Billy Porter Reveals He’s Been<br />Living With HIV for 14 Years.<br />In 2019, Billy Porter made history for his<br />Emmy-winning performance on ‘Pose.’.<br />Porter played Pray Tell, an HIV-positive<br />character on the FX series. .<br />Porter played Pray Tell, an HIV-positive<br />character on the FX series. .<br />Now, he has revealed to 'The Hollywood Reporter' that<br />he drew from his own experiences for the role.<br />Porter was diagnosed with HIV in 2007.<br />He stayed silent for 14 years because he’d been<br />conditioned to feel “shame” over the diagnosis. .<br />The shame of that time compounded with<br />the shame that had already (accumulated)<br />in my life silenced me, and I have lived with<br />that shame in silence for 14 years …<br />HIV-positive, where I come from, growing<br />up in the Pentecostal church with a very<br />religious family, is God's punishment, Billy Porter, to 'The Hollywood Reporter'.<br />For Porter, his ‘Pose’ character was a<br />“surrogate” for his own status. .<br />In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Porter<br />to pause and process his feelings. .<br />Now, he’s ready to tell the world, <br />“this is what HIV-positive looks like.” .<br />I survived so that I could tell the story.<br />That's what I'm here for … I’m the vessel,<br />and emotionally that was sufficient --<br />until it wasn't … It's time to grow up<br />and move on because shame is<br />destructive -- and if not dealt with, it<br />can destroy everything in its path, Billy Porter, to 'The Hollywood Reporter'
