo herself is a terror and kind of annoying, but that family is gold.
I've never seen the show. I've been afraid to check it out for fear of getting hooked on yet another reality show. I did see a clip once on The Soup and they were eating spaghetti with ketchup or something equally horrible.
ReplyDelete@ Robin - Best of luck in your job search. I hope you find something bigger and better.
I will state the obvious: I hate aids/hiv because it has robbed us of so many great people.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about Uncle Poodle interviews in which he described the beatings he's taken fir being gay. Enty wasn't throwing out a generalization.
ReplyDelete@Tammy - I don't know what you're friends are talking about. The free NHS health care covers everything. Including excellent HIV care (my +ve friends want for nothing treatment wise)
ReplyDeleteAlso when you calculate what you pay for healthcare in the USA and the tax difference, there is very little difference and no risk of bankruptcy through being sick.
We are paying for healthcare in the USA for a program that has not gone into effect yet via increased payroll taxes ( for those that actually work). One of the issues small business owners have that is forcing them out of business.
ReplyDelete@Robin, good luck with getting another job, sending positive vibes your way.
ReplyDelete@Libby, sad & unfortunately all so common.
^ can't you fucking read?? Uncle Poodle has HIMSELF described being attacked for being gay in his home state so take the faux outrage to another post.
ReplyDeleteAtlanta is pretty much the Gay Mecca of the South (not counting New Orleans, but then NOLA is a whole 'nother matter...), but having lived in GA from '89-'97, there were plenty of assholes as well. I was in Athens, which was at least somewhat more liberal, what w/the college and the arts & music scene, but there were, and probably still are, plenty of rabid homophobes who think a good gay-bashing is the perfect capper to their night of drinking and being obnoxious. (Then again, that's true pretty much everywhere, assholes being a worldwide phenomenon, but there's a certain quality to some of the southern bigotry I came across that's kind of hard to put into words...I tend to think being hardcore Southern Baptist may have something to do with it, but I don't know...all strictly MHO, and of course not everyone is like that, but I still felt it somehow...)
ReplyDeleteRobin, I was going to say that Broward, MiamiDade and Monroe Counties are THE gay meccas but SoFla is not really part of the Deep South (even though some people think it is). Sorry about your job but you are a very talented person and this will lead to a better and more interesting job. Bat signal? PROMISE you will not become one of those miserable people who tweet all day long !!!
ReplyDelete@Robin
ReplyDeleteThat sucks about your job - sorry it had to happen to such a nice and talented person. (I've seen your photos).
You know it's a powerful story when nobody comments on how that little girl is dressed like she's at a party at the Playboy Mansion.
ReplyDeleteUhh Ingrid, that is her swimwear outfit. She likes it because she thinks it makes her look like a giant blueberry. Come on girl, get it together.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, homophobia is an issue in the South. Just because someone isn't outright homophobic and seems to be accepting and open minded doesn't mean they are. I hate when people get all pissy when someone mentions the hate that goes on in the South. Ya ya hate crimes occur everywhere, racism and homophobia are everywhere. But my personal experience with living in the South for half of my life is that homophobia and racism are rampant and those feelings are not going anywhere. Anyone who says anything different is choosing to ignore it; confront the issue and you will see what I am talking about. Not everyone is like that, but there sure as hell are a lot of hateful, close minded people around here who have no problem making it crystal clear exactly what they think of you, and your lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@robin, i too am looking for employment. best of luck.
ReplyDeleteno response on the southern comments. <3 from nc.